Hi Quilters,

After reading some of the recent posts about fabric addiction, I've come to realize I've hit rock bottom. Everywhere I look there are either quilts, PIGS (Projects in Grocery Sacks) or fabrics of all persuasions. There are 7 sewing machines, multitudes of storage bins, cutters, threads, rulers, patterns, books and every notion ever concocted. I have scraps out the wazoo, there are bolts of backings, battings of all weights, interfactings, 8 irons and 4 ironing boards.

There are piles of quilts carefully covered with white sheets in 2 bedrooms. There are quilts rolled up behind the sofas and under the beds. Most of these quilts are unbound because I hate binding. The stacks amount to anywhere from 300-400 quilts, runners, placemats, table toppers, treeskirts and wall hangings. There is a huge bookshelf full of totes, small bags, checkbook covers and zipper pouches. The massive cabinets my DH built a few years ago are so overstuffed, I can't pull anything out without creating a fabric tsunami.

My computer contains links to hundreds of fabric e-stores, quilting blogs and pattern sites. I've signed up for newsletters and fabric ads to the point where I can't keep up with my mail. Every mail sent to me is a temptation. The mail carriers, UPS and Fed-X delivery people know me by name. The bank no longer calls and asks "is this your purchase from ______ (fill in the name of the fabric store) or did somebody get their hands on your credit card?"

I can't go on like this so I have decided to check myself into fabric rehab. I need to come up with a plan to regain my sanity.

So fellow quilters, I am going to count on your support as I go thru this journey. Any tips and/or advice is greatly appreciated.

Finally, I hear you get fabric withdrawal symptoms that are very unflattering to otherwise mild-mannered quilters, so please bear with me.

Mary, proclaimed fabric addict.....July 16, 2011

Join the crowd

Sounds like you have been busy. Do you have family members who will appreciate your quilts? If not, you need to make some type of plan. My sister's quilts got lost in the shuffle as she has so much fabric when she lost her battle with colon cancer.

Wow! I've been in fabric rehab for awhile, with my stash not growing, so feel I have a right to contribute to this thread.

In my case, I simply stopped going to fabric stores and stopped looking online (had stopped going to garage sales several years ago). That has helped a lot!

What strikes me as unusual about your case is the multitude of unfinished quilts. I think you need to learn how to do binding and then warm your heart by finding people/charities who can actually use your quilts. Maybe find ways to display some of your quilts in your house too.

Concerning binding, here are links to my favorite method by Leah Day for completely machine binding quilts (much faster than finishing by hand):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRfA...eature=related

Well Mary..you just described me "almost" to a T...*L* except I don't have 8 irons...only 3..I will lend you moral support when you need it.. I do love to hand bind my quilts..it's just getting them to the quilted stage and ready to bind that stops me. Hang in there...it will get better?? I think?? I hope?? maybe not?? If you need someone to chat about it with send me a PM...
crafty_linda_b sittin' & quiltin' on the Cal-Ore border :roll:

The first step in a 12 step program is admitting you have a problem. I think you just did that.

The QB is full of enablers, but there are some who have made the commitment you have. Look up the moratorium thread. It is was started as a year long thing about December last year, but you can join anytime.

Your quilts need to get out into the world to be enjoyed, but that's another step.

I support your effort. Keep in touch. BTW, your avatar is beautiful.

I hope you never recover!!!

Mary, I know some would think this funny [it's not drugs, alcohol etc], but I think you are wise to realize some behavior changes are in order. I am no expert, but I know you can't change everything at once. This is a long haul deal. If you had to answer in 15 seconds or less, what is the one thing you most want to change? Is it the finished projects just sitting? Could you pick one place you store them, then narrow that to a shelf or a specific number of items or something and sort through those with the goal of finding 10 items to donate? Is 10 too many? How about 5 or even 3?
If it is a finished item who would use it? Women? Children? Men? Elderly? Okay, now what organizations in your very immediate area reach out to that group? Would your husband or a friend or other family member be willing to take the items for delivery before you change your mind? [It might be a while before you can get to the point of taking something yourself]. Do a print out from the organization if they have a website with some pictures, if there are any, with the information of the mission of this organization. Keep focused on who you are helping, not on what you are giving up.
If it can't be finished items what about just a couple of quilts that need binding? Is there a guild, church or other public group that does charity quilts? Could you find at least 2 or 3 you could pass on to them? If not quilts what about a few bags of scraps?
I don't know if this is any help, but I know changing behavior must be done in small steps with little successes adding up. You can do this. You have recognized the need to change your behavior--that is the most important part! That is huge! I look forward to your future posts. This was very brave of you to start this thread.

