I think it becomes a problem when it's overflowing everywhere and you can't store it neatly. When you have little trails to walk through between the mountains of stash, you just MIGHT be a hoarder.

We need Jeff Foxworthy to write us some funny "You might be a horder" lines!

BTW, hoarders don't usually worry that they are hoarding, so just having considered it surely you can't be a hoarder, LOL.

I didn't want my fabric to get out of hand, because DH doesn't understand it AT ALL!!! So I found SPACE BAGS!!!! I'm able to place my batting in and suck out all the air, so I'm able to lay it nice and flat (for stacking). The same goes for 108" backing fabric I got such a good deal on (I washing and folded it to fit the bag), then I added others to the same bag filling it up too. Again nice and flat. I have used this method with large amounts of yardage. The SPACE BAGS come in different sizes too. This is great because we will be living full time in a 5th wheel soon. The bags fit under the bed like a dream (they get heavy, but you don't have to care them all at once). I'm working on folding and colors, to make it easy to see. I also list what's in the bags on a sheet of paper and place it in the bag on top of the fabric. This helps me find different projects too.

I find I am purchasing less fabric and using more. However, I do have a substantial amount of fabric that I purchased for my stash (and I am using it more and more).

" If you have not used any of a particular fabric in over 2 years, get rid of it. It's not inspiring you enough to make something. "
I recently used fabric I have had since the 80's. I like each and every piece of fabric I have every purchased. I buy some just because I like it,with no idea what I will do with it. I make more than quilts. Crafting is how I got started with my fabric stash. Dolls, doll clothes, bears & stuffed animals, etc. Yesterday I went shopping in my stash and found a perfect piece for a spring doll dress. It is from the 90's.
Shopping in my fabric is as fun as shopping at a store. I find things I forgot I had. I have 3 wardrobe size cupboards and several totes. Some would say if you forgot then you have too much. I say it is eye candy and I love sorting and organizing the shelves to find just the right piece of fabric for a project.
I am teaching an 11 year old friend, to sew, and she loves picking out fabric for her projects from my stash. She asked how long it took me to collect my fabric. I told her 35 or 40 years.

I do love fabric, but I have made a conscious decisive decision to downsize my fabric stash. I started out being really into florals and traditional farics. Now I am much more into graphic prints and more modern stuff. I recently went through my six or seven shelves of fabrics and reduced it to two smaller shelves. I am now looking for a charity group in my area which can use the nice quilting fabrics I have. I will give the garment fabrics to my local ASG for use at their silent auction. These days I buy for a specific project.

Pam

I felt really bad about my fabric stash and have sorted through it this year to straighten it out. My sewing room is only a bedroom but I still have significant fabric. I have to keep the batting in another room and all my precuts go into a dresser in the guest room. Still too much fabric for me. I think hoarding is when it gets in the way of you enjoying life, of trying to find places to put your stuff. My friend is a true hoarder, goes to thrift stores looking for glass dishes, just anything that catches her eye. There is a path through her home and it cost her over $400,000. They have about 10 storage units filled to the brim and she still keeps buying. I never want to be like her.

I was wondering the same thing about how much stuff I have for sewing and quilting.. I Google it. It said it was the intent of the contents. They used the word stockpiling. Hoarding doesn't have a purpose for it content.

If you have to buy another house just to store your fabric, then I say you have a hoarding problem! lol Until then you need to just enjoy. I say this because Eleanor Burns purchased a house she said for this reason. I know her situations are different than the average quilter but I found that to be so funny.

I see the point of using it up sooner than later. That being said I have a lot of fabric that's at least 10 yrs. old. If it bothers you personally & you have quite a bit of fabric left over from projects then make quilts for Linus project or Quilts of Valor or even check locally to see what other places need help. The plus side is a reduction in fabric & will make you feel good doing it.:)

Hoarders won't part with anything willingly. I give away fabric and so I don't consider myself a hoarder even tho I have a small quilt shop in my basement. At least that is what my kids tell me!

Its not considered Hoarding until you have fabric in every room of the house including your bedroom.

OOOHHH! I like the double car garage comment....we have a 3 car garage and only 1 car fits.....good ammo to use. So far my DH has not said much about my stash, but don't think that he really sees how much I have.

I know someday I won't be able to buy fabric at a drop of a hat so I am investing in my retirement sewing. I buy when and what I want and have it stored in "kits" and packaged with the pattern I was thinking of at the time I bought the fabric. I have several more years before I can retire and plan to live a long time after that so I need a good supply of projects. At the rate fabric prices are rising, I think I'm doing the right thing for me and my hubby.
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This is just one cabinet of fabric for "everyday" use while in swaps. I have cabinets with backings, shelves with fleece and at least 3 rolls of batting.

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Before the remodel, it might have looked like hoarding because my old shelves had been ransacked so often and it was a really small room without enough shelves. Now, what comes down, goes back up and it so much easier now that there's a method of madness.

