As in... while most of us are still "collecting"... has anyone here ever wanted to do the reverse, and un-collect, or part with their fabrics?

If so, what do you think caused your change of mind?

Nah, I just want to use mine! I have about 6 tops that need to be quilted and about 10 projects in various stages of completion.

Um...yeah. I guess I just have a hankering for more sophisticated fabrics, and when I bought some of my stash, I was in more of the "pretty, dainty, pink" phase. So, I'd better start sewing so I can put it to good use before I absolutely hate some of them. :P

i am right with you Pam..i do use my stash...but would never dream of giving it up,unless it was going to help out another quilter!

I would love to deplete my stash so I can rationalize buying more. When I buy now, I feel guilty because I have so much at home. (That doesn't stop me, however).
I've opened my stash to my quilting group and selling it for less than half of what I paid for it.

Get outta here! :lol:

At one time I was giving away my 80s and early 90s stash as most of them were not colorfast. I had inherited lots from a couple of elderly family members pass away who were avid sewers. I've pretty well only got fabrics from 2000 and up.

Oh, yes, I've wanted to deplete my stash....so I have 2 scrappy quilts started. But, OH, I need a green to go with that, and a blue with that one......so now I have MORE stash than when I started out!!!!

I've donated some of my stash to charity work and send some to wonderful people on this board. I sometimes wonder why I bought some of the fabrics that I did, but still plan on using them in a quilt. Even though I've given fabric away I don't plan on getting rid only adding more to my stash. My tastes have changed over the years.

I think that is true of all of us. In spite of inheriting alot of fabric from family members I do not always like what I get because my tastes have changed alot. I donate alot of fabric to a local ladies group who sew quilts for charity and they are more than happy to get it. So I don't feel like I'm wasting, just passing it on and buying fabric that more suits what I like. I don't carry alot of stash. Mostly fabrics I can't live without and lots of neutrals and backing that I find on sale.

I gave a bunch to Craftybug last year and she was thrilled. Makes me want to give her more. And as someone said, it gives me reason to buy more. Mainly it's because I had gone through the entire stash and found there were some that I had "fallen out of love with". Rather than throw them away, I decided to hand them off and let someone else enjoy something that, for her, is new.

I do have some fabric this I think is 'dated' and some that I just don''t care for anymore that I give to a friend who works in the activity center of a nursing home. They will take anything!

I'd like to use mine up but I have a LOVE of 30's and Civil War repros and am trying to build up my collections of those. If I had a computer & camera at home I'd list some of mine for sale. (We're hoping to get a computer set up at home in the next couple of months)

Mary B MS

You're kidding, right?? :lol: :lol:

I had (and still do) a lot of small pieces that I would not do anything with but take up room and I made my sons "Happy Scrappy". The only thing about it was I needed a couple of colors so I cut up some of my bigger pieces and now they are in the too small to use for anything else pile!!

Billy

I did a good job- reduced 14 tubs of fabric by 2. But I just realized I filled one back up again. Need to get back to work of giving some away and sending some to my dd. She just started sewing and quilting. I love to use it for packing material.

NO WAY!! :mrgreen:

I don't have enough stash to get rid of. I think I'm down to about enough to make two or three quilts.

Two years ago before we moved, I went through my stash piece by piece and gave my daughter a couple boxes full of fabric. She just learned how to quilt and I thought she should have her own stash! Most of it was somewhat dated and my tastes have changed over the years and some of the cutsey country fabric didn't suit me anymore, but she was happy to have them. There was one fabric that I gave her, and after she made it into a quilt, I was sooo sorry!! It turned out so cute, I wanted it back!!!! Now, I pretty much love all the fabric in my stash, and I'm using it and trying not to buy any new fabric for a while.

Yes, in a way I guess I have. I would never toss any fabric but I get a kick out of giving a friend a piece of fabric that she totally loves and has quilt that is perfect for it. I also get a special thrill out of making a quilt exclusively from my stash fabrics. I can't explain it but I really enjoy seeing the space open up a little when I use some fabric. There is nothing quite like a drawer or shelf that is empty. It seems I've always had too much stuff for the space so open space is like a breath of fresh air. Also, I love, love, love "reducing my stash by making a quilt and giving it to someone that loves it! Don't we all! :D

Not long ago some friends and I did a swap. In order to freshen up our stashes, we swapped some of the fabrics we were really tired of looking at. No money spent and new fabrics to use.

