If you haven't moved your stash in the past five years, you have no idea how much you really have!
For instance the pile here in the living room is just half of the browns and half of the greens, because I only need to empty the cabinets halfway to have them light enough to be movable.
If you see me buying fabric in the future, please stop me!
59 comments:
We had a pipe break in our basement and I changed all the fabric from cardboard boxes to plastic bins and it is an eye opener as to how much fabric a person can have. I've tried to keep from buying more, but it is so hard. Love that your quilts are scrap quilts and my old,old fabric looks great in one of your designs. Thanks!
Halt! Cease! Stop! Stop!
How am I doin'??? :o)
Not to worry, Bonnie. It's not like you are hoarding something you will never use. We've all seen how productive you are - enjoy your generous stash - we enjoy watching you go!
It's been 8 years for me. I NEVER want to Move again. My Fabric Tubs have multiplied since I moved here.
Wow!!! And I thought I had a lot! Yikes! :) But who am I to say no buying more, when you see something you just have to have :)
Believe it or not I was in a shop yesterday and RESISTED the temptation. Only bought thread, for me a record. Lynda from Chicago
It lines my basement walls in my sewing room. When I had to move it all the room became very cold. Conclusion- it is great insulation and helps on the heating bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It lines my basement walls in my sewing room. When I had to move it all the room became very cold. Conclusion- it is great insulation and helps on the heating bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In mid August I started cutting up my scraps and getting them better organized. I've emptied one clothes hamper (yeah there were scraps in there not clothes)and one tote. I have two more totes to go and one huge tote (about three times the size of the smaller ones). I've also cut up some FQ's that I'm CERTAIN will never go into anything (except a scrap quilt). I have vowed not to buy anymore fabric at least until I get this under control. I went fabric shopping the other day with a friend and she commented on how I wasn't buying much (I think I bought 3/4 of a yard the whole day). I told her when I'm tempted to buy new fabric, I think really hard about what all I've got at home.
I've got to pack mine up and get it ready to move :0) I think I'll a real wake up call when I see how much stuff it is!
Happy Sewing and new rug in your sewing space too
If we didn't buy new fabric then the Quilt shops would go out of business and that would be cruel to new quilters!!! I try to be very careful in my buying habits too.
My fabric has it's own bedroom, lol. I would never stop you from buying more, I am a fabric hoarder too!!! I still have to unpack it from when I moved last year, now that I am in a permanent house not renting I want to get it set up just right!!
I am a fabric hoarder honestly, I learned from my mom, and I inherited her stash this year when she passed, including the paisley that I told her not to leave me when she would buy it as I hate paisley.
I will have to put it in a special quilt for Mom.
My name is Nanette and I am a fabric addict
I agree with janeks, it's great insulation & helps with the heating bill!!
I moved mine last summer during the flood and it kept me from buying fabric for a few months. Hard to pass up sales.
Crikey Bonnie, that's a lot of green fabric! But then, I know you'll use it. And as quilters we need to have a full range of colours available to use when the project dictates it, unless you're going to try to die or paint the colour you need.
Don't worry, the fabric costs less now than it will in future with the rising cost of cotton!
I have a lot of of old scrap fabric - but I need scraps of the new fabric too. Can't stop buying, (but may cut down - who am I kidding - my nose just grew several inches).
Ok Bonnie, I bet you don't go out drinking, don't smoke, and are not a mall shopper...so you can get fabric and be perfectly fine! How is that for justification, lol?!
Amen! I stopped buying fabric 2 years ago and I can't really see a diminshed stash - bet I've made 20 - 25 personal and charity quilts too . . .
It's not a matter of you want; it's a matter of you NEED! You're an artist & fabric is your medium so you can never have too much! (This line of reasoning always works for me when I'm about to increase my stash.)
I only buy special projects and to finish up something. just left fab. store. will it ever end??? LOL I moved my fabric from house to new shop. DH said label it all so I did....Misc Fab... He nearly laughed himself silly.. I did what he ask but couldn't organize until it was in the new shop. It kept him guessing..
I have stash stashed away that I don't even remember when, where, or what a I was thinking when I bought it. The totes...... aaarrrrgggghhhh the totes. Must use from stash, must use from stash. Now where did I put that just the right piece of brown. I know I have it, somewhere, in some tote or other.
I moved mine twice in one year. The first time, I had to put it on a UHAU that I rented, drove, barged down dirt roads, got people to help over by boat,et.c,etc. and the barged back and the proceeded to do the "normal" moving process. Now, I still have MORE to move this year or next year or whenever the park sees fit... lol
All around tides and other natural barriers.
So, yes, I know.
I also realize how every time I go to town I bring things home with me more now. It's EASY.
So, trying to give here. Have made a ton of dog beds.
I think the reason we don't "Use it up" is because it takes a lot of WORK!!!!~
IT's easy to "talk about it", put it in a bin at the end o the driveway, etc.
DONG IT is another thing.
You would nto believe the dust bunnies when you start moving things. My husband had been in this house a LONG TIME when we FIRST moved. I had to open drawers, empty, sort, wipe out, under, air out, etc.
ugh
It's as if your great grandparents had died. That was the only way I could explain it.