Hello,
I support your decision. I have come to a point where I know the amount of fabric I have starts to get in the way.

I love binding quilts, too bad I live so far away or I would happily bind your quilts over the course of a long winter in NH and this would feed my addiction for seeing and touching fabric without adding to my own stash.
I hope you get many supporters here.

Wow!
Did you ever think of donating them?
Find a Guild who would help you with the bindings, then donate them to something like domestic abuse center,were woman in pain could have something beautiful to call their own.
I could send you postage,for you to send the quilt to me and I'll bind a few for you and then take them to a charity in my area, stating that they were from you.
I also know of a home were young girls who are pregnant live, to learn how to take care of their babies and their selves, they would also love you quilts.
Just a thought.
Just send me a PM.

Those videos are great! I hate hand binding and even though I just started, I had only finished 2 quilts of the 6 I started and none of the tree skirts. Using this method, last night I bound 1 quilt and a tree skirt and I'm working on another. The videos make it soooo easy!! Sew twice around the quilt and you're done!

Good luck with everything though! I don't have much advice to offer as I'm stuck in a corner of my room while running downstairs to use the iron because that's where there's room! If I lived closer, I would definately help!

But you could always see if there's a fellow quilter, whether it be from a guild or church group that would be willing to help. They seem to have a better knack of organizing and what goes with what.

no really.....she/we do need to recover.

first off...unsub from ALL of the fabric shop emails...it isn't really that hard..took me about an hour...yes, a FULL hour to go through all the emails I filed away and just unsubscribe from that shop!

Then I did the same thing on facebook!
Then I deleted the upteen yahoogroups, I never really participated in, but just READ the links to more FREE patterns.

I am 50...I have very little time to sew/quilt/craft at all any more.
I have over 1,000 patterns, 300+ books, 38 UFO's that are all queen size quilts, another 50+ PIGS and about 3,000 yards of fabric. ADD to that my inking, painting, dyeing, stamping, discharging, foiling, threads, notions, rulers, die cutters, dies, machines, irons, you name it...and that one tiny 10' room contains nearly $100,000.00 in merchandise!

I have two children, both boys. Both not on their own in this economy. Both with NO inclination of making a family yet, since they are still NOT on their own. Should I ever get grands, those quilts are already made. NO need to keep the baby fabrics!
The boys both have 6 quilts now and each has a UFO that will be a wedding gift(should that ever happen)! My entire family is quilted out..as in they do not want/need any more quilts from me!

SO...why do I keep all of this stuff?
This is NOT my only passion in life...I no longer have my store, I no longer teach classes...it no longer brings me joy when I see it, it just STUFF that is weighing me down....so...it is all going...
I will never recoup 1/2 of what I have spent on all this stuff...nobody wants to inherit it..so I came to the realization that it just needs to go. Hopefully it will bring someone else some joy/happiness.

Mary,

I think you should be proud of your admission. It sounds to me like you hate to bind - or is that binding represents finishing and letting go? Were the almost done quilts made for charities, for family or just for the pleasure of creating? If you have some for charity - I would be glad to bind them for you and then ship them directly to the charity that you specify. If you pay to ship them to me I'll pay to ship them to the charity. Just PM me.

Change is very difficult in these situations. Small steps mean a lot.

Some once told me that "Yard by yard, it's hard. Inch by inch it's a cinch!". Be patient and kind to yourself!

sharon

I had to make some Adjustments myself recently.... I finally got into my head a method that helped me get moving.
I had to play a mind game with myself to prioritize. I asked myself If my house was burning and I could only make two trips into the sewing room, and could only take what I ccould carry what would it be?
Some say you can never have too much fabric .. but I do believe it is possible... and it can actually inhibit us in doing what we love.
I completely inderstand your situation. We are here for you. Wish I lived closer so I could help you...at mimium get some of those quilts bound.

Same situation here.
One of the things I've done is delete all e-mails from quilting resources/vendors w/o opening.
Hasn't stopped me buying, but has cut it way down.

[quote=Prism99]Wow! I've been in fabric rehab for awhile, with my stash not growing, so feel I have a right to contribute to this thread.

In my case, I simply stopped going to fabric stores and stopped looking online (had stopped going to garage sales several years ago). That has helped a lot!

What strikes me as unusual about your case is the multitude of unfinished quilts. I think you need to learn how to do binding and then warm your heart by finding people/charities who can actually use your quilts. Maybe find ways to display some of your quilts in your house too.

