When I began quilting a few years ago, I bought what I needed for the project I was working on, and built stash by buying FQ of stuff that looked interesting. These came in handy for small bargello projects I worked on. Just lately, I've been paying attention to the discount my LQS offers for "finish the bolt" and buying stuff (especially batiks) by the yardage (usually about 2 yards). Also been buying both yardage and FQ from folks here on QB!!