How do you decide what to do with your fabric ?
 

I have always decided what quilt design I want to make then I go buy the fabric for it. Last year after Christmas i decided that I would take my Christmas money from my parents and buy Christmas fabric while it was on sale. Now I have all these different fabrics and i do not know what to do with them. So I am asking your advice , how do I get inspired by this fabric? What is the next step? I feel like I am doing it backwards and this is the reason I only have scraps for a stash..LOL

Things change so much through out the year. Many years ago for a few years in a row, after the holiday, I would hit the sales, thinking about saving money. Often what I purchased sat there taking up space. you can look on the different web sites and maybe one called Pinterest and see what ideas to come up with for holiday gifts or décor.. You could make a scrappy Christmas placemats, quilts, table runners, stockings, table cover.

I actually made a Bargello table runner (Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts) from my scraps. I always look for patterns on eBay for inspiration. There are probably a half a dozen sellers that sell the individual pages from quilt magazines. It is great way to get ideas when looking for scrappy things to make. What is the old saying, when life gives you scraps, make a quilt ???

GOOD LUCK !!

I usually find a pattern I like and one fabric I think would look nice as the focal point for that pattern. Then I toss in other pieces from my stash to finish out the fabric requirements.

oh dear I must really be rear backwards! I always find fabric that says OH BUY ME then I figure out what to do with it and sometimes it takes a couple years .. like oh I want to make a blue quilt.. what do I have??? or I get in a swap that has a theme and suddenly.. tada I can use that fabric! I never go the other way around and pick a pattern then shop for fabric. never.. sigh should have known I was doing something wrong :) (really can shopping for fabric be all THAT bad? no no it can't is the answer). if I had Christmas fabric I would look for table runner patterns or wall hanging patterns. maybe you could post your fabric then we could all drool and kibitz.. stockings, you could make stockings, Christmas tree skirt.. oh so many things. you could send it to me to relieve yourself of the burden of making something with it. I always collect holiday fabrics. :)

I don't know really. If I am looking through this site if Asked question I do a google search and look at images only?sometimes I just look at a specific style ie! cathedrel window. Log cabin.
Other times I just know .
Sorry no help.

This is what I do also. It is fun like shoping for fabric all over again without leaving the house.

I buy fabrics I like and go through my patterns for a design. I also sometimes just make up a pattern to use it for. Works for me.

It works all ways for me - sometimes fabric, no pattern - sometimes pattern, no fabric. It will just sit and stew until I pull it all together. I do try to be careful not to let the cart get too far in front of the horse, as I find having too many unplanned projects, or UFO's, a little stressful. If I had your dilemma, I would probably haunt pinterest looking for inspiration.