When starting a fabric stash what do you buy? I mean do you purchase fabrics by the yrd, fat quarters, what? I have been quilting less than a year and have only purchased fabrics needed for each top I have worked on. I would like to start collecting fabrics and start a stash...just not sure how to start.

I have purchased a few jelly rolls, but not sure how usable they are going to be.

Buy at least a yd. of each, if not 1 1/2. I started out trying to buy as many different fabrics as I could for my money.....which meant alot of 1/2 yd. cuts; and have found they are not enough when I want to use them in projects.
It is so much fun!!!!

Thanks, that is what I was worried about...not having enough of something when you decide to use it.

I buy 3-4 yards of each and then cut into fat quarters.

the minimum i buy is 3 yards and most of the time i buy bolts - but i'm not a "scrappy" type quilter.

This is such a good idea. :D
Thanks!

I would recommend only buying what you need when you need it.

In the long run, you will probably save yourself a LOT of money - even if you pay "full price" for whatever you want at the time.

(Says the lady that ran around to four WalMart stores today buying out their marked down Halloween fabrics)(one was sold out by the time I got there )

I buy according to what I think the fabric might end up being used for. If it's a great border fabric get 3 yards. A great background fabric get at least 4 or 5. Anything that will be used for blocks, anywhere from fat quarters to yard cuts. If you are going to buy a great focus fabric and two or three fabrics to go with it for the blocks get at least two yards of the focus fabric.

A queen size quilt averages around 10 yards for the top.

I don't intend to have a huge stash and for the most part this is what I will probably do, but there have been times that I have wished I had a small stash to create some blocks or to just create something quick...

As chief hoarder and most disorganized (my self-appointed voluntary position <g>) I can not imagine why anyone would want to do what you are setting out to do????
My mother always said: If you create an appetite for something, the appetite will have to be fed ...
and, buying more fabric than one could use in five lifetimes, just isn't practical, but I only started buying a yard here, a yard there ... oh, I could put that into a theme quilt I might make fifteen years from now, since I really don't have time to complete the 25 quilts that need to be quilted right now ....
are you hearing me???? You are about to make a BIG mistake!
Now ... having said all that, I did note that you said you liked to just make a block once in awhile, rather than a whole quilt ...
well, by golly! Go buy some fat quarters and make some blocks! A sampler, I suppose is what you are thinking of ... and, you are probably wanting to try different techniques, and don't need a whole quilt to accomplish the feat.
I get that ...
I helped my sister in law build her stash by talking to her about the TONS of good fabric I have seen in thrift stores ... clothes that are barely worn .. men's shirts ... skirts ...
garage sales ... you can't believe the sheet sets and fine fabric you can pick up less expensively that having to go buy brandy new fabric all of the time ...
and, just start sharing your new interest among friends and family! You can't possibly imagine the people around you who have lots of fabric that they were waiting to share with someone because mom's fabric isn't what they wanted to own, anyway ... or Aunt Tilly just died, and we are cleaning out her house ... we just want it gone! Do you want it?
Happens all the time <g>.
Proceed cautiously <wave>