Always pattern first for me.

Almost always pattern first for me. I shop the racks waiting for that perfect fabric to jump out at me, and it often doesn't... because I like them all! If I have a pattern in mind, I can almost always find everything I want to make the entire quilt, and I get it then and there.

There are a few pieces that I have, though, that I loved and bought. They've all been pieces that I know go with other things I have, or have a (semi) idea in my mind for.. never JUST because I love it, but have no idea what to do with it.

Most of the time it is pattern first but if a fabric talks (or screams) at me, I will buy and then hunt down an appropriate pattern to show it off.

Pattern first for me but thats because I have not built a huge fabric store stash like some of you guys have yet. But I did make my last quilt out of my stash and it felt really great!

But I love buying fabric just to buy it thinking I can find something to use it for later.

Billy

I use to be fabric first. But found I really am accumlating a lot of fabric and not sure where I will use it. So now I think project first, doesn't mean it will get done right away, but started making more sense after 28 years of collecting fabric.

Like you, in the past I have purchased fabric because it says "Buy Me, Buy Me NOW".
I have quite a few prints (not as many as some of the members..I've seen their sewing room photos LOL) but don't have a lot in the way of blender fabrics. That is probably why "shopping my stash" isn't too successful.

As much as I would like to have a mini quilt store in my home, space is limited, and I just think that for the most part I should have the pattern first.

I can't resist buying fabric that I love, but I also LOVE to try to make a quilt just from my stash. One problem I run into is not having enough yardage of one color. To solve that, I started buying fabric on ebay - the larger cuts of 3-6 yards. Those come in handy for backings, backgrounds and wide borders.

I buy the fabric first and then wait for a pattern to come along...........eventually it does.......after the fabric has been petted and refolded etc. You know how it is!

I fall in love with fabric and then think of what I want to put it in later. Sometimes weeks sometimes many months later.

I wonder if this is a right brain/left brain thing? Those who go pattern first are more math inclined and those who go fabric first are more art inclined???? Personally I am so math challenged that I never figure out how much yardage I need. I just blindly say give so much of this & so much of that. Funny, it all works out quite well with very little extra.