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My quilting friend told me that she's had it with buying pre-cuts. She found that the cuts can be a bit "off," and she's a stickler for accuracy when piecing. I think the last pack she ran into trouble with were some Bali-type batik strips that weren't all the same width.

I haven't played around with the packs enough to have an opinion on how they've been cut. I have a few packs on hand, but I bought them to use in projects where the original cut size doesn't matter, like foundation piecing or other craft-type uses. I don't plan to piece them as they came in the pack.

How do you all feel about charm packs & pre-cuts? Nice to use & a good way to get an assortment of fabrics, or do they bother you if they're not cut perfectly?

Because I have a rather plentiful stash that I can use to cut my own layer cake or charm pieces, I almost never buy the pre-cuts. The only time I bought a layer cake, it was for a pattern that called for it. When I started cutting, I realized that there was some wasted fabric. If I had been cutting from stash, that would not have happened. Also, it seems to me that the pre-cuts are a little more expensive that yardage.

i llike precut charms and strips, i'm not that picky so if its alittle off that's ok with me, gives the quilt charactor. besides the people that get my quilts don't know the difference. LOL. they are thrilled to get it because i made it no matter what the seams look like. the pre-cuts i buy are always on sale or clearance

patsy.

I like the charms, true they miss the mark sometimes on accuracy and I was a bit bummed when I did DNSILs Fathers Day quilt for DGS to give him a few years back - my D9Ps were NOt as nice I'd have preferred - but the busy patterns and darker colors hid it pretty well - unfortunately DNSIL lives here and knows the way those points should look! Noo he did't say anything
I have not purchased the 10" - have not needed an assortment of that size to make it worth the expense. I'm with the stash cutters - I have stuff that I can make that size if I need to.
I love the strips - and have made my own, and some years back we had a swap of them - which I promptly used or traded off. I have a 'clever' top ready to sandwich where I used the charms sewn to strips and then whacked those - I'll show you all later when it's together. I made my bed scarf with charms and strips - and it turned out cute as can be.
My daily dose of Missouri Star Quilt Co keeps me alert for good buys on the pre-cuts.
I like them because of the variety - and most of the packs can be mixed with others.
I bought 2 turnovers back when the 30's came out popular - they are still in the drawer with curling corners. Someday they will make nice HST's I suppose. They are an odd size and I don't think they play nice with others.

I love jelly rolls. I have some charms, and still have them. Don't know what to do with them... But jelly rolls...love 'em and only buy on sale. I am a 2 1/2in. - scrappy - type of girl..

I love strips and buy them frequently and it saves me time and cutting which I really like. I haven't found a problem in any pre cuts I've had. Now widths could be different because widths can be different on fabrics so it would depend on what the width of fabric is.

I'm a stash or fresh purchase cutter. Since I don't do scrappy and most of my things are planned designs so I don't buy the precuts. I can never figure out what I would like to make from them. I do have about 3 packs that I haven't opened yet.

I've never been able to "get over" the high cost for the amount of actual fabric you get. I know it's the "convenience" of not having to cut that you're also paying for...but, it just is not enough to make me turn loose of my bucks.

But, if I did...certainly I'd expect LASER ACCURACY!...and am dismayed that they are not precisely the same size.

I purchased three of the Bali strips. I thought I had a quilt picked out from a jelly roll book, but now find that I don't have the Omnigril L96 and L98 rulers. I am going to try and cut the fabrics with a Fons & Porter triangle ruler and hope that everything comes out as it should. If I had known that I needed special rulers, I would have by-passed the book. I thought of just making a strip quilt with what I bought. A very expensive scrap quilt, for sure.

Thinking it over, I think from now on I will just buy fat quarters and cut them into 2 1/2 strips. I think I can find a variety of colors and make up my own designs.

Quiltmaker

Being stricken with obsessive compulsive disorder (makes me cr@zy sometimes) I love the idea of tidy packages of fabric. But with a lot of you saying some jelly rolls/charms are a bit off I haven't tried working with them.

Gina

The charm squares are great for applique. I'm always needing a 2 inch piece of some odd color that I don't have. I try to buy the ones that have lots of different colors and flowers or leaves or something like that.

I've never purchased any of either, but have been gifted with some. I generally don't sweat the small stuff so am not dismayed when they are off or out of kilter. I've learned to pull a few out of the pack for QC (quality control). If those are okay, suits me fine. If I find a problem, and it's a big problem for my pattern, I will measure and cut each piece if necessary. With strips and squares, it's really no big deal to me.

I've done a couple of Joann's BOMs in the past. Every package for the first quilt was perfect. The other quilt - not so much. I had to do some trimming on just about each package because I was persnickity about those quilts...and they both turned out gor-ge-mous if I do say so myself.

I too have a touch of OCD and have got charm packs that are not cut true. I have complained and got replacements...I feel for the price they should be cut to an exact 5" square. If they are not what is the advantage, I can cut square myself! (I guess the plus side is you bget ALL the fabrics in a line.)

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The charm squares are great for applique.

What a great idea! I'll start looking at charm packs in a new way.

i love them... i make lots of jelly roll quilts and the pre-cuts work just fine... and i use the charms quite a bit too... i love the variety in them.. and the time they save me with cutting..

jelly rolls and charms are my favorites.. i've use the layer cakes a couple of times.. but.. haven't played with the turn overs or the honey buns..

