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Free Feature

Yardage Calculator

Automatic yardage estimates for every fabric in your design. Know exactly how much to buy before you head to the quilt shop.

What It Does

The Yardage Calculator reads your entire quilt design and computes how much fabric you need for each color in your layout. It accounts for block size, grid dimensions, the number of times each fabric appears, and the shapes involved. The result is a per-fabric breakdown in yards, rounded up to the nearest standard cut, so you know exactly what to put on the cutting counter.

Beyond block fabrics, the calculator handles the extras that are easy to forget. If your design includes sashing, it calculates sashing yardage separately. Borders are computed based on quilt dimensions. A dedicated backing calculator tells you how many yards of 42-inch or 108-inch wide backing fabric you need, and the binding calculator computes yardage for continuous bias or straight-grain binding strips.

A seam allowance toggle lets you switch between the standard quarter-inch seam allowance and custom values. The calculator adds seam allowance to every piece automatically, so the yardage numbers reflect what you will actually cut, not just the finished size.

Standard seam allowance: 1/4 inch

QuiltWall uses the quilting standard of 1/4" seam allowance by default. You can toggle this on or off in the calculator settings. When enabled, every piece measurement includes the allowance, and the total yardage reflects the real cutting size.

How to Use It

  1. Design your quilt and assign fabrics

    Before opening the calculator, make sure you have placed blocks on your design wall and assigned fabrics to the regions. The calculator reads your current layout, so it needs blocks and fabrics to analyze.

  2. Open the Yardage Calculator

    Click the Yardage Calculator button in the toolbar. The panel opens and immediately begins computing estimates based on your current design.

  3. Review the per-fabric breakdown

    Each fabric in your design is listed with its name, color swatch, and total yardage required. The numbers include seam allowance and are rounded up to practical cutting amounts.

  4. Add backing and binding estimates

    Scroll down to the backing calculator. Enter your backing fabric width (standard 42" or wide 108") and the calculator tells you how many yards to buy. The binding section computes yardage for your preferred binding strip width.

  5. Print your shopping list

    Click the print button to generate a clean, printable yardage summary. Take it to the quilt shop so you know exactly what to ask for at the cutting counter.

Tips & Tricks

Always round up

QuiltWall rounds yardage to the nearest 1/8 yard, but when you are at the shop, consider buying an extra 1/4 yard of your main fabrics. It gives you a safety margin for cutting mistakes and fabric shrinkage after pre-washing.

Check the sashing and border lines

If your design has sashing or borders, those fabric requirements are listed separately from the block fabrics. Make sure you do not overlook them when making your shopping list.

Toggle seam allowance to compare

Turn seam allowance off to see the "finished size" numbers, and turn it back on to see the actual cutting dimensions. This can be helpful when cross-referencing with a published pattern.

Wide backing saves piecing

If your quilt is wider than 40 inches, consider 108-inch wide backing fabric. The calculator will show you the difference in yardage and you avoid having to piece your backing.

Print before you shop

The printable yardage summary is designed to be taken to the quilt shop. It lists each fabric by name and color with the exact yardage. Much better than trying to remember numbers from your phone screen.

Know Your Yardage Before You Shop

Automatic calculations, no math required. Free for every quilt you design.

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