citruscountyquilter

I have a collection of fabric that has accumulated over the last 40 years or so. Most of it is left overs from projects along the way. I recently made a quilt with cats on it all from calico scraps that were at least 30 years old. I remembered making things for my kids from some of the fabric. What fun it was to reminisce. I also take time collecting fabrics of a certain theme with a future project in mind. I recently completed a quilt for my husband who collects vintage cars so the fabric in the quilt was vintage cars which is hard to find without being juvenile fabric. It took me 4-5 years of every time I stopped into a quilt shop to look for "car fabric". I did the same thing with animal prints for a quilt for my daughter. I love 1930's reproduction fabric so will pick up some as a souvenir when we travel. I usually get 1/2 yard pieces. I wouldn't be happy with yards and yards of fabric stashed away. It would seem burdensome to me (ie have to use it, have to use it...) and I choose to spend my fun allocated money in other directions. I think either way works depending on what makes you happy.

Debbie C

I was showing my house to possible buyers and their realtor yesterday. When they got to my quilting studio in the finished basement, the realtor asked what my 'shop hours' were and could he bring his wife back to buy fabric? I just laughed and told him nothing is for sale - it's all my stash!! (maybe it's time to scale down if my studio looks like a fabric store)

quilttiger

Over the years, I have accumulated quite a nice stash. Now I "shop" in my stash first before buying more fabric for any particular reason. I call it "cashing in my fabric investments!"

lots2do

Each to his or her own. I have a healthy amount of fabric. I enjoy pulling from my stash before buying more. I don't have other collections like other people I know...like expensive shoes. Some of the people I work with have many trendy shoes. I also don't buy tons of trendy clothes or expensive pocket books like some people I know.
I've called my fabric my retirement plan and now that I am getting closer to actually retiring, I'm excited about having the time to use it. Now that fabric has jumped in price, too, I'm glad that I have plenty.
I am slowing down on buying fabric just because but if I find something I truly love, I buy three yards usually.

lots2do

Oh, and I like to sew a lot of smaller projects like placemats and zippered bags and the like. So, I don't need to worry about yardage then. The biggest quilt I've made so far is a twin and I had everything I needed.

Elisabrat

I would say if your buying novelty buy small amounts 1/2 yard can go pretty far.. if your thinking of building stash I would say buy blenders, tone on tones.. those don't really go out of style even the wild colors which can be later used for sashing or a thin border around a block to make it pop. I have probably 40 1 yrd cuts of fabric with 'no purpose' florals or a patterned fabric say Hawaiian prints but eventually a good portion get used. Don't buy a lot of anything without a purpose. and if your feeling like you just want some.. fabric.. buy f4's. You can always use those in a scrap or sampler quilt, you can use them in wall hangings, table runners etc.. I do agree fabric goes out of style. This last Christmas I saw a lot of aqua and red and that funky green in fabric for the holiday. I know that will be gone in a year maybe two max.. so loading up on that would have been a bad plan unless I wanted to wait til it comes back in fashion say in 20 yrs. Some traditional prints stand the test of time.

carolynjo

I tend to buy 1/2 yds. also and only occasionally buy 1-3 yds.

KnitnutBZ

I decided to organize my stash and baskets of scraps, an annual task. I don't have a huge stash but a fair amount. Soooo I took each color pile and unfolded and measured each piece and wrote it on a slip of paper and Refolded and pinned it. some uneven pieces I squared off and put those pieces in a basket to cut into strips and or squares. It seems like an undaunting chore but I had no projects in mind and being winter, which I love, I stayed in and did it between sneaking outside to snowshoe a bit. Not quite done yet but boy it looks nice and at least I can look at a particular piece and see how much is in it without unfolding and refoldeing if it isn't the size I need.Hope this helps.

maviskw

I have found fabric that I "pinned" quite a few years ago, and couldn't get the pins out. They had rusted in place.

Beware.

w1613s

A little over a year ago my quilting friend died and left me her "quilting center" - lock stock and barrel. Everything including machines. She was petite, red-haired, with the requisite peaches and cream complexion. I am not ... alas.

When I got to looking at what I'd taken on I started thinking about a stash differently. (I was to disburse things to upcoming quilters and quilters who needed better tools.) Her stash contained not only the items that aesthetically and technically appealed to her; it contained fabrics, notions, etc. from her mother and her grandmother. Huge, overwhelming bunches of stuff that I would have never ever have chosen.

A very mixed bag. But it has gotten me to see patterned fabrics as colors. The drama quotients of profusely patterned fabrics. The fact that it is okay to branch out in your design thinking. That being on the floor, surrounded by piles of lengths and pieces of fabric, holding them one against the other, deciding what made your mental juices run, is as valid a way to figure out a project as any other way. That quilts can share emotions. And quilting problems and "errors" may not be. In short, my own personal epiphany. What a day realizing that was!!!

Try visualizing and handling a stash a different way. My friend was a neat stash user. I am not. I could hear her groaning when her washed, ironed, folded bits and pieces became un-all-of-that. Try looking at the fabrics differently. She gave me a huge gift when she left me her quilting center. I just may get to be better at quilting after all. And I am sure she knew just exactly what she was doing to me. A marvelous quilting friend. I hope I might be for you.

Pat