Sale fabric - how much to buy?
 

Just wondering how much yardage you buy when you run across a great sale on fabric you just can't pass up, but don't have a particular quilt or pattern in mind. I'm just beginning my adventures into quilting, so any advise will be appreciated.

As much as you can afford and have room for.

It seems that some prints have a very short run - and once they are gone - they are never to be seen again.

On the other hand, buying on sale (excessively) can turn into an addiction.

If it would make a good backing, 5 yards. If it would make a good border, 3 yards. If there are lots of different fabrics I like, 1 yard each.

It depends on the fabric and how I plan to use the fabric. I agree with Tartan, if the fabric would be a focal part of the quilt. Sometimes you know it will make a perfect backing, then I buy the size of an average quilt for me, usually 5 - 6 yards. The next thing I look at is how the pattern repeats. I do not buy fat quarters because they never seem to be enough, so I buy a minimum of 1 yard because I know that I can make a rail fence quilt with 4 - 1 yard pieces of fabric to make a nice size throw. So try and determine what type of quilts you like to make and what size fabric do you need for those quilts.

If you are just starting to build a stash I would buy 1/2 to 1 yard of a lot of things you love. You'll always find a use for them. Bigger pieces of yardage are good for backings and continuous borders but I love have lots of choices for a quilt and don't like going out to buy something to go with. I love having solids or things that read as solids for blending. I love smaller prints and then bigger ones for focus quilting. It just depends on your budget, storage space and desire to be an addict like the rest of us.

If it's one I'm pretty certain I'll use for a backing, I'll buy five to seven yards if the price is around $5.00 to $8.00 per yard. If it's for a possible border, I'll buy three yards as that will permit me to cut them parallel to the selvage edge for minimum stretch and no seams.

Thank you all for your help. I've only finished a lap size quilt and am working on a log cabin I took a class for. The top is done, now just have to finish it. I already know this hobby could become very addicting and would like to build up a good selection of fabrics.

I only bought small pieces, probably just a lot of fat quarters when I first got started quilting. It's probably all I could afford at the time. I now have boxes of annoyingly small pieces of fabric. They're too big to get rid of (I know I'll use that 2" square!) and way too small to ever have a cohesive quilt. I don't mind having lots of scrap batiks because I hand appliqué exclusively with them. The rest seems wasteful though. I wish I had bought less variety of bigger pieces (at least 1 yard). Those fat quarters are so tempting but not as practical IMO.

I buy mostly online so usually I stick to half yard cuts. I don't make large quilts anymore, just tops for charity. Trying to trim down my stash.

A couple of years ago I ran across a great sale -- the fabric was anywhere from 60% to 90% off and it was a line I had been looking at for a year. I ended up buying 85 yards of fabric that day -- the smallest pieces were 3 yards, the next size was 6 yards then if they had it I bought 9 yards. The 9 yard pieces make great backings. That purchase only cost me $200.00 so I was fortunate. My stash to that point was mostly brights -- this gave me a great civil war, antique look that I really liked.

I love the fat quarters for scrap quilts and especially for the Wickedly Easy quilt block. A baby quilt only takes 6 fat quarters using that pattern. But I know I have too many and I get frustrated when it is the perfect fabric for a project and there's not enough.

While my sister was having surgery procedure, my niece and I went to the nearby WAlmart. I'm going back tomorrow. They had a table with fabric on sale. From $1.50 yard and up to $4.50. I'll probably purchase a couple yards each. I took photos of the fabric I want. This is first time I've seen a long table full of fabric.

Minimum of 1/2 yard and preferably at least 1 yard of each..

Our LQS has their big sale this long weekend. I went today and bought 2yds from each bolt that had "caught my eye". They also had FQs on sale for $1. Probably bought more than was necessary, but as my dear grandmother use to say: Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.

I just bought a total of 15 yards from Marshall's Dry Goods. It is a cheaper material, but I am making cooler PJ's for the kids this summer. It gets hot here in Florida in the summer. Hanna Montana and a boy band fabric at .50 cents a yard. Clearance couldn't turn it down

I buy 5 - 8 yds for a backing, and 2 - 3 yds if using in a quilt top and border. With the prices nowadays, sale fabric is a given purchase.

I buy 2 to 3 yards if I really like it...more if I love it. I use pieces of it when I need it in a quilt. I love fabric and am always adding to my stash.

Be careful your hobby is quilting and not just buying fabrics!! It happens.

I always buy 3 yards of same print, but like said before if you can afford it buy 1 of each

You make that sound like a bad thing-LOL

I usually buy a bolt of the fabric that I know will be good for backings and piecing. I don't like plain backing I want a beautiful print for backing and always thinking of that when I find a sale.

I usually buy a 1 or 2 yard cut of fabric. I have found that I love reproduction fabrics from the 1930's and have a good collection of them. One thing I have started doing is cutting a 2.5 in strip when I get a new yard. I am making my own jelly roll quilts from them. I am also doing this with the solid fabrics I buy. I just get them to add on 3 inches and then I don't have to worry about not having a full yard left.

I buy no more than a yard per fabric unless I have a project in mind. I've bought more at times and now I'm sitting on it. I figure even if I have to pay full price, it's a better deal to buy for specific projects and only buy sale fabrics in small quantities.

I also only buy sale fabric if I LOVE it. I've bought too much fabric simply because it's a good deal and now I'm sitting on it as well.

