GlendaM

I am new to quilting, so what I am asking is........When you find fabric you like what is your rule-of-thumb as to how much to buy??? I live over an hour away from a quilt shop or fabric store. When shopping I see fabrics I like but with no pattern in mind I never know how much I should get!!! Thanks for your input!

ckcowl

It all depends on the fabric, when I'm looking at it I usually envision projects for it.... If I think it would make great borders I buy 3 yards, if it is a basic that could be backgrounds, or used in many different quilts I buy 3-5 yards ( usually depending on how much I love it & price) if I love it but really can not think of what I would do with it I might just buy a fat quarter, or half yard, just to have it - as time goes by I always find a use for it- if I love a fabric but feel its use is limited ( great for applique or fussy cutting) I might buy 1-2 yards. Being new maybe you should browse patterns you love, see how much of different fabrics are needed and keep those amounts in mind while browsing. When you have an idea how much it takes for borders, blocks, bindings it is easier to determine how much to pick up ( plus a little extra for mistakes and stash)

ManiacQuilter2

It depends on what you envision to do with a piece of fabric and how much is the fabric marked down. And sadly, it depends on your budget. It is so easy to buy fabric especially if it on sale but I stay away from fabrics that are cute but probably would never use. You learn from your mistake you made in the past. Now I just buy what I need in order to finish a quilt and lean only to buying tonal batiks which I seem to use in a lot of charity quilts. I use to buy 1/4 yard cuts if I was collecting for a certain scrappy quilt. But if I was going to make a queen size quilt, then you buy the 3 to 3.5 yards. It is fun collecting fabric but just don't let your stash overwhelm you.

susie-susie-susie

I usually buy 2-3 yards if I really like the fabric. I like to buy fat quarters, too, for my stash. Recently I bought some light fabric for background for a quilt I was making and the more I sewed, the more I liked the pattern. I went back and bought the rest on the bolt. The more I looked at it, I decided that I needed more so I looked around on the internet and found some more and bought all that they had. I got 20% off for finishing the bolt, so I think I have enough for awhile (9 yds). I knew that it would be gone if I waited. I've never done that before.
Sue

Jeanne S

I usually buy at least 1 yard, sometimes 2-3 yards. However if you make mainly scrappy quilts, you could probably get by with 1/2 yard cuts. Since I usually make more modern designs, they usually use fewer fabrics in number, but require larger yardages. Also, if a fabric is the 'focus' fabric of a planned quilt, I will buy more of it (2-3 yards) and smaller cuts of the coordinating ones. But I also want to have enough for the binding, so don't forget that. If it is a fabric you can use for a backing, get 6-9 yards if it is a really good deal.

tessagin

It all depends on the subject/project. If I have to travel an hour, it better be something I really want and enough of it. Better be more than the price of gas to make it worth my while. BUT I'm fortunate that I am within 5-10 minutes max of fabric stores. I always buy an extra 1/4-1/2 yd to allow for shrinkage and faux pas. A habit I've grown is to take a photo of the fabric still attached to the selvage edge. It helps to pick coordinating colors and you have the information you need if you want to purchase more. If the selvage edge doesn't have much info then take a photo of the end of the bolt (edge of the cardboard).

luvstoquilt

Way to much! I have a STASH that is way to large. I usually buy 3 yards and have found out that I sometimes need more. I have been buying up to 5 yds now if I love a fabric and what I don't use on the top I incorporate into the back.

Dolphyngyrl

I try not to for the most part without a project in mind the reason is because you will have an odd size for future projects. Usually if I see a fabric I like I try to find a pattern I already have that would work with it and build my own quilt kits this way

Tom W

I rarely buy less than 1 yard cuts. Backgrounds/blenders I often buy the whole bolt if the price is right. Otherwise 2-3 yards of coordinates and 5 or 6 of focus fabrics. If I have a particular pattern in mind, I tend to buy an extra 1/2 to full yard for oops and binding use.

Mitty

It depends so much on what kinds of quilts you're going to make (size of the quilt, how big the pieces are, how many different fabrics), and since you're new, you probably don't know yet what you'll end up doing most, and it will probably change over time.

If you weren't so far from the fabric store, I'd suggest starting by planning the quilt and buying what you need for it (plus extra in case you change your mind or make a mistake). But since it's a drive, I can see wanting to get some on hand. If it's not a strain on your budget, 3-4 yards would not be unreasonable.

I like to buy 2-3 yards, but sometimes when I'm trying to plan a quilt it ends up not being enough, yet it's way more I'd need for a scrappy quilt. That's why these days I'm going back to (TRYING TO) plan my quilts and buying what I need for them.

I've also learned to only buy fabrics that I love and not buy something just because it's inexpensive. Even if it's just some tonal fabic, I like some a lot more than others. I'll use anything in a scrappy quilt, because it doesn't matter as much and I don't have a big enough stash to be choosy, but when the quilt has only a few fabrics in it, I'm reaching for the fabrics I love.