I collect fabric for projects and it quite often takes me a few years to put everything together. For example I just finished a quilt for my husband who is a car nut so every quilt store I went into I searched out car fabrics that weren't juvenile. Before that I was searching for monkeys for my son-in-law, music prints for a friend, animal prints for my daughter-in-law and now sunflower prints for my daughter. I always check out the 30's reproduction to add to my collection and then anything that is unique. I rarely buy tonals ahead of time but will look for prints with lots of color in them that will go with a lot of different things. If I need neutrals then I go to a local fabric shop specifically for them.

That is what I would say. I could buy tonals pretty inexpensively from Marshall Dry goods all the time, but unique fabrics, not so much.

So, I would look for unique-to-the-region (esp.) fabrics.

Background fabrics, plus any I have never seen before. Unusual panels and other fabrics useful for centres or cushions. What about threads and I would not be able to resist notions especially electric gadgets I've never seen.
Oh who I spying the bill do we have it all for free.

I always look for fabrics that I don't find around home. Always looking at different ideas and new things to try.

Anything that appeals to me. I am a sampler quilter so I don't need big amounts of this or that because I do my samplers by block individually with their own personality and I will match colors but each block is an entity unto itself. Generally, I buy by the fat quarter or half yard. Actually right now I am working on designing a sampler with 15 blocks and I know the main color is lavender/purple, but I am picking out fab from my stash and will look for other fabrics. I will cut out the fabrics that I have and am using in a particular quilt and then find other pieces of fabric that I can use.

I do everything weird and bass-ackwards, but it works for me. It'll probably take till September to get everything all ready and til Christmas to get it all done. Do not plan to do any sewing (unless it is mending) until this Fall. I am embroidering a quilt this summer (been working on it for four years now if not longer, so I said "Edie, you got to get this done." So I am. And if I find anything in between at a fabric shop, don't think for one minute that it won't be in my hot little hands and with one little fat quarter, I'll design a whole quilt around it. That is what I like to do! :thumbup: Edie

Better make sure the Mini's trunk and back seat are cleared out so you have room! Ask me how I know!! Have fun! No suggestions for your purchases, but you'll know it when you see it!

Fairy Frost, Fossil Fern, Batiks, 1930's prints and Moda Bella Solids.

Background fabrics such as whites and beiges, large backings, my new "me" colors in blacks and greys. I usually will take a quick glance at my shelves and see which color is lacking from the others and move towards adding more to them. Just finished a quilt using yellows and had very few to pick from in lights to darks.

Tone on tone as I always seem to need borders, sashing. But I would get as many batiks as I could, too!
Have fun.

I've seen a trend here. We all seem to have a lot of medium tones of colors, but not too much in the way of lights and darks. After readings the posts, I went into my stash, and sure enough....really? I have no dark green? Wait, I need light yellow. Wait again, all tones of purples. Didn't I used to have more tone on tone? Seriously need orange 30's fabric...I've got to go wake my son so we can get on the road!!!!