How to Calculate Material Needed for Fabric

Calculate fabric needed before buying the fabric so you don't buy too much or too little.

Calculating the fabric needed for a sewing project is the first step of the project. Many factors will affect the amount of fabric needed--width of the fabric, most importantly. For wide skirts without gussets, 60-inch width is best. If the fabric is more narrow than the piece to be cut, a seam is necessary. 45- and 50-inch widths of fabrics are fine for slim and small projects without a lot of volume. The easiest way to calculate the amount of fabric needed is to make a box to represent the fabric. The width of the box will be 22 inches to start, as the pattern pieces will be cut with the fabric halved along the length.

Things You'll Need

• Pattern pieces
• Masking tape

Instructions

1. Use the masking tape to create a box on your floor 22 inches wide and 2 yards long.

2. Lay the pattern pieces on the floor inside the taped box. Lay them all on the same grain to be cut as close to each other as they will fit. If a pattern piece extends beyond the taped lines, you'll need a wider width. If they extend 5 inches beyond the tape, you need 55-inch width, and 7 inches, you'll need 60 inches. If only a few pattern pieces fit, go to Step 3.

3. Remove the pattern pieces from the box and place them in a pile to the side. Place the remainder of the pattern pieces in the box.

4. Repeat the process until you have placed all of the pattern pieces in the box.

5. Multiply the number of times you have filled the box by 2 yards, making up the amount of fabric needed for your project. If the pattern pieces only fill half the box, you will only need 1 yard of fabric.

Tips & Warnings

• You could use a large table or an outdoor space to lay the tape and pattern pieces if desired.

• Test that the masking tape can be removed from the floor before applying it.

References

• Threads Magazine: Go Against the Grain