tigerbaby, if we can help you learn new ways of collecting fabric (and hide it!) have you made the right stop:))I am forever buying fat quarters because I like to collect different colors and I like many colors in a quilt. Say the pink and browns...the 30's fabrics, blacks and whites, reds, creams...omg! They are all good!:))Oh, the homespun flannels! By collecting quarters, you can have a great variety that brings alot of depth and texture to your quilts w/o going to a great expense of too much fabric purchased. To start off, I would recommend buying 'kits' from a quilt store that can be recommended. I have had great luck w/kits to do a quilt and end up usually w/much left over. Big pieces get folded back into my quarter selections, scraps to plastic drawers by color. I do buy 5-6 yards at a time if I find a background type fabric on sale to stash away for later. Most quilters I know buy for a pattern specifically. If you buy only 1 or 2 fabrics that you like, you buy 2-3yrds to put away for building stash. But always remember that you make sure it is not a strange color or pattern that will be hard to match up later to work in a quilt. For me personally, I usually buy for a specific pattern and I buy extra:))When you see a quilt you like or a block...stop and try to figure out why. Is it the color? The Patterns in the fabric? The block? This will help guide you the direction that works for you and your likes. Hope that helps...Skeat