A Small Part of My "Little" Fabric Shop

It all started about 5 years ago. Having grown tired of yet another work at home job that left me with fewer hours to spend with my family than more "traditional" jobs, I decided to start a small Ebay business relating to something that I enjoyed. I started out selling a few yards of fabric and fleece scarves and blankets. Of course, we all know what happens when there is an excuse to buy more fabric! The fleece took up way too much space and with more and more of it becoming available in local department stores, I began to phase it out. I love the variety in cotton fabrics, and have found that the local fabric stores are carrying far less of a selection than they used to. One of my goals is to carry fabrics that you can't find in your local stores. I haven't counted lately, but my "collection" has grown to well over a thousand bolts. My favorites are florals and novelty prints.

I am not one to stick with the same old thing for too long. I always have to keep things interesting for myself. I started cutting sets of squares from odds and ends of fabric and sell them. This has now become a major part of my business. I particularly enjoy hunting for "I Spy" fabrics and putting together sets to use in the popular children's quilts.

Thanks to all of my wonderful customers, this business has grown. I now have one of my best friends working with me, and we are working on our own website.

Future additions to our store will include die-cut appliques and photo quilt squares. I have the equipment to do these, but it will be a little while before we are ready to add these products to our store.

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful customers...we look forward to many years of continued business with you.

If you have project ideas, comments, or suggestions, I have started a blog for your fabric and quilting/crafting related ideas. Please go to the "My World" link below to post your comments.

If you need a little help figuring out how many squares you need to buy to make your quilt, the following is provided to help you. If you don't want to make such a large project, why not do some pillows, pillowcases, tote bags, or placemats? Any other ideas...let us know!

Standard Comforter Sizes and Number of 4” Squares Needed to Make a Patchwork Quilt

•  Crib (42 x 50 inches): 12 squares across by 14 down, 168 squares total
•   Twin/single (69 x 90 inches): 20 squares across by 26 down, 520 squares total
•   Full/double (84 x 90 inches): 24 squares across by 26 down, 624 squares total
•  Queen (90 x 96 inches): 26 squares across by 28 down, 728 squares total
•  King (104 x 96 inches): 30 squares across by 28 down, 840 squares total

Note that the number of squares cited above assumes ¼” seams and no borders. If using a border, you can subtract 2 squares from each dimension for 3.5” of border. For example, for a twin size (69 x 90 inch) quilt with a 3.5” border on all 4 sides, it would require 18 squares across by 24 squares down (a total of 18 x 24 or 432 squares).

To figure out the number of squares for a different size quilt, follow this example for a quilt top with a finished measurement of approximately 60 x 70 inches. For a 4 inch square, subtract the seam allowance (1/4” x 2 = ½’) to figure the finished square size; in this case, 3.5”. Divide each measurement by 3.5 to figure the number of squares across and down. For the example quilt, 60/3.5 = 17.14 (round it to 17 squares across and your quilt top will be just a little bit smaller than 60”) and 70/3.5 = 20 squares down. The total number of squares needed will be 17 x 20 or 340 squares. If you are planning on a border, remember to account for it by subtracting the border measurement from the overall desired dimension of your finished quilt (if you have a 5 inch border, you’d subtract 2 x 5, or 10” from both dimensions since your border will be on all 4 sides of the quilt).

You can use the example above for other square sizes: for 5 inch squares, use 4.5, and for a 6 inch square, use 5.5 for the finished square size.