I cant seem to figure this out !! I am a musician, which means funds are very TIGHT ..... I have a stash of fabric .. nothing over a yard ( only a few pieces ) that sits 1.5 feet high ......
When I find a project I want to do .... I usually squeeze out enough $ to buy fabric for the project ..... How the heck do you build a stash ?!??! I thought maybe if I bought 1/2 yd of one fabric for the stash .... but then they then wouldnt coordinate !!!
Any secrets ?

I just buy fabric I like when I see it on sale. Shop hops are a great time to accumulate.

I over buy when I'm making a quilt. The extra goes to my stash. I buy remanents (sp?) of whatever strikes my fancy. A few friends pass on fabric they don't want, etc. I just let it happen. I don't work too hard at it. I am a scrappy quilter so just about anything will work.:)

check out trying to make a few scrappy quilts. you don't need coodernating fabrics to make a scrappy work.....just put those pinks next to that lime green and that rich purple next to that orange. yes, it sounds so wrong but scrappy quilts always turn out wonderful

Bonnie Hunter has a PERFECT website with the most PERFECT directions for the most PERFECT quilts.....trust me, I've made all of them....several times!!

http://quiltville.com/

find some quilting friends and split yardage with them or go hog wild with fat quarters. you get a little bit for a little price but then with scrappy quilts, a little goes a long long way!!

jodi in leavenworth

I buy one yard cuts for stash buillding. I get them from joannes with 50% off coupons or during their sales, thrift stores, yard sales, garage sales, even on craigslist. eBay has some great fabrics too! Even though they may not cordinate it's just to build a stash. Don't expect to get coordinating fabrics this way, you may get lucky and come across a few in the same line but for those of us who like scrappy this is a great way for us to get varieties at the cheapest cost.

I don't have a stash like many of the quilters on here, but I feel I have quite a lot. Sometimes, when fat quarters or yardage is on sale, I buy them just to buy them - often within the same Collection, but not always. I do this because I then have fabric that I would have Never picked out - and am always glad I have it to go to. It has expanded my comfort zone. In the days when I was on a tight budget, I couldn't do this of course. But if you save all your scraps, your stash will grow and soon you'll turn around and say, "now, what am I going to do with all this fabric?!" String quilts and scrappies and crazies, oh My! :-)

I tend to buy blenders more now for my stash, and ofcourse prints that scream out at me :wink:
If you have blenders, they can be paired with many different fabrics. Black is another staple as well as white on whites. :D:D:D

I do most of my shopping at walmart. I always look for the fabric on clearance and the remnants. I can't afford most regular prices. I have gotten some really nice stuff for a dollar yard, 100% cotton with a very nice tight weave. I also buy from others on the QB in the classifieds. Before you know it will appear to be multiplying on it's own.

I also want to add that I shop thrift shops and yard sales a lot.

It may seem slow going now, but enjoy the entire process and before long you'll have bins overflowing.

Whatever shop I get to go to, the first place I head is the remnant bin. Have fun!