Mixing Fabric Pre-Cuts with Yardage

Introduction

Fabric pre-cuts make quilting faster and easier—but most quilting projects don't use pre-cuts alone.

Many patterns combine pre-cuts with additional yardage for backgrounds, borders, sashing, binding, and backing. Understanding how these fabrics work together before you begin can help you shop more confidently and avoid running out of fabric in the middle of your project.

The goal isn't to buy more fabric than you need—it's to buy the right fabric for the project you've planned.

What Is Yardage?

Yardage simply refers to fabric purchased by the yard or partial yard rather than in pre-cut bundles.

It gives you the flexibility to cut larger pieces, create backgrounds, add borders, or finish your quilt exactly the way your pattern requires.

When You'll Usually Need Yardage

Quilt Element	Why It's Needed
Background Fabric	Surrounds your pieced blocks and helps your design stand out.
Borders	Adds size and creates a finished frame around your quilt.
Binding	Finishes and protects the edges of your quilt.
Backing	Covers the back of your quilt and sandwiches the batting inside.
Accent Fabrics	Adds contrast or highlights specific blocks and details.

A Typical Shopping Plan

Let's say you're making a throw quilt using a Layer Cake.

Your shopping list might look something like this:

✔ 2 Layer Cakes

✔ Background fabric

✔ Border fabric

✔ Binding fabric

✔ Backing fabric

✔ Batting

✔ Thread

Notice that the Layer Cakes provide the beautiful featured fabrics—but the yardage helps complete the quilt.

Why This Combination Works

Using pre-cuts and yardage together gives you the best of both worlds.

Pre-cuts save time, reduce cutting, and provide beautifully coordinated fabrics, while yardage allows you to customize the size, layout, and finishing details of your quilt.

Together, they create flexibility without sacrificing convenience.

Laura's Studio Tip 💜

Think of pre-cuts as the stars of your quilt and yardage as the supporting cast.

The pre-cuts bring the color and personality, while the yardage ties everything together. Both play an important role in creating a beautiful finished project.