Quilt math · Calculator
Layer cake quilts: sizes and how many you need
How big a quilt a layer cake makes, and how many you need for a bed, sewn as they come or cut into charm squares.
The short answer
One layer cake of 42 squares, 10″ each, makes a 57″ × 66½″ top of squares sewn as they come (6 × 7). A 60″ × 72″ throw takes 2 layer cakes; a 90″ × 96″ queen, 3.
Work out yours
Free · no account1 layer cake: 42 squares cut 10″
Each sews to 9½″
6 across × 7 down: 42 squares, before a border.
Every square is used.
A 4″ border all around, cut from yardage.
Quarter Inch’s “From a precut you have” shows real designs your pack makes, with the background and border worked out.
See what it makesSame sums as the app: @quarterinch/cutting PRECUTS · ½″ of seams in every square · the biggest grid a row or two longer than wide
What’s in a layer cake
A layer cake is a stack of 10″ squares, one or more of each print in a collection. Most have about 42 squares, some 40, so count yours and type the count in the calculator.
The edges are pinked, cut with a zigzag. Measure to the points, as the maker did: each square is 10″ point to point and sews to 9½″.
What one layer cake makes
| Layer cakes | As they come, 10″ | Cut in four, 5″ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 layer cake | 57″ × 66½″ (6 × 7) | 54″ × 63″ (12 × 14) |
| 2 layer cakes | 76″ × 95″ (8 × 10) | 76½″ × 85½″ (17 × 19) |
| 3 layer cakes | 95″ × 114″ (10 × 12) | 94½″ × 103½″ (21 × 23) |
| 4 layer cakes | 114″ × 133″ (12 × 14) | 112½″ × 117″ (25 × 26) |
These are tops of plain squares in the biggest grid a pack fills, a row or two longer than wide, before a border. Cutting each square in four gives 168 5″ squares: as many as 4 charm packs, and a busier, scrappier look.
- Pinwheel
- Four-patch
- Half-square triangle
- Ohio Star
Two layer cake squares, a print and a background, make two big half-square triangles. Four of those make a Pinwheel.
How it’s worked out
| Squares in the pack | 42 × 10″ |
|---|---|
| Each sews to (½″ of seams) | 9½″ |
| The biggest grid, a row or two longer than wide | 6 × 7 |
| 6 × 9½″ by 7 × 9½″ | 57″ × 66½″ |
| Squares left over | 0 |
How many layer cakes for a quilt
For a top of plain squares, no border:
| Quilt | Squares as they come | Layer cakes | Cut in four: layer cakes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crib, 36″ × 48″ | 4 × 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Throw, 60″ × 72″ | 7 × 8 | 2 | 2 |
| Twin, 66″ × 90″ | 7 × 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Queen, 90″ × 96″ | 10 × 11 | 3 | 3 |
| King, 108″ × 108″ | 12 × 12 | 4 | 4 |
Plain squares are the most a pack can cover. Designs with a background, like Pinwheels on white, stretch a layer cake further because the background comes from yardage. Designs that cut squares smaller, with seams in between, cover less.
Layer cakes in Quarter Inch
On New quilt, open More ways to start and choose From a precut you have. Pick a layer cake and say how many you have: What it makes shows designs such as Pinwheel Picnic, Four-patch, Big Triangles and Ohio Star, how many squares each uses and what’s spare, with the background and border worked out. It’s the same engine as this page.
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
How many squares are in a layer cake?
Usually 42, each 10″ square. Some have 40: the label says.
What size quilt does one layer cake make?
57″ × 66½″ as plain squares, 6 across and 7 down, before a border.
How many layer cakes for a queen quilt?
3 for a 90″ × 96″ queen of plain squares: 110 squares, 16 spare.
How many layer cakes for a throw?
2 for a 60″ × 72″ throw: 56 squares of 10″.
Can I cut a layer cake into charm squares?
Yes. Each 10″ square cuts into four 5″ squares, so one layer cake gives 168.
Sources
We checked every fact above against these pages on , and we update this guide when they change. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@quarterinch.app.
- Moda pre-cut fabric: a complete guide The Sewing Studio
- Want to learn more about precuts? Nancy’s Notions