Concerning binding, here are links to my favorite method by Leah Day for completely machine binding quilts (much faster than finishing by hand):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wprg5vzkuGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRfA...eature=related

Thank you so much Prism99 for the websites. I could have used them yesterday when I was doing my first binding on a gift for my Mom's birthday next month. I didn't come across them when I searched the web. Well, I have them now and have taken notes and bookmarked them for future use. :)

I do not have a fabric addiction because I can't afford to have one. I know what would happen if I could though. :) :) :) Good Luck to you ArizonQuilts1

The first thing to do is unsubscribe from all those store newsletters. I have done that too. The second thing to do is learn a good method for binding and get those out of the way.

Put yourself on a BBB diet. Only buy fabric if you *MUST* have it for borders, binding or backing to finish a quilt!

Sort and organize everything. Hauling all your fabric out and sorting and organizing it can satisfy the need to just play with fabric without buying and adding to the problem. Plus when it's in a giant pile in the middle of the room you'll see new and interesting fabric combinations that'll inspire you.

I have not reached that yet; however, I can see it in the future if I do not change my ways. I will keep checking back on the blog to see if there is help. Depression is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Some would laugh at this but I started out using my quilting to get out of the depression and now find that in order to prevent the depression I must plan a home for the quilts I make. This does make me feel good and have been able to prevent depression from setting in.
good luck!

I completely understand as I am in the same boat. I went to a yard sale this morning and "hit the jackpot" for the first time ever..... huge tote of cotton fabric for $30.00. I just LOVE fabric.

I am washing it and preparing to wrap it to place in my bookshelves where all my other stash resides... but this is it. I have GOT to stop. Time to finish my UFOs (about 12) and utilize my beautiful stash into quilts that can be used.

I'm pledging right now..... NO MORE FABRIC PURCHASES UNTIL MY UFOS ARE COMPLETE!!!!!

I'm not even going to look and tempt myself. Enough is enough. I can do it... I can do it!!!!

I have allowed myself in 2011 the 4 Bs...batting, backing, border, and background. I don't have the stash that I see some quilters have and I am doing this to not become one of "those" quilters. Take baby steps and you will recover. Many have offered great suggestions to get you started. Hang in there it will happen.

My name is Linda and I'm a Fabricholic.

Mary, you can do it. You sound like me only on a larger scale. Are your UFO's quilted? One difference is I love binding. I see several have offered to bind your quilts, and I would add my name to the list. Send a pm if you are interested. Once the quilt is finished, you can decide what to do with it.
Sue

Sell, sell, sell here on the QB. You will then be able to afford rehab. However, realize that you will be helping another person become addicted!!

I'am so sorry to say I can not be counted on! :lol: You just can't count on a Addict to help I would Only lead you to the nearest Quilt store! :lol:

Mary,
Thank you for sharing your "fabric, quilt issue" with all of us. I think we all really enjoy (some love) the fabrics and what we can make with them. But recognizing that you are going to make some changes by planning the "undo" is a great step. If I lived closer, I would bind a few quilts. If you have fellow quilters who can help you do a few that would be great. Especially if you would donate them to a charitable organization. Just ask them, order some pizzas, put some music on and dig in. We are all here for support.

Go through your fabric stash. If you do applique or make scrap quilts keep 1/4 yd of each fabric. Put the rest in a box or clean trash bag.

Keep a few fabrics for background and/or backing and binding.

Take the rest to your local quilt guild for their charity quilts. Or give it to a local Prayers and Squares Ministry (many churches have them).

My criteria....look at each piece of fabric....it is either:
loved the fabric when I bought it, no longer love it, will never use it in a quilt....goes into charity bag.

OR: If you say loved the fabric when I bought it, still love it and will really use it in a quilt, keep it.

I once gave our local guild 26 plastic trash bags of fabric. It was sooooo freeing and you get a tax donation slip :).

Find a way to get back to being oriented toward people, not stuff. Can you volunteer to teach quilting for a group like 4H, girl scouts,or some shelter or the adult ed program in your area. You could use your plentiful resources that way and feel good about it.
And for the UFO's have a party of friends or a church women's group come over and bind quilts, with a door prize drawing for one of the finished projects. The finished projects donate to good causes for their raffles or sales. (Suggest prices for the items, it helps them to realize the worth.)
You are right to deal with this at this time--it is amazing how quickly a blessing can become a burden.
Once you clear out the surplus, you will find joy in the craft again, perhaps after taking a break to persue some other activity.

