It is the issue that divides us all: How much fabric is enough?
For some, a massive stash of fabric is inspiring and comforting. For others, it’s overwhelming and distracting!
My quilting cotton stash, from the era when I thought I might become a quilter. Um, nope.
Myself, I’m a stasher. If I see fabric that I like at the right price, I buy it and never have regrets. I get fidgety and lose my sew-jo when I don’t have at least several options for each kind of fabric that I like to sew: rayon knits, pontes, French terry, sweater knit, stretch denim, and so on. That said, I sew prolifically, so the stash only grows slowly over time.
On the flip side, plenty of my online sewing friends are pushing themselves to stash-bust by tracking fabric consumption in a spreadsheet and making sure their total amount goes down month by month… other sewists like to only own a handful of length of fabric, all of which they have an immediate plan for.
I’m curious to hear: Do you stash, or not? And whichever side you are on, how much do budget, space, or other factors affect your decision?
I don’t have a stash , I have a collection of much loved orphans that begged me to take them home. Some of them from 30 odd years ago when I was working in an upholstery factory. Mostly acquired from op shops as I love quirky fabric – who wants to look like everyone else? I’m tickled with the notion of having my orphans as retirement savings…I am SO going to steal that idea, thanks Ladies!
Regarding retirement savings. I gave myself permission to buy all the patterns I want when I became aware that the minute patterns go out of print, they become a desired item for sale on Ebay at full original price. And Vogue patterns are a gold-plated investment. My vintage pattern collection has continued to rise in value despite the bad news down at 401k-ville. I am putting my faith in the power of women and their desire for pretty stuff – Wall Street is for suckers! I am sticking with the SURE THING – Vogue patterns, especially formal gowns and wedding dresses.
I call myself a collector but I am really a stasher! When my husband received a promotion that required us to move across the country, I worked non-stop for a month trying to reduce the stash but it seemed hopeless. Our new home had a full finished basement for me to use as a sewing room. OMG! For the next ten years, my stash grew in leaps and bounds. A few years ago, we retired, moved to Arizona and down-sized. Before the move I worked for four months and eliminated my stash to almost nothing by donating to quilting groups and groups that sew for charity. Once we were in the smaller home, I made a promise to myself that I would buy only when I’m ready to sew the item and I would buy no new fabric until the last project was completed. I have stuck to that and I have no current stash. Do I miss it? No, I don’t miss the chaos. What I miss is the fun of selecting and owning pretty fabric.
I’m one of those people who can’t handle a big stash. I’ve got probably a box full of fabric, which I am working my way through, before I buy anything else. I find I am a lot more creative when I have fewer materials to work with, and have to think out of the box about how to make it work. I did go through a phase where I had a lot of stuff, but I de cluttered before a move about a year ago and haven’t looked back!
Yep, I have a stash, but I love all the creative energy it gives me! I’m sure I would feel differently if my sewing room were straining at the seams, but it isn’t. I’m pretty ruthless about downsizing other things if they’re not getting used, but I love being able to get an idea for something and make it just from the stash. That said, I don’t have a lot of money tied up in my stash because it’s mostly from thrift stores, creative reuse centers, and Freecycle. And I’m very efficient in how I use it–scraps go into the scrap bins to become quilts and other small projects, then the tiniest pieces go into baggies where they’ll eventually be turned into a Ticker Tape Quilt. No waste!
I’ll say only that I sometimes wonder if i ought to open a fabric shop … I have enough stock!
Me too! I am so drawn to sewing items when I go thrift store shopping that now I have a quite a bit of it, so I am trying to start an Etsy store to sell them. As for fabric, I have the occasional wave of common sense that there is no way I could sew all the fabric that I have,..so hopefully I can part with some of that too.
I too am a stasher. I worked for a fabric chain for about 8 years and like another comment collected fabric while there. After I left that job, I culled my sewing area and took tons of fabric to the local high school with a sewing program. I think that I must do that again as it has grown again.
I am a garment sewer and I have a small stash. If it grows too large, however, I feel guilty that I spent money and haven’t used the fabric. I have just recently confronted myself with the “which came first, the fabric or the pattern” question. And I found that I have a lot of fabric with no pattern to sew it up with and a lot of patterns with no fabric matches. The patterns I like and the fabric I am drawn to don’t seem to go together. Can’t tell what that says about me! But I hope to begin to think in pairs better, pattern and fabric.
