Anniedeb

I buy it now, with no particular need in mind mostly. If I'm making a specific quilt, for a specific need, I buy for that need. I am careful, but often buy because the fabric "speaks" to me. I haven't figured out what to do with my ever growing pile of scraps. Besides applique, I don't like working with small squares, scraps. I don't have the patience!

Doggramma

I have 2 kinds of buying. One is to buy for a specific project. I have a lot of fabric, but usually not enough of a particular color or fabric to finish the project. The other kind of buying is totally impulsive. We travel a lot. I end up in a lot of quilt shops. There are very nice people there, which spurs me to want to spend money there. Or, I go into a new shop and pick out things because I find fabrics/kits/patterns inspiring.

LindaJane

Yes I have done a lot of the traveling buying too but have slowed down on both the traveling and shopping without needing something specific.

StephanieR

Can I ask why 3 yards? I'm new to quilting and stash building. Are 3 yards typical to what a pattern asks for?

crafty pat

I am bad at buying fabric I love and buying some to go with it and keeping it until I find a pattern to go with it. If I find a pattern I like I go to the fabric I have first and if I can't find the right fabric I go shopping. I never buy less than three yards and five of the ones I really fall in love with.

Iceblossom

For years now, I buy most of my fabric at thrift stores, estate sales, etc. I will also buy new fabric but I try to limit that to specific purposes, not just buying it for the joy... but sometimes joy wins. Many of us quilters have that moment when we see the pattern or the fabric or whatever it is that triggers us into the next project (or maybe the project after that). So sometimes I can go look for the fabric that does what I want, other times I look at the fabric and see what does it want to do.

Mostly I make scrap/charm quilts so I do need a wide variety of fabric, but I'm really starting to realize I don't need the yardage I have so I have been giving away some fabric recently. I've also been organizing my stash better but it's time to make up some projects/cut some fabric/make a new mess out of the order it's taken so long to almost achieve

The thing is about thrift stores is you can only get what you get, not more and not less. So maybe I do have to buy an entire bag of scraps just for that one piece that is calling me, or with my postcard blocks where all I wanted was a tiny little square but had to buy the entire piece of yardage to get it. Most importantly, you have to go regularly and if you see something you want, or think you might want, you need to grab it!

I've had several projects lately that required large collections of fabric. I do try and give away scraps from such things and will hopefully finish that postcard quilt soon and declare a substantial stack as surplus and time to set free.

Judith1005

I am working on culling my stash. *And, not in the best way.* I am just overwhelmed and paralyzed by just too much. So, I have been working quickly through my sewing room, touch it once, make a decision, bag it up and take it the next day to the thrift store. (Definitely in the buyer's remorse category.) And, this is not the first time I've done it this way either. I'm an impulse buyer. But, I have joined the Fabric Moratorium here on the QB to try to get a handle on my buying and hoarding habit. I would love to get all my fabric into one single chest of drawers in my sewing room. Right now, is not the best time to go quite that drastic. But, maybe for the future. I would eventually like to get in the habit of buying for a project or two at a time. I do hold onto my scraps a little too tightly. But, I do like to make fabric postcards and string blocks. I just don't think I need as many as I have saved. That will be a purge for a future date. I don't usually buy large amounts at a time. That has been a problem in the past. I do like to scrap quilt for the most part. But, lately, I have liked to have a limited color and fabric choices. That is a challenge at times because of my buying habits. But, I'm making it work with what I have. I don't piece and quilt nearly fast enough. (At the moment, I'm kind of in and out of a sewing slump on a regular basis.) I'm fighting with that also. Maybe when my sewing room is a little more manageable I will feel more motivated.

Good question through. My family and I have all figured things we all have in common. We tend to be compulsive and obsessive. Some days, lol, the struggle is real. But, with enough practice and restraint, we can change.

If I die before DH, I have visions of him just tossing lots of good stuff that could be donated. So, I'm working on donating good stuff I can't or probably will never get to right now. My kids won't be interested in it either. The struggle is to not go back and buy it again. Yep, I've done that a time or two. But, have been really strict on my purchasing habits of late.

Good luck to all that are in the same boat as me. lol

peaceandjoy

I also used to buy 2 or 3 yards of fabrics I loved. But over the years, I have found myself loving "scrap" quilts more and more. When I make them, I'm not usually using scraps, but cutting strips from several fabrics. If I were able to go back and do it over (keeping what I know, of course!), I'd buy smaller amounts. Rarely over a yard, unless it is for a border or backing.

RedGarnet222

Most of my stash was bought during the going out of business sales at hancock fabrics and ben franklin. They are wonderful fabrics and I am still very glad I got them. I can be much more creative with the choices those purchases afford me. I do have some stacks of fabrics I bought for specific quilts in my favorite colors and patterns. I also have a few quilt kits that are so fun and were a great price. So, no buyers remorse here.

Where I am always short is in good quality white and neutrals. I like the kind that is good thread count and not thin stuff. I use so much of it that it is always in need of replacing. So, I am always in the market for those. I buy as much as I can afford at the time when the opportunity arises. Also, I need backings and I know which ones need what yardage to finish it up by carrying a little notebook with the amount recorded. (and any small amount needed for specific quilts I am lacking) I do carry a swatch ring and that helps keep me in the right colorways. I don't go out all that often to shop, so I try to be focused on my list of needs.

But, every now and then, something flips my skirt and I buy it. I am a sucker for kitschy prints from the forties. I bought some golden yellow background with cherry bunches just last week. I think it will become a kitchen apron or the bottom edging on some embroidered tea towels.

SusieQOH

Lisa, Zozee has games quite often where you have to guess something and she will send you a little fabric gift. It's so addicting! You can play as often as you wish but if it's been less than a month (I think) you can play but you have to play for someone else. Her games are always fun and usually hard!
The thread is near the bottom- I believe it's under Free Offers but I'm not certain. I do know that it's a category near the bottom of the main page.