OF course, his daughter still has no idea how it all came to be... lol
I asked for help, she was not there...
so be it.
Oh yeah... happy times!~
You are doing the right thing. Don't leave it to your kids.
Let's hear it for great fabric stashes...woohoo!
Fabric is my drug of choice.....I guess there are worst things :)
Bonnie, you are talking about your fabric stash, but I get to wondering how many quilts, that you have made, get to stay with you? Liz
See, I am on the other end of the spectrum and need to buy fabric. I've only been quilting a few years, and having been unemployed almost 13 months, I have quilting my stash to bits. I just bought a nice set of blenders to add to the scraps of the other fabrics so I can make Christmas gifts and such. I am going to make several of your patterns - right now i'm working on a blue and green crayon box for my brother.
It's okay, Bonnie, you can have all you want. I have more than I can ever use, BUT on Oct. 11th, I went to Keepsake Quilting in N.H., spent more than I should, THEN on Oct. 19th I finally made it to Mary Jo's luckily because of traffic, I only had an hour to shop. Phew, didn't even make a dent in that store but had lots of fun. My grandson was my runner, taking bolt after bolt to the cutting counter. I really enjoyed it. Prices were much better at Mary Jo's.
I have decided that she who has the most fabric wins, is not my slogan. I decided that I cannot die til I use all my fabric. Ramona from Maine
Nanette - I'm sure you're right about the trait being genetically linked, usually inherited through the female line; however, I think there might also be a contagion component - this might just act as a trigger though.
Welcome to the club Bonnie. I found the same thing out last year when I cleaned closets and put all my fabrics in the same place. All sorted by color and I sure do love blues and greens. No more buying unless it is something needed to finish a project. A second exception is if it's neutral as most of my fabrics would be considered medium to dark. I've done pretty good at keeping to that with the only exception is if I find fabric for a backing at a great price.
Sue
Upstate NY
Hi Bonnie,I love my stash & it keeps me out of bars!!!!!!Going to organize tub of Kaffe!!!!
That is exactly what I am doing today and I feel exactly the same. I don't have a ton but I do have enough to do a fair amount of quilts. I need to STOP buying for awhile!! I have been floding for 2 hours!!
why would you want to stop???
I moved mine, and now if it doesn't fit in the bin, I have no room, so I've really curtained my shopping. Just watch an episode or 10 minutes of Hoarders, that will get you in line! :-)
Hi Bonnie,
Of course you had lots of green and brown - its a reflection of the trees you look at every day your home! OK - I know that's not helping. I decided a long time ago the reason there is no Fabric Anonymous is because they couldn't find any sponsors!!
Hello, my name is Dianne....
Bonnie, you are right! And it is very humbling to watch your husband and friends move your stash three times in four years. Very humbling. Right after Christmas it will be moved once again so we can install a floor in our basement, too, then, I'm done! Never moving the stash again!
It's not a stash. It's a " resource center." That's my story and I'm sticking with it'
Oh, you make me feel so much better! My resource center (great term, Jo) is smaller than yours...but I have been quilting less than 5 years! Must be time for a move soon!!!
I Recently did a makeover in my sewing room. I decided to fold all my fabric by color. Oh boy Oh boy I put it in old apple crates that I had varnished and stacked about 15 of them against a wall in my closet....it looks so great but I can't hide it. Plus that doesn't count all the kits and wool that I have in a couple of old cupboards in the main part of my room. I told my adult children that they were looking at their inheritance!!!! Or I better get busy. Just love your blog Bonnie and your willingness to share all your knowledge. When I use to do craft shows I was always of the mind that if you shared and gave help to others it would come back to you in tenfolds. Thanks!!! The quilt cam rocks, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm hooked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last time we moved, I used a lot of my stash as packing material. If you don't mind a few wrinkles, it's great for wrapping fragile things, stuffing into odd corners of boxes, pretty much anything you'd use bubble wrap or newspaper for. And when you unpack, you get to pet all of your fabulous fabric, and you don't have mountains of crumpled newspaper to get rid of.
Bonnie I'll stop you from buying more fabric if you will stop me!!
I just spent two days on a shop hop "high". I bought 30 (yes, thirty) yards of fabric all together!! Where in the world am I going to put all of that!?!
I have declared a moratorium on fabric stores both physical and on-line. If I don't have it - I don't need it!!
Oh who am I kidding! Fabric is my drug of choice. There could be worse things I could be addicted to!
In August I had to move my sewing "rooms" to my bedroom. I had to condense 3 rooms of fabric into about a 10 x12space. After taking class with Bonnie at Oaks, PA in Sept, I sorted all my fabric by size. It was already arranged by color. This time, if it was less than a FQ, I cut it into strips. The difference was I now have 3 bins of uncut fabric, the finished strip "product", and my larger color-sorted clear bins. I have a large quantity of 2.5 inch squares that I have been using as L&Es. I am at a quilt weekend this weekend, and didn't bring my L&Es. I was getting anxious trying to find something to avoid the use of the "bunny tail".
