We recently had a quilter in our group pass away. At her husband's request we took quilts that were unfinished to finish them. We had a very difficult time trying to match the fabrics because she did shop in several quilting stores. We found out that she would only buy a half to a yard at a time. My personal preference is to purchase 2 at a time. I usually only make lap and throws. But if I thinking of anything larger I go 3 or 4. Hope this helps.