Hello! Newbie here. So far, I have only bought fabric on an "as needed" basis. As such, I have no stash! I've been looking through some of the pictures posted around the forums and admire the piles of fabric some of you have at home. :D

How would I go about starting a stash? My hubby is actually encouraging me to buy extra fabric, the sweetheart. I am very lucky. How much should you buy if you don't know what you'll be doing with it? Fat quarters? A yard? More?

Help! Such a dilemma to have! hehe

It really depends on what kind of quilts you plan to make. If scrappy then anything,but other types you need to have enough of what you will need because fabrics go out of print fast.

I generally between 1 to 3 yard pieces depending on the price. If it is a must have then I might buy more.

I consider what I'm likely to use the fabric for. Great background? 4 yards. Great borders? 3 yards Filler fabric? 1 to 2 yards. Focus fabric? 3 to 4 yards. Those amounts are usually enough for most queen size patterns. You'll need less for smaller quilts of course.

I started with fat quarters and then bought some bigger pieces for backings if the fabric was on sale. I agree it all depends on what type of quilts you like to make. If you do not like scrappy quilts then fat quarters are probabaly not the way to go. Is there a reason why you feel you need a stash? We are all different and maybe for you buying only what you need is the right way.

Why a stash? Hmm... I guess because I've already experienced finding a fabric I like and then having it discontinued. Plus, since hubby offered... I don't mind buying fabric as I go, but sometimes there are great sales and I'm tempted to buy at the sale prices. Last weekend was a holiday sale and I bought a quilting book for 50% off but no fabric because I wasn't sure how much. If I buy it as needed, I'm missing out on the sale prices and I am kind of thrifty by nature.

Sorry for the long response. Just thinking aloud here. Thanks for the suggestions!

Normally no less than 3 unless just for acccient, what remains goes into stash, not close to a fab store, on hand is great to have!! :)

Im a scrappy quilter so in the begining I bought 1/2 yard to a yard at a time.. NOW, for continuous stash building here's my motto...

If I like it I buy 1 yard
If I love it I buy 3-5 yards
If I can't live with out it I buy the whole bolt..



and when you have too much scraps to store I do this...

I sort by the Size of the piece... I pretty much keep everything larger than 1in HST

crumbs- In see thru bottom sterilite drawer
Squares of - 2,3,4,5,6,plus all the half sizes - each in see thru drawers sorted only by size not by color
5in or less strips - in see thru drawers
6-10in strips - in see thru drawers
10 to WOF strips -In See thru drawers- these are separated by colors in drawers - 2 colors per drawer*
bins & baskets on cutting tables for scraps to be cut by accuquilt
Each of the accuquilt die cut shapes have their own clear shoe box(es)
Fat quarters in wall cd racks and large organizers/bookcase
1/2y to 2 yrds get ruler folded on book cases
3+yds are on bolts in bookcases and in walk in closet

anything larger than 12x12 but less than a fq is in tall kitchen trash can to be cut up with the larger Go dies..


Clear see-thru drawer to me means a medium and or large* sterilite 3 drawer rolling cart w/o the rollers on..

I use Bonnies method- www.Quiltville.com

Works the best for me..

Hope this helped..

I have only been quilting since October of last year, so I am just starting on my stash as well. I first started like you only buying what I need. I just placed a pretty big order on quiltinaday.com. Connecting threads and fabric shack are also good sites. I always choose fabrics I like that are on sale, and if I don't know what I'm going to do with it, I usually get 3 yards.

I can't help because I buy anything! anytime! and if I'd actually sew more then I wouldn't have a whole house full of fabric. So if you have enough to do what you want when you want, the rest will just come in time, I think :)

Like you, I'm a newbie quilter so I had no stash of "quiltish" fabrics. I've been bitten by the Fat Quarter Bug and have been accumulating them left and right lately (15 today.) I've vowed now to slow down on just buying random FQ's and to begin organizing the fabrics, colors and patterns I've collected into projects I'd like to do.

