I will address here the person who wants to build a stash to work out of. First of all, buy it when you see it, don't depend on it being there when you come back. With the price of gas and the shortage of time, why would you want to make two trips?When the quilt revival started in 1976 it was slim pickings. By 1980 the companies were really producing a variety of little calico prints. Around 1986 larger prints were introduced into the quilt shops. Many of your old prints no longer looked good with "new" stuff being offered.
Most people fall into the fat quarter or half yard category. This will work for you if you like a lot of different fabrics in one quilt. If you like the lightest color to be consistent all through the quilt, buy 3 or more yards of it. Borders cut in one piece on the lengthwise grain will take anywhere from 2.5 to 3 yards. Borders cut crosswise could take as little as a yard or as much as 2 yards.
The old rule of "if you love it buy 3 yards" works for some people. If you just need a little bit for fill in like orange or any little used color, buy just 1/4 yard of it. If you like quilts with just 3 colors you will need 2.5 - 3 yards of each fabric (minimum).
I believe in having a stash to work out of. Partially this is because I moved to a town that was 25 miles in any direction from the nearest large town. Also I like choosing the fabrics for a quilt at night, usually after 9 p.m., and can do it from my stash. I recheck the colors in the morning in natural light and I am cutting it before the stores open in the morning.
So, the answer really lies in the type of quilts you make. I know I like quilts with lots of fabrics in them so I know 1/2 yard will yield me 1.5, 2, and 2.5" strips with a piece left to cut into whatever shapes I want. I also know I could really get by with 1/4 yard and have none leftover.
If the comments suggest another post on this topic, I will do it.
When I started quilting in the early 90's, my mentor told me that if I liked it I should buy 7 yards. I really like your idea of 3 better (easier to deal with and not quite as hard on the old wallet). I recently went through my stash and found some of the remaining 7's and all I could think was WHAT WAS I THINKING!
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about buying it when you see it. Seems contradictory to my current stash control exercise. I think I've just been seeing too much over the past few years! I started to overwhelm me. I want to develop a better understanding of what I have and don't have so that I buy to fill in.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the fat quarter buying category. My theory is that no quilt should have less than 20 fabrics!
I'm with Vicki in wanting lots of fabrics in my quilts. They have not always been that way, and that matchy-matchy effect can make me want to hide the thing in a closet. Yet quarters are usually not enough, especially if I really like the fabric, even if I only want a little bit. I get half yards (meters in Canada) or full yards. Nothing is more frustrating than being a tad short.
ReplyDeleteYes, Wanda, post more. It helps me feel more sane with my buying habits! (smile)
I usually buy a yard, 3 yards if it's a neutral that will go with lots of others, or fat quarters. If I could afford it I'd always buy 3 yards at a time. How much do you buy of backing fabric?
ReplyDeleteI tend to buy 1/2 yards when I can- they are meters over here.
ReplyDelete3 would be my ideal. I tend to make all scrap quilts now, because that is what I have in my stash!
I am also hopeless with maths, & working out set yardages required.
Hi Wanda, Thank you for my great daily lesson!jmh
ReplyDeleteNot being able to get out real often I like to have a huge stash of the fabrics I am liking at the moment. I love fat quarters for this and scrap quilts are beautiful, even if you have purchased the scraps. Then I only have to shop for the border and backing fabric which I can do online sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI keep huge amounts of the fabric lines I like most: Thimbleberries, Aunt Grace, batiks, etc. Then when inspiration strikes I can begin immediately.
I've been on a fabric diet for a year, because I REALLY needed to be. Your point of view is refreshing; I agree with the half yard rule, I hardly ever buy less than that. I like lots of fabric varieties and colors in each quilt too. I need to store less and sew more to make room!
ReplyDeletewhat a great post!
ReplyDeleteI used to buy a yard of everything, but now I am down to a quarter of a yard of most fabrics, because I do love a lot of variety in a quilt.
Neat post - quite a lot to think about, there has only been one time when I did not buy 3 yards becasue I liked it - then again it may have only been my second or third time in a quilt shop... I am now more of a fq or 1/2 yard gal...
ReplyDeleteLast year, I was at a quilt shop when someone asked "how much should I buy of a fabric I like?" to a group of people that included the shop owner and me. The shop owner gave an answer, "4 yards," and gave the traditional reasons for buying larger pieces. I jumped in with my answer, which was "as little as 4 inches by 4 inches, in the right situation," and the shop owner literally winced. Oops, I wasn't helping business any with that kind of talk.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe in making quilts that have somewhere between two and 1000 different fabrics in them.... : )