Panchita

I would divide my efforts between buying blenders/small scale tone on tone/background fabric and stashing money into a separate fabric bank account for use 'as and when' you actually get there.

The designer lines change all the time, going in and out of fashion/trends, and also it is possible that your tastes will change - (mine have) and then they might go back again, or might not!

So for focus fabric I would buy very sparingly - for 'now' projects and fabric you positively *adore and cannot live without* at this point (and if your response is 'that's everything' then you need to shift the bar higher - if it's all important then none of it is important, to paraphrase a quote).

The bank account will (hopefully) ensure that you have the means to refresh your stash as you wish, rather than trying to predict your future (impossible, and stressful to boot). Plus, as someone said above, you will need additional supplies like rotary blades, mats, etc., and there is no telling how many of those you would need to acquire to cover you in later years (also, what is something better is invented?! Don't ask me what, but there was a time when rotary cutting did not exist, so who knows...)

I obviously don't know how much of a stash you are starting with - you may already have a bunch of blenders and the like, in which case I'd enjoy my 'now' quilt projects and just stash money (it never goes out of style!!! )

Panchita

Also, if you stash money in an interest-paying account it will actually grow over time (albeit not much right now, but again in the future who knows?) so you should end up being able to take out more than you put in.

Whereas, much as we like to joke about fabric breeding overnight, once the money is converted into fabric that is exactly how it stays until used, whether a week from now or a decade.

quiltingcandy

Don't worry about building a stash - it will happen. I would focus first on buying the machine of your dreams. I bought my Janome MC6600P and my Husqvarna/Viking Designer Topaz embroidery machine. And then I went to the Road to CA quilt show and fell in love with my Accuquilt Go cutter.

People are always getting rid of their stash and there are estate sales where there is more fabric than in a fabric store. If you come across some fabric that you love, then buy it. More often than not, you buy 2 yards of it, you will end up needing 3. I hate to think about how much fabric I bought and then later gave away because it just no longer appealed to me.

I really like wide fabric for the back of quilts, but I buy it to go with the quilt I am making so there is a match. I love to use white on white fabric instead of plain white - so I will buy that on sale because I can usually use a few different ones in the same quilt. Since one kind of quilt I loved was the I SPY quilts for children I would buy 1/2 yards of kids fabric on sale. Same with Christmas and Halloween fabric, it just jumps into my arms when I walk by. It does get used for projects. For a while I was making the Rail Fence quilts - I could make a nice nice throw with one yard of 4 different fabrics. But I just bought the fabric and made the quilt, I didn't buy with plans to make later.

So depending on what kind of quilts you like to make would depend on if you really want to start a stash now.

sewbizgirl

I get sick of seeing the same pieces in my stash, so for me it would work better to save some money for fabric when I need it.

Stitchnripper

I am coming from a different direction. I don’t have much of a stash. I buy what I need when I need or want it. Sometimes there is a bit left over and that becomes part of my stash or scrap pile. You may end up loading up on things you will never use and regret and have to find a place for. All the fabric I could ever want lives in a store or online someplace until I want it. I know I am an odd ball

maryb119

I just buy what I like. I have found that fabrics start to go together in my collection. I can fill in the other colors I need when I decide what to do with that certain piece of fabric.

osewme

I can't help in telling you what to buy but I can say that I wish I had planned ahead before I retired. I never had much of a stash while I was working & now have used up most of it. Money is tight now (on Social Security) & have to limit my spending to mostly "essentials". So, whatever you do just remember that life is a lot different after retirement when that regular paycheck stops coming in.

Murphy224

When I first retired and was looking for a "hobby" , I discovered quilting and bought whatever fabric caught my eye, was on sale, or seemed like a good idea at the time. Also took in those fabrics that others gave me (now I know why they were so generous) I now have a huge stash of yardage, fat quarters, and pre-cuts. Not even counting the scraps left after making a quilt. They don't work well together, I have way more than I will be able to sew up in this life time, I have spent countless dollars on ways to organize and store them. That stash takes up a lot of valuable real estate in my home and sewing room, and worries me about the amount of money I have tied up in it. Money I could use for other things now in my retirement. If I had it to do over I would buy ONLY what I needed to make a quilt. I would have NO stash at all.
There was a discussion on this board a while back about our stash and what you would do in a perfect world with money as no object. I would dispose of my stash completely and start with a buy as you need plan.
So to answer your question......don't do it. Don't build a stash. Fabric will always be available to buy. Beautiful fabric that you will want to buy. Put your money in a savings plan to have the cash you need when you want to make a quilt.

Jordan

I think it all depends on what kind of quilts you want to make. When I started quilting I took a class and found that I really liked certain colors so I would get a yard of some of my colors I liked. As time went on I found that I would always need background whites or cremes. Also, if you have certain patterns in mind then you might want to purchase your favorite colors to make that certain pattern. Good luck to you

bkay

My cousin had fabric for 70 quilts when she retired. However, she had grandbabies, got involved in bible study, got interested in genealogy and had some health problems. I don't think she has started a new quilt since she retired. She's donated some fabric, but most is still in the closet.
Sometimes, our plans change.
bkay