I was just wondering maybe some feedback from you would help. I always see fabric that I really like and would like to purchase for future projects, I just dont know what would be a good amount of it to get when doing it this way.. 1/2 yd, yard ,fat 1/4 ???

at min 1 yard. I would suggest going closer to 3 yards. but that is just me. it is really up to you however. unless you are a scrappy quilter, then just get what ever feels right.

For me it depends on how much I like/ love it , how much it costs and what I "might" use it for , ie baby- Christmas - Solids but anywhere from a yard on up

When JoAnn's had FQ's you could buy that weren't in a bundle I bought lots of those just because I liked them. When I see yardage I like, I usually buy 1-3 yards, depending on whether I think it might go well with stuff I've already got. I have a fairly nice stash now, so I don't buy a lot of random yardage any more. I don't really have a lot of room to "stash" it and I don't like it piled around.

If I love it 3 yards. If I like it 1 yard.

I'm still stash building too after a year and when i can afford to buy I like to get 3 yards. Connectingthreads.com is my fav place to shop.

It really is your choice. We like 2 yards usually but if I really like it I go for 3. 6 yards will do a nice backing too.

I always buy at least a yard. If I really like it I buy 3 yards.
Also if my chosen fabric is near the end of bolt--say a yard or less I empty the bolt.
So I guess I could say anywhere from 1-3 yards minimum.

Chris

Me too.

If I love it three yards is my number. I have been known to buy more than that if it really calls to me.

I used to buy one yard pieces, now I am down to fat quarters!!! If I think I am going to use something for a background and I really love it, I might get two-three yards. That would be something really pretty that goes with lots of other fabrics...

I was once told that you should buy fabric in odd numbers, 1,3,5 yards but really don't know why. It all depends on the fabric and size of print. Is it probably going to be a focus fabric or blending fabric.

I guess it is all up to you.

For me to buy more than 1 yd, I have to have a pattern IN MIND. However, I do buy 108" wide fabric in blender colors - black, white, off white, muslin, etc. It is amazing how long those cuts seem to last...and I always have the basic colors on hand. There's a great seller on eBay that I use almost exclusively for these wide backings.

I have a nice size stash, and I'm always adding to it. If I like a fabric, I'll probably get a yard if I have no specific project in mind. I like to make miniature quilts and donate them to the AAQUI so nothing's really wasted. Usually though I purchase between 1-3 yards. I've only bought a bolt of two fabrics that I absolutely fell in love with.

i'm in the 3 yard camp for something I really love, maybe more if it is a background or a neutral - can never have enough of those. i have a 'gazillion' FQ's, so I try and stay away from those now.

I just went to joanns today and their sale was $3 clearance I bought a yard of many different ones they may not go together but it builds it up fast!! Very nice fabric !

I usually get at least 3 yards. That is enough for the back of a comfort quilt should I decide to use it for that.

For me I never seem to buy less then 2 yards. Always afraid I might need more if I only buy a yard.

I ALWAYS BUY 3 YDS AND IF I ABSOLUTLEY LOVE IT AND CAN SEE MYSELF MAKING AT LEAST 2 QUILTS USING IT, I BUY 5-6 YDS.

Never buy less than one yard. On down the road, you'll realize the "shoulda, coulda, woulda" syndrome. I usually buy one yard, and if it calls my name .... I get 3. If it offers chocolate too, I go for more. : D

It all depends on what size quilts you like to make and what style you have.

I like big lap 50x60, extra big twin 60+ x 100+, and Cal King 120X120.

I also like a scrappy look so consequently I own a lot of FQ and then buy yardage for borders 1 1/4 to 3 yards and yardage for backing 4, 6 or 12 yards.

I try to buy 3 yards of any fabric that I feel would be used as a border. That way I would have enough to make any size quilt without having to peace it in any way.
In starting any quilt, I began by choosing a print that I fall in love with and the colors in that print become what I work with thoughout the rest of the Quilt.

I'm a scrappy quilter. If I love it, 1-2 yards, if I like it, 1/4-1/2 yard. :)

if you love it and think it is a fabric you would use in lots of different projects purchase as much of it as you can afford. if you 'like' it and think i may use that for something buy a yard or two (if you think it would work for good borders or backing buy lots)
if you love it but really don't know what you might do with it just a fq will probably be good. :thumbup:

Ask yourself-What kind of quilts will/do I make?
Childrens crib/lap quilts-buy childrens prints- usually several
1 yard pieces. Bright solids-1 yard of an assortment of colors.
Adult lap quilts? Scrappy? The more the merrier, that is selection, buy 1/2-1 yard pieces, you will need a wide variety of fabrics, no reason to buy large amounts of the same fabric.
Bed quilts? these quilts will require more fabrics. Scrappy?
buy 1 yard pieces of whatever you like. Don't forget to buy tone-on-tone fabrics for the background fabrics.
Bed quilts-not scrappy? You will need to figure what the pattern and size depends on. Usually a separate purchase not a stash builder quilt.
Backing fabrics- buy these fabrics when shopping at sales,
depending on what size quilts you generally make you will need to know before going to the sale the yardage amounts.