SHE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST FABRIC WINS!!!!! FINAL WORD!!!!!
A girl likes to have a variety from among which to choose. This is true with men, shoes, a box of chocolates, patterns and fabric. I ended up with my Great-Grandmother’s stash (left over from my Grandmother); my Grandmother’s stash; and my husband’s Great Aunt’s Stash. Everyone else got little china elephants and I AM RICH, I TELL YOU, RICH!!!!! Also, fabric goes out of print. If you love it, buy it. Take it home, pet it a while, and it will tell you what it wants to be made into.
AMEN! I have 40+ tote boxes.
You go girl!!! The Joy of Stashing is alive and well!!!
I just sat down and did a sewing list yesterday and had 9 items. This doesn’t include other fabric that I bought before my son was born in 2013. I guess you could say I have a small stash, maybe 2 dozen different fabrics typically in 2-3 yard increments. I think I’m done for a bit until I work through my list. My mother-in-law is a huge fabric hoarder for quilting fabrics and is now in the process of destashing. I don’t quilt and her tastes and mine are not the same, which is saving me. 🙂
I’ll stash knits because I know I’ll use them, seeing as I like to sew knits and undergarments, but I don’t buy wovens unless I have a plan for them. And my taste has changed so rapidly the last year that the wovens I have I don’t like ! That being said, I do stash knits, mesh, and notions like zippers and elastics. That saves my sewing life when I want to make something.
I used to stash, but as I’ve started sewing more I’ve realized that I’ve been stashing the wrong things! I have tons of quilting cotton in 1 to 1/2 yd sections that are really too small to do anything else with, pieces left over that I can’t really do anything with from times I had too much of a fabric, or pieces that I desperately want to use but don’t have quite enough. I guess I haven’t mastered the art of stashing yet!
Question: How much do you usually buy when you stash?
I stash! I regret the times I have had “a sort and throw out” when moving house. Now that my tastes are pretty static, if I love a piece of fabric likely I will love it in ten or twenty years. And I am conscious that disposable income will decrease when I eventually retire, and whilst I could perhaps save those funds instead of buying now, why delay the pleasure:-) I am happy to have a cupboard full of fabric for quilting or a little dressmaking for when the rainy day comes. And of course there are the balls of yarn and partially completed cross stitch projects too!
My stash is about middle sized. My family and friends think it is huge. As a point of reference I regularly see stashes being disposed of when someone passes away. I belong to the American Sewing Guild and we become receipients when the sewing enthusiast passes away. The spouse or executor is usually the one who contacts us. We always help them out for many reasons, the biggest one is we can pass fabrics on to places that will make use of everything. Generally the spouse did not know exactly how big the stash was until they started cleaning out their home. The last stash we sorted the husband kept finding stuff in closets, drawers, garage, attic and the wife’s car trunk. (We all know those hiding spot, right?) He thought it was all located in her sewing room. He had no idea that she had 50 boxes (those larger Rubbermaid ones) just in fabric. He was at his wits end on how to go through it and contacted us. It was a great stash mostly high quality fabrics. It took 12 women 4 hours to go through the stash to sort by fabric type. Then our community service programs chose items for the causes we sew for or provided fabrics to non-profit teaching programs programs within ASG and local non profits. And yes, a few pieces went home with each sorter.
So yes, my stash is middle sized, maybe 18-20 boxes. After seeing the distress of those who need to dispose of a loved ones stash I’m committed to making my stash smaller and having it better organized. I like one idea of a previous poster about sewing up 3 projects for each new project that comes in. I’m getting rid of any fabric that I don’t love. I’ve cut out about 3 boxes in the last 6 weeks. But I couldn’t resist the alpaca and wool yardage from the last stash we sorted.
I like others have a stash. When it overflowed my cedar chest, I knew I had a problem. So, I’ve been sewing madly but now have a backache which didn’t stop me until yesterday (although I finished sewing up those culottes free pattern from so sew easy). I still buy occasionally but use the wave crash method to by pass a sale on e-mail. It appears that there are little amounts of knits here in Canada with cotton in them,so I like to buy on line where the weight and length is easily seen. I buy in 3-3.5 yds and 5yd pieces so I can be sure to get a shirt or skirt and top out or dress. I swore I’d never get into quilting because there are just so many beautiful prints. But I have used my cotton for sewing a classic shirt and am planning another. I vowed to myself to sew every last piece.
