Does it ever feel like a fat quarter just isn’t enough fabric? For several years, the Hancock’s of Paducah team of “Cut-Ups” prepared fat quarter bundles in-house with 12 FQs. There are three factors which contributed to a big change in how we make our precut bundles.

• • It takes more time to cut FQs than half-yard cut and we want to move as quickly as possible.   
• • More collections are releasing a smaller number of items so it became harder to get 12 item collections.
• • There is a desire for bigger cuts from stashbuilders wanting more fabrics and patterns that need more than a FQ.

We introduced our half-yard bundles over a year ago and the response has been great! Each of our bundles includes eight fabrics. These cuts are ~18” x 44” and come from the same collection, theme, or color family and will coordinate in a quilt. We usually have around 100 unqiue bundles in stock, but that number keeps growing. Our staff also does all of the product photography, and the web team has a template made to help keep those quarter-circle fans of folded pieces consistent and quick.

If you’re building up a stash, or curating your fabric collection to include more of a certain color or theme, these bundles are convenient ways to get a good variety. If you see a fabric collection you love and want an assortment, the four yards total offers a good amount of fabric to work with.

As quilters though, sometimes we just want to make a quilt! That’s where our half-yard bundles and patterns from Villa Rosa Designs make a great partnership! During their spring Blog Hop, let’s look at some of the patterns that work well with eight half-yard cuts.

ECLIPSES

Featuring Moda’s Starry Sky

In a little over two weeks, Paducah will once again be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse... so this new pattern from Villa Rosa is timely! Particularly since we just received the Starry Sky collection designed by April Rosenthal of Prairie Grass for Moda Fabrics. My friend Valerie made an eclipse-themed quilt out of this fabric and I was inspired to try working the half-yard bundle into the pattern that seems absolutely perfect for it.

Click on the mockup image to see a larger version

“Eclipses” finishes at 59 by 75 inches. The pattern calls for 5 fat quarters of the the lighter fabric, 10 fat quarters of the darker fabrics, 2 yards of background fabric, and 5/8 yards for binding. Replacing the 5 yellow and orange FQs with the 3 light fabrics from the bundle, and the 10 dark FQs (or 1 3/4 yards) with the four dark fabrics from the bundle takes care of most of what you need. The HY bundle comes with one cut of the “Zodiac Midday” medium blue color, but you could add 1 1/2 yards to your order (or a full 2 yards if you want extra) to round out what you need for the background. A 1 yard cut of any of the “Night” or “Midnight” colors from the collection will take care of the binding and can be used with the other fabrics for the dark “moons” in the pattern too. If you want the backing out of fabric from this collection, that will need 4 yards.

LINDY

Featuring Marcus Fabrics’ Sunny Days

The cheerful 1930’s style reproduction collection “Sunny Days” from Marcus Fabrics features small-scale designs with hearts, daisies, diamonds, and blooming flowers in bright colors. Whether you're celebrating a sunny day with a picnic, or cuddled up under this quilt on a cloudy day, these fabrics will lift your spirits.

The “Lindy” pattern finishes at 72 by 84 inches. The pattern calls for 12 half-yard cuts and 3/4 yard for binding. We have half-yard bundles ready to go with eight fabrics, and you can add four more to complete the quilt top. This mockup adds MF 910 Pink, MF 911 Sky, MF 912 Periwinkle, and MF 914 Fuchsia for the quilt top, and an additional yard of the MF 910 Jade green fabric for the binding.

MOUNTAINS

Featuring Anthology’s Cat Nap batiks

Cat-lovers will be sure to appreciate the designs in these hand-dyed batiks from Anthology. Mountains by Melissa Milligan calls for nine half-yard cuts and 5/8 yard of binding fabric. Pairing the Cat Nap Half-yard bundle with Villa Rosa's Mountains pattern is sure to create a quilt that will be cherished. The finished 56 by 63 inch size makes a great smaller throw or child’s quilt... sounds like the right size for a nap! If you see another design you like on the collection page, go ahead and get 3 1/2 yards of coordinating fabric for a fun backing.

Ordering this bundle with 1.5 yards of a different fabric from the collection (seen here with the pink paw prints batik) for both the 9th piece and binding works really well. You can use this pattern with one additional fabric for almost any HY bundle. There’s a HY bundle currently on sale for Windham’s Game Night that would look great with an added red blender print or solid.

SMUDGE

(Featuring Benartex’s Yellowstone western-themed collection

“Smudge” by Running Doe Quilts finishes at 52 by 70 inches. This makes a nice large throw. This pattern uses seven half-yard cuts and 5/8 yard of fabric for binding. If you’re looking to make a quilt for the cowboy (or cowgirl) in your life, it pairs great with western fabrics. The Benartex Yellowstone collection includes horses, saddles, cowboy boots, guitars, lassos, and horseshoes. With eight cuts the right size, you can choose which seven to include. If you prefer a narrower binding, you could either use the remaining piece for the binding or add an additional cut for binding.

SIERRA SNOW

Featuring Wilmington’s Zest For Life

When life gives you lemons, you can always make lemonade with Zest For Life from Wilmington Prints. These cheerful designs include lemons, daisies, bees, and plaids.

Pairing these yellow and soft green prints with Villa Rosa's Sierra Snow pattern makes a 47 by 54 inch quilt with just 7 half-yard cuts (which includes binding). I think the yellow plaid in this bundle would make a great binding, and the design with the blue glass jars with lemonade and flowers would be good on the back... either as a larger 3 yard cut, or pieced in with other coordinating color scraps

BUTTON BOX

Featuring Free Spirit Fabric’s Kaffe Fassett Collective’s “Saturday Stash”

Occasionally we get some larger bundles from our manufacturers, like the 20 piece HY bundle of classic Kaffe Fassett Collective reds, the “Saturday Stash Hot House.” I’ve paired it with the Villa Rosa “Button Box” pattern that finishes at 68 by 81 inches. The pattern calls for three squares each out 10 half-yard cuts (so you could choose any of our HY bundles and two additional fabrics). With the 20 HY fabrics in this bundle, you can use each fabric once and 10 of them twice to get a nice assortment of these vibrant prints. You will also need 1 yard of the accent fabric for the stitches, and I went with a solid soft green that really brings out the natural elements in the floral prints. If you want to stick to all Kaffe, the new Comb Stripe from the February 2024 collection would reinforce the “thread” look of the stitching. The binding needs 3/4 of a yard, you could make a scrappy binding from the rest of the HY bundle pieces, or add an additional 1 yard cut to your order. This Chevron Stripe Red from Kaffe’s 85 and Fabulous collection is on sale and would make a great binding!

If you’re feeling inspired to match your own Villa Rosa Designs pattern with one of our half-yard bundles (or any of or other precuts), these patterns are a great place to start:

Be sure to check out the Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop for more participating bloggers. We're happy to be a part of the Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop and look forward to seeing all the projects you make with these patterns! (Our current blog doesn't allow comments, but commenting on other blogs in the hop before midnight on Sunday, March 24, 2024 will count towards your entry in the prize drawings.)