Has your stash grown?
 

WOW looking back at my OLD posts and came across this thread
that I started back in 2011.

Fabric Stash


Now my question in 2016 is has your stash grown, reduced, or
stayed the same?

Is it more organized than it was back than? or a bigger mess?
How many quilts have you made with what is in your stash?


To answer my own questions:
My stash has grown out of control in the last 5 years. To the
point that I am trying to downsize the amount I have. My bin
count is at about 55-65 bins that are 58qt size, not counting
all the other misc. sizes. Oh and than there is all the fabric I
have folded onto bolts.

The ONLY fabric I do not plan to downsize the amounts of are
my white tone on tone, and a few others that I have selected
for special projects.

It is LESS organized right now, but I AM in the process of trying
to fix that problem with the aid of my new shelves, and comic
boards.

Mine has grown quite a bit from 2011 until now. I really need to stop buying and start using mine to get it down as it is getting out of hand.

Mine has grown a lot, although much I have are leftover pieces from quilts I've made. Not much is any amount of yardage. I have only bought what's been needed to finish a quilt, ie. borders, backing and sashing. I am making more scrappy quilts. I haven't been sewing near as much as I was a year ago. My eyesight and agility of my hands has decreased. I will be having cataract surgery later this spring.

Wow! That photo of your stash is astounding. I lost my job last year so I haven't been able to purchase anything quilt related. I don't have a huge stash or even a big stash. Sometimes I feel sad that I may not have enough fabric to make the quilts I would like to make.

I have bought very little fabric the last 2 years, but I have been going through the fabric I have and giving away what I do not like to the church for charity quilts -- my stash is still way too big for the space I have now but I still love a lot of it so need to get started making quilts.

Mine seems to have grown too. But I have sent away a lot of my scraps when they get out of control.

Your question made me chuckle... I haven't heard yet of a quilter's stash really getting smaller! :o To answer the question about mine: It did grow quite a bit last year although it's still "small" in comparison with some other's. It fits on two shelves in a cupboard. But about a year ago, I barely had any stash, so it has probably grown by about 200%!

Mine is about the same since the Canadian Dollar is way down. I buy only
what I need to complete a project and not much more. A good reason to
use up the old stash (small). :):thumbup:

Mine has grown slightly in the past few years, mostly due to leftovers from projects and when I buy, it's usually for the finishers - sashing, backing or borders etc.
Having said that, I have taken on some new projects that I had nothing suitable in my stash for, so off to the fabric store.
Like EasyPeasy, I have limited my US$ purchases significantly in the past year.

I am part of the Fabric Moratorium Group on the QB. 'Nuff said.

Mine EXPLODED last year! I do have it all in one walk in closet, but it is too much. I am really trying to not buy much this year. My stash is full of lovely fabrics, so no excuse!!😁

Mine grew because a quilt store retired, and I purchased LOTS of fabric at $3 and $5 a yard. On the positive side, I have made 6 quilts since late October, and used the purchase in all of them. Still have some yardage to go, but several quit patterns in mind. Sharon and Gaga aren't helping me in reducing fabric at all...haha. They seem to know all the sales in the area!

My stash has grown considerably since 2011 but my stash is actually quilt kits I put together. If I saw fabric for a quilt I wanted to make, I bought all the fabric to make it because once it gone, it's gone. I worked so much, family, etc., I didn't have much time for quilting. Even most of my fat quarters are earmarked for quilts. It's organized - backings & longer cuts are on foam boards cut the size of bolts and are on shelves in quilt groups. Other "kits" with patterns are in baskets on shelves along with a few kits I bought. Fat quarters are in the shoe storage cubbies. A few things are just laying on shelves. I am working it down some now since I retired. I should add I organized my stash when I moved in to our new house three years ago. DH finally got my sewing area finished just a year ago. Still need the sink in the bar area hooked up and the light by the shower in the bathroom installed. That's what happens when your DH is your contractor!

