I have tons of patterns I want to do- purchased and free patterns and ideas from blogs, etc. I go through them regularly and think about what's in my stash that would work, or maybe a fabric line I really like and need an excuse to buy. When I think I have most of what I need for a certain pattern, I will "commit" to it by pulling the fabric and cutting it into strips, etc., whatever the project calls for. I also make sure I get whatever else I need for the project (backing, etc). I put all of this together into a project box with the pattern. That way I have a project ready to go when I need it, and more fabric out of my stash. It helps to go through my patterns regularly- I look at them over and over and think about them with different fabric, and any I fall out of love with get culled. I'm the kind of person that has to have a bunch of different things to work on all at once- I cycle through them regularly. Some are longer term (hand-piecing a Farmer's Wife and EPP hexagons). It keeps me from getting sick of any one project. Everything I'm working on has its own project box, and everything goes back into that box if I shift to something else. I never promise others a quilt. I make quilts for others, but I rarely tell them- it keeps the pressure off as to when I have to have it finished by
