Nolee, can I be one of your daughters???????????

I can come to Minnesota in the fall..............I'm just saying.

I have family in Bloomington, Edina, Mankato, and Redwood Falls. But I could come to where you live........I'm just saying.

I love my stash---but have room in my heart to love more------

Last year it rained hard across a lot of the cotton fields in america just as the cotton was starting to open up and puff out, and the crop was wrecked.
The manufacturers were forced to buy from other sources to replace it....so they say: "raise the prices".
This summer we will see...

I have a large enough stash that I enjoy "shopping" in it!
Because I bought colors and printed fabric patterns I liked, often several colorways in the same design, my selections almost always will go together the way I plan it to go.
I keep all my fabric color sorted, with the same family of fabric colors together...or "companions" like Paula Nadlestern's kalidescope fabrics or special lines like "frosts" or "marbled".

Now, I know the reason for a stash...

I like fat quarters for having that "just right" piece of fabric that will be just right for a "bit of pop" too!

It is great fun to shop in my nightie at midnight or 3 am!
Jeannie

There is a place downtown Tacoma called Trains Fabrics. It is in a seedy area of Tacoma but I love the shop. There are tons of choices and in the back room the gal has fat 1/8ths for 50 cents and other chunks for a buck. I have bought a lot of my charm fabrics in there. she also has some good vintage fabrics in the back. She has a massive collection of flannels too. Check it out. The gal isn't that friendly but she has a lot of choices. She also rents her longarms for $25 a day INCLUDING thread.

This would be a welcomed goodie to shop at. Wish we had prices that good. Wow!

I keep buying for the same reason and I have some space left here at home but I spotted those totes that slide under the bed -you would be surprised at how much they hold and how many fit under a Q/bed I have 8 of them under an x-long twin and if I raise my Q --I 'll have to rent 3 u-hauls just for fabric - But if you go for UBStorage make sure your bed skirt is long enough to conceal the evidence 8-)

I am 72yrs young and have enough fabric to keep me going until I am 100 but I keep buying. lol
Told DH that if I go before it is used up to send it too
all of you.
Dusty

Donnaluigi do they do mail orders or an E/M

I know this is very unusual in a quilter, but I don't have a big stash. When I first started to quilt, I also started "stashing", but I realised that a lot of that fabric, which represented a lot of money, was just sitting there, and whenever I started a new project, somehow none of it was right and I went out and bought more. I also have to consider the high price of fabric in the UK and my limited budget and space. So now I rarely buy fabric without a specific project in mind. Which is not to say never! If I see something I really like on sale I might snap it up, or if ordering from the States I might get a bit extra to get better value from the postage costs - but I'd want to be using it pretty quickly. But that doesn't mean I don't envy those of you with cupboards full of lovely fabrics to play with!

I agree. It takes some self control to not buy, and I'm working on that. But even with the fabric stash I have when I have a specific project, even scrappy ones, I always need to purchase some, I either need a little more of a certain color, or another smaller scale piece, whatever. So, I am trying to not buy without a true project in mind. It seems that I fall for a pattern and that dictates my fabric choices. and if I just use something out of my stash, just to use it, it makes the whole process less enjoyable. Does anyone else feel that way?

I hear ya, sister!!!

I suppose much of my fabric desires are based on the fact that I had to sell 1/2 of my stash before I left Alaska 4 years ago. I have been trying to rebuild ever since.

Dusty, I could be in Lansing in 1 hour 15 minutes. I'll be there on May 15 as a matter of fact, so if you need to get rid of anything, I'll be happy to assist. :)

Nope, I'm not buying extra fabric in case prices go up. If I were to do that, I'd be expanding my stash and would need more space for it. Then I'd get used to having a larger stash, and it would stay that size and if anything, grow. I know perfectly well that I'm addicted to quilting, I'm not going to stop buying fabrics when the prices go up. So I'd just end up spending more money overall.

I'm not ready to go yet, but if i know ahead of time lol I will let every one know. I have a lot of Batiks so don'want DH just throwing them out.

You couldn't help buying at JoAnn's, they had a huge sale!!! :) I was there too with my coupons.

I agree. It takes some self control to not buy, and I'm working on that. But even with the fabric stash I have when I have a specific project, even scrappy ones, I always need to purchase some, I either need a little more of a certain color, or another smaller scale piece, whatever. So, I am trying to not buy without a true project in mind. It seems that I fall for a pattern and that dictates my fabric choices. and if I just use something out of my stash, just to use it, it makes the whole process less enjoyable. Does anyone else feel that way?[/quote]

I do. I want my project to look a certain way, and even though I have a huge stash, if I don't have a certain color or print I have to buy it.