Hoarding is a disease that is truly nasty and debilitating ... having a stash is neither of those to me.

All my fabrics & a couple of my machines are now in a spare bedroom, I am adding to my fabrics as I go for making 6 quilts for all my kids (queen sized), I will then start making lap sized quilts for the 10 grandbabies. I wont need to be buying fabric for the grandbabies as those quilts will all be from stash fabrics since they will be much smaller. I am pushing myself to hurry with the kids's quilts just so I can take my time and make smaller quilts out of patterns I've been wanting to make. I also have the old sewing room....very very small.. that will be my Tin Lizzie room. I don't know how to use her yet but she does have her own room when the time comes to learn how to put her together and use her. So for now I will buy what I need for my kids quilts and then pull out what I need for the grandbabies. And while we can afford it before retirement I will continue to buy what catches my attention. Lovies to all you non-hoarding hoarders like me.
Jeri

I would not call it hoarding until it interferes with your life or that of your family, i.e., makes it difficult to get around the house and do normal things.

When, like some lucky people on here it looks like you could set up a cash register and open your doors as a fabric shop. I used to think I had very little fabric. Then I decided to get it all on shelves and organize it so that I could see it. I've bought very little since. I have a very small room so it was a challenge to get it all where I knew how much I had and could see what it looked like really fast but I did it. Then I decided it was enough and I would only buy for projects that I knew I needed it for. I try to find fabric in my small stash before buying any new. Especially for my serger projects. I'm still learning so I use my stash instead of buying expensive fabric for something I might mess up. Unless there is a certain color I want and don't have enough then I buy.It sounds like you are ok.Men have no idea how much fabric it takes to do a quilt. My ex couldn't believe when I started making civil war blocks (5 1/2in ones) why after a week or so it wasn't done. He kept asking to see the last quilt I was working on and never noticed it was all the same fabric and size of blocks. When I'm gone my daughter will get all of my sewing stuff and so I never worry and sometimes she comes over and goes thru mine now if she needs a project.

I do have a lot of fabric- will just admit it! That is why I am in the QB Fabric Moratorium 2015. But I do find that it can get "crazy" when I allow scraps to build up and take over horizontal spaces and overflow the scrap basket. I just finished two I Spy quilts and a sampler top so it is time to stop and cut scraps again. A Brick quilt is in the works as a leader/ender project, next go round once the scraps are all cut and put away. So to your question, when to rehome fabric? If you don't love it anymore, give it away to friend, guild. If you can cut it up and put it in a runner or quilt, do that. Google "ugly fabric quilt challenge" to see examples of these.

I have learned from reading LOTS and LOTS of posts on this board that you should really stock up on fabric as much as you can, especially when it is on sale. My hubby just told me last night that I now have an allowance for my quilting things. So today was my first trip to the store with my 'budget' in mind and it was actually the best trip I have had so far. It forced to me to really look at all my purchases to see if they were worth spending my allowance on. I ended up in the clearance bin and got 5 yards of different fabrics for less than $15. So it really helped me to not waste money on patterns and fabric and notions that I did not absolutely love.

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These are the adorable things I picked out today. I got 2 yards of the bird fabric on the end cause that is all they had left and I just loved it so much. The DH is into fat birds so I will probably use that for something for him in the future. I know that even if I went over what my husband said I could spend he wouldn't be upset but it's nice to reevaluate things when you are buying them. I think it keeps me from going crazy and being totally overwhelmed by all the cute patterns they have to offer.

If you using it to make quilts it's not a hoard, it's a resource.

I only buy fabrics I love, not just like, unless they are for a particular project. Then when I get behind on projects, my stash starts to look a little overdone. My Christmas stash may never get pared down. I do love scraps and strips so I have containers of those. I'm fortunate that my husband doesn't give me a hard time about my hobbies. My biggest problem is that I haven't really found a way to store everything that works for me. Still trying!

My son said I was on the verge of being a fabric hoarder. My best friend ask if she could come to my fabric store to shop. LOL My DH is okay with all my fabric as he knows it makes me happy & he loves my finished products. He always asks me< when we go to town, if I want to stop at the fabric store. Bless him for that. He once took me to the fabric store & told me to pick out anything & as much as I want & he would take a nap in the car. After an hour he comes in & I had my basket full. I told him I was ready to go if he is. He said, no, take your time & he went back out. An hour later he came back in & I had put everything back as I decided I didn't need any of it. I walked out after two hours & didn't buy a thing. He couldn't believe it & still tells everyone about that shopping trip. I have been trying not to buy this past year as I have three rooms over flowing. So, as of now, you are not a hoarder. Me either, I'm just a collector. LOL

I got rid of my DH long before I started quilting. My next move will be to my seven-acre homestead which has a small cottage for living and a small cottage for quilting. The only rule I have is that everything on those seven acres is paid for.

I've shopped and shopped and only bought a yard or two, but never a basket full and put it all back. You have willpower ! Good for you !