I love your idea of using zip lock bags to store fabrics that are coordinates!!
Jmillie

I use to buy a yard of each I liked. I have learned to to buy 3 yards to have enough to sew most any quilt pattern. For backing I buy at least 7 yards, 9 for a King size quilt.

I usually always buy 2 yards of a fabric I just love. If you decide later that you need it & go back for it, it may just not be there. Learned that the hard way.

If I REALLY love it, I buy a layer cake so I can see and feel it and decide what yardage I want to buy. I'm sitting on an "Audra's Iris Garden" layer cake right now and I really want it all but that's just not possible. So I will sit on it a while longer.

Fortunately my favorite fabric haunt offers layaway. So I usually get a yard to go and 2 to 4 yards go in layaway. This works great for me until I get them out of layaway -- then the real problem begins -- what to do with them. But as you might have guessed, I manage.

I use to buy 1 yard of a fabric I just couldn't live without. Then I'd go to make something and didn't have enough, so started buying 2 yards. That didn't work either so have gone to buying 3 yards of fabrics I really like. As for fabric collections if I really like it I'll buy 3 yards of 5 to 6 of those fabrics. That is usually enough to make anything I want. I always use wide fabric backs for my quilts because I hate to pieced backs.

When I first started quilting I would buy small pieces...maybe 1/4 or 1/2 yard...That was a mistake since when I started trying to use some of my 'stash' I didn't have enough of anything. So now I buy at least 2 yards regardless of whether I have a difinite idea for it. When I see several matching fabrics I'll get at least 2 yards of each of them and the one I like the best I might get 4 or 5 yards. Now my stash is pretty full of yardage that I do something with.

I buy at least two yards of a fabric I like and may want to use later on.

I would buy the FQ collection if I had the money. I think you need to know what types of quilts you really like. I am now leaning toward quilts that are made from jelly rows, charms squares or layer cakes. With this in mind, fat quarters seem to fit the bill and I have plenty left over. I made a quilt for my daughter which was Eleanor Burns Love Knot and only yardage would work for that. But I really didn't care so much for that, I tend to like more scrappy quilts even if they are from a collection of charm squares etc. Find out what you like first, and then buy the fabric.

I just saw the Moda Collection Enchanted Pond and want to buy some but have been only quilting for a year so still learning how to build a stash.



Oh, if only I didn't know how to build a stash. . !