How much fabric for a throw quilt
It depends on the blocks, so here is one worked through. A 62 × 76″ throw of twenty 12″ Ohio Star blocks, with 2″ sashing and a 4″ border, takes 5¾ yards of fabric for the top and binding: 2⅞ yd of background, ⅞ yd for the star points, ½ yd for centres and cornerstones, and 1½ yd for border and binding. The backing is another 4¾ yd.
Plan it in your own fabrics with Sashing →
What size is a throw quilt?
A throw covers a person on a sofa, not a bed, so its size is loose. Missouri Star's chart gives 50 × 65″; any width and length between about 50″ and 70″ is often called a throw. Sashing's throw preset aims at 60 × 72″ and rounds to whole blocks. With 12″ blocks, 2″ sashing and a 4″ border that comes out at 62 × 76″, the quilt worked through below. The quilt sizes chart compares the other sizes.
The fabric list for a 62 × 76″ throw
| Fabric | Used for | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Background (cream) | Block backgrounds and sashing | 2⅞ yd |
| Star points (blue) | The points of every star | ⅞ yd |
| Accent (orange) | Star centres and cornerstones | ½ yd |
| Border (brown) | 4″ border and the binding | 1½ yd |
| Quilt top and binding | 5¾ yd | |
| Backing | Two 84″ lengths, any fabric | 4¾ yd |
These are the numbers Sashing's yardage screen shows for this quilt. Each one is rounded up to the next ⅛ yard and planned on 40″ of usable width. The next section shows where each comes from, so you can check it on paper.
Where every inch goes
One 12″ Ohio Star, cut the traditional way, is two 5¼″ squares of the star fabric and two of background (each cut twice on the diagonal), one 4½″ centre square and four 4½″ background corners. Twenty blocks make:
- Star points: 40 squares of 5¼″. Seven fit across 40″ of fabric, so that is 6 strips × 5¼″ = 31½″, which rounds up to ⅞ yd.
- Accent: 20 centres of 4½″ (3 strips, 13½″) and 12 cornerstones of 2½″ (1 strip), 16″ in all, which rounds up to ½ yd.
- Background: 80 corners of 4½″ (10 strips, 45″), 40 squares of 5¼″ (6 strips, 31½″) and the 31 sashing strips of 2½″ × 12½″ (two 12½″ strips, 25″), 101½″ in all, which rounds up to 2⅞ yd.
- Border and binding: seven 4½″ strips for the border (31½″) and eight 2½″ strips for the binding (20″), 51½″, which rounds up to 1½ yd.
The border and binding lines have guides of their own: calculating fabric for borders and calculating binding.
The backing
The backing should be about 4″ bigger than the top on every side, so 70 × 84″. That is wider than one piece of fabric, so it takes two lengths of 84″ sewn side by side: 168″, or 4¾ yd. How to work out quilt backing has the method for any size.
Why the answer for your throw will differ
- The block. Triangles cost more than squares, because each one carries extra seam allowance on the diagonal. A throw of Nine Patch blocks needs less than the same size in stars.
- The usable width. Planning on 42″ instead of 40″ fits eight 5¼″ squares on a strip instead of seven. Patterns that plan on 42″ show less yardage, and leave no room for a strip that comes up short after prewashing.
- The designer's margin. Many patterns add a little extra to every fabric. The numbers here have no margin beyond rounding up to ⅛ yd, so if you tend to miscut, buy a bit more.
If you are building from fabric you already own, plan the quilt from your stash first and buy only what is missing.
Sashing
A quilt design app for Android. Lay out classic blocks with sashing and borders in photos of your own fabrics, then get the finished size, the yardage for every fabric and a cutting chart with the ¼″ seams added. Designing and seeing the quilt is free; the yardage, cutting chart and PDF are part of Sashing Pro, a subscription with a 3-day free trial.