A fat quarter is a piece of fabric that is cut differently than a regular quarter of material, and it is a standard cut of fabric frequently seen in quilting fabrics. When purchasing fabric, it typically comes by the yard or meter. If you buy a quarter yard, the piece would be 9 inches by whatever the width of the fabric is. Similarly, a quarter meter would be 25 centimeters by the width of the fabric. A fat quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric, but it is cut in a different shape than a regular quarter yard of fabric. It is a piece of fabric cut 18 inches off the end of the bolt, and then cut in half on the fold. Four of these put together still make up 1 yard of fabric. Fat quarters vary slightly in size, based on the width of the fabric, but typically they measure 18 by 22 inches when the fabric is cut by yards or 50 by 55 centimeters when cut by meters. The area of the material is the same as the area of a standard quarter yard or meter, but the shape of the cut makes it easier to work with than a thin cut. Because of the extra steps it takes to cut fat quarters, a fat quarter usually costs a little more than a standard quarter yard or meter. The additional cost is often worth it, however, as fat quarters provide extra width without needing to buy a larger piece of fabric, spending more money, and potentially wasting more material. Fat quarters are generally quilting cotton fabric and are available to purchase individually or as a fat quarter bundle of coordinating fabrics.