Pre-Cut Fabric Squares at a Bargain
Find out how cheap pre-cut fabrics bought online compare with the beautifully-packaged bundles in your local craft store.
I recently got addicted to patchwork. The joy for me lies in the opportunity to work with so many different fabrics in a single project. I'm a slow sewist so it can get tiring after staring at the same fabric for a long time in a single dressmaking project.
There were these pre-cut fabric squares for sale in a local online shop. A packet of 100 pieces of 10cm x 10cm square was selling at just RM4, although you won't be able to choose the prints. There are sample photos to give you an idea of the overall feel of the prints but even those were not guaranteed to be the ones you will be getting. As of the date of this post, the price has increased to RM6 per packet.
I had no plans for the patchwork, but I reckon it should at least have some kind of a pattern or a colour scheme. Since each packet will have no more than two repeat designs, to make sure I have enough squares of certain prints, I bought 10 packets (equal 1000 squares). That works out to be only RM40! What a bargain!
I must admit, when the pre-cut squares arrived at my doorstep, I was not very excited because I thought the fabrics were not going to be very pretty (the sample photos online did not look attractive). I bought them entirely to experiment with patchwork and quilting.
When I unpacked and sorted them, I realised they were quite the eye-candies! So far, I have used them to make two cushion covers, three framed wall decors, and one tote bag (more on those in another post).
And look at what a stack I am still left with!
Sorting
At first, sorting the squares were quite daunting because of the sheer number of prints and I didn't know the best way to sort them. Finally, I settled with a system that roughly categorises them based on type of print (flowers, geometry, etc.), size of print, background colour (light, bright, or dark). The idea is to then select matching or coordinating prints that I want to use in a project.
The result? Here are the fabric squares I got from the bundles:
And here are the ones that have been used in projects (details of the end products will be in another post!):
Quality
The quality of the pre-cut squares is far inferior to the branded ones you find in say, Spotlight. Of course, the price is also far lower, almost 10 times cheaper. But they have some glaring defects as described below:
Flaw 1: Cutting Defects
The cutting sometimes deviates quite substantially from 10cm x 10cm, although they are all at least 10cm x 10cm so you could still cut them to the correct dimensions. Some of them is caused by folded fabric like this one:
Flaw 2: Printing Defect
Notice how the right-most second from bottom square in the dark-blue series above has a print defect. This was not the only piece with such defect.
Flaw 3: Thin and Coarse
The fabrics are really thin, so interfacing is a must if you were going to make anything functional out of them. Some are also very coarse, so they are not suitable for projects that need to be comfortable to touch like blankets.
Flaw 4: Ugly Prints
This is of course, subjective. But despite having some really nice prints, I find some prints downright ugly and I can't imagine using them in any project.
Conclusion
I am quite surprised by how much I turned out to like the fabric squares. And to think how many projects I have done with them, with still so many (nice ones) in the stash! These fabric squares, despite all their flaws, are definitely a bargain even after the price hike (though it is only so if you buy from that one particular seller in Shopee, provided he/she does not increased the price any further). Definitely recommended for anyone, especially beginners, who want to try out patchwork and quilting.