What a dreadful thought, doing away with my stash. After a stressful day my stash calms me down. I don't mind sharing with others infact I enjoy doing that. My quilting area sits behind the livingroom couch so sometimes I will just sit there and watch tv. There is just something calming about it.

yeah, right LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

If you really want to reduce your stash I'll send you my snail mail address. :lol:

Yes, I am trying to reduce my stash. I have a friend who is teaching quilting in her high school. So I have given her quite a bit of my fabric. I too love 30's, but now I am thinking of reducing that stash too. I will never use all that fabric plus the kits.

Sell your 30's here and I will even buy it if I see your thread. I would love to start adding to my 30's stash!

Seriouly, I am trying to reduce my stash by making do with what I have and then I can add to it by because hopefully by then, summer 2011, I will be out of school and have a job so that I can pay for fabric w/o taking it out of the budget.

I am currently getting rid of some of my stash on Bonanzle. I have to in order to buy more! Fabric is a true weakness for me. I would buy it all if I could! :)

I have a quilt stash and a general sewing/crafts stash. I seriously need to reduce the general sewing stash...either make whatever I bought the fabric for or give it to someone who will. Also, when my mom moved several years ago, I got a lot of her fabric and I'm not even sure it would hold up for anything. My actual "quilt stash" isn't that big but my other stash certainly is!

I don't have that much stash ... seriously ... I wish I had more ... and I've spent way more lately than I should ... but I joined a swap and I must purchase fabric to complete the swap ... right ... right???

*it's all a matter of justification*

i continuously 'weed' my stash ... you know i can take one yard of fabric, cut a few blocks out and wind up with 15-20 pieces of fabric...my fabric multiply's uncontrollably...if i didn't weed and pass on and share weekly i would have to buy a new house just to keep it all.:)

I finally sat down with my "Stash" and got patterns I want to do and found fabrics that would work and put them in a project box with the pattern. Now it's a UFO right?LOL
I give to Project Linus also and friends on this board in need. Still have three full walls of fabric. My hubby makes wonderful shelving for me. She who dies with the most fabric wins. I also have a Fabric WIll. Everything in this room goes to Project Linus for kids. Hubby has all the info on who to call, etc. If I could only teach him to quilt.

I donated to the girls in FFA (9-10 yr olds) that are leaning to sew, they were making shirts and matching doll outfits that made their day they were really appreciative who knows maybe future quilters and they'll remember how they got "hooked"

Thats my sentiments exactly!!

Billy

I GAVE ALOT TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER WHO'S A BEGINNING QUILTER. SHE LIKES LITTLE FLOWERS ON LIGHT BKGD WHICH I MUST HAVE AT SOME POINT AS I HAD ALOT.
I GIVE FABRIC TO QUILTERS WHO MAKE ALOT OF CHARITY QUILTS. I'VE OPENED MY STASH OF BATIKS, 30'S, SPORTS AND ANIMALS TO FRIENDS WHO'VE NEEDED SOME.
I'VE ALSO GIVEN ALOT TO A GAL IN ONE OF MY GUILDS WHO PASSES IT ON TO FINANCIALLY-STRAPPED QUILTERS AT HER LOCAL SENIOR CENTER.
PROBABLY A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YARDS IN ALL; HASN'T EVEN MADE A DENT

I have always had fabric on hand from the days I was making clothes for my family. I didn't call it a stash. Just fabric I couldn't bear to part with. Now I can't imagine just getting rid of my stash. What if I gave away that wonderful old big flower print today and tomorrow I had this great idea for a broderie perse border! I would have to search all the outlet stores for more.

I have already told my daughters (who don't sew) to give all my sewing equipment and fabrics to the small quilting group I go to.

I still love most of mine and dream of more. I use alot of it. I want to get more blenders.

NO that thought has never crossed my mind.....I do give some away like the lady that asked for scraps for her mother, I'm sending a shoe box, want to check on the cost of postage before I send a bigger box. I get tired of my scraps, I don't know if anyone else does or not.

Yeah, I get rid of stuff from time to time. I usually give it to other quilters, local girls club, etc. They way I look at is a good dinner out would be gone the next day; once you read a book, it generally just sits on the shelf till I donate it, too. But fabric, I take out and match up in different combinations; think about the pretty quilts it will make etc. If i end up giving it away and NOT making a quilt, at least I've usually gotten my entertainment's money's worth from it!!! Not to say how much fun I had choosing it at the shop!!

i am making 3 crazy quits and need scraps.if anybody wants to get rid of there scraps i pay poastage.they have to be at least 7inches or bigger.

Yes because a lot of my fabric is dated and I feel guilty buying more. I have some of my fabric for 10 years. I know that if I have not used it by now I will never use it. Now please help with ideas to un-collect