My stash has also exploded since 2011. It is also in such a mess that if I think of a particular piece for something, I usually cannot find it. I have 2 climate controlled storage units full of fabric and other sewing things -- also in a huge mess! On a more positive note, I am a member of the Fabric moratorium and has done much better than in previous years!

Linda in MO

Last time I bought fabric was before Thanksgiving. Maybe before Halloween.

Definitely grown. I have 2 double closets with shelves full of plastic totes, with fabric organized by color and themes. Since I don't normally make scrappy quilts, it seems that I always "need" something. I try not to get attached to new fabric lines, but I don't have a lot of will power. My husband is only going to work maybe another year and then things wil be different. I'll be forced to go more scrappy to use what I have. It will be fine - a new adventure.

Mine has certainly grown. It got a large addition when I ran into a set of three tubs full of fat quarters for $10.00 per tub. I knew I could never afford that much fabric if I had to buy it at regular prices, so it came home with me. My unspoken rule is...If you see it and you have never seen it before and probably won't run onto it again and there is any money left in your purse,.....buy it.....so I did. I make my own rules up.

my stash has grown modestly... I started quilting from scratch 5 years ago and I have been pretty disciplined with sticking to my original plan of only buying with a project in mind. Like Gramajo and GEMRM posted, my scraps have grown from having leftover pieces from borders, backing and unused cuts... which I have now organized into 3 totes labeled crumbs, strips and larger scrap pieces.

I am often envious of members who have larger stashes to shop from... but until I get my sewing room built over our garage I'll have to stick to my plan.

My stash has grown. I had to move the flannel out of the cabinet & up into the sewing room's closet, to make room for more 100% cotton! It's also more organized. I've just come to the realization that I need another cabinet. I should check and see if pier 1 imports still carries the same one...

My stash has outgrown my space; however, while I still purchase fabric from time to time, it is usually fabric I need for a specific project.

Mine keeps growing and growing, too. But I think it is because I get "tired" of making different quilts with the same fabric patterns. Currently am working on a "bed spread" queen size organized scrappy.....and still haven't made a dent in what I have. But it sure was "fun" in the beginning!

Mine is about the same. I sold some of my stash on eBay and have given some pieces to friends. Still trying to get organized.

My stash has decreased. I started several years ago using my stash. Except for one quilt, I have only bought what I needed to complete a quilt.

You will be amazed how much better your eyesight will be after your cataract surgery. Had mine done last year and can see better without glasses than I could with glasses before surgery. I think you will be pleased.

Ah, my stash! I had good intentions when I started quilting...only buy with I need for the quilt I am doing. Yah, that didn't last very long. I had a manageable amount of fabric and was organized. Over the past few years it has grown by leaps and bounds! Thinking I would retire this past year, I decided to buy what I see and like so I would have fabric when I retired. Oh what fun that was! Then a friend lost her mother, who was a life long quilter. She is getting rid of closets full of fabric and said I could have all I want. She has already given me 5 tubs of fabric and lots of books and magazines, and she is not done yet! Then I had an accident and they totaled my car, so we had to purchase a new one...... life plans change and I will continue to work through 2016 to pay this new car off. Soooo, I have lots and lots of fabric and can't wait to have more time to "play" with it. In the mean time I will try, very hard, not to purchase any more.....oh, but I do need whites and basic colors!!! Yes, the saga goes on!!!

My stash has grown considerably but I am trying to downsize by using as much of it as I possibly can. 2 out of 3 of the quilts I'm working on right now all came from the stash and scrap bins so I'm happy about that. My organization is much better though so I can find what I'm looking for more easily. I'm also those quilts I made a couple years ago quilted so working toward an empty rack there. Have one more large quilt to go and the wallhanging I've got on the frame at the moment and I'll be caught up..........no UFO's left. Even got some of the clothing projects done in the past couple months. Already have a cupboard filled with projects for this year and have started on 1 of them, added a BOM at my local fabric store and Bonnie Hunter's mystery project (all from my scraps and stash..:-).............) I also started making a chart for the fabric collections I keep in stock as well as the quilting threads so I know how much I have at any given time.

