I guess I am going to be the weird one and say I take the actual fabric with me (I have been known to wander the store with a large stuffed 2 gallon ziplock bag holding it up to fabric bolts--I have taken either individual fabrics I want to match with or even a collection of 8 fabrics I want to add one more to).

I don't really want to cut into my fabric when I am not sure if I will have enough (especially if you lose several inches getting it straight of grain--lost well over 6 inches due to shrinkage and straightening just one yard a few weeks ago!!).

I sew small swatches onto a piece of plain fabric that I use in a quilt with a lot of fabrics and then carry it with me to buy more. ALways together and I can refer to it when sewing if I can't remember what fabrics I was using too.

The person I'm making the quilt for

I usually cut out about 2" squares and glue them to a piece of paper with a notation of how much I have of each one and where it goes in the pattern.

A small "Proud Grandma" type purse photograph holder is a good way to carry several swatches at a time. I cut the selvage dots and an inch or two of the fabric off and put it where a photo would go. As you find fabrics you can cut off a small piece and add it to the pocket holding the original fabric so that you don't get more of certain colors than you need. This is especially helpful if you are shopping at more than one store or over a period of time.

I'm being weird with you!! I just fold up the fabrics and put them in a big see-thru bag. Then I can put the new fabric on top of wrap the fabrics around each other to see how they'll go together.

I cut index cards in half and punch holes in the upper left hand corner and put them on a ring. There is enough room to glue a fabric swatch and write down some info about the fabric on it. I got the a pack of rings that you can pull open at Walmart.

Well i just guess, if i'm wrong I go buy more :wink: :wink: :wink:

Ditto.

Thanks for all the ideas, as a new quilter I need a lot of ideas. I cut a 4 inch LOF off and took that with me. I bet the other sewers thought I was weird. I like the brag book idea and notes I never thought of writing notes down. I relied on the old memory. But sometimes those memories get cover up in my brain.