I have a moderate stash and generally buy as needed, especially since it seems they release new and beautiful fabric collections frequently. Since I am a gemini, what I purchased last year may not be what I like this year. LOL

If I had it to do over I would only buy as needed so I would not be so over whelmed.

So is your head or your heart bigger? :)

I have a reasonable stash, but what I like is to purchase a fabric or three to use as my color scheme, and then shop the stash for all the rest - so never buying an entire quilt worth of fabric at one time.

Over the years, I have added to my stash by purchasing them at LQS, estate sales, garage sales, going out of business store sales and so on at good prices. I have been careful to buy good quality fabrics. A few years ago I started buying neutral fabrics such as blacks, grays, beiges and white on white. Now there is a nice balance between colors and neutrals in my stash. I make it a point to check my stash and to use what I have before getting new fabrics. Now that I am retired, I am grateful for my stash. There is no way I could afford the higher prices! Moral: it is not a bad idea to buy fabrics before retiring, :)

I definitely have a LARGE stash and wouldn't know what to do without it, since I'm at least 90 miles(1 way) from the closest fabric store.

Thank goodness I have a very large stash. Most purchased before the prices skyrocketed out of sight. That being said, I still manage to buy fabric if I like it. I think that I am a Fabriholic and need help.

I have too much fabric. Way too much ! Last year I ended up going through each of my bins of fabric and sent huge boxes to an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. I kept the fabric I really loved and I still have too much. Right now I think I have way too many jelly rows, fat quarters and charm squares all due to sales I've found that are just too good. Now I have decided to stop buying any fabric at all except for white and snow and black. So in answer to your question: I think its best to just buy for what you need, stash fabric should be the basic solids you find you need.

I started out thinking I needed a stash, but now I just buy what I need for a project. I always check my stash first and then add to it. I am trying to get my stash down so I'll have more room in my sewing room.

I have a pretty good sized stash and love most of it. I try to only buy what I cannot find in the stacks, but ya know? Stash gets HUNGRY and needs to be fed! HA! I just went to a Bonnie Hunter lecture so I am back on cutting for her Scrap Users System as I go along. I hope that helps tame the scrap beast a bit. I would like to be a bit more organized so I can put my hand on what I am looking for. I so hate to spin my wheels. Working on paring down the UFO pile too. If I got excited about it before, I can do it again! My on going long arm tension issues seem to have been resolved with a new bobbin winder. ( I really despised the old one, but didn't know it was the root of my tension problems!). I quilted a whole quilt in 2 days last week. Heaven!

I just had to laugh because it's too late..I already have more fabric than I can use in a lifetime and I still buy for the next project. My only saving grace is that I allow my friends to shop my stash when they need something. At least sharing makes me feel better about buying more.

I have a pretty substantial stash for a variety of reasons. I always go to it first when thinking of a project and then try to only buy the 'fill-ins'. They exception to this is seasonal. Last year during the last couple days before Christmas I purchased approximately $300 worth of fabric twice and paid under $80 each time. I do the same thing (but on a much smaller scale) after 4th of July and Easter. But, I make and sell items so this isn't really to fill up a stash nor fabric that I have to like. It is a variety of styles to fit the customer's desires.

We have a pretty good sized stash, but if we had it to do over again, we would limit the stash. Everything we have is there because WE like it, but when we go to make a quilt for someone, it should have fabrics THEY would like. If we started over, we would buy very few "focus fabrics" and mostly buy solids, blenders, and neutrals.

I'm with bkay and her cousin. I like shopping for and buying fabric, and I have more quilts planned than I can make in my lifetime. It doesn't, however, seem to stop me from continuing my evil ways! ;)

My stash has been growing nicely this past year, mainly thrift store finds. I love coming home and opening up gallon-size baggies stuffed with fabric for $.50 each. It's like Christmas! I always try to use what I have first before I buy brand new and I always feel bad spending $6 yd when I do. But thrift store finds--- I never feel bad:)

I love fabric and have a small stash as a result. I have a small bookshelf with doors packed full of fabric. I love seasonal prints and buy them when they go on clearance. When I buy new fabric, I cut off a 2.5 in strip and put it in my jelly roll box. I now have 2 shoe boxes over full of them. But I don't have the heart to use them. LOL!! I am now disabled and money for new fabrics is just not in the budget for a while. I am very grateful to have my stash to "buy" from. And my youngest DD is working for the JoAnn Fabrics that is opening next week, just minutes from my home. She gets a nice discount and is going to keep my in yummy fabrics.

I love having fabric - even little pieces- to work with as I want so it's stash all the way for me.

