Precut Stash Usage Strategy
 

Hi,
I’ve accumulated a fair amount of precut stash fabric, purchased on spec, without a specific quilt in mind. I’m curious to know if anyone else has done this, what is your strategy for using it? Will you try to find a quilt that you will use the entire or most of the precut in or do you break up the bundle if you need a certain colour or print from part of that precut? Personally, I’m afraid to break up the bundles in case I use the one piece I needed to finish a project suited to the entire collection. Ugh! As I write this, I think perhaps I should let it go and believe I could always pick up a FQ or something to fill in the gaps if that happens. Thoughts? Experience?

I have a stash of precuts too. A lot of them have come from Missouri Quilts' Deal of the Day or clearance Craftsy kits (I never intend to make the kit, but the precuts are much cheaper this way - recently got 2 jelly rolls and 1.5 yards + a pattern for $17). I've been considering breaking up the precuts and sorting by color. I'm a "wing-it" type of quilter and rarely use the prescribed colors of any pattern.

I don't have that many but keep the precuts packaged together. I cut my left over fabric into squares & strips (the Bonnie Hunter method). I try to use those as I go or I have also went to find a pattern that will work to use up a certain size block or strip of I have too many (I don't want to have endless boxes of pre-cuts)

I’m having a terrible time with this as I organize my stash. Many of the precuts I’ve bought, I also bought coordinating border,background, binding yardage to go with it so in a way, making my own kits only they lack the pattern still. So when I put my fabric on my mini bolts, I don’t want to separate it from it’s coordinates, but I also want my fabric organized by color. Ugggh.

I break them up after they’ve been in my studio for a while. I have both purchased precuts and homemade precuts that I cut from my scrap bins. When I first get the commercial ones, whether they’re jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes or FQ bundles I like to keep them packaged up so I can take them out and drool over them. The drool/petting period can last from a few months to a few years (if they’re really luscious), but then I dig in. It’s rare for me to only use the fabrics from a single collection in a quilt, so I have no qualms about separating them by color or value and storing them mixed in with other precuts once I’m over the initial infatuation.

Rob

I will be watching this thread, I have huge cabinets filled with a lifetimes worth of jelly rolls, charm packs and fat quarters. I will not talk about yardage, scraps or quilt kits. I’ve seriously considered opening a Etsy store to move it out.

I usually keep the precuts together, just in case that perfect pattern for a jelly roll or layer cake or ??? comes along. But FQ bundles are fair game to be separated from each other and used wherever they are needed. I don't have a lot of precuts though. Most of the ones I have were freebies, gifts, or came in a kit that I decided not to make because I didn't like the pattern.

Editted because it didn't add to the conversation. :D

Watson

I have a weakness for FQ bundles, even though I prefer putting fabric for a quilt together myself. Those bundles are so visually appealing!

If it's a Civil War bundle, I don't keep it together because I think Civil War projects are most likely going to be scrappy. The other bundles, I keep together and keep on the lookout for a pattern for them. However, if I'm doing a scrappy quilt, I have raided those bundles without qualms. I prefer adding outside fabric anyway, so I figure I can replace the missing fabric with something if need be.

I often encounter free pattern downloads when googling the name of a fabric line to see where it's available for sale. This is my best source of patterns for FQ bundles.