How to Shop for Quilt Fabrics Without Overbuying
Shop smarter for fabric by adding just enough to support your scraps. Getting that dark green “background” fabric anchored the rest of this fabric pull!
In the last blog post, we discussed how important it is to take the time to audit your fabric collection and how to spot the gaps in your fabric stash.
Maybe you’ve got missing values. Or there are color families you’ve been avoiding (or over-buying). Or maybe you’re just holding on to fabrics you’re not excited about anymore. Whatever the case, it’s worth pausing to spot those gaps.
This week, we’re taking all that information and using it to shop smarter for your next quilt project.
Because shopping for fabric doesn’t have to mean overbuying or filling every shelf or having to offload all those impulse fat quarter buys that you never end up using. It can simply be about buying just enough to make your next project possible.
It’s Okay to Buy “Just Because”
Before we go any further, I want to be clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself to a fabric just because it’s pretty and you fall in love with it. I’m not advocating against that (I’ve done it myself countless times!). But in my experience, those irresistible fabrics are often the ones that sit the longest, languishing in the corners of my fabric bins.
Living in a NYC apartment means I don’t have the space to let those “someday” fabrics pile up, so I’ve learned to shop with more focus. And having this forced space-limitation has made me feel more excited when I dive into my fabrics before starting a new project…instead of that twinge of embarrassment when I open the drawer of all the (quite random) fabrics that I’ve collected over the years, but still can’t bring myself to cut up.
A Quick Note About “Scraps”
Just a quick reminder: when I say scraps, I don’t only mean the tiny trimmings in a basket by your sewing machine. For this blog post series, “scraps” is shorthand for any fabric you already own, whether it’s partial yardage, fat quarters, leftover binding strips, or even that untouched bundle you’ve been saving for years.
The point isn’t how small or large the pieces are. The point is starting with understanding what you already have and the potential your fabric collection contains!
Shop for a Project, Not for Perfection
Instead of buying new fabric for your quilt back, use leftover scraps from your quilt front. Buy only what you need to reach the backing size and let your quilt stay cohesive. Check out this blog post for more scrappy quilt back ideas.
The biggest mindset shift? Don’t shop to “complete” your collection. Shop to complete a project. You’re not a fabric shop.
It’s tempting to run out and buy every missing fabric color or range of values once you see the gaps. But the thing is, how many of us (me included!) have fabrics that languish in the back of our closet? Fabrics that we envisioned using one day or would come in handy down the road?
Countless fabrics sit on shelves, waiting for the perfect quilt opportunity that…never arrives.
So the change in mindset is to only shop when you’re about to start a new project. Not when you have a project in mind, but when you’re truly about to dive in and are ready to cut.
Only when you’re on the precipice of taking action, revisit your fabric inventory audit, then look at what that project needs. And only then start by first shopping the fabric you already have, and then shopping to round out your required fabric.
Think about fabric shopping as just-in-time support, not just-in-case collecting.
Shopping Strategies
Audit before buying: Always (always!) check against the fabrics you already own first and try to make a fabric pull. Bring a photo of your fabric pull (or tuck a few scraps into your bag) when you go to the shop or when you’re browsing online. Shop within the context of what you already have, not in a vacuum of “future” quilt project needs.
Keep a running “needs” list: On your phone or notebook or sticky-note, keep a running list of what you’re missing. When something tempts you in the shop, or at a conference, or at a show, check first against the list. If it’s not on there, pause.
Swatch book support: Speaking of quilt shows and conferences, bring a small swatch book of what you’ve got with you (or a digital list/photo collection) and refer to it. That way you’re comparing in real time and won’t duplicate what you already own or buy something because it caught your eye.
Delay gratification: Fabric isn’t (or is very rarely) finite. So snap a photo of the fabric and walk away. If you’re still thinking about it later (sleep on it, take a couple laps around a show, whatever it takes to let that impulse settle down) go back to the store and buy it then.
Curate, don’t collect: A bundle of impulse picks can be harder to use down the road. As much as possible, opt for fabrics that solve a specific gap for a specific project.
A Project Pull Checklist
To take the guesswork out of fabric shopping, I pulled together a printable checklist you can use every time you start a new quilt. It helps you see what you can pull from what you already have — and what you actually need to pick up from the shop It’s an easy to use printable worksheet you can use whenever you start a new quilt, where you can capture project, it’s fabric yardage requirements, the color palette you have in mind, what you have on hand already, and what you’d need to buy to make it happen.
It’s a simple tool, but it can help make it easier to be intentional when you’re shopping. You can get your free copy by signing up below!
Putting It Into Practice
So before you head to the shop, ask yourself:
Will this fabric be used immediately in a project I’m about to dive into…or is it for a future idea of a quilt?
What role will it play in my next quilt’s color palette?
Will it unlock a pull I almost have, or is it just a pretty fabric I want to buy
And as a reminder: there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself to a fabric just because it’s pretty and you love it.
I wrote this blog post because from my own experience, the fabrics I “couldn’t resist” are often the ones that linger the longest, untouched. Perhaps it’s because the fact I think they’re so beautiful makes it hard to cut into them or perhaps it’s because they’re often outliers color-wise compared to the rest of my fabrics or maybe it’s a combination of this or something else entirely.
My suggestions here are meant to just support more conscientious fabric buying. Living in a NYC apartment has made coming face-to-face with my fabrics unavoidable. And has forced me to shop smart because I simply don’t have the space.
So ask yourself: does this fabric support something I’m excited to make…or will it just become another “someday” fabric?
A Scrappy-Friendly Quilt to Try
Supernova Stripes is a pattern that adapts beautifully to making a dent in your scraps. With its assortment of width-of-fabric cuts, it’s a natural way to use leftover strips and yardage from past projects. And because the design lets you alternate stripes with a “background” fabric, it’s easy to keep the end result cohesive.
This flexibility makes it a perfect example of this week’s lesson: shop your fabrics first, then buy only what you need to fill the gaps. Whether you need to buy a grounding background, or use up that odd fabric you’ve been saving forever as a bold contrast stripe, or if you need just one color of extra yardage to stretch your scraps, the result is a quilt that’s dynamic, personal, and one-of-a-kind.
Check it out here.
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