What width of fabric means
Width of fabric, often shortened to WOF, runs from one selvage edge to the other. A bolt label may describe quilting cotton as 42 or 44 inches wide, but that nominal number is not always the width you can safely cut. The tightly woven selvages may pucker, carry printing, or behave differently from the fabric body, so a cutting plan should use the width left after they are removed.
QuiltClarity calls this usable width. Its default is 40 inches for standard quilting cotton, but it is an editable planning assumption, not a promise about every bolt.
How to measure usable WOF
- Press the fabric without stretching it.
- Identify where the printable fabric body ends at each selvage.
- Measure straight across between those two usable edges.
- Use the smallest repeatable width if the edges vary along the yardage.
Measure before buying tightly calculated yardage, especially for pre-washed fabric, unusually wide selvages, or a print that must be cut on motif. A conservative usable width may require another strip or row, but it is safer than planning pieces in fabric that cannot be used.
WOF strips and directional fabric
A WOF strip is cut across the usable width, such as a 2½-inch binding strip. Directional fabric adds another constraint: rotating a rectangle may turn the print sideways even if the piece fits. Mark directional fabric so a yardage calculator compares only legal orientations.
Try the fabric yardage calculator for repeated rectangles, the backing calculator for joined panels, or read about finished and cut sizes before entering pieces.
For another practical explanation of how usable width affects layouts, see PreQuilt's cutting-diagram guide.