I come from a garment sewing background but in a really big way - medieval and Renaissance era costuming. This means that my existing stash is comprised of HUGE cuts of cloth. 10 yards of 60" slate gray cotton velveteen, 30 yards of cotton poplin, 7 yards of an exquisite sapphire blue silk ... you get the picture. I should have quilt backs enough for the next 47 years! I uncovered yet another hoarding spot of fabrics yesterday. It's all being dragged into the living room and stacked up in front of the fireplace for "review and disposition."

So don't do what I've done. Try to stay reasonable about what you buy and how much of it you buy. Fabric is an obsession that can easily take over your world. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it IS a thing you should be aware of and might want to try to control. Be smart about your collecting.

My .02 cents,

Sue

Wow ladies, lol I might buy a yard from one of you once in awhile, maybe more seldom lol. I never buy in stores unless I need it.... well, can't really afford it either. When I do shop, I may buy 1/2 yard extra of iten on sale. I am building stash little by little and a couple of angels send me gift packages. (smile) So now I am having extra fun.

Welcome from Alaska!!
My stash grew slowly. I did like you do, buy as needed. But then I wanted to make some smaller projects and had no fabric. So I started buying fat quarters. But then I ran out of pieces I liked very fast. So now I get between 1 and 3 yards, dependin on how much I like the fabric. Good luck with your hunt!!

. This means that my existing stash is comprised of HUGE cuts of cloth. 10 yards of 60" slate gray cotton velveteen, 30 yards of cotton poplin, 7 yards of an exquisite sapphire blue silk ...


Sue[/quote]

Sue, these fabrics sound like they would make a great crazy quilt!!

Anytime this question is asked, I say stock up on basics first. When you can get these on sale stock up. I usually buy bolts of Kona white and natural muslin at least 108" wide, I have found I always need white and beige in something and its also good for a backing also. If you find a fabric you can't live without, absolutely HAVE to have can vision in quilt and borders 3-4, if just in quilt 2 and if you find something that you like, don't have any idea what you're going to do with it 1-2 yrds.

I also love shopping the remanant bins! Great way to stock up on stash fabrics for scrappys.

I agree....buy what you fall in love with in at least 1 yard pieces. Tone on tones, blenders and solids.....the ones you find you use the most in almost all quilts, 2 to 3 yards. Fabric that might go on a backing ( good stuff but with a great sale price!! ) 6 to 9 yards will do for the largest quilt but it will be pieced if only 42 inches wide......3 yards if you find the w-i-d-e stuff!! FQ are great for a lot of color....think scrappy style quilts. Oh yea, if you find you ''run out'' of a color ( red for example ), that is the time to substitue a few other reds from your stash and enjoy the savings because you pulled from YOUR stash....like our Great great Grandmas would do!!

For stash building, I prefer to buy only solids and blenders (like marbles). That way, when you are out shopping and run across a fabulous print, you have a good chance of having fabrics to compliment it at home.

I use to buy in 3 yard increments, but now I buy by the bolt... but only solids and marbles :)

I agree with what the others are saying. It depends on what type of quilting you like to do. I am trying to use up some of my stash by making charity quilts, so I have been picking up blenders (marbles, tone on tone, bright colors for kids) when I find them at a good price. If it is something I would use for a backing I would get a multiple of 2 yards. I rarely buy less than 2 yards, and never buy fat quarters anymore, as I find I like a full width of fabric for most of what I do. And the only time I ever pay full price for a piece of fabric is if I need something very specific to finish a quilt. Sometimes you will find surprise packages of fabric; really fun to see what is in them. However you do it, just have fun! Enjoy :lol:

Love the kitty! I'm slowly building my stash...and I just buy what ever catches my eye. If I see a FQ somewhere and I love it, I'll grab 3-5 of them. Yardage, anywhere from 1-4...

I am trying to build a small stash. NOTHING like what you see on here, but I want to have about a yard of different colors so when I have a block to make for someone else, I can make it without running to the store. I've been buying fabrics that are on sale. I have a color wheel and am trying to have 1 yard of each color.