I have a pretty big stash for a beginner. I recently gave away those “failed experiment” pieces that I thought I would make into something. Still, as my ability to sew different things groes, so does my pattern and fabric stash. Lately, I have only purchased clearance pieces for specific projects. But I have loaded up on patterns because I am so excited when I see a pattern that I may be able to make that was too advanced for me in the past. So…I still have over 60 different fabrics in at least 2 yard pieces…
I have a small to moderate stash of apparel fabric, which includes a bolt of medium weight interfacing, a bolt of unbleached muslin and the remains of bleached muslin (for lining, underlining facings and pocketing). The majority of my stash was purchased with something specific in mind — fit and flare dress, slim pants, T-shirts, PJs or whatever — while the specific pattern may be undetermined, I know I need two lengths of pants (so 3 ish yards), four yards for a dress and so on.
I don’t have much for “other” fabric stash, I am not really a quilter, and doubt I’ll get into it based on my experience with a class I did.
My yarn stash is pretty well contained as I use a similar philosophy for yarn purchases — mostly purchased with a purpose. There’s a few randoms, especially in the fingering weight yarns. One skein is enough for a pair of socks, so there’s more leeway.
I have too much of both quilting and clothing fabric. But that didn’t stop me from buying more while I’m in NYC. Mood and Metro!
Yikes! Yum!
I’m a happy stasher. I stash because I want to have lots of fabric options on-hand for whenever the creative mood strikes. If I get bored with one project and want to start another. I think of it as “investing” in my future wardrobe, and since I don’t buy much RTW, it balances out. It makes me feel secure, in a way, but also surrounded by possibilities. When I see a beautiful fabric that I know I will love forever, I buy 3-4 yards. If a fabric speaks that strongly to me, I know it’s true love (and true love lasts a lifetime!). I have acquired fabric faster than I have ever managed to sew it, and I could no-joke open a fabric boutique with my stash at this point. I did put myself on a fabric fast this year to encourage more sewing and less spending, and I’ve only fallen off that wagon a couple times in very minor ways. When I think about how much fabric I actually have, it’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s also exciting knowing that all that yardage is mine and is just waiting for me to act.
I’m with you, Gillian. STASHER!! And I love it. Yes I see fabric at a good price and have to get it. It inspires me. I love it. I just make more room.
I have about 10 cuts I need to sew into garments. Anymore I just buy fabric that I totally love, being a good deal is not enough. Over time, colors change, and I change in tastes. Ideally I would like to have only 3 project ahead.
Stasher here too, and a pattern hoarder as well. I’m the prez of our local ASG chapter, so people give me stuff for the guild to use, and what they don’t use or take at our FreeCycle just sits. I have a full-time job, and it is hard to take time to sort out the crap to get rid of when I really just want to sew (or knit or bead or spin). There’s too much in my basement though, and I see a purge in my future.
However, I’ve got to say that it’s SO SATISFYING to get an idea, and go to my studio, and EVERYTHING I need is right there. Get an idea at 8pm, no problem, just get the stuff out and make something. That has happened often enough that it makes it very hard to get rid of things.
I love my stash. Both fabric and craft supplies generally. But I had found since I got a room of my own I use it, even with several small children underfoot. I buy what I love at my buy price and for very specific projects above that, but mostly sew from the stash. I find it a lovely limitation to make something work with what I have, I just did the great Minnesota textile center garage sale and came home with four big blue IKEA bags full, two of fabric, one notions, and one patterns and books. Good think we are building a house with a bigger sewing room.
What is the great Minnesota textile center garage sale? It sounds very exciting! ?
Yes, I’d like to know more, too!
I had a big stash. Not anymore! I donated all the fabric to a charity (ladies that sew quilts for hospitals, bags for foster kids, teddy bears, garments for homeless veterans, you name it). I also donated all my knitting stash. Now I only have fabric folded and hanged in my sewing closet. The only fabric store in town closed (Hancock fabrics) and the nearest one is 70 miles away so when I buy fabric is with the garment on mind. No more hoarding for me!
I have stashed fabric for 50 years – seriously, I have some scraps from when I began sewing at 11 years old!! I went many, many years without having the time to sew clothing for myself and just started back again about three years ago. I immediately jumped on the bandwagon of whatever my favorite bloggers were posting about and bought new fabric. This year I have forced myself to make the projects but it is slow progress. I still want to buy, buy, buy! So I have learned my lesson – only purchase what I can sew in the next few months because there is always something new around the corner that I will want to make. I also have this issue with yarn and books – my other two favorite hobbies! It is no fun when you have so much stash you can’t justify looking at new items. I even quit going to my library because I have too many books to read at home. I am glad to see I am in fine company!!
