Hi Bestie,
Beautiful fabric. Your next great quilt.
Moda is one of the names that quilters trust for a reason: the hand is consistent, the solids and basics coordinate across collections, and there's a wideback for almost every top. But even the best fabric wants a little planning. A little planning makes every cut count.
From fabric crush to finished project
1. Start with your pattern
Check the fabric requirements before you shop. Plan for the quilt top, backing and binding, plus any extra needed for directional prints. If you're not sure how much backing to add, Stop Guessing Your Quilt Yardage has the formula.
2. Build a balanced palette
Pair a favorite fabric with coordinating solids and subtle textures. Bella Solids and Grunge make beautiful companions. Mix light and dark values so your patchwork stands out; value contrast does more for a quilt than color choice.
3. Prep before you cut
Decide whether to prewash your yardage before cutting. Fabric can shrink or release dye. Precuts may fray or shrink below the size your pattern needs, so check the fabric and pattern guidance first. If you ever wondered why a quilt shrank unevenly, mixed prewashing is the usual answer.
4. Press. Square. Cut.
Press out creases without stretching the fabric. Square the edge, align your ruler and cut on a proper mat. Keep fingers clear and close the rotary blade after each cut. Two quick reads if you want cleaner cuts: Are You Cutting With the Ruler or the Mat? and Your Ruler May Be Fooling You.
5. Make a test block
Use the seam allowance your pattern calls for, often 1/4 inch. Sew a sample, press as directed and measure the finished unit before chain piecing the rest.
Why one test block saves the whole quilt
A seam that's 1/32 of an inch too wide is invisible on one block. Across a nine-patch it's nearly a quarter inch. Across a twelve-block row it's close to an inch, and now your sashing doesn't fit and your borders ripple. The test block catches that error while it's still one block. Measure it, compare it to the pattern's "unfinished" size, and adjust your seam guide before the next 47 blocks inherit the mistake.
6. Plan the finishing touches
Measure blocks before assembly and lay out the design before joining rows. Choose backing and binding to complement the top. Ask your longarmer how much extra backing they need. A 108-inch Bella Solids wideback gives you a seamless back in a matching color.
A smoother sewing day
Wavy seams? Guide the fabric without pulling.
Blocks too small? Check cutting, seam allowance and pressing. Are You Pressing Your Seams Too Much? covers the pressing half.
Directional print? Lay out every piece before sewing.
Choose what you need. Create at your pace.
Happy Quilting!
From Corey.
Browse the Moda Fabrics collection for solids, textures and possibilities. Before you commit a pretty print to a project, That Fabric Is Pretty… But Will It Actually Work? is worth a read.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much fabric do I need for a quilt?
Start with your pattern's fabric requirements, which list yardage for the top, binding and sometimes backing. Add extra for directional prints and for any fussy cutting, and remember backing usually needs 4 to 8 inches beyond the top on every side. Stop Guessing Your Quilt Yardage shows the math for backing and binding.
Should I prewash Moda fabric before quilting?
It is a personal choice. Prewashing removes excess dye and pre-shrinks the fabric, which matters if you are mixing fabrics from different makers or using a dark print next to white. Precuts (jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes) generally should not be prewashed because they can fray or shrink below the size your pattern needs. Whichever you choose, do the same for every fabric in the quilt.
What are Bella Solids and Grunge?
Bella Solids are Moda's line of solid quilting cottons in hundreds of colors, used for backgrounds, binding and as companions to prints. Grunge is a Moda basic with a soft, textured, hand-painted look that reads as a near-solid from a distance. Both are 44/45-inch quilting cotton and both are also available in 108-inch wideback for seamless quilt backs. See our Bella Solids guide and Grunge wideback guide.
Why are my quilt blocks coming out too small?
Almost always it is one of three things: cutting slightly under size, a seam allowance wider than a scant 1/4 inch, or pressing that folds a little fabric into the seam. Sew a single test block, press it, and measure it before chain-piecing the rest. The Cutting Mistake That Gets Worse With Every Block explains how a tiny error multiplies across a quilt.
How do I keep a directional print facing the right way?
Lay out every piece on your design wall or floor before sewing and double-check the print direction in each position. Buy extra yardage (a quarter to a half yard) for directional prints because you lose fabric when every piece has to point the same way.
