My hubby-to-be and I live in a one bedroom apartment. Really no room for a stash. I am strictly a planner.. I plan the quilt I want to make (i have 2 more in mind after I finish my first). I know the general fabric I want to use, and have just a small bin for my ruler, seam ripper and other tools of the trade. I have a portable singer that has no real home. Just get shuffled from one spot to another.

I never really found the need for a stash like my ex mother in law had. in fact i think all that extra fabric would drive me nuts..

So tell me.. The house we are looking at buying has a shed that I would convert to my sewing room. Should I start building a stash or wait?

If you start now you'll just have to move it. I'd wait.

Funny!

Yes, I'm with sharoney, just something you will have to pack and move. As you are a planner by nature you will probably have quite an organised approach to stash building (wish I did, but fabric of any description is my downfall)- which is going to hold you in good stead. So maybe listmaking is in order 'til you get your "quilting cabin".

If you are a planner and the extra fabric would honestly drive you nuts, why have a stash? It isn't required. The only reason for building a real "stash" might be if you were planning to get more into swaps, classes and such. For these it helps to have a bunch of blenders and stuff. Believe me....I signed up for both groups in the Boomerang Swap and did so without thinking about the fact that I didn't have a stash yet. I have had to buy a TON of FQs to work with the blocks.....I of course LOVED every minute of it :D

I just let mine grow from "leftovers" and really only have scraps which I love to use and sort through.

I always wonder whether the real big stash owners that buy bolts or many yards at a time ever get tired of using the same fabric all the time. Not a knock, guys, just a question.

I only have a small stash because I love to use lots of colors in my quilts so will buy fat quarters or 1/2 yards if I really like the material and have an idea what I want to do it. I get tired of the same material, I need variety. So I would continue to do what you are doing, plan what you need, it works for you.

I have always been a bit of a collecter....guess it was growing up on the farm in the 50's!! You always made sure you had enough groceries in the kitchen once winter arrived....might be snowed in for weeks at a time!! Well, now fabric has taken over as my collection of choice!! I remember when Batiks were introduced about 15 years ago.....the time that Calicos were the rage and NO ONE bought them ( except me!! ) and they all ended up on the clearence tables ( and in my stash!! ) I just loved the randomness of the colors and am still pulling out a lot of the ''oldies but goodies''. With the cost of Batiks nearing the 15.00 range at my LQS, it is like money in the bank!!

Watch the sales and build your stash if your really LOVE the fabric and have the room or it will become a headache to you in your quest for orginazation!!

jodi

Wait...because once you have it, it just seems to grow and grow no matter how much you use of it...Just can't seem to get rid of it.

If this is the way you're happy quilting than no, I wouldn't build a stash. If you have fabric left over after a project you can "gift" to a scrap lover!
I have fabric everywhere! I love scrap quilts, but this is me the way I'm happy quilting.

I did have some wilderness fabric that someone bought for me. I think I had 18 yards of it. This was many years ago now (1997, I think), and I've about used it up but I'm not entirely sorry to see it go! :)

I have loved and collected fabric, yarn and thread since long before I even considered quilting. Quilting has helped narrow my focus, but I see the infinite possibilities in all kinds of fabrics, not just traditional quilting cottons. I do buy fabrics for specific projects but mostly so I'll have it when the creative urge strikes, which often happens in the middle of another project.

Since you are planning on moving soon, I would agree with those who have advised you to hold off on stash building until after you move. I would also suggest that you consider what type of storage you are going to want for your future stash. Are you like me and want it all out on shelves so you can easily see what you have or are you like my daughter's friend who wants everything behind cabinet doors or in a tupper?

Either way works, but which will make you happier?

I stopped having a stash a couple of years ago. Now I only buy fabric for the project I want to do next. The leftovers (or scraps) from the project are my only stash. So in January I started making scrappy quilts. Have four done now. Always new and different fabric every day to choose from.

I would agree with the waiting but keep your eyes out for a deal you know you can't pass up. Otherwise wait. :)

Wait and see what you need and organize your scraps and projects then decide. If you are an organizer, start small get a system and build from there, see my earlier post on fabric boards for storage. Its a neat way to use bookshelves. Watch for sun damage to fabric. Make sure you place windows in workspace and have a closed area for fabric. Good luck

I am one to suggest maybe only building a stash of the colors and fabrics that you find you use or plan into quilts the most. Like the blenders and tone on tones. I like to have lots of batiks around and I pull at least two of the fabrics for every quilt from my small stash. we don't have the room either for a stash of really any size so I only buy for specific projects and fabrics that I absolutly love. I do have farbics that I have been given by family that I am trying to use or sell to buy fabric that I love better. so I would say just start building with only fabrics that you are planning on using. and plan three or four quilts out. You might find that you change the fabrics three or four different times. I am buying fabrics for my MIL's quilt and have changed the fabrics in and out 5 or 6 times. Good luck and post a pic of your stash as you grow it.

I think that it's up to you. Personally, I would go crazy WITHOUT a stash, but there are people on the board that don't have a stash.

I don't think you have to have a stash to be a quilter. We all work differently. Plus we all work differently. Do whatever makes you happy and won't cause problems down the road.

Wait. It might not be your thing. I think you will know if you are meant to built stash. I like stash but then besides being a quilter I am also a fabric collector. Hehehehe

It sounds like you already have a system that works for you. Don't do something just because everyone else is doing it. If you are happy with the way you do things...then do it your way.

