Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, Stackers & Fat Quarters: What's the Difference?
If you've ever stood in a quilt shop wondering why the fabric aisle sounds like a bakery menu, you're not alone. Charm packs, layer cakes, jelly rolls, honey buns... at some point a quilter just wants to know if she's buying fabric or dessert. (Spoiler: it's fabric. Please don't eat it. We've checked. It's not as good as it sounds.)
Here's the good news: precuts are just fabric that someone already cut into tidy, matching pieces from one collection, so you get a little of every print without buying a yard of each. And the even better news? A lot of the confusing names are actually the same thing wearing a different hat.
Charm Packs and 5-Inch Stackers (Yes, They're Twins)
A charm pack is a bundle of 5" x 5" squares, usually 42 of them, with one or two of every print in the collection. "Charm pack" is the name everyone in the quilting world uses. Riley Blake Designs calls theirs a 5-Inch Stacker.
Same size. Same idea. Different name tag. It's like your cousin who goes by "Bob" at work and "Robert" at Thanksgiving.
Great for: patchwork quilts, baby quilts, pillows, table toppers, and that "I'll just make one quick block" project that somehow becomes a whole quilt.
Shop Charm Packs and 5-Inch Stackers
Layer Cakes and 10-Inch Stackers (Twins, Part Two)
A layer cake is the charm pack's big sister: 10" x 10" squares, usually 42 of them. Riley Blake calls it a 10-Inch Stacker. Exactly the same thing, just with a name that doesn't make you hungry.
One layer cake square cuts into four charm squares, so if you can't decide between the two, the layer cake lets you have your cake and cut it too.
Great for: bigger blocks, half-square triangles, quick lap quilts, and quilters who like to finish things before the grandkids graduate.
Shop Layer Cakes and 10-Inch Stackers
Jelly Rolls and Rolie Polies
A jelly roll is a bundle of 2½" strips cut across the width of the fabric (about 42" long), usually 40 strips, rolled up so tight and cute you'll feel guilty unrolling it. Riley Blake calls theirs a Rolie Polie, which is honestly the most fun thing anyone has ever named a fabric bundle.
Great for: strip quilts, binding, borders, and "jelly roll races," where you sew all the strips end to end and see how fast you can make a quilt top. (Winner gets bragging rights. Loser gets to rip seams.)
Shop Jelly Rolls and Rolie Polies
Fat Quarters and Fat Quarter Bundles
A regular quarter yard is a long, skinny 9" x 42" strip. A fat quarter is the same amount of fabric cut chubbier: 18" x 22". It's the same fabric, it just skipped the gym and is happier for it. That wider shape gives you room to cut bigger pieces, fussy-cut a cute motif, or make a whole bag.
A fat quarter bundle is a stack of fat quarters from one collection, tied with a bow and impossible to walk past. Want a smaller sampler? A fat eighth is 9" x 22", half the size and twice as hard to resist.
Great for: scrappy quilts, bags, aprons, and building a fabric stash your spouse doesn't need to know about.
Shop Fat Quarter Bundles · Shop Fat Eighth Bundles
The Cheat Sheet (Print It, Tape It to Your Sewing Machine)
| Precut | Riley Blake calls it | Size | Usually comes with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charm pack | 5-Inch Stacker | 5" x 5" | 42 squares |
| Layer cake | 10-Inch Stacker | 10" x 10" | 42 squares |
| Jelly roll | Rolie Polie | 2½" x about 42" | 40 strips |
| Fat quarter | Fat quarter | 18" x 22" | 1 piece, or a bundle |
| Fat eighth | Fat eighth | 9" x 22" | 1 piece, or a bundle |
Which one should you pick? Small projects or just trying out a collection: charm pack. Bigger blocks and faster quilts: layer cake. Strips, borders and binding: jelly roll. Bags, aprons and fussy cutting: fat quarters. Can't decide? That's what a fabric stash is for. We won't tell.
Got a question about a precut or a pattern? Email us at greenacrestts@gmail.com. We love talking fabric almost as much as we love buying it.