How Much Thread Do I Need for My Quilt?

Quilt Size and Thread Yardage

Before determining how much thread will be needed, you must first decide how large your quilt is going to be. If you are following a pattern, it will tell you from the beginning whether you are making a twin, queen, or king-size quilt. If you are making up your own design, determine what the finished length and width of the quilt is going to be.

Once you have your dimensions, find where your quilt fits in terms of standard quilt sizes. While there are common quilt sizes that fit standard mattress sizes, there can still be slight variations in finished quilt sizes anywhere from three to eight inches. After classifying your quilt into one of the standard quilt sizes, determine how much quilting you plan to do. This can be anything from light to medium to heavy quilting and is in terms of how close together you plan to quilt.

From there, take your quilt size with the desired quilting amount and use the chart to see how much thread, in yards, will be needed. Note that this is an approximation and you may need slightly more or less thread if your quilting does not quite fall within one of the light, medium, or heavy quilting parameters.

Once you know the yardage that is needed, it’s time to shop for thread. Choosing the right quilting thread is as important as choosing the right fabric, as it is what holds the layers together.