What is in your stash?
 

Since I am so new to quilting. Beyond fabric what do you make sure you have on hand for quick projects? I don't have a lot of space but with winter here and would like to spend the day just crafting and sewing. Share what is your must have. Thanks in advance. :)

oh gosh! that can very so much depending on what type of quilting you like to do. I do have some little kits I picked up for like table runners, bags, etc. but I have found out that I love scrap quilting and like to make quilts for actual use in sizes from baby to king sized. So, I have several bins of scraps that I toss anything left over from another project into even the "strings" as long as they are at least 1 inch wide and about 6 inches long...I started with one bin...but that has increased to well...a lot. Books and magazines for ideas....put stitcky notes on pages that grabbed my attention, have lots of thread on hand ...I use mostly creams and greys for piecing, extra batting in different thickness and content, some iron on paper...make sure it is OK for stitching on, they make some heavy stuff that gums up your needle if you like to applique...there is just so much more depending on what you like....I really would just pick up a couple of magazines or books and pick out 3-4 projects that look like fun, get the supplies for them and have a hand....in a bit...you will find what you really enjoy doing and can get more to have at hand. go slow though....I have way to much stash on hand including threads and battings....I would recommend though that you hang on to your scraps...if you find you don't like scrap quilting...there will be others who will love your scraps....have fun!!!

My husband's answer to this question would be two of EVERYTHING the fabric store sells. But my answer would have to be three, lol.

Patterns! I have lots of patterns and books.

I have a lot of black and white and grays. And since I love solids, I have lots of solids in various colors. Moda grunge and Kona cotton are my favorites. Since I’ve been quilting for a long time, I also have tons of other fabrics. But I find I don’t use those as often.

Hmmm... for me - since i am still working but wanna be prepared for those snow days in Iowa... for sure thread in lots of different colors (just in case) and fusible batting! Dont want to be without either of those when i get an unplanned quilting day! And maybe some small UFOs (tablerunners, etc) to finish in a short period of time so i dont have to start from scratch so i can (theoretically) accomplish something on short notice! I find i waste too much time getting started if i get an unexpected day off with no plan 😊

Maybe also a quilting buddy who lives next door 😊 and is already retired so she can come over and play with you on a moment’s notice? We have also been known to raid each other’s stashes when neither of us wants to be on the road for shopping purposes. Seems that what one person might not have, the other will! 😊 My quilting buddy has also been known to bring me one of her UFOs to work on if i dont have a plan... oh yes, and she sometimes brings fresh baked muffins too!

Everything I need to make quilts. I have lots of rotary blades, cutting strips make them go fast.

You said beyond fabric, so I would say make sure you have all the other necessities. Thread, sewing machine needles, hand needles, rotary blades, rulers, spray baste, glue, starch, batting, and pins/clips and Heat and Bond. Find patterns/designs you like, and kit them ahead of time. Make a list of what you want/like.

I always have several things ready to go. Fabric ornaments are quick, and I've got two or three go to patterns for those. Small wall hangings can go together quickly. I do a lot of applique, so I make sure I have ready access to shapes and designs that would work. I also have a sizable collection of magazines that all have a plethora of ideas, patterns that can be done rather quickly.

Base your prep on what you like, and what your "style" of quilting is. I love having those unexpected quilting days!

I'm sort of lucky in some ways that I started before rotary cutters and the big boom of quilting in that I always had to draft out patterns and such. All I had available to me were books of black and white pictures of historic applique quilts (I admire handwork but I never wanted to do those) or block diagrams which usually didn't include setting (block to block? alternating squares? on-point?), and certainly no instructions of any sort.

I used to do a wide variety of crafts but gradually just quilt now and I got rid of my alternate craft supplies. I have started to knit again, still working on my first horrible project which is going to end up as a dog blanket, but I have to start somewhere.

But without my stash, I like to play with Electric Quilt, a quilting design computer program. Sometimes I can just do a project on that until the spark passes and I don't actually have to make it. I say my three favorite parts of quilting are Planing, Playing (with fabric), and Piecing. I actually do enjoy making block diagrams and things like that. My family has gotten used to living with batches of fabric "auditioning" in different corners of the house. And they have gotten used to me being in "quilt world" where I'm mentally reviewing potential projects and doing the math and exchanging the colors -- the nice thing is that I can do all of that on Electric Quilt and save the changes and progressions and even print them out!

It can be a big step for many who start with classes or kits to go on to design their own projects but it is it's own subset of fun and I like playing on the computer, it's pretty much the equivalent of doing quilt puzzles for my amusement :)