Good luck, Mary. I'm pulling for you!
I need to stop buying fabric, too, until I get a few of the 18 projects on my list (fabric already bought) done...but I bought for three more projects this week! Bad me...bad me...

I would like to personally come over and volunteer to watch over your stash while you are in rehab. :-)

Hello . . . . my name is "Susie, and I am a Fabric Addict"!

Do you need a roommate for rehab?

Mary, good luck with the rehab. I, like you, hate to do binding. I can do the machine stitching on the one side but it takes me forever to do the hand stitching. I've tried machine stitching both sides but don't like the results. I have, however, found someone I can pay to do the binding. You might want to search for someone who would do that in order to finish some of your almost completed quilts. After they are completed, then you could decide what you wanted to do with them. As for as your overall quilting addiction, afraid that another addict can't offer a lot of help.

I too am trying to cut back on fabric purchases by deleting emails w/o reading. Fabric purchasing has been reduced but not totally eliminated.

Wish I could offer more help.

My thanks to all of you who provided such great support and suggestions. Some of the ideas had never even dawned on me! I knew this group could help. I'm deleting all of my links and opting out of all the ads/newsletters now. Most of that is done and I think that's enough for the day. Besides, I want to get some sewing time in so I can get this huge DWR quilt finished.

I have not decided what I want to do next......gid rid of stash or go thru the pile of quilts. Thanks to all who offered to help bind and donate. That is so darn wonderful.

Now I am off to finish deleting all this stuff off my computer. Then I'll get into my studio to sew and think about what I will accomplish tomorrow.

Thank you for the help quilters!

Mary

Mary....my DH and I will be in Chandler in Sept. for a missions conference. If you should happen to want to donate any of these unfinished quilts to charity, I would gladly make sure they make it to a Polish lady's home. I will also finish the binding (I do it all by machine for charity quilts.). I could handle up to about 5 or 6 as they would probably have to go in our luggage...

Not saying that you SHOULD give them away, but honestly, if they are a burden to you, I would gladly pass a few of them on to people who really could use them. :) It's better than just letting them sit in your house and make you feel guilty.

This post is great! Thanks for writing it out.

I'd had quite a few UFOs due to so much being donated to me, but I've gotten it down to just a sailboat quilt and a basket quilt (the squares are done--donated to me) and I think one more that I cut out a couple of years ago. The rest of the tops are made. (I'm not worried about finishing up the rest of the way--I'm more worried about unfinished tops since I usually try to finish up the sandwiching and such in a group), but being overwhelmed by too many quilts cut out and started at once is not a nice feeling.

My current count of 3 or 4 projects is fine as it means I can work on what I'm in the mood for. Having 10-12 started or going at once is too much even for me... :) I'm almost caught up now. I've been working on scrappy things this year to try to get control of my sewing room again...and I've made several scrappy tops. Someday I'll get my kids to hold them and take pics.

But I did have a crisis earlier this year when I couldn't get into my sewing room. So, I folded my fabric, put my started projects in one spot and cut up most of my myriads of scraps/leftovers--fabric that was cut off the edges after binding, etc. I got rid of one piece of furniture which wasn't really fitting the need I had, and moved two big portable wardrobes in there and use them to put my totes of freshly folded fabric in.

I still have some of a mess (esp. compared to some who post here), but at least I don't feel overwhelmed anymore and
can get in my sewing room and sew and actually know where things are. I find the piles happen regularly though, so I have to keep cleaning it up!

Hello, Mary. My name is BarbaraSue and I'm a fabriholic.

Too much "stuff" makes me paralized. I understand your plight. Making mostly charityquilts now. Feels good to get some out of the house. Never any complaints about design or color choice. Try it. Have fun!

we can be roommates at rehab!

mary, thanks for the thread. I don't have as much as you as I don't have the room. I also decided not to purchase any more fabric after really looking at what I already have (and getting the bills for my online shopping). Can't believe how fast it adds up. I don't mind binding at all. Wish I was closer to you so I could help. Your post may have sounded funny. But....it's not funny when what we have starts to cause us anxiety. Just think of all the people that will benefit from what you have. GOD bless you. Things will get better and you will feel so gooooood. Hugs BrendaK

I have recently started this rehab as well, there certianly comes a time. It is hard and i still struggle but am doing better. Stay strong......

I want to wish you all the best, Mary. I can't imagine having that much stuff in my home. I hope you find the strength to do what you need to do to make you life better. {{{Hugs}}}