I must have been addicted most of my life. Whenever I went shopping with my mom,(when I was about 10), she said she always knew she would find me in the fabric section. I wasn't sewing then (not until in high school), but just can't resist fabric. The 1st question my dh used to ask when I returned from shopping was, "how much did you buy this time". Now to use it up before I die.

In order to use it up before I die, I'll probably live to be at least a couple hundred years old!!!

I can't leave my children a trust fund, so they will have to inherit my stash.

ok dose it count if you look and dream but don't buy?

I figure that when I die, the kids can sell all my material and quilt books etc. and go to Disney World.

The next problem for anyone addicted to fabric is where to hide the stash. Have you heard the Cathy Miller song? Too funny.

You're not alone...My MIL is a terrible enabler. It's a good thing her son is very understanding.

An addiction is a desease, and I have it bad! My mother had gone through the Depression and taught me to save every scrap. I have also work in fabric stores for the discount--haow's that for an addiction. So now admittedly in my sixties, I have two bedrooms, and three walk-in closets filled with boxes of fabric. I even gave up on buying boxes, and ask for the empty bolts from fabric stores. The worst part is that I have no IDEA what I have! It's easier to go to the store and buy more fabric! When we go on vacations, I take my quilter's atlas with me to visit different shops. How pathetic. The addiction doesn't get better; but it is great insulation, it's good excercize to heft it from one place to another, and it's calorie free! Enjoy the colors, the textures, the hand, and the joy of playing with it all!

I am grounded from buying any more fabric for quilts right now. I have enough to finish probably at least 40. No more shopping, right?

Well, I was holding strong until I went to the LQS for just one pattern. And I left with enough fabric to make two purses and a stuffed toy. I figure it's all in the justification. I technically didn't buy fabric for a quilt...

yes it does

I love reading about the fabric addiction from all of you..
I feel I know all of you....I read and laugh so hard ....
Just love it!!!!!!

I have two girls who are grown and on their own. Their bedrooms and the walk-in closet are now my sewing rooms. The closet serves as a fabric and clothing closet. Took the doors off and it is open and easy to get into. There is mostly fabric in there though. One small bedroom holds a quilt frame and the other bigger one is the main sewing room. I enjoy having the up stairs to my self.

my guilt has diminished since this fabric addiction thread came about so needless to say my stash is growing rapidly it's a wonderful service this guilt intervention you have created for us all
thank you for all your help and support lol lol
memathaomas

I had turned my upstairs into my sewing room (approx. 2000 sq ft.) Then my DH said, "What happens when the kids come home for a visit?" So finally I set up a couple of beds and even put a few chairs, a couch and a tv up there. It actually made an even better sewing room because now if I need a break or a nap everything is right there. Of course the rooms are still full of fabric and they have to live out of their suitcases because the closets and dressers are full but it's only for a week or two. And they also have to navigate around the tubs of stored fabric, the cutting tables, the machines, etc. :lol: I just love being up there--surrounded by all those fabrics, books, sewing machines, templates, and other things.

I have the stach - where do I buy the "time" to use it all...thanks for all the comments - they are soo funny got my giggle for the day

I'm a beginner and just have a little bitty stash. Today I decided that I would hang the lengths of fabric in one of the two walk in closets in the craftroom. That way I get a much better look at it. Plus the creases won't get any worse. It was so nice looking and touching each one. They are for the geisha window quilt that I plan to make next year. Well in the fall anyway. I'm very excited about it but I want to finish the sampler I'm doing now before I start that one.

To Irish Jan--there is a little pirate in all of us I think. We love our treasure chests of silks and cottons; wools and denims; and oh, those lovely patterns we pay so much to possess. YARRRGGHHH (As many times that I've whipped fabric out of stacks and felt the sting of a selvage hitting my eye--I should be wearing an eye patch!) We have our favorite shops X'd on our brains (X does mark the spot) and we can jump ship when we see the glint of their windows. But time, time is what we lack. So how does a good fabric-pirate handle such a problem?? We STEAL it, my dear!! If we've found the time to find the fabric, we can pillage the time to play with it! Long Live the Stash!! Arrggh

Thank you Fox, now can you tell me how to get rid of a needy husband that wants me with him all the time so -that I have some space to "steal time" He does play a quitar - soes anyone need maybe a 3 hr seranade to get him out of my space????

I found that threatening bodily harm works well. If that fails put him to work pressing, cutting, squaring up, etc.

I'd go along with threatening bodily harm...that works well. But after 41 years of marriage I found a unique way of handling that problem. He took a job on the east coast for two years, while I stay in the midwest. It's a little on the drastic side, but I do have time to myself to pillage and forage through my treasures...and he's out there on the coast scouting out new quilt shops for my next visit. "Quilt shop, on the horizon Matey!" So here now in the midwest I can haunt all the shops without him taking any notice. But you know, you could threaten him with an inspiration threat. See who can come up with new idea about a quilt, or a new (and exceptionally long song) about a quilt. If your husband is like mine...you'd lose. But he may give you more time if he didn't like the challenge!

