How to Estimate Fabric Yardage
Whether you want to sew clothing, a quilt or a home-decor project, you'll need to figure out how much fabric the project requires. Having an accurate estimate for fabric yardage helps ensure that you won't run out of fabric, or buy more fabric than you need. Most patterns come with the required yardage printed on the envelope, but if this information isn't available, it's not difficult to estimate your yardage needs.
Instructions
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Determine the width of the fabric you'll be using. Most apparel and quilting fabrics come in bolts that are approximately 44 inches wide, but some are 58 to 60 inches wide. Many home-decor fabrics come on rolls that are 54 inches wide. Depending on the project, you may need fewer yards with a wider fabric.
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Find out if the fabric you want has a nap, print or texture that only goes in one direction. If so, you'll need to cut all the pieces facing the same way, which can require extra yardage. If not, you can arrange the pieces in any direction you want to make them fit, as long as they still line up with the grainline of the fabric.
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Lay out your pattern pieces (for clothing, stuffed animals or similar projects) on the floor or a large flat surface so that they're arranged as they would be on the fabric. Measure the total length of all the pattern pieces.
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Estimate yardage for curtains by measuring the width of the window frame or rod. For most types of draperies, you'll want the finished curtains to be about twice as wide as the window. For wide windows, you may need to sew several pieces of fabric together. Next, measure from the top of the rod to the place where you want the curtains to end. You'll need enough fabric for this length, plus rod casings and hems.
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Decide what size pieces of fabric you want for a quilt, and how many pieces of fabric you'll need. Then determine how many pieces you can cut from the width of the fabric, and the length you'll need. For example, to make a standard crib-sized quilt top (45 by 60 inches) using 8-inch squares of fabric, you'll need six squares across and eight squares down, for a total of 48 squares. To cut the squares, you'll need 80 inches of 44-inch wide fabric.
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Divide the number of inches you need by 36 to calculate the number of yards. Most fabric stores sell fabric in increments of 1/8 yard, so round up to the nearest 1/8 of a yard. For example, if you need 80 inches of fabric for your project, 80/36 = 2.22 yards, or 2 1/4 yards.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep in mind that some fabrics, especially those that are 100 percent cotton, may shrink slightly in the wash, and some fabrics may ravel at the edges. This can reduce the amount of usable fabric in each yard. Be sure to add a little extra to your yardage estimate to take these factors into account, if needed.
