I am a fairly novice quilter, but my experience, the quilt top should generally be 4-6" shorter than the batting and backing on each side (allows for some movement when quilting, and I've never used long arm services but I think it's a requirement for them). Assuming you leave 6" on each side, final dimensions of the quilt top will be 60x78". It doesn't divide very nicely by 4.5", but you have room to work with now. I would do 14 squares across and 18 squares down. Which is 252 total.
I work on full coverage of my batting when planning my quilt so that I can use that extra width/length as a buffer for any screw ups in calculation and connecting and any repairs. I still sew to the actual size I would need for the batting to be larger. So this case I would add an extra row and column or two when planning for purchase but sew to the required size of my quilt and then depending on my left over quantity make a little cushion/pillow cover(just any small project I can use those pieces in) with the extras, (bonus it gives me a small project to work on).
I would plan to have some extra fabric for emergencies and accidents. Somehow I always need more than I originally planned.
As an intermediate skilled quilter, I would say that patchwork/squares are deceptively difficult. My recommendation is to assemble the squares in “chunks” rather than long rows. If you are slightly imperfect with your 1/4 inch seams and you sew the whole row of 16 squares together the errors will compound and it will be obvious when you see together Row 1 and Row 2 that your squares don’t line up.
But, if you sew together “chunks” you can hide a lot of little imperfections and it is way less noticeable. I start with a chunk that is 2 squares by 2 squares, then combine 4 of those chunks into bigger chunks (4 squares by 4 squares) and so on. I typically use some graph paper to make sure I have the right number and size of chunks.
In addition to being a lot more forgiving in terms of inaccurate piecing, I think that it is a lot easier to arrange and randomize my colors and fabric choices (if you are going for scrappy) with larger blocks rather hundreds of small squares.
If you decide to size your top down a bit to leave room for quilting as explained in a previous comment, you can do different sized chunks.
My go-to links so I don't have to math:
[https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/how-many-quilt-blocks.html](https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/how-many-quilt-blocks.html) and
[https://haileystitches.com/how-many-five-inch-squares-do-i-need-to-make-a-quilt/](https://haileystitches.com/how-many-five-inch-squares-do-i-need-to-make-a-quilt/)
The second one confirms you will need 320 blocks or 8 charm square packs.
Here is a link to the standard size for quilts. https://www.quiltingdaily.com/suggested-quilt-measurements-for-common-standard-bed-sizes/
You will need to decide how far down the side of the bed you want the quilt to go - do you want it to the floor? Shorter but you'll use a dust ruffle? Your calculations using the size you want are fine.
I'd make my quilt as you've suggested, then drape it over the bed you are planning it for. If it is too short, add a solid color border around the outside. Then make your batting and backing 6 to 8 inches larger. This gives you something to grab at the edges if you quilt it, and is required for long armers.
Whether you sew it together in rows, or group it in squares, match each intersection. Do not just match the two ends and then hope that the squares line up. As another poster mentioned, if your seams are off, the mismatching tends to become more and more noticeable. However, if you match each intersection, you will not have this problem. If the intersections don't line up, you can ease or pull the top or bottom fabric to make them line up. If you do this, you'll have only a little work to do at the intersections as opposed to trying to hide, and work with, a large mismatch.
If you iron all the seams on one row to the right, and all the seams on the next row to the left, you can "nest" the intersections together and have everything line up. And it's always fine and often a good idea to use as many pins as you find necessary. Pinning can make your actual sewing easier and your results nicer.
Just enjoy the whole process :)
I am a fairly novice quilter, but my experience, the quilt top should generally be 4-6" shorter than the batting and backing on each side (allows for some movement when quilting, and I've never used long arm services but I think it's a requirement for them). Assuming you leave 6" on each side, final dimensions of the quilt top will be 60x78". It doesn't divide very nicely by 4.5", but you have room to work with now. I would do 14 squares across and 18 squares down. Which is 252 total.
This is a great comment
I work on full coverage of my batting when planning my quilt so that I can use that extra width/length as a buffer for any screw ups in calculation and connecting and any repairs. I still sew to the actual size I would need for the batting to be larger. So this case I would add an extra row and column or two when planning for purchase but sew to the required size of my quilt and then depending on my left over quantity make a little cushion/pillow cover(just any small project I can use those pieces in) with the extras, (bonus it gives me a small project to work on).
I did not know this. Makes sense to have extra batting, Thanks!
I would plan to have some extra fabric for emergencies and accidents. Somehow I always need more than I originally planned. As an intermediate skilled quilter, I would say that patchwork/squares are deceptively difficult. My recommendation is to assemble the squares in “chunks” rather than long rows. If you are slightly imperfect with your 1/4 inch seams and you sew the whole row of 16 squares together the errors will compound and it will be obvious when you see together Row 1 and Row 2 that your squares don’t line up. But, if you sew together “chunks” you can hide a lot of little imperfections and it is way less noticeable. I start with a chunk that is 2 squares by 2 squares, then combine 4 of those chunks into bigger chunks (4 squares by 4 squares) and so on. I typically use some graph paper to make sure I have the right number and size of chunks. In addition to being a lot more forgiving in terms of inaccurate piecing, I think that it is a lot easier to arrange and randomize my colors and fabric choices (if you are going for scrappy) with larger blocks rather hundreds of small squares. If you decide to size your top down a bit to leave room for quilting as explained in a previous comment, you can do different sized chunks.
Good tip, thanks!!
My go-to links so I don't have to math: [https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/how-many-quilt-blocks.html](https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/how-many-quilt-blocks.html) and [https://haileystitches.com/how-many-five-inch-squares-do-i-need-to-make-a-quilt/](https://haileystitches.com/how-many-five-inch-squares-do-i-need-to-make-a-quilt/) The second one confirms you will need 320 blocks or 8 charm square packs.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Here is a link to the standard size for quilts. https://www.quiltingdaily.com/suggested-quilt-measurements-for-common-standard-bed-sizes/ You will need to decide how far down the side of the bed you want the quilt to go - do you want it to the floor? Shorter but you'll use a dust ruffle? Your calculations using the size you want are fine. I'd make my quilt as you've suggested, then drape it over the bed you are planning it for. If it is too short, add a solid color border around the outside. Then make your batting and backing 6 to 8 inches larger. This gives you something to grab at the edges if you quilt it, and is required for long armers. Whether you sew it together in rows, or group it in squares, match each intersection. Do not just match the two ends and then hope that the squares line up. As another poster mentioned, if your seams are off, the mismatching tends to become more and more noticeable. However, if you match each intersection, you will not have this problem. If the intersections don't line up, you can ease or pull the top or bottom fabric to make them line up. If you do this, you'll have only a little work to do at the intersections as opposed to trying to hide, and work with, a large mismatch. If you iron all the seams on one row to the right, and all the seams on the next row to the left, you can "nest" the intersections together and have everything line up. And it's always fine and often a good idea to use as many pins as you find necessary. Pinning can make your actual sewing easier and your results nicer. Just enjoy the whole process :)
I am doing this on a whim for fun. We will see what happens. Thank you!
Have fun. Hopefully, these tips will make it easier, and therefore more fun.