i have daughters who "get" it. they are artists, and budding seamstresses. the rest of the world? not so much. we have a friend whose mother has collected fabric for years. he has gotten me to promise that i'll help clean out her house when she passes. she has literally filled up her house (three bedrooms plus) with fabric. there are hundreds of folds, bolts, piles, etc. but you know what? it has kept her busy and active, well into her 80s, now. she still sews, quilts, makes curtains, drapes, etc. some folks collect little things--some collect big things. quilters collect potential, i believe. we collect what might be. we collect dreams made of the fabric we find, we collect against the day we will have enough time to do as we please with all that beauty. my fabric stash is nothing compared to our friend's mom's--but my dreams are younger than hers. (and taking care of her stash may cure my need for mine, eventually!)