Fabric First

For me, it is all about the fabric.

Before I start scribbling down any new ideas or drawing any pattern, I always go to my fabric stash.  As you can see here, I sort all my fabrics by color and I like having them in these cubbyholes so I can easily access everything, flipping through different fabrics without moving things around too much (fabric is heavy!). 

I love shopping for fabrics online, usually doing a big buy every 6 months or so.  As I don't buy fabrics for specific projects, preferring to use what I have on hand, I am never worried about matching colors or receiving something that wasn't quite what I expected.  And it is so much easier than lugging around 20 or 30 bolts at a time around a fabric store.  I still love stopping into my local fabric store for backing fabrics, threads and the occasional fabric, but now when I visit it is much more relaxed rather than being a weight lifting session.

Half yard cuts are my favorite unless it is a very large scale print or directional.  Fat quarters never give me the length or size I usually need as I tend to work larger.  And I always pre-wash my fabrics before they get added to my stash so I know that they are ready to use.

I want to make my next quilt feature trees in a winter scene with a meandering creek through  the landscape.  I've gone through all my browns, blues, whites, creams and a few other colors (just in case) and pulled them out so I can look at them while I think of my pattern.  I like to fold them as pictured, placing them together so I can see if any of them don't work well or play well with the others.  So now I'll go start sketching, but first it is always about the fabric.