how do you buy (and use) fabric?
 

So this will be another of those survey type of questions-

i just acquired another 50 ( or so) yards of fabric because i got a rand good deal on them. ( i actually do have good intentions for a lot of this batch!)

anyway, do you buy only for a particular project - exact amounts - and use it before starting the next project?

what do you do with your scraps- if any?

i know there are a lot of " stashers" on this board - some with buyer's remorse - some still happy with their accumulations.

this question is not about how much to buy - it' s more of a "do you buy only for the immediate need?" or are you sort of a " i think i will get this now because ...."? even if there is no immediate/definite need/ purpose for it?

i am very selective about buying any fabric that is more than $ 8.00 per yard - but almost give-away prices on nice fabric - i am willing to look at - even though i know dh will give me the evil eye when i bring it in the door.

I usually buy fabric for a specific project. One in a great while, I'll fall in love with something and buy a yard or two. My quilting budget is too limited to buy 'just because'. Once I finish up a couple of UFOs, I plan to make a couple of scrappy quilts for donation.

I usually buy fabric for a certain project or a pattern that I want to make down the road. I have seen fabric that I thought would work for a project and at a later date I go to purchase it and it is sold out. :(

I have mostly stopped buying just because I like it fabric and have been working on reducing the stash to the point I can buy good quality fabric when I have a project that I want to do. I haven't made any significant purchases of fabric for over a year except for our guilds annual charity sale. My daughter still brings me fabric she finds cheaply mostly from Goodwill.

I buy for a specific project. Unless it is flannel baby prints. My weakness. Sometimes I do buy a fabric that really catches my eye but that is rare. I do save scraps and make "bonus quilts".

I'm pretty much an impulse buyer, but I like to buy coordinating fabrics to use (someday) in a quilt. I also like to pick up blenders, and I use a lot of those as backing for cross stitch greeting cards. And I'm trying to build a stash of batiks, so I purchase fat quarters of those. Then occasionally, I will find a particular fabric that I just love, so I will build a quilt or other project around it. I guess I kind of do it all! I'm not very good at the resisting part of fabric acquisition.

And I'm just starting to try to organize my remnants. I'm cutting 5" strips or squares, 2 1/2" strips or squares and folding larger pieces in approximate same-size folds for easy storage and selection. I have lots of smaller sized pieces that I need to sort and discard to the doggie bed pillowcase for the animal shelter.

this question is not about how much to buy - it' s more of a "do you buy only for the immediate need?" or are you sort of a " i think i will get this now because ...."? even if there is no immediate/definite need/ purpose for it ? I buy for immediate need. Like I need a background,border or backing fabric. I am trying to use my stash for everything else.

i am very selective about buying any fabric that is more than $ 8.00 per yard - but almost give-away prices on nice fabric - i am willing to look at - even though i know dh will give me the evil eye when i bring it in the door. I agree 100% on this. That said I still will ask myself if I think its really a fabric that I will use and already have something that coordinates with it.

When I retired and got back into quilting I started building a stash of fabric when I could catch something I liked on sale. I don’t have an LQS within an hour of travel and what there is, can be limited and/or expensive. I have purchased for specific projects, but now having acquired a bit of fabric, I aim to use it for new projects, knowing I’ll still need to pick up the odd bit of coordinating or background fabric which may cause me to buy at “the regular price” but will be limited. I still have “holes” in my stash, but I have enough to put several quilts together on hand without shopping. I accept that trade off that I won’t/may not have the newest trendy fabric, for the cost of my quilting hobby. As for scraps, I’m a keeper of all scraps and have found they come in quite handy when trying to flesh out a projects fabric requirements. I just haven’t gotten to organizing them quite yet ;).

I do a lot of different sewing, but over the last seven years that I have been making quilts, I have mostly purchased fabric for specific projects. I always over buy because I usually prefer to buy yardage versus pre cuts, so I end up with lots of leftover fabric.

I have currently stopped buying quilting fabric until I finish my current Grandmother's Flower Garden. I do have fabric and batting for two more quilts so I have enough projects to last me this year.

I also make kitchen items, zipper pouches and other accessories with my cotton fabric. I recently bought a load of cute flannel prints and made seven pair of pajama pants for myself and one pair for DD.

I buy what I like, as there may come a day where I have to be more selective with my purchases. I know for a fact that what I have now will keep me busy for at least a few decades! My only regret was buying charm packs and jelly rolls, I now only buy yardage and fat quarter bundles.

Scraps I set aside and generally offer them up here on the board.