I love having fabric on hand to choose from for impromptu projects.  Sometimes inspiration comes at unexpected times so having at least a few prints available in a rainbow of colours makes it easy to jump into a new project quickly without losing that motivated feeling.

I originally grew my fabric stash by always buying “a little extra.”  Not only does this grow the stash, but it allows for cutting mistakes in desperate situations. Additionally, I went through a phase of online shopping a few years ago, waiting for the best deals to pick up off-season fabrics on the cheap.  I don’t do this as much now due to budgeting constraints.

This summer was my first year getting serious about frequenting yard sales.  If you time it right, you can take advantage of quilters downsizing and pick up some fabulous deals. The key is to arrive early because the good stuff gets picked over fast.  I’ve gone to sales that had bins and bins of quilt-shop quality fabrics to choose from, with each piece measured and folded.  I’ve also gone to sales where the fabrics were not stored nicely (moisture issues from being stored in zip lock bags in a garage) so you have to be careful that the materials are in good enough condition.

Craftcore | How to Grow Your Fabric Stash with Yard Sales

In one case, I was sifting through a bin for specific colour-ways of prints, and the homeowner told me I could take the whole bin for $10.  Score! You can usually tell if the person running the sale is the actual crafter or if it just someone helping out a family member who doesn’t realize the value of the stash.  Many people don’t want to have to donate leftovers after the sale is done so you can get package deals if you put an offer out there.   My best haul was a $20 purchase for two overflowing bags of fabric, most of the fabric being at least a yard each.

Craftcore | The Fabric Stash funny sewing picture #sewingmemes

How do you grow your stash?

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