What do you do when your fabric stash starts to become evil stashzilla fantastic stashapalooza?
Sometimes I go to the stash for inspiration and some kind of wonderful sewing frenzy happens...Whilst other times I feel overwhelmed and close the door so I don't need to look at it...fearing its ginormousness!
How do you guys operate?
Do you, like me, choose fabric without knowing what will become of it?
(It's so pretty after all...)
Or...are you more systematic in your approach...pattern then fabric=fabulous new frock?
Gosh, you have just summed up my relationaship with my fabric stash. It's enormous and way out of control at the moment and it stresses me out. I just buy stuff because it's pretty and I have no idea what to make with it. So it all builds up and now I don't even know where to start...eeek! I'll be watching this space to get some tips from the more organised sewists out there for sure ;o)
ReplyDeleteI often buy fabric because it's a deal and I can not walk away from a deal. But that means I have piles and piles of fabric that are odd lengths. I made a spreadsheet (http://goo.gl/od2WT) to keep track of them. That helps me from feeling overwhelmed when trying to match a pattern to the right fabric.
ReplyDeleteI've only just started sewing, but I find myself buying fabric without any clue of what I will make of it. I have tried to limit myself to only adding to the stash if I have a coupon/an exact project in mind. (It's not helping)
ReplyDeleteI'm a mess... I buy a lot and without thinking what I'll make with it. Between me and my mum, we have a ginormous stash and we just can't get rid of anything.
ReplyDeleteI am just seduced by fabric, but only buy in the reduced section being unemployed lol.
ReplyDeleteboth! frequently i buy fabric with a project in mind and then it 1. gets made, 2. i forget or 3. i get busy and it sits there until i can return to it. if 3. happens there's a 50-50 chance the original project will ever get made...sometimes the fabric takes up precious shelf space for a year or more then i decide to make it into something (maybe the original intention, maybe not).
ReplyDeletejust as frequently i fall in love with something and buy the fabric (or it's given to me or super cheap and i just. can't. leave. it.)
either way, even after a stash giveaway, i have too much fabric i don't want to use yet. because NEW fabric is always better!
I'm finding my taste have changed 3 years on. I agree whole heartedly with Marie, I just don't know where to start, but i think giving my srash away to other sewers is a good start.
ReplyDeleteMy stash is a little out of control and I often just buy fabric with no pattern in mind but I do love every piece I have bought and I only buy what I can see myself using, which can be a hard rule to follow but it does mean when I am looking through it I feel inspired and I love finding a piece I forgot I bought and then pairing it up with a pattern.
ReplyDeleteI love browsing fabric shops as much as I love browsing shoe shops etc even if I don't buy anything, and I think my stash is sort of my own private fabric store, that's why I love adding to it so much. I don't let myself feel guilty but every now and again I go through a stash busting sewing spree just in case ;)
I keep track of my fabric stash in Evernote along with my patterns so it';s easy to pair them up and also if I am out and about I can check a patterns requirement or see if I have an appropriate fabric is my stash if I have something in mind. If you are interested I wrote some posts about using Evernote here: http://thecuriouskiwi.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/they-say-an-elephant-never-forgets-uber-pattern-organisation-or-what-to-do-if-you%E2%80%99re-a-sewing-nerd-with-too-many-patterns/ :)
I buy what appeals to me, sometimes I sew with a fabric inspiration, just grabbing a challenge out of the closet of textile hoarding ....
ReplyDeleteI definitely buy based on the deal I'm getting moreso than need or having an actual plan. I'm sure as my skills improve I'll trust myself with nice fabrics, but for now I'm trolling the Fabric Mart website and eBay for cheap stuff on which to play and practice.
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling ... often go into my sewing stash and I feel overwhelmed, but also happy ... it's a feeling contradictory ... I admire your fabric stash!
ReplyDeleteWow - whatta stash! Some gorgeous fabrics in there! My middles names are practical, methodical, efficient and process-related. So for me, the pattern always comes before the fabric ;-)
ReplyDeleteI used to stash fabric more than I do now. I inherited a bunch from my grandmother. Having a large stash has upsides, but on the whole I don't like it. It's too stressful and it overwhelms me. I would rather have a small stash (~10 pieces or fewer) and if I need something else, I'll buy it when I need it.
ReplyDelete