How much fabric should you buy?That is a very important question to answer whenever you start a sewing project.
In this blogpost you will learn how to calculate fabric yardage for your sewing project.
First you have your sewing project in mind.Then you do your pattern drafting.
The next thing you need is to choose the right fabric for the project.
We all know that fabrics come in different textures ,weights and measurements.So the next question is :
HOW DO I CALCULATE FABRIC YARDAGE FOR MY SEWING PROJECT?
Before we get to calculate fabric yardage for our sewing project,we need to understand how fabrics come.
This blog post contains affiliate links, which when you click and purchase a product will earn me a commission at no cost to you.Please note that I have worked with this products and that is why I recommend them to you.I have found them to be quite useful in my sewing projects
Fabrics are measured in different widths.
some are 35″ wide,45″,54″or 60″ wide.
If you are using commercial patterns or costom body blocks,All you have to do is to get all your patterns together .
Next ,get a calibrated cutting mat.If you dont have a cutting mat,you can just use your cutting table.
Take half of any of the width measurements above.for example 60″ divided by 2 .that is 30″.This is because we cut patterns on a fold.
Place all your pattern pieces according to the fabric design you intend to buy.
Ensure that everything lies in the same direction.
When you have placed all your pattern pieces in place,then you can calculate fabric yardage for your project using your measureing tape.
Since you know that 37″ equals 1 yard,you can convert the inches to cm (x2.5) or to meters (x 0.025).
By doing this mock layout everytime you will be able to calculate fabric yardage for any of your sewing projects.
HOW TO CALCULATE FABRIC FOR CUSHION.
Chair cushions endure the most wear and tear of any component of the chair.
The chair cushion often wears out faster than the rest of the chair. Fortunately, once you know how to calculate fabric for your cushion , making a cover for your well-loved seat cushion is simple.
If you are covering a box cushion, measure the height of the cushion. Multiply the width of the cushion by two and the depth of the cushion by two.
Then add the two numbers to determine how much fabric you’ll need to make the sides, front, and back of the box cushion. Add 2 inches to allow for seam allowances.
HOW MANY YARDS OF FABRIC DO I NEED FOR A SKIRT.
What kind of skirt do you want to make?
That’s a difficult question to answer considering that there are skirts for every occasion, including parties, cheerleading, and casual wear.
The key to calculating the fabric yardage fabric is to first decide what kind of skirt you want to make and who will wear it.
What amount of fabric will I require to make a skirt? Regardless of whether the fabric is woven or knit, you’ll need about 2 yards for a straight skirt, 2 1/4 yards for an A line, and 2 1/4 yards for a softly gathered skirt. Your skirt project will determine the amount of fabric needed.
FREE FABRIC CALCULATOR
Calculating fabric yardage is one of the most difficult tasks!
This is especially true when it comes to small sewing projects.
I usually end up with a finished project or quilt and have no idea how much fabric I started with!
Fabric calculators have helped me a lot .
There are a lot of these calculators online that help calculate fabric yardage for different sewing projects.I will however list those that I have used.
1.Sailrite fabric calculator.With this calculator,you can calculate fabric yardage for small projects like facial mask,pillows,cushions and upholstery.
It is mostly used as a fabric yadage calculator for cushions.Sailrite fabric calculaors also answers questions like:
How much fabric do I need for my curtains?
2Calculators.io This has been a life saver when it comes to calculating fabric yardage for flayed or full circle skirts.
Watch the video below to see how easy it is to use.All you need is to imput your waist measurement and skirt lenght.
It acually saves you from a lot of uneccessary calculations.Expecially if you are not too good with maths.
The inches to yards calculator website also makes all kinds of conversions easy.Whether you are converting inches to yards or to meteres.
You can do all this with the click of a button.
FABRIC CALCULATOR APPS.
The fabric calculator apps are mostly apps for calculating projects for quilting
CONCLUSION
There are a lot of calculations involved in sewing.If you are not good in maths, it can be quite intimidating.
I hope this blogpost on how to calculate fabric yardage for your sewing really helps you.
If there is any other practical way you know of to calculate fabric,please share in comments.
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