I have a very small stash some flat quarters most of mine came from prjects where I wasn't real sure how much to buy or got home and had lost the pattern in the craft room,LOL (I am trying to sort it out)New color lines are comming out and some of the old lines get boring. so I don"t usualy buy unles I have a project in mind( and don"t change my mind) But thats just me Happy Stashing!

Why do you want to build a stash if you are a planner and that works for you? It doesn't sound like anything is broke - so why fix it? If I had all the money I spent on stash and unnecessary/unused supplies..... (but I do love my stash)

A friend recently moved into a house with a nice out building. She was so excited to have a Quilt & Craft Shack. Unfortunately, so were the field mice. Fortunately, there seems to be no damage to fabrics, but the buggers have eaten into the storage bins and nested in the silk flowers. She plans to dismantle the guest bedroom next week and bring the sewing back into the house. I guess her grown children will be sleeping with the mice when they come to visit.

I only buy flannel by the bolt...& only if it's a steeply discounted price.Takes a lot of backing for a quilt, so it doesn't last as long as you'd think.The only other fabric I bought by the bolt was one I loved & a color I use in most all my quilts.Don't have room in my doll size sewing room for more.Right now, I have 3-4 quilts in mind for a next project & I love that shopping for all or any will take place using stash .

No Stash! Your taste will change over the years> I like to buy project by project and there are always scraps

I agree!! Just because you will have the room it sounds as though the extra would just weigh you down. Use the space for things you both enjoy or put your stuff in a corner and his stuff in a corner and a meeting place in middle - that way you could spend time together but doing things that you both enjoy!! When you need a break just pull up a chair or loveseat and join your DH in a glass of a refreshing beverage and talk over your projects - share :lol:

Well if you build now, more you have to move but if you are going to move, you may want to consider starting to build now before prices go up or if you find some really good sales. You would need to consider the pros and cons for yourself and see where you come out ahead in your eyes/mind.

Heidi

I would buy only the fabric you know you want to have for your other quilts. It will save you some money and not have a big stash do deal with. I have not bought the fabric when i saw it and then went back to get it later and it was all gone. gggggggrrrrrrrrrrr.. I don't do that anymore. I buy now.

Since you say "all that fabric" would drive you nuts, I wouldn't advise building a big stash yet. Wait until you have made more quilts, and then decide. I am like you in that having a lot of fabric around would make me nuts. I think I would feel constantly pressured to be sewing quilts to make use of it, not to mention finding space for it. I once knew a couple of women who had made quilts since they were teenagers, and both acquired a huge stash over time, and accepted any fabric passed on to them. They both passed away in their 90's, and left tons of fabric, most of which was so old, it was actually beginning to rot ! I owned a couple of their quilts, and found that after a few washings, some of the fabric began to just fall apart. I think the quilts were made with old, rotting fabrics ! Cotton fabrics will eventually deteriorate, especially if they are not washed, and in the old days, most didn't wash their fabrics.

With the price of cotton on its way up, I'd say start stash building now...yes, you'd have to pack it up when you move, but when we moved from Pennsylvania to Wyoming, I left furniture back there so I'd have room to bring my stash...but I'm just saying...

I have a huge stash of fabric--way too much in fact. If I had it to do over again, I would do as you do and plan each quilt, buy the fabric for it and occasionally do a "scrappy" quilt to use up the extras. As it is, I have a ton of fabric that I know I will never use of the "What was I thinking?" variety. Fabrics in the marketplace just seem to keep getting better anyway. I'd wait if I were you and then go slowly. I've found that buying a fabric just because you fall in love with it is not that great an idea unless you just want to collect fabric for its own sake.

I have fabric for planned quilts. Right now I have fabric for my sister and sis in law. I have fabric for a quilt in my spare room. I don't like to keep to much around with the ideas floating, I would jump into too many projects and never get anything done

I recently moved and found out that a box full of fabric weighs a lot.! I'd wait and see how the sewing room unfolded (pun intended). I moved into a smaller sewing room and now have most of my fabric in boxes because my shelves are too big for the new room. Whew, it can be a big mess.!

My favorite quilt shop has a big bin of large scraps, you get to fill the bag for $5.00 and I have learned how to really stuff them in, the bag has to close. Another shop does the same but her scraps are very small. I have only bought there once but I do love finding those large scraps and many of them is fabric that I have already bought for a project so they come in to save as extra ops pieces.

The problem with my stash is that it's all small pieces. I used to work for the LQS, so got very very good discounts. I was just starting quilting, so I'd pick up random pieces that caught my eye: almost always remnants/leftovers/qtr (not FQ) yds. Now that I am quilting for income (well, trying at any rate), I find these small pieces to be a hassle, but I just can't bear to give them up! On the flip side, because they're mostly small pieces, 90% of my stash fits on 3 30x12 shelves... (not 3 units, 3 shelves total)

I'd wait til you move into your new quilting space before you buy anything for your stash. And then, especially if you're a planner, I'd only buy blenders for now. Nothing smaller than a 1 yd piece, unless you pick up FQ packs (those are far more useful if you plan to do block swaps, though)

Welcome!! If your buying a house in MN and the Shed is not insulated You will Freeze, You can build stash, but keep it under control Totes are good and move nicely.

You're going to sew in the shed in the Winter? Brave soul!
My thoughts: You can never start collecting too early!

never wait-start asap-really

Start now. You can use pant hangers and hang your fabric in the coat closet. I re-roll back onto the fabric bolt and put them on the top shelf of the closet. Good luck with your plans for your new home.

It would depend on when I would be moving. Prices are going up rapidly so it might be worth buying now and moving it????