Mine looks a lot like yours. I now only buy if I need something to go with what I need. It's great because the cost of fabric has gone up so much.

smaller. I quit buying fabric in October 2001. Best decision I ever made.
Fortunately I'd only ever bought fabric I liked, NEVER just because it was on sale. So I still love all my fabric.

Going on the fabric wagon was part of the results in doing FlyLady and spending 9 months going through ever closet, drawer, windowsill :) etc in my home. And admitting I was being a terrible steward of our money.

Do I want it, or Need it?
Did I take what I saved to the bank and put it in a savings account?
If not I didn't save anything, I only spent money.

Are your retirement accounts fully funded?
Are your children's college accounts fully funded?
Do you have any consumer debt at all?

Just some thoughts from the other side of the slippery slope.

Remember the BLOB? It just kept growing and growing and growing.............. . Well, my stash has developed a life of its own and is now busily eating up the room in which it lives. I can still find what I am looking for (98% of the time), but it is getting dicey. The sewing room is now a storage room and I am sewing on the dinning room table (AGAIN).

Since 2011 I would say is when I required the majority of my stash. I do have a limited amount of space though and am now trying to use only what I have. I've also got moving on my mind in the next few years, so have started to go through it....sold some fabric and gave some away in the last year....but think I still ended up with more this year than last. I keep it mostly in 20-25qt bins, with one shelving unit having neatly piled fabric. I keep trying to get rid of OTHER items so I can use basement shelving for fabric lol!

It's grown only with fabric I've bought and used for quilts. I bought one piece of fabric 3 years ago "just because I liked it" and its still in the cupboard!

I have not bought much fabric in the last 3-4 years. I have no fear of running out. The church quilting group that I belong to is always asking me if I can put a quilt or two together from donated fabrics. I always try to use some of my stash in these quilts but somehow or other, my stash still 'GROWS'. I have about only 20 totes and sure did feel wonderful when I read posts telling about the amounts of stash that some members have.

Mine has really grown. I am trying to downsize but with prices what they are today, I hate to get rid of fabric if I might need it later. I probably won't live long enough to use it all up but I am trying!

I did not see a photo.

It has grown, but at a much slower pace in the past 2 years. I've realized I can't buy everything:(.

I have managed to eliminate one or two totes of my stash, despite my efforts to use it up. I swear it multiplies while I'm sleeping. I'm on a limited budget so I try to buy just what I need for projects and use up my stash, but I don't see a lot of progress. Maybe this year, since I may have hopefully had my last hospital visit and rehab for a long while. The last 2 years I was very limited in what I could do because of 2 shoulder surgeries, the first to repair a badly torn rotator cuff, then having that shoulder replaced, which has made a huge difference. I'm finally able to do things without a lot of pain, so I'm catching up on all my UFO's and projects I have been unable to work on, so hopefully 2016 will be a very productive year for me, especially since I have a table at 2 fairs this year. Wish me luck.

Mine has grown, but I've also given, sold, and used up about as much as I've bought so that I'm only keeping what gives me joy. It's pretty well under control. Two dressers and a short bookcase plus some small scrap bins. When I start to feel stuffed, I pare down. I like to organize it almost as much as I like to cut, sew, and give it away in quilt form!

I don't have a big stash, just a good selection if I get a whim to quilt. It stays the same in amount, but seems to change colors. But...my scrap pile grows and grows! Seriously, it's self-propagating!

my stash is down a lot. I made over a thousand beads of courage bags and used all the fabric I didn't like for lining and used up all of my kids fabric for the outer bag. I love that I can see all of my fabric now and it is shrinking now that I am back to making quilts!!