Starting a fabric stash

How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying a
Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir

If you like scrappy quilts, with lots of fabrics, the easiest way is to join
a swap. If you buy yard, you could swap 3 FQs, keeping one for yourself, and
end up with 4 different FQs. In many places, yardage is slightly cheaper
than FQs, but not every where. Or you could swap FEs, or 10" squares, and
still get lots of usable size scraps to play with.

I started out my stash by converting all the cotton fabric in my clothing
stash to quilting stash! All the pieces I bought and said "oh, wouldn't this
make a nice dress for DD?" or "oooh, this would make a nice blouse for
work", but never sewed them. Then, when I did buy new fabric, I bought
whatever I loved. You can buy FQs, if you want to make quilts with lots of
fabrics in them. If you want to do some quilts with just a few fabrics, buy
2 yards or so at a time.


--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Sindir" wrote in message
...
How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying
a
Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir

A good way to start when money is tight, is to go to yard sales. You'd be
surprized at how much fabric you can find this way. Lots of people start
quilting and quickly give it up when they realize it takes work.
Another good way is to beg!! LOL

Susanne



"Sindir" wrote in message
...
How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying
a
Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir

just buy stuff for one project. you'll acumulate scraps as you go. if
you want a scrappy quilt, you either are going to have to wait, find
cheap sources of fabric or beg! )

Susanne wrote:

A good way to start when money is tight, is to go to yard sales. You'd be
surprized at how much fabric you can find this way. Lots of people start
quilting and quickly give it up when they realize it takes work.
Another good way is to beg!! LOL

Susanne



"Sindir" wrote in message
...

How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying

a

Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir






--
Dr. Quilter
Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens

Buy what you love that's also on sale.

--Lia


Sindir wrote:
How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying a
Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir

You could start by sending me your mailing address by private email.....
;-)

Leslie and Furbabies in MO.

The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me- My dogs aren't my whole life... they make my
life whole.

RCTQ- Houston 2004..... A good friend will come and bail you out of
jail.... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...
that was fun!"

Of course you need to let us in on your fabric preferences (colors,
patterns, etc). Otherwise the squishies don't know which house to go to!
If you see your address this way too, there are surely some scraps at my
house begging for more attention than I've been giving them...
Michelle in Gander


"The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me" wrote in message
...
You could start by sending me your mailing address by private email.....
;-)

Leslie and Furbabies in MO.

The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me- My dogs aren't my whole life... they make my
life whole.

RCTQ- Houston 2004..... A good friend will come and bail you out of
jail.... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...
that was fun!"

"juliasb(nospam)" wrote:
Now 1500+ yards of fabric later

What I want to know is, did you actually measure all those yards?

My quilting stash started in 1987 (the sewing stash years before that) and has
just expanded over the years. I've bought, traded, and been given fabric. I
don't know the current yardage total, but it's up there! If you are short of
cash and can't just buy whatever you see, buy what you need for one project at
a time but add a small amount to the yardage needed and put that in your stash.

Sandy
in Chapel Hill, NC

Now that I have sit here thinking about how I started my stash, been
sitting here thinking for about 10 minutes now and no smoke coming out
the ears yet.
I think since I have always had a sewing machine, and made most of my
own clothing for a very long time, I always had some fabric scraps in
various sized around.
When I started quilting (really quilting), I would buy fabrics that I
would use in a specific quilt. Since I was was on a mission and trying
so many different block patterns almost daily it was necessary to hit
the fabric store a lot! The first place I hit was the discontinued or
discounted fabrics. Price was definitely an issue. So when I found
something I really liked and knew it would find its way into other
quilts I would snatch up the entire amount if I could. Before I knew it
the boxes I kept fabrics in were to small and to many so I moved them to
a utility cabinet until it was full. Now mind you, I haven't let up on
the stitching one bit.
Now came the computer activity and I began getting envolved in fq
swaps and block swaps... and these too helped me to build my stash.. I
was hooked and no stopping me in sight.
Now 1500+ yards of fabric later and countless quilts under the belt I
finally have realized I am a fabricoholic.
Now I do watch what I am buying more carefully. Usually with a
project in mind. And only after I check out the stash very closely.
I still check out the bargain tables but have found my desire for
higher end fabrics more practical anymore. I always check garage sales
and estate sales too. Great ways to find fabrics at excellent next to
nothing prices. Great stash builders.
Right now I have 24 different fabrics sitting out that I have pulled
to work with today. I have put 9 of them into my current quilting
project. The rest will return to the stash cupboard later today since I
decided they would not work with what I am doing. It is great to be
able to pick and choose from what I have on hand and not have to go out
for any thing special since I already have all the 'special' fabrics on
hand.
have fun building your stash.
juliasb

Sindir wrote:

How did you start your fabric stash? All of the scraps I had (from trying a
Lemoyne Star) were used to make my very first quilt. Money has been tight
recently, so I can't just run out and buy all the scraps I fall in love
with. Any ideas?

Sindir



--
come and journey with me...
from darkness into New Life
http:\\www.nwlife.com

Do you have a resale shop in your town? Sometimes they are Salvation
Army, sometimes communty stores----waltz in and check out the clothes
and curtains and such. In the store near me there is a rack of mens
flannel shirts for a buck apiece ---you can get a lot of material out of
a mans shirt. There are racks of jeans, for 50 cents to a dollar. Rows
and rows of clothes, some not "quilty" but a lot of it is good. Just
take a stroll, have a look and imagine what you can make from all that
you see. Curtains, sheets, flannels, ,-- it's all there. RedQueen