Friday, November 14, 2008

Stashbusting goals - one more time!

I am addicted to fabric - I truly am. I love to gaze at it, stroke and pet it, play with it, iron it, smell it, use it - you get the idea. I know many of you share the same addiction and can relate completely to what I'm saying.

I'm also addicted to buying fabric. I love nothing better than going into a quilt shop and choosing new pieces for my stash, or getting online and ordering complete fat quarter or half yard collections of new lines as they are available. I get such a rush from getting boxes of fabric in the mail - it's like Christmas every time a new one arrives.

Since I've been quilting 30 years - give or take a year - this has become a real problem. I have a small but well organized sewing room with lots of stash storage. It is full. I've gone through the stash several times in the last ten to twelve years, culling completely outdated fabric (tiny multicolored calicoes - ugh!) and giving it all to charity. In no time the shelves are full again. Last month I made backings for a couple dozen quilts. I immediately filled up the space with newly washed and ironed fabric that had been laying under my big board waiting it's turn to join the rest on the shelves. I didn't show you a picture of the fabrics stacked up on my cutting table because I was just too horrified at the quantity - probably an additional 30 to 40 yards! And I can't even say that is the end of it, as I brought a bunch more home last Monday when I went to Momma Made It in Longview. Sharon has started her moving sale. I ask you - how can I resist backgrounds, plaids and remnants marked down 50 to 75%? They are now sitting on the closet floor waiting to be washed, ironed and added to the stash.

Ever since I started setting quilting goals I've promised I'll control my shopping and start depleting my stash. It doesn't happen. I've once again grown the stash this year. When one starts buying fabric by the bolt one goes backwards very quickly. Three 15 yard bolts of Kona Cotton later - a parchment, turkey red and a cheddar - and a 50 yard bolt of applique background for my historical quilts - so much for busting stash.

However, I'm still pledging to try. Judy has already started talking about busting stash in 2009 - she didn't do any better than I did this year. I've printed her pledge and signed it - I've pinned it to my design wall right over my big board where I'll have to see it every day. And I'm going to start keeping track of my efforts again. I stopped fairly early this year because as a scrap quilter it seemed too difficult to keep track of yardage used. Yesterday I read this post by Judy. My report doesn't have to be in yards! I can report emptied drawers, totes, baskets, plastic shoe boxes, etc. I can report a fabric stash decreasing in height by an inch or two. I can report any way that makes sense for the way I use my fabric. Hooray! That will work for me!

So - I'm committing right now - for the rest of 2008 and all of 2009. My goal by the end of 2009 is to have less fabric than I have right now.(Where have I heard that before!) This doesn't mean I'll stop buying - I think that's impossible - but I will - I WILL!!!! - use more fabric than I buy. And I'll do a weekly report along with the rest of Judy's stashbusters.

So with those things in mind I'll show you what the majority of the stash looks like right now (I just did a clean-up a couple weeks ago so I could put those 30-40 yards on the shelves). From top to bottom the pictures show:

Shelves on the south side of the room

Shelves on the west side of the room

Bolts of fabric on top of the shelves (there is also one in the closet)

One partial shelf holding the latest two kits I've purchased - they don't fit into the kit bins

Two kit bins under the longarm - you can tell by the list of "HSY's" (Haven't Started Yets) on my sidebar that I'm also addicted to kits.

Two more kit bins plus a cardboard box of kits under the other end of the longarm

I've not shown you any of my scrap storage - if you are interested in seeing that you can click on the "Organization" subject in the sidebar that will take you to pictures on past posts. Wish me luck with this - maybe the fifth or sixth try will be the charm!

27 comments:

InfinityQuilter/Knitter said...

WOW, can I come and shop in your stash?!?! I am drooling looking at your pictures! Good luck with the stashbusting!!!

Carla said...

I'm curious as to what your applique background fabric is. It must be great if you have 50 yards of it! I'm on the look out for something like that myself.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhh..... to be in your sewing room! Covet, covet, covet!

chook said...

oh my goodness
I love your stash I think you have more fabric than my local store LOL
I think I have about 2 boxes of stash
I am working on building so good luck with your busting
hugs Beth

Suzy said...

HOLY COW! And I thought I was bad. I just had to show my hubby the pictures of your stash. Ha! Now he can't complain about me, because you've got me beat by a mile! Oh such lovely, lovely fabric. I know what you mean about being addicted. I'm one too. It's a fun club to be in! :o)

Donna said...

Your stash looks like so much fun, and so well organized too. I love to buy fabric also. There are so many great sales right now it is going to be hard to resist.

