I never buy for a specific purpose, OTHER than in the most general terms...I buy to fill out my palette so that i have a shade and tone i need when i need it...i live an hour from walmart and 3 hours from joanns and michaels... i need my fabrics now when i'm in the mood... having said that, i try to be efficient about it... when choosing fabrics for a new project, i shop in the stash...then i try to see what's missing... then i get out my paint chips and match for shade and tone to each of the stash fabrics... i use the chips to decide what i need to fill in and then take all the chips shopping with me...i look ONLY at what i need...and i am looking for color and texture, not the specific of the print... that will fit in if the color is right...
PS...all my fabric and my sewing and knitting machines are in my will. My sons know where everything is to go and it is written down, officially.... i'm not giving up my quilting now to make it easy for the grown men i took care of ... payback time!!!! lol!!!!