Thanks for the info. Im on my way tomorrow.

I just ordered two more rolls of batting. With all the fabric, batting, thread & patterns I have now I will be doing great till around 2050. I am sure the prices will be out of this world by then and I will be almost a hundred. Good thing I have stocked up.

I understand about getting rid of fabric before moving. I left Alaska almost 11 years ago. After having worked in a fabric store or two for about 15 years I had a pretty big stash. Not all was quilting fabric though. I had a couple of garage sales selling mostly all fabric. But I held on to most all my quilting fabrics and sold mostly other stuff that I had for making clothes.
Still have some of that quilting fabric ( hope it isn't going to be rotten when I finally use it). I still get new fabric but only when I need some for a project or one that really turns me on. I shop the internet alot now and get some pretty good prices and fair postage prices at some of the sites.

I love the Train Station fabric shop. Haven't been there in a while but there is alot of fabric in just a hole in the wall shop. Maybe it has expanded since I was there last. Her longarm rental sounds pretty reasonable. From kitsapquilter in Port Orchard WA.

Double that - and I'm lucky to finish one quilt a year... So do I get to live to be 180??

oops - meant to quote her in my reply...

Now comes the cincher......I don't NEED fabric, so why do I still buy it? A legacy??? I have four daughters, none of which sew. [/i][/quote]

But someday, you may have a GRANDdaughter who wants to learn! My daughter won't touch sewing, but both of my dgd's are learning. You never know when you'll need that fabric!

Sue

:D

OMG.. how disheartening that must be that your four daughters don't sew. SAD. I suppose I am in the same boat.. I have no daughters, so none that sew.

Yes, the gal is not the friendliest person but I make it a point to make her smile when I am in there. I do because I buy lots of fabric. She still adds her totals with a calculator. Bizzarro I know. But.. she has a great stash. Try the back wall for excellent deals. She does a massive sale every July .. .I think it is 50% off for one weekend only and doesn't mess with sales the rest of the year. I suppose YOU KNOW WHERE I WILL BE in JULY?

I wasn't able to go today but since you said there is a sale in July, I just may wait until then. Or just go and check it out tomorrow. Any other quilt stores you two know about? There is an Evergreen Quilt stor on 56th and M street. It is a pretty nice little shop but I think their fabric is a little high.

Yes, I have been to Everygreen. A little high, but better than many I have seen. Do you know about Gee Gees in Yelm or about Wildrose quilt shop in Orting? Both are good shops for different reasons. HUGE selection at GEe Gee's... prices are still high at both but they carry very different things too. Wildrose really caters to the traditional quilter most, lots of civil war era reproductions and other repros of all sorts. Not a lot of brights, which are my preference. Another one.. a good drive but worth it though is Sisters Quilt Shop in Chehalis. I am heading there Friday with my buddy from Alaska. 10,000 bolts of fabric. OMG...

Hey Kitsap, You must know about Harbor Quilt then?

But someday, you may have a GRANDdaughter who wants to learn! My daughter won't touch sewing, but both of my dgd's are learning. You never know when you'll need that fabric!

Sue

:D[/quote]

Or your daughters may yet surprise you. I hated sewing for most of my life, and the sewing box that Mum bought me for my 7th birthday still had some of the original items in it 40 years later :) . But then I discovered first crosstitch and then quilting - I think Mum is still amazed!

Or your daughters may yet surprise you. I hated sewing for most of my life, and the sewing box that Mum bought me for my 7th birthday still had some of the original items in it 40 years later :) . But then I discovered first crosstitch and then quilting - I think Mum is still amazed![/quote]

This is a very good point to make. Once your daughters get the bug if they do... you and all of us KNOW this is a catchy thing. A granddaughter for a quilting buddy sounds exquisite. Ahhhhhhh

\

AMEN! "They" know we will pay the higher prices so why go down? This country is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. It just takes and takes and takes!!! However, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!!!

I haven't been to Gee Gee's yet, but I have been to Sisters and Wild Rose. I love Wild Rose, a girl that used to work there quilted my last quilt and charged me $182.00. That was including the batting, for a full size quilt. She did a wonderful job but I won't be going to her again. :)

HOLY MOLY.. that is ridiculously overpriced.