I would buy backing or background material. I bought a large amount of white and cream kona but decided to work from my stash. I was lucky enough to get free material from someone who was cleaning out their stash so I have a good amount. I'll only buy if I have a project in mind and need something to coordinate with what I have. I found when I buy something just because I like it, it sits there and I don't find anythinjg I want to do with it.