Free Quilt Calculator

Eight essential calculators — fabric, binding, backing, borders & more

Quilt Strip Yardage Calculator

Calculate how much fabric you need for a set number of strips, or find out how many strips you can cut from a given yardage. Perfect for jelly roll projects, string quilts, log cabin blocks, or any pattern that lists a strip count.

Strips

Two modes: calculate yardage from a number of strips, or find how many strips fit in a given yardage.

All calculations show the exact fabric needed based on your inputs — they do not include extra for cutting errors. Consider adding 5–10% to any yardage figure. Standard quilting cotton WOF is 44".

How It Works

Strips → Yardage: Multiply the number of strips by the strip width to get total fabric length in inches, then round up to the nearest ⅛ yard.

Yardage → Strips: Convert yardage to total inches (multiply by 36), then divide by the strip width. The result is the maximum number of full WOF strips that fit in that amount of fabric.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a jelly roll and how many strips does it contain?
A jelly roll is a pre-cut bundle of 40 strips, each 2.5" wide × the full width of fabric (approximately 44"). One jelly roll is roughly equivalent to 2¾ yards of standard-width fabric.
What strip width should I use?
The most common strip widths are: 1.5" for log cabin blocks, 2" for many traditional patterns, 2.5" for standard binding and jelly rolls, and 3.5" for strip-piecing nine-patch blocks.
Does the calculator account for selvage waste?
In 'Yardage → Strips' mode, the calculator uses your entered fabric width minus 0.5" for selvage trimming, giving you the count of usable strips. In 'Strips → Yardage' mode, strip count is multiplied by strip width directly to get total fabric needed.
Can I use this for strip-piecing techniques?
Yes. If your pattern calls for sewing multiple strips together before cutting (such as in nine-patch or bargello quilts), enter the number of full WOF strips needed for each fabric and this calculator will give you the yardage for each.

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Sashing CalculatorYardage CalculatorBinding CalculatorUnit Converter