Probably 20 years. I've been through the mauve, peach, burgandy, forest green, williamsburg blue stages, and still going. I like applique and scrappy, so I don't have a problem throwing a few "outdated" colors in there. I figured I couldn't go wrong with Christmas fabric. I was right! I had to have blenders, so I do. I also figured that I'd need solids, so I built a pretty good stash of those. With the prices of fabric now, I'm glad I have it!