I do like the fact that with a charm pack, you can get a big sample of an entire line of fabrics without trying to find a LQS with all the bolts in that line....then standing there asking for 1/8th yard cuts or something. As I said, I can use the charms for little crafty things, making note cards, PP, etc.

I would be disappointed, though, if I was expecting 2 and 1/2" strips & wound up with something a few ruler lines under that. I think some strip packages might even come with a warning that they could be cut a little off? Seems I saw that on the label of one pack that I picked up at the store to look at but didn't buy. I don't remember which brand that was.

Then there's the whole pre-washing controversy, except this time with lots & lots of cut edges to deal with!

My problem with pre-cuts is the fact I just LOVE some of the fabrics and really dislike other fabrics.
I do buy them on sale and I have several of the rulers from Missouri Star Quilt Company that are made just for pre-cuts. Those help a lot.
I also had a problem with the cost but since I have such a hard time cutting with my bad back, sometimes it pays to have the precuts.
So......It's a Love/Hate relationship for me.
BTW...there are TONS of books out just for pre-cuts, and also rulers too.
Hope that helps.

I use them for English paper piecing or appliqué

I bought some charm packs on sale, 1/2 price at Joanns in May. Have not opened them. I make my own charms. DH loves my charm quilts. Said he enjoys looking at peices of fabric that size.

i love all the precuts. especially charm packs. i have a few jelly rolls, can't bear to cut into them. but i know i will someday. doesn't matter to me if my seams are a little off.

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If I had known that I needed special rulers, I would have by-passed the book.

I think I've got the book you're speaking about!I love the patterns, but not getting new rulers right now. Hope I can figure it out...after all our grandmothers worked with pieces of cardboard..

I love charm packes because of the variety. haven't bought too many, but what I've used (Moda) were perfect. There was one batch much smaller than that (2 1/2" square?) that was the most fun piecing I've ever had!

I was in a 2 1/2" strip club (shhhhh) that was mostly correct. One month, however, was 1/4" !!!!!to 1/16 off of most of the strips! I sent it back, and had to pay postage. Now that fried my shorts. I don't mind cutting my own now, but don't have the advantage of the variety.

Haven't used much in layer cakes except for applique....not sure I can cut that size accurately enough for my taste. Not quite as OCD as in the past. Whew. That's a PITB!

I've never bought many of the charm packs or jelly rolls, but once in a while a collection catches my fancy. The ones I've used have been fine witdh wise. One jelly roll was a plaid and it wasn't on the straight of the grain so the design ran really wonky. I just removed that one and substituted a strip from my stash. I believe all the precuts I've used were by Moda.

I buy an occasional pack, cake or jelly role. They have to be on sale. What I like best is the variety.

We sell a lot of precuts, but I've never personally used them.
No one has ever mentioned that they aren't cut correctly.
What brands do you find are miscut, if you don't mind me asking? Are they cut by he shop?
Most people who buy them like the advantage of getting a piece of every fabric in a line, even though few shops carry every bolt in the line.

The strip club (Keepsake)I was in was mostly correct, but a few were wonky,one was incredibly off on almost every strip (sent that back!!)...enough so that I always checked after that...When my project was done I quit. I do a better job at cutting. i've had some jelly rolls from Moda that have been spot on...given to me as gifts. The charm packs from Hancocks of Paducah and Fabric.com have always been great. I've noticed the ones that are pinked on the sides seem to be precise.

I have purchased jelly rolls, charm packs, and layer cakes. The jelly rolls were batiks that I could not resist. I saw a quilt at Hancock's of Paducah. They printed out the pattern for me, it was Tea Time In Bali(free) from Hoffman Of Calif. Designed by Cozy Quilts, using their Strip Tubing method. I made a top with Pink Lemonade bali strips. I love it and the top was easy to assemble. She did want you to buy her special ruler, but another ruler would work just as well. (She has a YouTube video to show how to make the top.)

I bought 2 layer cakes from Keepsake because I really liked the fabrics, but had no idea what I would do with them. I saw a tutorial on Missouri Star Quilts for a Double Slice Layer Cake (page 2 on tuts) So I tried one with a Holly Taylor layer cake. It came out so neat, and went together in less than 4 hours. (yes a whole top minus the borders.and I am a slow piecer.) The next one I made was with a Papillion pack. It is elegant and a gift for my Mom's friend. You will need to get yardage to do borders. I did have some problems with the Papillion pack being straight, but I could work with the minor differences. The lady at Missouri Star says that with any ones that are cut with a pinked edge, it is "the hills that count and not the valleys". When I learned to sew, I learned to make corrections as I go. I am not a freak about it being so exact. The back of my tops aren't perfect or pretty. Really who is gonna see it anyway? As long as the top is flat and square, I don't care.

As to price, how much is a fat quarter today? How many 10' squares can you cut from one? When you look at the price, the squares are usually less than $1 a piece, depending on where you buy them. The jelly rolls are cut across the width of the fabric. If you buy Fatties and cut them into 2.5 inch strips, you will have some short strips. And Fatties are not cut straight either!

So it is each to their own. Do what works for you. Try something new, you just never know how you will feel about something. Just because it didn't please someone else doesn't mean you won't like it.

PS The charm packs I am still working on. Missouri Star also has some really quick piecing ideas with them and I plan to try them.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BlueSkies7,