I guess that i am more of a nonstasher. I buy for quilts at the time I am ready to sew and whatever is leftover goes to "stash". I think this is more thrifty because I don't have money tied up in fabric that I am not using. I am willing to even pay full price because I don't have thousands of dollars tied up in piles of stash. Different perspective.

I like my quilts that have many patterns so I tend to buy 1/2 yard or a yard of fabric for the tops. I do buy 3-4 yards if I see a wonderful sale for backings. I also like to piece my backings to create interesting backings. I also found what I bought a few months ago no longer really appeals to me...but if cut into small pieces they will look fine. I do not want a huge stash...One closet full is plenty. There are always sales going on.

I agree, you'll almost always use/need tone on tone, marbles, and blenders. The "Stonehenge" line is currently one that I drool over! If you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and your not sure what to get, but you need to put that fire out (lest it never happen again <g>), then get 3-5 yards of these to start. If you see prints that make you go "Oooooo!!" - then get a few yards of that as well. Grab a few fat quarters.

Naturally look for all the sales.

Garage/estate sales & Craigs list are great places to stash build. Lots of them are family members selling "Moms" stash after Mom has passed. You may not like the whole stash, but get it all, cherry pick it, then sell the rest here on QB - or donate it to a group to do charity quilts.

And don't forget QB here. Look at the sale posts. And (confession time) look at all the other posts as well. I recently saw a photo of someone's sewing room that they were organizing, in the photo was a rolled bolt of a print that I've been looking for for AGES. I wrote here to ask if she was interested in selling it and sure enough - she was.

Also, if you buy 3 yards of something today, decide what you want to use it for a year from now but need 3.5 yards but the stores no longer carry it - ask the folks on here if they have it in their stash and are willing to part with it. I've only been here a few months and so far I've seen some pretty incredible "finds".

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Normally I would ''never'' re-post an entire orgional message BUT this is some OUTSTANDING advice and is worth reading again!!

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Ok, I am a fairly new quilter too, and don't have nearly as much stash as people here show, and I should add that I don't want to have that much stash, I am a bit of organization and neat freak, and I would feel uncomfortable with too much clutter.

Now that being said, I did want to have some pieces that could be inspiration for me for the quilts I want to make and for some freedom to change things around. What I did to start with was buying bundles of FQ in fall colors and spring colors, then I would shop some sales and get a yard or two of fabrics I like, then I added some tonals and batiks in my favorite colors to help bridge some gaps in the color spectrum. Now when I am planning a quilt, I check out my stash and pick one or more fabrics then take them to the LQS to get more for that quilt. I love it!

I should add that most of my quilts are smaller so that yard or two have been mostly enough. If I were into making large quilts, I would have gotten more like 3 or 4 yards.

Good luck and have fun!

I am a newbie also and have a very little stash that is growing with sales. My current love is batiks and I think of them more as blenders depending on the "prints" on them. I try to buy 1-3 yards when I am stashing. more toward the three yards is better. But then again I don't do large quilts yet. I also try to use at least one of the fabrics from my stash for every quilt. unless I have nothing that "looks" like the recipient. have one of those that I am working on collecting now for my MIL. getting ready to also start two quilts. one for my dd and one for a new niece that will be born at the end of summer. dd's will be partly from my "stash" that I have been collecting specifically for her quilt and the baby blanket will be totally from my stash. have a FQ set that I have been wanting to use for a while but haven't had a good reason to use it.

I buy almost all of my stuff from sales now. There are so many people who want to get rid of fabric.
Judy

I usually buy at least a half yard, although I do buy quarter yards also. I usually buy as much as I can afford, and I don't buy any if it's not on sale or I don't have a coupon. I've also bought fabric, clothes, sheets, etc., at thrift stores, auctions and yard sales.

When I began I bought for quilts that I wanted . I have a stash now because Iwant to do scrappies. One thing Ilove to do is to buy the rolled up remnants ..any size they ar 50%off. I really dont think of the size of them. One month I would search for only one color til I had enough for some order in the scrappy. then on to another color. 40 years later voila..a colorful stash.

you will get there sooner than you think. have fun.