Just a thought: Do you keep a notebook to take with you with samples of stash fabric in it? That might help to keep your purchases under control.

I have a nice size stash for me...I've seen much bigger! But if I remember correctly just a couple of days ago someone passed and her family/friends were left to get rid of it. I cringe when that happens because I think of what my DDs will do if I leave most of what I have behind!!! As I get older (and I'm on a fixed income) I wonder if I'll ever get around to using it all up. So for now I'm trying to do just that. I realize there will most likely be 'some' stash left but I hope to be the one to have the fun of using most of it up! I think there's got to be some 'in between' the stash or buy as needed....truth be told I still do both. As I try to keep using mine up I just can't seem to N O T buy something that catches my eye. The only thing I would luv to more of is batiks! but even then I try to buy what I really like rather than 'oh, that might come in handy one day'.

I actually do both, but I only buy fabric that I really like and to be used for a specific project. Also my stash is not as large as your description. I used to buy what I liked when I saw it with no project in mind and I find that, that fabric is hard to use. I enjoy seeing all the fabric collections but shy away from buying. These collections do give inspiration for pulling together fabric collections from your own stash, which I enjoy doing. I am in the process of making my own kits with fabric and patterns together in a bag. This helps me remember what project the fabric was intended for. Like many others I will not be able to finish all the quilts I have planned in my lifetime.

When I first started out, I bought for projects, then bought when something was on sale if I liked it. I have a fairly small stash and buy mostly on sale FQ's now. My tastes have changed over the years and I'm glad I didn't have tons of stuff I no longer liked. (did have some, but sold it on EBay). Too much tends to be overwhelming! As for yardage, I have way more vintage sheet yardage than new fabric. I used to think a quilt needed "at least 5 fabrics" or it would be boring...now it's closer to 50 fabrics or it's boring! I only have 1 true UFO a couple of WIP's and a small container of orphan blocks. I work best if I start and finish a project before moving on. I just finished cutting up all of my scraps into squares and strips and the 2" squares are going into a couple of granny square quilts. The scraps took up a medium clear box and weren't very inspiring...now that they are cut I know what to do with them.

I have to buy fabric when I see something I love even if I have no idea what I want to do with it. Some of the time I use it right away but most of the time it ends up in my stash. Now I have a large stash that I need to start using.

I was gifted a lot of scraps/yardage that friends no longer wanted when I first started quilting. Most of the time I only have to buy backings. I love having a stash! It's fun to add a bit here and there to it as well, since I'm quilting most every day and therefore use a lot of fabric. ;-)

I used to buy only what I needed to complete a quilt, but in doing so I always ended up with scraps for another. Then I went crazy and bought a lot when local fabric stores went out of business. Now I shop in my stash first and only buy what I need to complete what I start.

Think it depends on your funds too. I on the other hand buy if the fabric talks to me with no idea what I might use it for. Just picked up a bolt of each of a black and a white of an Iowa fabric. Why? Because I live in Iowa plus its in white and its in black. Good background fabrics if nothing else. Like to have lots of variety in these tones. I know I'll never be able to use all the fabrics I have on hand at this moment and I'm trying to curb myself of buying just for the sake of buying but its like a disease to me. Plus I have a friend who also quilts and will come over to check out my stash 1st before having to go 25 miles to the nearest fabric store. Makes me feel like a fabric store in itself....

I have a large stash and am glad for it. I can use what I have and buy if I need a color. After retirement and loosing my husband, it would be much harder to make all the things I want to. Don't regret having it for a minute.

In an effort to organize myself I did a general purge. Now I am cutting and kitting for various projects. If I can only die after I've finished my planned projects, I will live forever! I am trying not to buy but yesterday I was at Fabric Depot (It is local for me) and I bought fabric to finish a project and fabric to make my DGD a dress! I should be sewing right now but here I sit at the computer! Geez!!

I've only been quilting for about a year and a half, so I don't really have a stash. As my skills have increased, I find myself venturing into creating different types of quilts; as such, I buy for specific projects. I am trying, however, to build a bit of a stash. Because of painful arthritis in my hands (and everywhere else!), I buy a lot of pre-cuts. As a retired teacher, my income is limited, so I have to take advantage of sales when they come along. I have started going to ARC (donated items for sale) to look specifically for fabric. In addition to my projects for family and friends, I make quilts for charity, both with my church quilting group and on my own. Consequently, I am finding it too expensive to buy new fabric all the time, so I am always looking for bargains. I do like to keep enough fabric on hand for 2-5 quasi-planned projects, though. I think I would like to have a nice stash of fabric -just in case, you know?