Kristie said...

Wow! Your stash is amazing! You should be proud of that stash!!!! I know what you mean about loving fabric! Hubby teases me that I can sniff it out anywhere!!
Kristie

Anne said...

Ahhh, a woman after my own heart. Love all the fabric and I'm with you, I love to touch it, iron it, cut it, etc etc. It will be fun to follow your progress. Good luck.

Vicki W said...

What a beautiful stash!

Vicky said...

Your stash is gorgeous! And my stash has, well, stash envy! Or maybe it has organizational envy! In any event, your stash rocks, and so do you!!

Tazzie said...

I love your stash Patti, I would want to pet it and play with it too. Maybe I'll join in again with the stash-busting next year, I don't really care to decrease my yardage, but mostly my scraps, they're my particular bugbear. We can inspire each other along.
*hugs*
Tazzie
:-)

Jeanne said...

Patti, it's an addiction shared by many. Your stash is so neat and orderly and you make wonderful quilts.

antique quilter said...

I am routing you on...maybe you need to do a reward system....for every 25 yards you use up you may buy 3 yards..give yourself a coupon and save those coupons for when you go to quilt shows or take a class at a shop ...
just a thought!
right now I am playing the game of I have 5 quilts I want to make when they are done then I can shop for the next quilt I want to make if I don't have the fabric for it.
will let you knw how this works...
Kathie

julia said...

Hi Patti,
can I move into your studio, pretty please? ;o) Oh my, this is my dream of heaven...
Sorry, this won't probably cheer you up, but I recently felt bad about my stash {two containers under my desk, some boxes in my bedroom} - now I am really relieved to buy more fabric... ;o)
I love how your stash is organised and wish I had space for proper closets/cabinets.
Thanks for sharing & good luck with your stash busting plans!
Hugs, Julia

Featheronawire Sally Bramald said...

It does look lovely and organised. I love the cupboards and that you can see everything through the glass doors.
I thought I was the only one with this sort of stash....

I thought I was the only one who was buying by the bolt....

I thought I was the only one out of control.....

But no creature suffers from our addiction do they?

Karen said...

I know you are pledging to stash bust, but that stash looks oh so wonderful! What fun it would be to play in your room!

Lissa Jane said...

yep.. sure looks pretty... and you use it, so why worry about it?? I figure buying fabric isn't fattening and its helping the economy..
I do have stash envy though.. *W* and wish I had a sewing room like yours!

Helen in the UK said...

WOW - you have a LOT of stash, beautifully organised!! Good luck in your pledge for stash reduction. I keep track of fabric in/out throughout the year. I 'guesstimate' the amount of fabric used in a quilt by the size of the finished quilt. Not very accurate, but it works for me and saves me having to calculate too much :)

Lucy said...

OOhh my what a stash.(Thinking that I was so close last summer *sigh*)

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful sewing area! I am jealous.

Barb said...

My sister and I want to come over???? I am in American Samoa and she lives in WAshington. I thought I had alot of fabric.

Jackie's Stitches said...

I love your stash and your organization of it. As a new quilter, it's nice to see that you can have "stuff" and not have a mess!

Evelyn aka Starfishy said...

You have a beautiful sewing room! I move alot so would dread actually having that much fabric myself come moving day, but I do understand how much you love it! I love my fabrics too, although there is less of it! I can't keep track of yardage used either... but I do keep track of my progress in what I've finished. Also, I like to keep my fabrics contained to certain shelves. As I use fabric, I can add more - because there is room - but I don't let myself take over all the shelves in the house! New fabric and having a working stash is part of the fun! You could just say that you are going to keep buying fabrics - but it has to fit in a certain area - and then you are sure to be using fabrics you already have to make room for new. I just don't think of it as stashbusting really, but keeping it contained.
Good luck with however you decide to go about it.
Cheers!
Evelyn

sewkalico said...

As long as the buying pleasure is more than the guilt, I say you should just enjoy your fabric. I really love fabric. I am being instructed to sort out by 'the boss' at present and am culling my scraps, but often I'll come across a tiny piece and it gets saved. Your stash looks awesome and I wish mine was as organised.

sewprimitive karen said...

I know I should be encouraging you in your stashbusting plans, but my mind is instead dazzled by the wisdom of buying a full bolt of parchment, turkey red, and green...I wanna do that lol!

Quilter Kathy said...

Good luck! I sure envy your organization...everything looks so neatly put away!

Happy Room Diana said...

We have quilt shops in England that do not have as much fabric as you! So beautifully arranged you are an inspiration... so back to my "stash". Happy Room Diana