Most patterns and projects provide fabric requirements to help guide how much you should buy. But what if you are stash building – how do you decide? Read on for our thoughts!

YARDAGE

If you find a great price on fabric, you might decide to buy in metres or yards for use as future quilt backings. Backings typically require several metres, so the total cost can be substantial if you’re paying full price. Another potential use for half-metres and half-yards would be backgrounds for quilt tops. Solid fabrics are a good choice for this – many patterns require three metres or more, depending on the size of the quilt. You also generally need a metre or more for bag exteriors and bag linings.

HALF YARDS/METRES

Depending on where you live, you may be able to buy fabric in half-yards (18″) or half-metres (20″). This is a good size for focal fabrics – in bag projects, for example – and mixing into quilts. When making a traditionally pieced quilt, there are multiple approaches, but if the quilt is planned to have around 10 prints in addition to a background, half-yards can be a good fit for the prints. A half-yard is also a good choice for blenders and fabrics that play well with others, as you may decide you need more than a fat quarter.

FAT QUARTERS

This is a scrappier choice, but fat quarters are an accessible way to build a fabric collection. Depending on the number of blocks in a quilt (measuring 9–12″), for instance, you’d do well to have a fat quarter for each block. If you’re adding to your stash without an immediate plan, it’s worth building up a range of tones, prints and patterns. They’re also fun souvenirs if you’re travelling and come across a quilt store!