FYI; even with too much stash stacked so visibly in my bedroom, I was at goodwill buying 3XL shirts for fabric. THEY are earmarked for my Smith Mt Morning quilt. At least they have been deboned and pressed. Lol.
That's funny!
And what I really hate is when you move it back, it never fits the same way,
It was the Hershey show. I remember the chocolate!
What I keep saying to myself is most of my stash was bought on sale in the past 15 years. AND prices have gone up substantially, so I have actually "saved" a lot of money by having this large stash.
Bonnie, if that is only half of your green and brown stash, why are you so upset? That is NOTHING, nada, very small stash!!!
We look forward to the haloween quilts you just might start as an answer to the brown and green! =^}
Part of my stash is still in the deboning stage, and I don't mind. And all the not-to-be-used-ever-for-quilts just sits there in case I feel like making pillow covers to sell some day. And if there is still something left that I realy don't want, I'll think about the pretty cat beds they make LOL!
The insulation is a good thing, it saved me - the growing stash that is! - $12 a month that I pay less for heating 8^} this year...
Keep on hoarding, from Amsterdam with love,
Irene
that's a lot of grenn and brown!
Wonderful excuse - I must remember that one!! :-) Lynne
OUr last child has moved out of hte house a few yrs ago, I hve taken over one of the bedrooms for sewing and one is an guest bedroom. I have a shelf in there. (6 foot) and more than 1/2 of the closet in my sewing room is full of fabric. I do need a better storage system though. Last yr I decided I needed to hang some of my yardage. I felt that the guest bedroom would be a good place, NO DH has been Hoarding old stereo equipment in there!!! Here I thought it was just suitcases!
Buy On!
BTW I need some tans and light browns if you want to destash! LOL
I hear you! My husband put pantry cupboards in my sewing room just for my fabric. I couldn't believe how much I have! That being said, it looks like nothing compared to yours!!! Ha ha
Fabric makes us feel safe. Just in case we get stuck in our house there is always something to choose from.
Deb
I hear you! My husband put pantry cupboards in my sewing room just for my fabric. I couldn't believe how much I have! That being said, it looks like nothing compared to yours!!! Ha ha
Fabric makes us feel safe. Just in case we get stuck in our house there is always something to choose from.
Deb
Don't even think about it for another second. Go get the foam insulation and put up that design wall! You will never regret it! My design wall is 8" high x 10" wide and I have no idea what I did before I had it. I hang things on it to see if I like them and then I can sit in my chair at the sewing machine and look at them. A vertical perspective is way better than putting them on the floor.
Insulation!? WOWOW good though there. Buying before the prices rise!? Absolutely? Always ready to save money. Do you EVER have too much fabric?! welllllll, kinda lol
We quilters like fabrics for quilting, but to touch and look at and design quilts from them in our heads also. Heck now, we all could be sitting on bar stools gulping down quarts of booze instead! Which is worse I say. BRING ON THE FABRIC!
The other day someone I barely known from church brought over a HUGE trash bag filled with 100% cotton quilting fabrics she didn't want!!! Imagine my shock 1/2 of the bag was filled with very new Autumn prints lolol --- I explained I would love to give her scraps a place to live and 'work'. She told me she is bring MORE! And our LQS === well now ummmmmm === it is getting be sale time. Mercy! How we love it.
Have loved all of the posts on this 'important topic' ;)
JulieinTN
I feel your pain. I have been there not too long ago. I had to remove everything! It is not pretty when it is all in one pile. Sort of feels like you are running through the streets naked (not that I have ever done that).
All I can say is Dear God, please do not make me move.......When I moved just over a year ago there were about 100 boxes to go in my 2 quilt studio rooms.....I really couldn't do it again! Stash rocks!
I may have to re-arrange mine to put it on th eoutside wall of my basement hideout. Thanks!
My name is Paule-Marie and I am a fabric hoarder, no addict, wait I am a fabric connoisseur. When we moved from California to Arizona, I took 30 leaf size bags to the craft thrift shop. They weighed about 20 pounds each. I sold and gave away some of my fabric to good homes. I still have a boatload of fabric in storage since we we only supposed to rent for a year. It's been longer than that and I have accumulated more fabric that I have to move this year to the new house. After that I am not moving. They can carry me out feet first.
The good news is that I will have a design wall 8 x 10 feet and a big (for me) sewing studio - about 11 x 23 feet. I heard an interview with Nancy Zieman today, her studio at home is 17 x 23. So it's all good.
This is so funny!! A few months ago, I couldn't find a fabric for a project so I decided to reorganize my fabrics on a couple of "messy" shelves in the closet of my sewing room. As you can guess, one thing led to another and what started as a simple task turned into a 2 day "huge" job of reorganizing all my fabric collection!
I discovered I have a lot more UFO's and WISP's than I thought! I don't have as much in my stash as many other quilters, but my husband thinks I shouldn't ever need to buy any more fabric.
I need more shelves added in the closet to hold the rest of the fabric and projects in bags! one of these days!!
I know exactly what you mean. I haven't been buying since the last time I organized my stash. Enjoy the basement re-do. Lane
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