I have a stash that goes back a long, long time. It is affectionately called my retirement savings. I am slower to add than I used to be, but I still indulge from time to time. It’s a great source of creativity – fun to choose something I already own, and experiment, create, think out of the box!
I stash. Wish I didn’t but I do. I try to shop only for a project at hand but then there’s something absolutely beuatiful in the store and home it comes with me. I’m constantly trying to de-stash, I forbid myself from entering fabric stores and so on but to little does this help.
I still have quite a stash from all the quilting I’ve done, but wouldn’t hoard again! You would be surprised at how your tastes change over the years. I wonder sometimes what I was thinking when I bought it. But fabric doesn’t ‘go bad’ so if you have room, might as well keep it. Never know when you might get inspiration. Now that I’m into sewing clothing, I have so much to learn about fabrics for clothing. It’s like a brand new hobby for me!
I stash.. I have bought so much fabric, it’s becoming ridiculous… Two years ago I moved into a city and have been exposed to thrift stores that are within my reach. Before I lived in a small town that is a long drive from any other town. I have become addicted to going to the thrift stores and looking at vintage pieces of material. Of course, I buy a good portion of the pieces too. Don’t know how to stop it now….
I’m a collector. I have a well curated collection and I’m spending most of this year sewing from it. As for a budget, mine was very loose, as long as my bills were paid, I could fabric shop. That leaves a lot of room! *LOL* That said I’ve barely purchased any fabric this year and the fabrics I’ve found in my collection have been awesome. I’m glad that I took this period of time to enjoy what I’ve found over the years. But I will ALWAYS be a collector. I love having loads of fabric and choices around me because it inspires me!
I used to have a stash but dontated most of it to Project Linus because I felt so overwhelmed by it! I have a very small stash now and most of that is favric I have a specific idea for. And yeah, I’m with those who say patterns are an altogether different animal! 😉
Stasher for sure. I am determined to cull my hoard, because I really , really have no more space for new stuff!
She who dies with the most fabric wins.
Seriously, my stash has won awards. I buy what I like. Some with immediate plans, most with no plans. My stash has saved me numerous times on projects that have deadlines. My nearest fabric store (joanns – crap shoot on fabric quality) is half an hour away so it’s not feasible to run to the store. My best fabric store is 40 minutes away.
I find a lot of my specialty fabrics at estate/garage sales so I don’t have a huge investment here.
And, as my tastes change, I have three organizations to donate to when I feel the urge to clear out.
It’s UFO’s that tend to mess with my creativity potential – dealing with those is my number one headache.
I bought everything when I first started sewing. I didn’t have a real understanding of quality and bought lots of quilting cotton rather than apparel fabrics. I was sewing children’s clothing so there are some really fun, obnoxious prints.
I get overwhelmed by too much fabric and have spent the last couple years destashing. I donated stuff I knew I’d never use to sewing programs, and kept some ugly yardage for muslins. I still have enough to almost never buy fabric, and it’s very satisfying to watch the stash dwindle.
When I have small pieces of fabric left, I immediately cut smaller projects like panties or baby clothes, even doll clothes for my niece. The scrap pile is unruly too!
I look forward to the day I can go out and shop for ONE project…because there’s nothing in my stash. Not sure if I’ll ever get there…#sewinggoals
I used to work, in my early 20’s, for a national fabric store change. Between knowing the sales ahead of time and my employee discount, I amassed a HUGE stash. And I’ve regretted it. I’m nearly 40 now and still have things I bought back when – that I know I’ll never now use because my tastes have changed, my body size has changed, and my lifestyle has changed. I’ve pared down my stash twice and still have over 80 bankers boxes in my stash. Now I have two little ones and far less time to sew. So there it sits. And even with a stash, I still don’t necessarily have all the notions or supplies I need so it’s not like it saves me time running to the store.
I’ve spent probably thousands on fabric I’ll probably never use and that pains me. So a SMALL stash is good. Or a realistic goal of “use three pieces, buy one new one” or something like that – where you don’t let it get all out of control is wise. But buying just to use “someday” is a recipe for waste.