I've been quilting for a year and from my experience so far, it totally depends on what quilts you like to make.

I started out buying fat quarters, but found they tend to be too small for what I like to do with a color. So I started buying yardage - and am finding that more than a yard is usually too much for my uses. If I need more for a border or backing fabric, I prefer to buy it as needed to make sure I'm happy with the match. Sooo.... at the moment I'd tend to buy a yard or so.

I've always gone for the fabrics I loved, and that turns out to have been a good decision. There are a few in my stash that I bought because I thought they'd "go with everything" (neutrals...) and hey - I'm not using them.
I'm just not a traditional quilter and not big on neutrals. I've now sorted those "sensible-but-uninspiring" (for me) fabrics into their own stack, and might use them for dyeing and painting on once I get around to that.

So... sorry for the novel, it's just in case any of this helps you think! :D What I'd most like to recommend is, trust yourself. Buy what you love, experiment, find out what's best for how you like to create.

I like scrappy quilts, so I go for half yards or even fat quarters.

my standard buy is 3 yards.

if the price is great or i really love it i buy 6 or more yards.

i just bought a couple of bolts the other day because the price was right and i know i'll use it all up.

My motto:
If you like it, buy 1 yard
If you love it, buy 3 yards
If you can't live without it, buy 5 yards

but only if on sale!! I also buy the scrap packs at the LQS, and remnants from on-line fabric sites.

If I am close to finishing a bolt, I always take it all.

I have already identified the lucky recipient of my stash in my will....If I ever start to feel guilty about the quantity, I take the oldest (and not my favorites) and give it away to the guild to make charity quilts....eases my conscience...

I started by getting fat quarter as gifts. Then as I was out i started buying more fabrics of what would go with those flat quarters. I alway by at least a yard and if I really like it 3 yards. If I see something on sale that I really like, I will buy the rest of the fabric on the bolt. That works great for backing.

Wow! You guys are awesome. :D Thanks for all the responses. There are definitely a few things here to think about.

Since I'm still new, I don't really know which kind of quilts I prefer. I do know I want to try something more complex than 9-patch. I will have made four quilts as gifts before I make the first for me to keep, and I know that one will be a mystery/sampler quilt (I think queen sized). So I guess I'll keep buying fabric as needed for now unless I find an awesome sale on something I love! Maybe after a couple more quilts, I'll have a better idea of what I want to do in the future and will thus be able to buy fabric in advance.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Welcome to the fun board of 'quilt nuts!' You asked how much fabric to purchase? I would purchase no less than 3.5 yards for the background fabric (based on a double bed quilt) the if you have 4 fabrics total: 2 yds. of the next must used fabric; & 1.5 of each of the rest. Of course; you just gotta get some other fabrics too if you maybe 'need' them! I find that if you buy a little here, a little there, great way for building! You will find that you have some fabrics left over too after making a quilt! NEVER throw out any that is at least 1/8 yard.

BUY when there are good sales - build using COLOR! Colors you love & cannot do without. Always get minimum of 1 yd. You are so lucky to have a suportive husband!

I buy fabric that calls to me. Usually three yards at a time. When I buy for a project I always add a yard to what the pattern calls for. I just spent a day sorting and organizing fabric and was shocked at how big my stash has become.

I am fairly new to quilting too, and I started off buying one yard. I learned fairly quickly that a yard is not enough for what I want to do. I usually want a border or binding made of one of the fabrics in my quilt top. One yard doesn't allow for that, or at least it doesn't for me. I now buy a yard and a half or two yards.

So far this has worked well for me.

My stash recently grew at a Hancock;s sale. The sale is still one, if you have one nearby. Most of what I bought was 40% off.

Stash it! Prices going up up up!

I too am fairly new to quilting. My current stash fits into one teeny little bag! I tend to buy fat quarters because fabric in UK is so expensive. I don't want to lash out on something I may never get around to using. I usually wait till I have a project in mind before going fabric shopping. That said, I sometimes get a bit hysterical when I reach the quilting shop!