Last time I reached out I talked about jelly rolls. Today let’s talk about another time saving precut the layer cake. As you might remember Moda has their precuts trademarked but most manufacturers package their fabrics in the same way. Robert Kaufman uses the term Ten Square and Riley Blake uses 10” Stacker for their layer cakes.
A layer cake is a type of precut fabric that is typically made up of (42) 10” squares. These squares are usually sold in a pack and come in a variety of colors and prints that are coordinated to work well together in a quilt project. Layer cakes can be used to make a variety of quilt designs and are a popular choice for quilters who want to save time on cutting and coordinating fabrics. They can be combined with other precut fabrics, such as jelly rolls and charm packs, to create a more complex quilt design. Don’t forget though that the although the layer cake typically has (42) squares, depending on the number of prints in the collection, there may be duplicates of some of the prints.
Sometimes you may hear the phrase layer cake friendly quilt pattern. This simply means that the pattern is purposedly designed to work well with layer cakes, making them a great choice for quilters who want to make the most of their precut fabric. Here are a few layer cake-friendly quilt patterns:
- Disappearing Nine Patch: This pattern uses nine 10” squares from a layer cake to create a block that can be rearranged in different ways to create a variety of quilt designs.
- Simple Squares: This pattern is great for beginners and uses (42) 10” squares from a layer cake to create a simple and modern quilt design.
- Herringbone: This pattern uses (72) 10” squares from a layer cake to create a dynamic herringbone design that is perfect for showing off prints and colors.
- Pinwheel: This pattern uses (36) 10” squares from a layer cake to create a fun and playful pinwheel design that is great for kids' quilts.
These are just a few examples of layer cake-friendly quilt patterns. With so many options available, there is sure to be a pattern that suits your style and skill level.
Whatever precut you use, the most important thing to do is be Sew Happy.