I always buy three to five yards of each fabric, more if I think I will be using it for backing. I learned early on that it is not good to run out of fabric or find just the right pattern and don't have enough of the fabric I just loved to make it. If I don't use it all,well that is why I have such a large stash.

Thank you for your responses and advice. I've sewn (clothing, craft items) all my life, but always just bought the amount of fabrics the pattern called for. With quilting, it seems I am constantly seeing quilts I love, sitting down with graph paper and figuring out the pattern. I have several tucked away in a binder to try as my skills improve. I will proceed with caution when faced with a sale and use the guidelines you all have offered here. Thanks again!

I often buy 3 to 5 yards. Lately I have been using 108" wide fabric for backing and I think I will continue to do that from now on. I love not having to put it together unless I decide to do something sort of artsy.

I buy usually at least 2 yds if not 3 yds and if its a blender fabric or a white and/or beige for backgrounds I'll purchase at least 5 yds as it will never go to waste here. My muslin I buy by the full bolt though.

I once bought 2 yards of a REALLY nice quality horse fabric for $1.50/yard. After I got home, I thought about it a bit more and decided to go back for the other 8 yards. They were gone, and I was disappointed. I would have used it for charity quilts, and horses are well loved by kids of all ages...darn. I found the same fabric on line for $10.99.

So if it's a good fabric at a really great price I purchase it and donate to my quild for charity quilts.

However, I never buy a fabric that I don't like, no matter how it's priced. Why? Because I'll never use it.

Other than that, if you can envision it in a quilt "some day", buy what you can afford to buy. Generally, I buy 2 yards for fabrics that make good focus fabrics, and 1.5 to 2 yards of blenders. If I think a blender will make a good backing, I buy more.

If you are just beginning to build your stash make sure you measure and label each piece you buy. I finally decided my stash was out of control, so started doing that. After measured and labeled, I tie them in a scrap strip or a selvage and put two address labels around the tie strip, sticky side together. Then i write the length and the width of the fabric on the label and tie up the piece of fabric.

I wish i started doing that when i started quilting!

I ran across a fantastic sale at a quilt shop, and they had bolts of fabric for $3.99/yd. There was nothing wrong with the fabric, they were just making room for new fabric. I was fortunate to have a budget at the time, and I bought 2 or 3 6-8 yd. pieces for backing, especially for the queen quilts I made back then for my church's raffle quilt at their annual Harvest Fair. However, one particular piece of fabric decided that it wanted to be front and center instead of a backing, and I made a queen size quilt in a Jacob's Ladder pattern, and the green/mauve hydrangea pattern made a spectacular quilt. Some of you may agree that fabrics can talk to you, at least they do for me. Unless I'm buying backing fabric, I will buy 2-3 yards of the fabric that just has to go home with me, if budget allows. Hope this helps somewhat.

If it's a good price and I like it I will by at least 3 yards. I've never had any go to waste. I do sometimes overdo it and need to be careful. At this point, I don't need to build a stash; I need to build a house to hold my stash.

A lot depends on how you quilt. Are you a few fabrics quilt gal or do you want to go completely scrappy? I was introduced to the Bonnie Hunter way of quilting many years ago and that's lots of different fabric. I, also make pillowcases, so I buy 1 yd or 2 yd pieces and more yardage if it's a great sale. You can always use as a border or all or part of a backing. I ran into a pieces of yardage sale a while ago and I bought 2 hundred yards - I do have a scrappy batch of fabrics. I, also run the unwashed fabric of Quiltville swap - everytime we have a color strip swap I buy myself 1 yd of 10 different fabrics in that color, cut enough for my swap, and the swaps I get back are 100 different fabrics. Plus it's fun.

GingerK.....I just downloaded the Wickedly Easy Quilt pattern (free) I use to buy FQ's like crazy....needed a good pattern to use them up. I'm now in the Sunset years of my life so do mostly charity quilts. This is a good pattern for using up some of my stash that I just can't toss. THANK YOU!

If I fall in love with a fabric I buy 3 yards, even if I don't know what I'm going to do with it at the time of purchase. This has served me well over the years. If the sale is absolutely the best you've ever encountered and have the room then I'd suggest buying 5 yards. I did this many years ago when an online store was closing and it has been the saving factor in many quilts since then.

I did not buy enough sale yardage when I did have the money. I mostly bought fat quarters when they were marked down. Now I have a good collection of fat quarters to make scrappy blocks but no yardage for backing, border, sashing or binding. Also I seem low in back ground fabric, the lighter tone on tone.

So if I could do it again I would buy 3-4 yard pieces for backs of laps and larger baby quilts and six yard pieces for twin quilts.
One yard pieces for borders, sashing and or binding.
As much of neutral back ground and basic tone on tone fabric I could get my hands on.

If the shop was "A Notion to Quilt" I shopped there also. I bought some of the fat quarters and yardage for backing. Always a fun place to stop when taking a ride up Rt.2.

Most of the places online that I shop have a 1 yard minimum on sale fabrics - so that is generally what I will buy if I don't have a very specific project. If I can I don't like to buy backing until I've gotten enough done on the top to have a good idea of what I want - then I get to shop some more. I have several 5+ yard pieces of potential backing that is languishing in my closet. I don't design a quilt around the backing, so have found that for me, it is not a good plan.

I like to have at least a 2 yd cut of fabrics, and if it is one I really like I get as much as 4 yds. Many times they have saved me when looking for a border fabric or just a color to fill in