Gannyrosie

I love to look at the fabric lines, but my pocket book says you can't go there. My stash is not big, I like to order the scraps from the Fat Quarter shop (12lbs box) and save a certain family of colors till I have enough to make something. I have bought several Fat Quarters of a fabric line and then go from there. As long as it matches I'll use it. Only one time I can think of I bought several fabrics of one line thinking my daughter would love this. It's still on the shelf, lol, and I've borrowed from it already. I do like bright colors for kids, and Riley Blake has several in which I'll use several of his lines. For the most part, If I like it, I"ll get it. If I love it, I'll get several. Uniqueness is very important to any craft, I'm happy to know we're all unique. I'd hate to see the same ole blah fabrics in quilts. Happy
Quilting.

Boston1954

If my eyes love it, I will get some. I like lots different colors, and I enjoy seeing them in person, but recently have starting buying online. I have been very happy with what I've received. As far as which companies, I love looking at Kaufman but do not often see it online.

berryberry

I normally buy different fabrics based on feel and sight. There are different manufactures and designers that I normally gravitate to because I like the feel and styles. For example fabric made by Bentarex, designed by Debbie Halvorsen are groupings I like.

I participated in a swap where we made blocks using Aspen Frost fabric. Each swapper chose the pattern for their block. We all used the same fabric grouping. The blocks made a beautiful quilt. It was not a line I would have normally purchased several fabrics from, but after seeing how the other swappers used the grouping I was very pleased we all used the same grouping.

Skratchie

There have been a lot of replies here, most seem to be in favor of not using a single line. I will admit that I've never been a big fan of "scrappy" quilts but I think that's because it really kills my OCD-ness that requires a certain amount of order. My butterfly quilt, though sort of scrappy looking, really wasn't, because I did choose very specific fabrics, albeit a lot of them, to go with the focal fabric.

I agree with the person who said that a single fabric line speeds up the process, and I tend to use a line when it comes to the novelty prints - for example, the Dr Seuss quilt I'm working on, or the Peanuts quilt I am collecting fabrics for my SIL. However, I do try to work in other fabrics as well, usually blenders. I didn't do a very good job of that with the Dr Seuss quilt and as a result, I'm not as happy with it as I would be if I had; I think there's just too much going on with it. I will be making a second quilt, however, and I'll definitely be working in more blenders on it.

So I guess that makes me a hybrid quilter? I do like pre-cuts because they're fast, but I almost always mix them with other fabric. However, I'm not reliant on pre-cuts ... I often will pull a focal fabric and put something together based on color and scale. I don't have a really large stash, so I'm still buying fabric on an "as needed" basis, though I am trying to build up my stash (how many women here can claim to be actively working to build a stash? LOL). Most of what I have are things I bought ages ago and never used. I need more of those things because I've managed to pull together some really nice quilts the last few months from the stash I have.

Skyangel

The fabric lines can be very pretty together, but then I feel the choices are someone else's creativity, not mine. I tend to buy what I like and put together what looks good to me, regardless of manufacturer. Last spring I put together a baby quilt for my niece. I pulled a focus fabric (from my stash) that was jungle animals in rainbow colors (Moda Silly Safari). I had a pack of FQ that were blenders in rainbow colors and some white with colored dots to make pinwheels. Then, looking for binding fabric, I found 2 FQ from the same moda line. It was a coincidental that I had them but they looked good and I used them. My niece still had a one-of-a-kind quilt.

Rodney

Does "Goodwill" count as a fabric line? I buy a lot of smaller pieces at thrift stores if they catch my eye and I think I can do something with them. There are a lot of never used scraps and small yardage pieces of fabric to be had in thrift stores. Sometimes the jelly rolls and other precut stuff looks good to me and I can see the advantages of using them but the hunter-gatherer part of me enjoys the process of finding different fabrics I can put together. I think it would get boring quickly if I limited myself to a single line of fabrics for a quilt. I like paying on average maybe $1.00 a yard for my fabric as well.
I do buy new too. Sometimes that's the best way to get the right fabric in the amounts I need.
Rodney

citruscountyquilter

I have never bought or used pre-cuts and only once have purchased fabric that came from the same line. I buy and use fabric that speaks to me. I also have some projects where I collect fabric over time. I'm just finishing a quilt that used car themed fabric for my husband. It wasn't easy to find that wasn't juvenile and took me several years and numerous quilt shops in my travels to get a nice selection. Same for a music themed quilt project. I also can't resist 1930's reproduction fabric so have quite a collection of that that I use in different projects.

lclang

I learned to quilt when there were no fabric "lines". There were plain colors and prints, period. You matched them up to suit yourself, often using from your stash or trading with family or friends. I don't care much for the fabric precuts because I agree that there are fabrics in them that I would likely not choose to use. I also am trying to use from my stash as it is a big one. I use what I like with no regard for specific lines or brands of fabric.

youngduncan

I seem to be buying charm packs a lot lately. There is certainly a variety of fabrics in them, but inevitably there are a few pieces I just plain don't like. While they may indeed "go" with the others, I just don't like them! I take them out and put them in a box. Maybe one day I'll use them for something, but, for right now, they can stay in the box. Even if a fabric does "go," why use it if you don't like it?

quilterpurpledog

I think we are talking about two different concepts here. When you speak of a fabric line you have a group of fabrics that the designer intended to coordinate because of similar colors (same dyes) and a variety of scale and design to enhance a central design. Lines of fabric can come with many designs in a single colorway or the designs can come in several colorways. However, fabric bundles, frequently fat quarters, are a group of fabrics chosen at random that just seem to go together because of color, scale, etc. but come from even different brands. This is similar to what you would do if you choose your own grouping. Some of the effort is done for you. Just yesterday I took apart six of these bundles and put them into my stash by color because I found that they just sat there all tied up with their pretty ribbon and I didn't use them as a group.