Note to self: buy extra material

I raid the remnants section. Other than that I just buy what ever I like. I'll figure out a use for it later.

When there is a good sale and I am not scouting for a specific project , I will buy a yard or two of a neutral. Sometimes I will buy 1/2 yards of many. It depends on my mood and $$ in my wallet. You can always use backgound fabrics or neutral backing fabric.
I find having a good stash of muslin colored tone on tone fabrics is a mainstay as they go so well with traditionals quilts and as a filler in scrap quilts.

my stash grew naturally as i made quilts and other items...i always buy extra to make sure i have enough for my project even if i screw up and have to re-cut something, so when the project is complete the left=overs go into the stash and it grows and grows! once in awhile i see something i fall in love with but have no idea what i will do with it...if it is something that i really do not know what i would do with it...but i love it i will buy a fq or 1/2 yard...if it is something that when i look at it i think of a dozen projects i could use it for i buy as much of it as i can afford at that moment....and i am always picking up extra whites, creams; neutrals because it seems like i always need them. and of course if i venture into a thrift store there is a pretty good chance something is going to catch my eye that will be adding to the stash.

I never set out to build a stash on purpose. It happened slowly over many years - like 40. LOL I used to make most of my clothes and also for my DS when he was young. Always 100% cotton. There were scraps left and I saved them. I bought a little extra for each quilt I made and added the scraps to my collection. I went through a phase of making only watercolor quilts and bought many flowered FQ's. Again, saved the scraps. There were several years of making baby and child quilts and saving those scraps. When my mom could no longer sew due to Alzheimers, I received 20 boxes of fabric because I'm the only daughter of 4 who sews. About 1/3 of that was cotton.

A couple of times a year, I'll go to all the quilt shops near me to check out their bargains/sales. If something really jumps ups and grabs me, I'll buy without having a project in mind. I'm always on the lookout for neutrals, paisleys, reds and soft light golden yellow. I also find cotton fabric at resale shops, yard sales, church sales, etc.

Now, when I start a project, I start shopping in my closet and then buy to fill in as needed.

i try to get at least 3yds if i like it