To me, the most fun part of paper piecing or quilting in general is carefully selecting the fabrics for every project. I am quite sure that many quilters feel the same way as I do. My fabric stash is slowly but surely growing since spring 2012. I have collected my fabrics mostly from 3 different sources: big chain stores such as Jo-ann and Hobby Lobby, Etsy shops, and local fabric stores that carry designer fabrics. Because honestly, collecting fabrics is an expensive hobby, I like buying fabrics on sale or with a coupon. 

Lately, I've been buying a lot of solid color fabrics from brands like Kona Cotton and Moda. Buying solid color fabrics is a great way to build your stash for you don't have to stress out about not owning so many fabrics for each colorway.

For example, let me show you two different fabric combinations of my Cactus pattern. I made the one on the right side first. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to mix the solid colors and patterned fabrics. I chose a solid honeydew for the background and a solid hot pink for the pot to make it stand out. My shortcoming of this block was selecting a white-ish flower patterned fabric for a little cactus. As my husband put it, this little cactus looks a bit dead compared to the big guy next to it. For my second try, I made some adjustments. I decided that a white background might be even better. I used a solid dark green fabric for the little cactus and a solid grey fabric for the shelf or the "concrete" floor. 

I have not bought a whole collection of designer fabrics yet, but I am waiting for the right moment to buy this one. It's called Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander. As an interior design major, I can't help but feel like this collection was designed for me. 

Another collection I can't wait to get my my hands on is City Center collection by Jay McCarroll. Especially the one with the map of Los Angeles Downtown is so beautiful!