I treated myself to a new Janome sewing machine about a year ago to return to sewing and while I have a shared purposes room to use(guest bedroom & hobby) I don’t collect fabric. We downsized into this house and I’m reluctant to add ANY thing that takes up space. It’s a big pain to sort through your stuff & I’m trying to avoid doing again. Although I’m realistic enough to know someday I ( or my daughters) will have to. Still I find it hard to throw the leftovers out once my project is done and haven’t done so yet! So does that make me a future stasher? LOL
For the last couple of years, I’ve been thinning the stash down and being relatively cautious about adding to it with impulse buys. Quilting fabric: out. Fancies for dance costumes: out (well, mostly out). Home decor fabric: okay. This one tripped me up but I’m working on it. No more fabric hidden in tubs that are in turn piled in corners of the sewing room and closets. Okay. I’m down to one and a half tubs in plain view. Patterns: after fifty years of collecting plus my grandmother’s collection, I probably have representations of just about everything, but patterns that no longer suit me or have no historical significance: out.
I stash tooooomuch. The problem with that is when I go to make a garment, most of the time I am short yardage. But I can always find an organization that will accept fabric for some project that they are doing.
I always buy a little extra for ‘just in case I make a mistake’. But I never buy fabric unless I have a definite plan for it
I’m a stasher and then some! I have a closet with nothing but fabric and totes full to the celling in the garage. And I still buy more. I’m a self diagnosed Bolt hugger
I have a quilting stash. It isn’t big, but my sewing room is only 99 sq feet so every inch is at a premium. My stash causes me a lot of stress because there are things I want (like a dress form) that I don’t have space for. So I’ve decided to only make quilts with fabric I have until it is all used up. Then I’m only buying fabric for specific projects. I am new to garment sewing, so havent got a stash for that yet, and don’t plan to. I will only buy fabric for the garment and I don’t want any leftovers. Life is too short for fabric stress.
I have a small stash. I usually only buy for a project in mind. Sometimes that project gets delayed to the point of no return. I’m the same with my yarn. Most everything I buy has an end goal. Patterns, however are totally fair game! I hoard those like a hoarding hoarder.
I have a relatively small stash for both quilting and garment sewing. I haven’t sewn a garment for myself since my mother laughed at a rather epic fail nearly twenty-nine years ago. For twenty-three years, I didn’t sew anything at all. I’ve been a sewing machine where quilts, dolls, and doll clothes are concerned but still completely intimidated by sewing garments for myself. I’m hoping to conquer that soon, though.
That’s really sad, Pam. If you can sew quilts, and dolls and their fiddly clothes then you can certainly sew a garment for yourself. Just find a REALLY simple pattern, some cheap(ish) fabric and have a go. The feeling you get when you first wear something you made for yourself is amazing and will do wonderful things for your confidence, I promise!
I have a crazy-huge stash of patterns. My fabric stash is not so large, but it’s full of fabric types I will probably never use. I have gone as far as participating in a monthly flea market where I have been surprised by how many people want to make my “problem” theirs.:)
Since I like to have options when I am sewing and crafting, I NEED to stash. That said, I RV full time so space is at a premium which keeps the stashing brakes on! I am a sewist/seamstress, crafter, hand embroider and cross stitcher.
I usually purchase fabric with a pattern or idea in hand. So I do not stash. Having said that, I love to shop while on vacation especially fabric and notion stores. I have a few pieces that I intend to turn into aprons, quilt squares and/or items for my future grandchildren. That is to say that I haven’t done a thing with them yet and some have been around a long time.
yes, of course, i stash. and not only fabric, but patterns, thread, and notions! i dont have to go to the store anymore. i go shopping at home.
Yes and I am paying a high price now. Let me explain. After years of hoarding in anticipation of retirement, we decided to move to a much smaller house, now I am sorting thru bunchs and bunchs. It is terrible! I swear if I ever get this cleaned up I not let it get into this shape again!
I am always trying to stash bust and seem to be more successful on the quilting side than the garment fabric side. Especially with Hancock Fabrics going out of business, I bought a lot. But no sewing/quilting show attendance this year; so, the spending is about the same.
My stash is ridiculous!!! and I don’t use enough of it. I’m both quilter and sew for myself.
Can I say you fabric shelves are total eye candy. 😉
I’m a stash to the rafters kinda gal! Literally as my sewing studio is the dormer room upstairs. (So why is there fabric next to me and on the floor by the couch in the living room – HA!)