When you plan a new project, do you end up using fabric from your stash or do you find yourself buying new fabric? I'm beginning to build a stash and wonder if I would save more money by waiting for the project to come along and buy what I need instead of perusing the sales ads and stocking up the fabric here at home.

Please only respond with which you do the most.

Thanks!
Cheryl

Honestly, it depends on the project. If it's a pattern that I've seen in a magazine, or online, or somewhere, I usually just pull from my stash. If it's a pattern that I design myself, I make one from stash and buy new for another version.

I buy what I need when I need it. I don't want a huge stash. The only stash I have fits into two plastic shoe boxes and is pieces suitably sized for applique.

I do both. I know that's not the answer you want but with all prices getting to sky rocket building a stash quickly is a good idea.

Thanks, Jennifer. This is the type of answer I'm looking for!

Your responses are very honest and to the point! Thank you so much gals!

I always try to use my stash. But there are times that I don't have a complementing color. So I'll buy new.

99% of the time i work from my stash. it seems the only time i'm buying for a specific project is when someone commissions me to make a baby quilt.

i don't typically make anything for babies or even young children so i end up having to buy items to meet the need.

I buy then add to my stash.. So I usually buy more than I need for the quilt itself.. But then again i'm a fabric-holic...

I really LOVE the coordinating lines of fabric, so most often buy new - at least a few of the fabrics in the line. Then I try to fill in with my stash. Occasionally, if I am doing a magazine or manufacturer's pattern, I will buy all the fabrics for it, but really search hard online for the best prices.

i have such a stash that i mostly work from there. i only buy fabric now if it really catches my eye or if i have a special/specific order.

I usually start from my stash and then go buy stuff I need to go with it!!!

Of course I am always buying fabric that catches my eye. Just got a whole big box of fabrics from fabric.com!

Yep, this is me to a tee.

I have had many years to build my stash and it is a nice variety. For now, I try hard to stick to stash. That said, I am also in some group projects where I have no control over who does what. When I have nothing to match, I will go buy but my fabric purchases have decreased dramatically.

When planning a new project, I go through my stash first, then
if I don't have everything that I need, I go buy some. It always
makes me feel good if I already have what I want to use.

Definitely stash but occasionally I end up buying fabric like now I am making a lot of I Spy baby quilts and I realized I had no prints or anything fun for kids. So brights I use from my stash but I had to trade and buy prints and still am not there.

I make projects almost exclusively from my stash, and I add to it when I see good prices for good fabrics, or when I visit my LQS (which also has good prices), because I want it to stay in business.

My current approach is to use as much stash as possible and only buy if I absolutely have a need. I came to a realization that I was 'saving' stash for future use, but never using it.

I always shop my stash first, and I add to my stash when I see a great deal on fabric I love. I do seem to shop for borders when it's time to finish a quilt.

Stash but if I need a fabric will buy.

Most of my quilts start with stash and scraps and then I have to add new fabrics. I've only managed to make a few small ones entirely from my stash. Lately I've been thinking it would save me money in the long run to just buy when I have a specific project to work on, but I'm not sure if that would work with my style of inspiration.

Oops, double post.

Ditto!

with YEARS of collecting, i am now in the process of choosing from my stash.. can't quilt fast enough... i'm getting older!!!:)

i just think that in the end, one has a tendancy to pick colors they love and eventually they all blend pretty well for a project that requires X amount of colors... and then there are always SCRAPS to piece...

Like alot of people I started my stash by collecting fat quarters, so I have alot of those. I mostly have to buy to get the yardage I need for any new project.

This is what I do. I have stopped buying just for the sake of adding to my stash. I only buy what I need for the current project. I do scrappy a lot, so the my stash is usually enough.

Depends on what you like. I enjoy buying stuff for each project so I would rather not build a huge stash. I would rather buy fabric for a pattern I want to do then look for a pattern that would fit all this fabric that I have bought. And I like new stuff. I have a bit of buyers remorse. So every time I go to the lqs I see something that I like better than what I bought the time before and wish that maybe I shouldn't have bought what I did last time. So it works for me to just buy what I need.

And not to offend anyone (promise) but I sometimes don't understand some of the stashes I have seen. Is there any real chance that they are ever going to use all that fabric? And when do you get to the point that you ever stop buying? I haven't heard anyone yet say they will NOT buy anymore fabric. There is always the exceptions of a bit more for this or something to match this. I also don't want to buy fabric that I wont use 5 years down the road. Am I still going to love it? Maybe, maybe not. Would I be able to find something that I love just as much later on down the road? Probably.

I think in the long run buying fabric on a need basis will be cheaper than buying a stash. Even with the rise in fabric costs. Good luck on whatever you decide

I have fun going thru my stash, but it depends on who I am making it for. If it is a charity, then I would from choose my stash, most likely a scrappie. They are my favorites! If I need to go to the fabric store then, that is ok too! It's all good!

Same here...mostly over buy for a project - creating a stash but some times I just "have to have" it.

I can proudly say the last 4 quilts tops have been made from my stash.

I think I've built up a reasonable stash and now try to use as much as I can from what I already have. I think it can depend on whether you are a process quilter or a product quilter. (Just found those terms in a Pacific Rim newsletter and think they describe the differences between some of us very well). I have never regretted a piece of fabric I've bought, at least, once I developed a sense of what nice fabric feels like, etc. I have been trying to buy more blenders on sale to go with what I already have.

Me too. I think I am being virtuous by shopping in the stash for a project, but I always have to supplement by buying a few fabrics.

In between, I continuously grow the stash.

I have always bought fabric cheaply as I find it as I decided I'd do a form of "pioneer quilting" called thrift store fabric only. SO I bought what seemed to me to be good quality quilting fabric. I got to the point where I don't go shopping at thrift stores so much and I'm starting to use my stash. I just made a large lap quilt entirely from on hand fabric. I am also working on WIP by using what I have. However, I also have a couple of paper pieced projects in mind that I want to try and am buying pieces of fabric for that mostly half yd or smaller, and all on sale. So you could call that spec buying, I guess. My stash is no where near the size of many and if I had the energy to rearrange the furniture and get my fabric on all the comic book boards, well, maybe I would get to quilt a bit more.

Almost always from stash.

This is my approach too. I may be alone in this, but I can't see the point of building up a huge stash and then not using it.

Both.

I work from my scraps stash and then buy what I need to coordinate/finish. I don't keep large pieces on hand except for backing fabrics.

Thanks to everyone - I appreciate all you answers. Seems like you have thought out what to do and it works well for you! I guess I'm collecting fabrics that appeal to me now and am trying to purchase those which complement each other. The thought being that when I have a new quilt to do, I'll be able to put together the fabric I like. I am assuming I'll have to purchase a singular larger piece for the backing. I had to do that for my current quilt. My stash is small, so I don't think I'm going overboard.

Now if fabric.com would stop sending all those wonderful coupons and sales emails......... Actually, my first purchase from fabric.com was about a month ago and I absolutely LOVED the fabric! Since then, those fabrics are on a further discount but several of the one group are no longer available. So glad I got what I wanted before it was gone.

Happy quilting everyone! :lol: :wink:

I have a great stash to work from so I always pull from it when doing a project.

Will I ever use the stash up? Boy, I hope so. I hope I have many, many years of quilting left in me!