What size is a queen size quilt?

A queen quilt is usually about 80 by 100 inches. That is a 60 by 80 inch mattress plus a 10 inch drop on each side, a 10 inch drop at the foot and 10 inches of pillow tuck. Quilts sold as queen size vary from shop to shop, so check the measurements rather than the label, and choose the drop you want.

How much backing fabric do I need for a queen quilt?

For an 80 by 100 inch top with 4 inches extra on each side, the backing is 88 by 108 inches. That takes about 7⅜ yards of 44 inch fabric pieced from 3 panels, or 3 yards of 108 inch wide backing fabric with no seam.

How big should the drop be on a quilt?

Most bed quilts have a drop of 8 to 12 inches, which covers the mattress sides and shows the bed skirt or frame. Use 14 to 18 inches if you want the quilt to cover a box spring, and 4 to 6 inches for a crib quilt that must not hang within a baby's reach.

How much binding do I need for a quilt?

Measure around all four edges and add 10 inches for the corners and the join. Divide by 40 to get the number of strips, rounding up, and multiply by the strip width to get the fabric length. A queen quilt needs 370 inches of binding, which is 10 strips cut 2½ inches wide and ¾ yard of fabric.

Do I need a pillow tuck?

Only if you want the quilt to fold under the pillows, the usual look on a made bed. A pillow tuck is normally 10 to 12 inches. Set it to 0 for a throw quilt or a wall hanging, or when the pillows sit on top of the quilt.

Quilt Size Calculator: Bed Sizes, Backing, Binding (Free)

Quilt size calculator

How the quilt size calculator works

A quilt top covers the top of the mattress and then hangs down by the drop on the two sides and at the foot. At the head, the pillow tuck adds extra length so the quilt can fold under the pillows. The backing and batting are cut larger than the top, because quilting pulls the layers in a little. Here are the steps, in order:

Quilt width = mattress width + 2 × dropQuilt length = mattress length + drop + pillow tuckBacking = quilt size + 2 × extra backing, in both directionsBacking panels = (backing side − 1 in) ÷ (fabric usable width − 1 in), rounded upBinding length = 2 × (quilt width + quilt length) + 10 inBinding strips = binding length ÷ 40 in, rounded up

Fabric sold as 44 to 45 in wide has about 42 in left once the selvages (the finished edges) are trimmed. When the backing is wider than that, it has to be pieced from panels joined with ½ in seams, and each seam uses 1 in of width, which is where the 1 in in the panel formula comes from. The calculator tries the panels running the long way and the short way and keeps the one that needs less fabric. Wide backing fabric, 108 in wide, avoids the seam on most quilts. For the binding, each cut strip gives about 40 in, which is 42 in of fabric minus about 2 in lost where strips are joined with diagonal seams. The extra 10 in covers the four mitered corners and the overlap where the binding ends meet.

Worked example. A queen bed is 60 by 80 in. With a 10 in drop and a 10 in pillow tuck, the quilt is 60 + 20 = 80 in wide and 80 + 10 + 10 = 100 in long (203 by 254 cm). The backing is 88 by 108 in. On 44 in fabric you need 3 panels, since 2 panels give only 83 in of width. Running them the short way takes 3 × 88 = 264 in, which is 7⅓ yd and rounds up to 7⅜ yd. On 108 in wide backing you need one piece, 108 in long, which is 3 yd. The binding is 2 × (80 + 100) + 10 = 370 in, so 10 strips cut 2½ in wide, which is 25 in of fabric and rounds up to ¾ yd.

Quilting cotton shrinks a little in the wash. If you prewash, buy an extra ⅛ to ¼ yd of the backing. For help with the seam allowance used on the panels and the binding, see the seam allowance guide.

Quilt sizes by bed

Quilt top and backing by mattress size
Bed	Mattress	Drop and tuck	Quilt top	Backing, 44 in fabric	Backing, 108 in fabric
Crib	28 by 52 in71 by 132 cm	4 in and 0 in	36 by 56 in91 by 142 cm	2½ yd	1¼ yd
Twin	38 by 75 in97 by 191 cm	10 in and 10 in	58 by 95 in147 by 241 cm	5½ yd	1⅞ yd
Full	54 by 75 in137 by 191 cm	10 in and 10 in	74 by 95 in188 by 241 cm	5¾ yd	2⅜ yd
Queen	60 by 80 in152 by 203 cm	10 in and 10 in	80 by 100 in203 by 254 cm	7⅜ yd	3 yd
King	76 by 80 in193 by 203 cm	10 in and 10 in	96 by 100 in244 by 254 cm	8¾ yd	3 yd
California king	72 by 84 in183 by 213 cm	10 in and 10 in	92 by 104 in234 by 264 cm	8⅜ yd	3⅛ yd

Backing includes 4 in extra on each side. The 44 in column uses 42 in of usable width and a ½ in seam where panels join. Mattress sizes are the common US sizes; measure yours, because mattresses vary by an inch or two.

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