I've always been a scrappy quilt lover and since I wanted to build a large stash on a budget, I would usually buy one yard pieces. When I was buying for a purple scrappy quilt, I bought 1/2 yard pieces of any purple fabric I liked and was on sale. I did the same thing when I was on a homespun kick - I have a big pile of half yard pieces! The only exceptions are for backing or borders or a wonderful bargain on something I love. Then I might get 3 or 4 yards. The result is a very large stash of 1 yard pieces!