The former LQS owner used to tell me: "If you like it, 1 yard, if you love it, 3 yards, if you can't live without it, 5 yards"

I beg to argue with my much more learned members here but doesn't it matter how much space you have to store your fabric. I am fairly new to all this but I buy 1/2 at a time that way I can get a better variety! But I am a scrappy quilter.

Usually 2 yds. here but remember if you are building a stash don't forget the solids! I personally don't buy solids- I prefer tone on tone or marbles.

I used to get fat quarters, but I've found that I can never finish a project when I decide to use it. So now I'm up to 1 yd. min. ANd will probably work my way up to 3. Just depends on how much you like it and think you may use it.

I usually purchase 3 yardsof somethine I really like and just a yard of so-so fabric....just depends ....

I know I am new to all this but I tend to buy 3-6 yards, I guess I am building stash too.

I started with fat quarters and have graduated to 2-6 yards, depending on the colors and pattern.

A while ago I bought a half yard of a fabric I really liked. After I got it home I realized I was in love with it. It took me a while to figure out what kind of project to use it in, but then I went back to my LQS to get more. Guess what? It was all gone! So then I started looking for it on-line. By the time I found it I could only get another yard which cost more, plus S&H. etc, etc. Turns out that I had to change my plans for it because I never could find enough to do what I wanted to do with it. Anyhow, the moral of this story is, if you like it a lot, buy a lot. At least 3 yards. That would have given me sufficient fabric to complete the whole project and have a fat quarter tucked away for more fun with it. Don't take a chance that you won't ever find that fabric again. And, if you're not crazy about a fabric, just don't buy any of it. 8-)

The amount to buy is not as much a problem for me as buying blenders. I have lots and lots of focus fabrics, but I'm back to the store for blenders.

I find I never have enough backing fabric, so if it's on sale, stock up.

Also want to think about what you want to use for the quilt back and for trimming. I bought a beautiful tulip pattern for a One Block Wonder and would like to use the original fabric to trim the top but I don't believe have enough & the store no longer carries it! AUGH!@#$$%%^^

I didn't start to build a stash, it just happened. If I'm buying for a specific project, I buy the recommended yardage plus an extra yard to yard and half. I've learned the hard way that some cutting measurements are wrong and have run out of fabric just to discover that the seller has no more in stock. If you have some left over, you can use for other things. To buy a fabric because I love it, it depends on price and how much I love it. If it is a large print and I love it, I will buy two or three yards. Large prints are great for fussy cutting or stack n whacks and require more yardage. I usually buy half yards and fat quarters for everything else. I impulse shop unfortunately and while I might have a vague idea for the purchase, by the time I get around to it, I've forgotten what I planned for it. This isn't necessary a bad thing as I love scrappy quilts. I don't buy border fabric until the quilt is together. I've bought border fabric I thought would be perfect and didn't use it. It's still in the stash. Good luck and enjoy!

I never heard of deliberately building a stash. I thought it just happened. In my garment making days I just bought the yardage indicated on the pattern. I learned not too long after starting to quilt to take three yards if I like it. I still have some I bought ten or twelve years ago. I love going through it and dreaming how to use it. Sometimes it's too pretty to cut up. I have drawers full of ufos that I'm going to devote 2011 to. Then I will get to dive into the big pieces in the stash. Then there is the trunk full of scraps. I'm afraid that collecting fabric is a vice shared by many quilters.

As the spirit moves me haha

it depends on what it is. sometimes i'll find a fabric i really love but it's expensive so i'll buy a meter of it(i'm in canada, they use meters instead of yards) then i'll go around looking for cheaper fabrics to go with it and buy a bunch of them. or i'll see a 'set' that i like and buy 3/4 of a meter of each of them so it comes out to several meters. then there's some i just must have and have no plans for them but i get lots of it just to have. i know what whoever said some are just too pretty to cut up is talking about. i have a few like that. i've taken them out a few times to use and then ended putting them back. it's just not their time yet. i like to put a lot of assorted fabrics into my quilts though, so i don't usually go over 3 meters.