Fabric: The Final Frontier

I Love Fabric.  It's just that simple...or is it?  I love companies like Moda or Robert Koffman with their lively bright prints.  For a while there I was buying scrap bags and pre-cuts because I thought that they would save me time and money.  You could build your stash variety for just a little out put of cash, but then I found the more I bought pre-arranged precuts and fat quarters I ended up less creative.  Please don't get me wrong, they produce good quality fabrics but so does a place like Connecting Threads for much less.  Even Walmart and Joann Fabrics carry precuts of "quilting quality fabrics" for a fraction of the price.  So what is a quilter to do?

Well lately I have been conflicted.  I love to quilt, but I can't afford to buy new fabrics.  It feels like every quarter the cost of fabric only increases.  So what is the solution?  For me, right now I have decided to make a goal of using every scrap of fabric I already currently own.  The only thing I really am lacking right now is solid colors, yardage for backs, and imagination.  I propose that I will make as many quilt tops as I can possibly manage to make through the summer.  This is not a challenge to whip out projects as quick as I can, but rather a challenge to use what I already own.  This is what I have been trying to do with the stash reports that I have been woefully neglecting since Baby Girl was born.  Plus, I already have a pile of projects to do already in the hopper and then there are so many quilt-a-longs one can try after that.

What are your goals concerning your fabric?  I have been tempted lately to join the fabric swatch swapping train to add a bit more variety to my life (especially for the fabrics I bought way too much yardage).  Since I forgot to charge my camera's batteries, I will be back tomorrow to show you what I currently have in the WIP hopper and which ones I plan to tackle next!