How to read a quilt cutting chart
A line like “(6) 5¼″ × WOF, subcut (40) 5¼″ squares, cut twice on the diagonal” means: cut six strips 5¼″ deep across the full width of the fabric, selvage to selvage. Cut those strips into forty 5¼″ squares, then cut each square corner to corner both ways. The number in brackets is how many, and WOF is the width of fabric.
Plan it in your own fabrics with Sashing →
The parts of a cutting line
- (6) — how many to cut. Quilt patterns put the quantity first, in brackets.
- 5¼″ × WOF — a strip 5¼″ deep, running the width of fabric. Fold the fabric selvage to selvage, square the edge, and cut across the fold.
- subcut (40) 5¼″ squares — cut the strips across into pieces. Here, forty squares from the six strips together.
- cut once on the diagonal — corner to corner once: two half-square triangles from each square.
- cut twice on the diagonal — both diagonals: four quarter-square triangles, with the straight grain on their long edge.
What WOF means, and why 40″
Width of fabric is the distance from selvage to selvage. Quilting cotton is sold 42–44″ wide, but the selvages are cut off and prewashing shrinks it, so what every strip can rely on is about 40″. How many pieces fit on a strip depends on that number: seven 5¼″ squares fit across 40″, eight across 42″. So a pattern planned on 42″ may ask for five strips where one planned on 40″ asks for six, and neither is a misprint. Sashing plans on 40″ and lets you change it to anything from 40″ to 44″ in Settings.
The seam allowance is already in
Every size in a cutting chart is a cut size. A 4½″ square finishes at 4″ once it has a ¼″ seam on each side. Triangles are cut larger again, ⅞″ or 1¼″ over their finished size; the half-square triangle guide explains why.
A real chart, read line by line
Here is the background fabric from a 62 × 76″ Ohio Star throw, as Sashing prints it:
| Line | What you do |
|---|---|
| (10) 4½″ × WOF, subcut (80) 4½″ squares | Ten strips, eight squares from each: the block corners. |
| (6) 5¼″ × WOF, subcut (40) 5¼″ squares, cut twice on the diagonal | Seven squares per strip (the last strip has five), then 160 triangles for the star units. |
| (2) 12½″ × WOF, subcut (31) 2½″ × 12½″ rectangles | Two wide strips sliced every 2½″: the sashing. |
The last line surprises people. The sashing strips are only 2½″ wide, so why cut a 12½″ strip? Because slicing a 12½″ strip every 2½″ gives sixteen strips from 12½″ of fabric. Cutting 2½″ strips and taking three 12½″ lengths from each would use more. How to add sashing to a quilt works that through.
Strips that are joined
Borders and binding are longer than one width of fabric, so their lines look different: “(7) 4½″ × WOF, join end to end (6 seams): border”. Cut seven strips and sew them into one long strip, then cut the border pieces from it. The arithmetic is in calculating fabric for quilt borders.
Habits that save fabric
- Read the whole chart before the first cut, and tick each line off as you go.
- Cut the widest strips from a fabric first, while the piece is still long enough.
- Re-square the folded edge every few strips, or the strips bend into a shallow V at the fold.
- Label the stacks with their size, especially triangles cut from 4⅞″ and 5¼″ squares, which look alike.
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.