Stash-Plus!
When I started quilting in the last ten years or so, I put out a blanket statement that I would make a quilt for anyone who asked me, and all the babies that came along. Lo these many quilts later, I am starting to realize something about myself, quilts, and stashes:
1. I cannot pass up a quilt shop.
2. I always buy SOMETHING whenever I go into a quilt shop, thus building my stash as I go.
3. I frequently buy approximate yardage for some future quilt, so I can have everything ready, just in case I need to make a specific thing.
4. I always ask the recipient of the next quilt what colors, theme, fabric, etc., they would like, necessitating a large and very specific fabric purchase. (DARN!) Never does anyone say, "Oh, just go ahead and do whatever you want."
5. I rarely use anything from my stash. Not that that's a bad thing. I frequently rummage through my stash, enjoying the stacks of fat quarters and the yardage cuts, securely knowing that, whenever I retire, I will be able to make lots of quilts from my stash.
6. If I find a pattern I love, I will probably find it near a line of fabric which would be perfect for that pattern. so much easier to buy than have to recreate the set later......
Bottom line, I love to fondle fabric, love to have a stash of satisfying proportions, love to buy specific fabric for specific projects. I make one quilt after another, yet I will soon need more clear plastic tubs, and more space for my stash.