How do you "think" when it comes to fabric requirements for a project?
 

Because I have accumulated a fairly large stash over many years, I don't really know "how" to shop for a particular pattern.

My general way of doing something is to start "somewhere" and hope for the best.

So - If a pattern calls for precuts, and you prefer yardage, is it easy for you to "translate" precuts into yardage?

Or if a pattern calls for yardage, and you prefer precuts, is it easy for you to "translate" yardage into precuts?

I am fairly comfortable with doing "conversions/translations" - but I was wondering how you-all think when it comes to buying fabric "for a pattern" and what you want to use is not available "exactly" like the pattern states.

(Anyone having trouble understanding the question?)

My quilts happen in a variety of ways. It can be a pattern that I particularly want to make and need to purchase fabric for; or it can be fabric that I love and need to search for the right pattern to use. I don't usually use pre cuts, although I have purchased them because I love the fabric selections. They remain in my stash. The only quilts I can recall actually making with pre-cuts are a couple of jelly-roll race type quilts.

I don't usually have much trouble with conversions or calculating fabric requirements.

When I look at instructions for patterns, I have a tendency to figure that the person who wrote it added on a bit so that we who make them will have enough of each color in the project.

Hahaha...that's my way too. Start and hope for the best. It usually works out because somewhere along the way I realize I need more of something and I start substituting or get more of what I need.

I don't use patterns. I see a picture and make it my own. I prefer to use a lot of prints (30+), so each block might be similar colors, but different prints. My design also changes as I go...

I'm the same way, most of the time I shop my stash. I lean toward batiks so I go with Color Story's. I'll pull whatever colors I'm going for say all the leaf greens, mid blues and go from there. Mine are almost always scrappy, even the whites and lights. On the other hand, I pick up precut layer cakes when traveling and have fallen in love with the cake mixes for quick and easy sewing.

if i need to have right amount up front, me Eq gives me a general idea and i usually have more than that on hand... i really don't mind havinf leftovers to use in scrappy quilts. mostly, i shop from my stash

If I pull from my stash I check to see if there will be more then enough. If just close enough then I buy more or choose another fabric. I have a stash of pre cuts and find I use from them more then yardage.

I am bad about not shopping from my stash! I find a pattern first, then plan the colors/fabrics I want without really tring to first fit my stash fabrics into it. My bad.

I am trying very hard, to shop my stash. But when it comes to a 'Special' quilt like a wedding gift, I will buy yardage and usually go by the pattern's recommendation--plus a bit. And I am really bad at liking a pattern say for a throw, but wanting to make it into a queen sized quilt.

I have one of those calculators for fabric (won it as a door prize at a quilt show) and I really have tried to use it--once or twice. But I am much better at figuring things out on paper--with diagrams where necessary.

And I have learned to improvise. I made a disappearing hourglass quilt using 1 meter of beautiful batik wide back and a very nice 100% cotton sheet from a thrift store. I had NOTHING left of the batik and just enough of the sheet for the binding. I made another quilt where I ran out of the black(ish) background but had another black that looked almost right. I ran the black fabric thru the washer (twice) with the tiniest bit of bleach to just mellow it a bit and no one has ever noticed that there are two different blacks in the quilt.