Or...drop him off on a desserted island...

My stach grows each time I visit a quilt show or quilt show. My DD usually goes with me. She will say, buy this or don't but that. I asked her once, why she was so picky about what I bought. She replied that she was the only DD who quilts and she would inherit the remainder of my stash and she wanted to like what she got. I had to laugh at that!!

lol that's great. Give your daughter a hug for me.

Three of mom's daughters quilt and one doesn't sew at all (although she's the one that taught me to) So three of us took back what we'd given mom and split the rest. Mom had 6 quilts that she'd quilted and 6 kids so it worked out well. Your daughter's a dandy.

I live in the country of Ok. I am fortunately right next door to my fab shop.She prices her fabs for the rural pocketbook. She buys fab of shops going out of business and mill ends etc. Now this a.m. she stopped at my house and told me that she had just gotten in 2000 bolts of new fab did I want to come over and look at it.I immediately grabbed the old check book to see if I could possibly squeexe any more out of it. lol Jolo

Ohh, can I come too? How long will it take me to get there from Illinois? Don't leave without me. ;-D
How wonderful to have a shop so close. My closest is a 30 minute drive. But there's 5 within 30 minutes and couple of others within 45. Sometimes I just make a mini shop hop day of my own and travel around to several of them in one day. *

Lucky you to have that many within a 30 minute drive. The closest one is about 10 minutes but they are so rude and snotty there (quiilt police or elitists in full force) that I only go if it's a dire emergency like I need a spool of thread that's the corrrect color. Rarely shop there and rarely recommend them either.

I was in a shop one day (thankfully it's out of business now) and mentioned Joann's. One of the saleswomen said with a very hateful tone, "I would hope you would never compare our fabric with the trash that Joann's carries." I looked up toward the ceiling and in a loud voice said, "Lord please save us from the elitists." I looked at the woman and said, "Fabric doesn't have to cost $10 a yard to make a quilt. Some of the most beautiful quilts I've ever seen have Bull Durham bags used for the white in them." Then I set the rulers and other things that I was going to purchase down and said "These probably won't work on fabric from Joann's, Hancocks, and Walmart" and I left.

Yes, I agree, it's wonderful.

You've got the "bug"----all the signs are there......

I just wish I was there to give you my coupon from Joann's to use. (we are hours aways from the closest one but I still get all of their advertising)

Joann's usually has coupons in-store too. AND I don't know if all of them do this and they don't advertise it but here Hancocks will honor Joann's coupons. Now remember, they don't advertise it so we have to kind of keep it under wraps, okay?

raptureready: I appauld your use of sarcasim at the store. Their rudeness is probably what closed them.

raptureready: I agree with Fox and applaud your use of sarcasm. I agree that fabric doesn't have to $10/yard to be beautiful but I do check very closely Joann's fabric as well as Hancock's b/c I gotten misprints and blank spots on fabric from both of those stores. Buyer beware no matter where you shop!!!

I have too but I've also found them at the expensive shops. I watch what I purchase, I think you have to. Maybe I'm just very intollerant of snobbishness.

Perhaps we all should be less tolerant--there is no reason for us to spend our money where we're going to looked down on, or worse, talked about after we leave. I have bought a lot of fabric on the internet, and every place has been very kind. Unfortunately I haven't always been crazy about the hand of the fabric when it got here, but if I use it in small amounts as in a scrap quilt, they work in nicely.

There's a lady in one of my classes that's a perfectionist. I applaud her. That I don't mind, it's just when people begin to think they've actually achieved perfection...
She told me one day not to substitute a different gold. I had enough to do all the blocks but not the cornerstones and borders. She said, Every time you look at it you'll remember that you had to compromise. I told her No, everytime I look at it I'll think WOW I finally finished that one and it's a beauty----and I do.

Good for you!

I agree with you. There would be no quilts if they had to do as our moms and grandmothers did for fabric. I remember my DEAR mom saving the tails of my Dads shirts, the legs of his jeans, the skirts of our dresses. to make quilt. I remember her saving a smallllll piece of the flour,sugar and feed sacks to match for a quilt. I even remember (as an a side) getting dishes out of Quaker Oats boxes. lol. Thank God for our nice shops,Joanne,w-m and hancock. jolo

I agree with you. There would be no quilts if they had to do as our moms and grandmothers did for fabric. I remember my DEAR mom saving the tails of my Dads shirts, the legs of his jeans, the skirts of our dresses. to make quilt. I remember her saving a smallllll piece of the flour,sugar and feed sacks to match for a quilt. I even remember (as an a side) getting dishes out of Quaker Oats boxes. lol. Thank God for our nice shops,Joanne,w-m and hancock. jolo

Good for you, I hope she understood your message to her. Penny