What the default plan means
The example starts with a measured 50 × 65-inch unfinished center. Existing sashing is already inside that measurement. A 3-inch finished butted border, ¼-inch piecing seams, 40.5-inch net strip WOF and 2 inches of squaring per fabric are editable planning defaults.
The resulting outer unfinished top is 56 × 71 inches. For this worked example only, suppose your pattern calls for 4 yards of block fabrics, excluding the border and sashing. The separate purchases then sum to 9 ⅛ yd (9.125). The calculator leaves that pattern input blank until you supply it.
Worked example: 4 yd pattern fabric plus the default cutting plan| Component | Purchase |
|---|
| Pattern / block fabric | 4 yd |
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| Backing | 3 ⅝ yd |
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| Straight-grain binding | ⅝ yd |
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| One butted border | ⅞ yd |
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| Sashing | 0 yd |
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| Cornerstones | 0 yd |
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Finished sizes, raw edges and cutting formulas
For C columns and R rows of finished blocks B wide × H high, separated by finished sashing S, the finished center is C × B + (C − 1) × S wide and R × H + (R − 1) × S high. Add twice the seam allowance a to each dimension for the unfinished outer raw edges.
A sashing or border strip finishes at its entered width; cut width = finished width + 2a. With cornerstones, cut R(C − 1) vertical pieces of H + 2a, C(R − 1) horizontal pieces of B + 2a, and (C − 1)(R − 1) squares of S + 2a. Without cornerstones, the horizontal sashing runs across the whole unfinished center. No outside sashing frame is included.
For one butted border, cut the sides to the measured unfinished center height, then the top and bottom to the center width plus twice the finished border width. The outer unfinished top gains twice the finished border width in both directions.
Short equal rectangles yield floor(usable WOF ÷ cut length) pieces per WOF strip. Long pieces use enough full strips for n × WOF − 2a(n − 1) to cover one cut length, with straight joins. One unjoined strip loses no joining allowance. Fabric depth is strip count × cut width, plus the entered squaring buffer once per fabric; divide by 36 and round up to ⅛ yard. Different groups do not share offcuts.
Keep the budget complete without counting fabric twice
Enter only the block or pattern fabrics in the pattern-yardage field. This plan adds the new border, sashing and separate cornerstone fabric once. Backing uses the outer unfinished top, the selected usable backing width and per-side overhang, comparing both seam directions. Straight binding uses the existing strip-and-join model with its 12-inch working allowance. Purchases for different fabrics are rounded separately before summing; this is not a shared-bolt nesting optimizer.
For multiple rings, miters or lengthwise borders, use the existing border calculator. For individual units, use block and strip yield. Continue with backing or straight and bias binding for their detailed cutting plans.
Construction references
Quilter’s Paradise sashing reference describes crosswise strip cutting and separately subcut cornerstone squares. Its border reference distinguishes finished border width from the added seam allowance and eighth-yard purchases. The equations and conservative cutting groups shown here are this site’s own geometric model, not an imported vendor calculator.
APQS backing guidance discusses fabric width, selvages and seams; APQS machine-binding guidance covers perimeter allowance and diagonal strip joins. Actual top measurements, usable fabric width and your quilter’s margin requirements take precedence over defaults.
Questions about this plan
Can quilt area tell me the exact fabric for a pieced top?
No. Block construction, colors, subcuts and pattern layout change the fabric needed. Enter the pattern’s block-fabric yardage separately. An empty pattern input leaves a known subtotal, not a complete total.
Are the block and strip sizes finished or cut sizes?
Grid blocks, sashing width and border width are entered as finished sizes. Cut dimensions add the seam allowance on both edges. Measured-center dimensions are the actual unfinished raw-edge dimensions before the new border.
Does this optimize scraps or include washing shrinkage?
No. The plan uses crosswise WOF strips, separate cutting groups and independent border edges. Each fabric gets its entered squaring buffer and rounds up to an eighth yard. Add washing, directional-print matching and mistakes separately.