I went to a craigslist sale that had loads of fabric samples like you're talking about. I think I spent $90 that trip but came away with a ton of batiks and lots of whimsical fabric pieces that I wouldn't have bought yardage of. Many of the samples had the same fabric but with different colorways. When I picked each one out, I kind of had a project in mind. It was so much fun for me, and DH was right by my side, saying--here, you need this one too, don't you? So, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase more if given the chance...