Which comes first?
 

When deciding to start a new quilt, do you find a pattern first or the fabric?

For me it was always the pattern first but over the last year I have been making a lot of 3 Yard Quilts. I pull the fabric from my stash and then decide on the pattern. The fabric is more important when making the 3 yard quilts because any pattern will work.

For me it's the pattern first. I don't buy fabric to keep on hand. I buy for each project. Don't have room to maintain a stash.

If I'm making a quilt for someone special, then I pick the colors they give me to use, then find a pattern I can adapt to the fabrics. I have a pretty good size stash so I'm not bothering to buy fabric anymore except maybe a backing or two from time to time but I now have a stash of those when I order one and find it doesn't work with the fabrics as well as I thought they would. So they may become fabric for the quilt itself evenually.

Both! Sometimes the pattern inspires me, other times the fabric.

I'm currently working on a Labyrinth Way quilt which has long been on my bucket list. First it was the 3D effect of the design. I kept looking for good occasions to make it and it didn't come up. When I went looking for fabric, I couldn't find all 4 at one time if the fabric was on sale. If I found the perfect fabric, it wasn't on sale and I was too cheap to buy. Years pass...

A month or so ago I found a wild print on sale that just appealed to me and and said it was time to make the project. I've gotten a pretty good start on it and should be able to show pictures soon. I very rarely make a quilt more than once, other than standards for donation projects, but I always learn so much in making one I'm generally tempted to play with another.

Other times I look at what fabrics I do have since I do have a large stash, and think about what can I do with what I have. So recently I decided I had too much green and then saw an idea for a project that would at least make it easier to close the tote!

I am in the both category. I have a collection or two of coordinating fabrics that are waiting for the perfect project. I'll know when I spot it! I am currently working on another kaleidoscope quilt that is a self-created pattern. It was inspired by some fabric that I passed by in the Singer Shop. Larger sized objects that are colorful!
Theeeen, I watched the square in a square 5" scrap video, and now I am cutting 5" squares from scraps! I made two blocks yesterday. Only two, because I made a mistake on the first block-on the final cut!

For me it's both. I often fall in love with a fabric and go in search of pattern to use and sometimes it's the pattern and then the search for fabrics begins.

I almost always decide on the pattern first. Then I shop my stash. The only exception is if I want to use a panel, and then it's fabric first, pattern second.

I usually have a bunch of fabric I've grouped together, and then go through my patterns to see what might work well.

I do buy patterns I want to make, without having fabric in mind.

Like NJ Quilter, I always have a pattern in mind first, since I never buy fabric without a pattern in mind. The only exception is that I will occasionally buy light fabric for scrappy quilts. I never seem to have enough. The small stash I have is almost all fat quarters that were gifted to me years ago, and scraps from quilts I have made previously. I'm sure I could make enough quilts with what I have to last my lifetime.