How big for stash fabric?
02-16-2013, 10:38 AM
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 11,903
I like fat quarters to piece the top, 1/2 yards or 1 1/4 yard for borders, and 4 yards, 6 or 12 yards for backs, 1-1/2 yard for binding and 2 yards for sashing. I might also buy 3-4 yards of one color to tie all scraps together.
02-16-2013, 12:17 PM
#23
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Kodiak, Alaska
Posts: 96
Originally Posted by jcrow
I buy fat quarter bundles or jelly rolls or layer cakes and usually 2 coordinating fabrics from the line that I love for sashing and borders and binding. I buy usually 2 yards and 3 yards. Then I find something for the backing at my LQS. I'm not good with matching colors yet. I've been quilting since 1992, but colors are hard for me to mix together. What I think matches, the gals at the LQS say don't match, so that's why I buy fabric lines unfortunately. Maybe someday I will understand color better. I buy kits a lot too so I don't have to select
fabric.
fabric.
I had the same question early on and realized there is no quick simple answer and it depends on the type of fabric, color, print, and how you will use it. It starts to come in to focus a lot better the longer you are into quilting because you know what you like, what you are drawn to and how you use certain fabrics. I personally love me a striped binding on the bias. For that you need a little more to allow for the diagonal cutting. Basics and blenders probably 2 yd. Cutting borders the length wise way is an excellent idea. No stretching and wavy borders. What an eye opener for me! A friend taught me that at a retreat and I still thank her for that. Worth buying that extra fabric or seam them. Piece your backs - add orphan blocks left over from the front - they are doing that all over the blogs right now. Scrappy bindings!!! Love them. Currently I am switching over to a more "modern quilt" look so am adding to my stash all the time. There are a couple of fabrics that I wish I had more of that are out of print. If you think a fabric is one of those for you, buy extra. You won't be able to get it forever. But there are yummy great fabrics coming out all the time.
Last edited by Bearpawquilter; 02-16-2013 at 12:20 PM. Reason: misspelled, punc.
02-17-2013, 04:59 AM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,395
Looking at my stash, most of my fabrics started out as at least 1 - 3 yard cuts, unless they were originally remnants. The only precuts I have purchased have been batik jelly rolls and a couple of interesting fat quarter bundles from the sale bin.
I'm finding that the fabrics I most often need more of are the fabrics that will work well for backgrounds or for sashings or borders. I have lots of medium to dark value fabrics, lots of focus fabrics, but not as many lights or blenders, especially in the colors I use most often. So now I know what I need to keep in mind when I go shopping. What I'm most likely to come home with? Probably more focus fabrics. LOL!
I'm finding that the fabrics I most often need more of are the fabrics that will work well for backgrounds or for sashings or borders. I have lots of medium to dark value fabrics, lots of focus fabrics, but not as many lights or blenders, especially in the colors I use most often. So now I know what I need to keep in mind when I go shopping. What I'm most likely to come home with? Probably more focus fabrics. LOL!
02-17-2013, 07:11 AM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 865
I've been passionately quilting for over 20 years and have a large stash. I started out trying to get a variety of colors, a yard or two yards each, after hearing a lecture on building a stash. Sooner or later, I can use most anything, but some of the early fabrics are still waiting for their quilt. I do make a lot of scrap and string quilts for charity and a few coordinated quilts for me or gifts. I do not use or buy many fat quarters, surprisingly. Until recent years, I could never see what good they would do in a quilt.
In earlier years, I bought what appealed to me, usually novelty fabrics, and then found I did not have coordinating fabrics, especially the tone-on-tone and other support fabrics. In the past ten years, I've concentrated on having one primary focus fabric (a bolt of it), additional focus fabrics in the same colorways (3-4 yards of each) and a wide variety of support fabrics, mostly batiks. This works very well for building quilts, and I wish I had known earlier to buy groups of coordinating fabrics together earlier. It makes the most sense. Now, I carry the main focus fabrics with me when I shop. I buy those at times, but otherwise, only what I need for a project.
If I could add to my stash now, it would be backing fabric, TOTs. and neutrals. I always need those. I wish I had bought more of those, plus thread, when I had the income to support it.
It is important to me to understand color theory as a quilter and I have taken a number of classes. That helps considerably to use what I have in the stash without having to buy more. One great resource for color as represented is equilter.com, as their design board and swatches are true to color and it is easy to get what you expect there. They also tell you what the colors are in amazing detail. I've never been disappointed there, whereas when I go somewhere like fabric.com, who don't seem to have reliable scanning of fabrics, I am always surprised and usually disappointed with what they send - if they aren't out of it and haven't said so. I highly recommend the use of a color wheel and I carry one with me to shop.
That said, I notice that your wonderful stash -- I'm assuming that is your stash rather than a picture you found -- centers on blues, pinks, and yellows. You have a few blue greens and yellow-greens and neutrals. Those will work nicely together and if you don't want to introduce other colors, you should be all set. I do notice, however, that while you have lights and mediums, you don't have a lot of darker values. You also don't have accents that I see. An accent for blue would be orange, a complementary color. For yellow, it would be violet, for pink (tinted reds), it would be green. The blue-greens and yellow greens could use a blue-violet, yellow-orange or a red-orange accent.
In earlier years, I bought what appealed to me, usually novelty fabrics, and then found I did not have coordinating fabrics, especially the tone-on-tone and other support fabrics. In the past ten years, I've concentrated on having one primary focus fabric (a bolt of it), additional focus fabrics in the same colorways (3-4 yards of each) and a wide variety of support fabrics, mostly batiks. This works very well for building quilts, and I wish I had known earlier to buy groups of coordinating fabrics together earlier. It makes the most sense. Now, I carry the main focus fabrics with me when I shop. I buy those at times, but otherwise, only what I need for a project.
If I could add to my stash now, it would be backing fabric, TOTs. and neutrals. I always need those. I wish I had bought more of those, plus thread, when I had the income to support it.
It is important to me to understand color theory as a quilter and I have taken a number of classes. That helps considerably to use what I have in the stash without having to buy more. One great resource for color as represented is equilter.com, as their design board and swatches are true to color and it is easy to get what you expect there. They also tell you what the colors are in amazing detail. I've never been disappointed there, whereas when I go somewhere like fabric.com, who don't seem to have reliable scanning of fabrics, I am always surprised and usually disappointed with what they send - if they aren't out of it and haven't said so. I highly recommend the use of a color wheel and I carry one with me to shop.
That said, I notice that your wonderful stash -- I'm assuming that is your stash rather than a picture you found -- centers on blues, pinks, and yellows. You have a few blue greens and yellow-greens and neutrals. Those will work nicely together and if you don't want to introduce other colors, you should be all set. I do notice, however, that while you have lights and mediums, you don't have a lot of darker values. You also don't have accents that I see. An accent for blue would be orange, a complementary color. For yellow, it would be violet, for pink (tinted reds), it would be green. The blue-greens and yellow greens could use a blue-violet, yellow-orange or a red-orange accent.
Last edited by cricket_iscute; 02-17-2013 at 07:23 AM.
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