hehehe, yea me too, that far away land no longer exists for me now that I have soooo much stash.

My husband calls me an adopter. I find something I really love (and gorgeous fabric qualifies) and then I just want to hoard it and touch it and love it. It is incredibly hard to cut it up and use it.

Emotionally I feel that then it is lost and can never be found again. I know intellectually that this is crazy but it is what it is.

So I have to really try hard not to shop and increase the stash even more.

What are your reasons for stashing or not?

I'm not a stasher ... I'm a fabric historian/librarian. That way I don't ever have to use it! LOL

Interesting to hear you all share your viewpoints! We all do what works for how we quilt - hobby or pro, occasional or constant, artsy or practical, newbie or old-timer. No rules, no police!

I love textiles, period, quiltable or not! And I did buy a fabric line (Robyn Pandolph Scarborough Fair) sigh...because it was so beautiful that I couldn't resist. I peek at it in the drawer where it waits my hopefully growing ability to do something worthy of it, just for my daughter, because it is totally her.

But I don't stash yet - I try to balance my current enthusiasm for quilting to my current ability to commit to and to complete a project. Either that or I would be overwhelmed with guilt/quilt fabric which would weigh on me every time I thought about it wasting away in my closet when the money could have gone for something else we needed. LOL

To stash or not to stash, that is the question. I began with a humble stash, fabric for making clothes for myself and daughter, for Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, crafts for craft fairs, both for myself and my church. When I would go to stores that are now no longer in business or who have stopped selling fabric - even Sears sold fabric back in the day. Mostly I bought when fabrics were on sale, especially neutrals and backings for making lap quilts and baby quilts. When I was working, I bought fabric when it spoke to me or jumped into my cart. Now my husband is disabled, I can't work because of various health issues and quilting is my only outlet and sanity. I had to purge a lot of my stash when we moved to an apt., and it was extremely difficult. I make a lot of crafts, and hope to make quilted items to sell at craft fairs this fall. I just finished a family reunion quilt, and didn't have to purchase any new fabric to make it, as it came from my stash. That was a good feeling for me. As long as I can stash fabric, I will.

I am sure that my sewing room would be tidier and my shelves neater if I didn't stash, but I'm a stsher and will probably never change.

I stash because in Norway the price for a fat quarter can be more than the price of a yard of fabric from the USA.

Well I'm a stasher--though not as much as some of the posts I've seen, I'm not one to talk. Much of mine comes from Goodwill (just got back with several beautiful bed sheets to use as quilt linings) and thrift stores. But I do make the runs to my LQS and Hancock's, especially when they have a SALE (my favorite 4-letter word). I LOVE looking at & touching the fabrics, planning what I'll combine and how. But seriously, if I make a quilt a day (impossible) for the next 5 years, I think I'll still have stash. SparkMonkey, you are a much smarter person than I!

I started with only a few scraps when I decided I had to change my focus of craft, due to arthritis in my hands and wrists. I decided that I wanted to focus on making Quilts4Kids. I'm on social security so I had to get creative about procuring fabrics. I joined two yahoo groups freecycle and a local one and advertised the I was ISO scraps/remnants of cotton fabbrics for the charity. I have received fabrics from yard sales, fabric angels and goodwill finds. I finally have enough fabric selections to make scraps, athletic, toddler and girly theme quilts. It's taken me 6 months of collecting buying some theme fabrics and trimming scraps into useful sizes. Once this starts my minimal stash will dwindle fast and I will had to strart again providing the prices of batting and backing fabrics holds. I currently use flannel sheets, blankets and cotton sheets for backing when available as well as muslin backings. Whatever fits the bill when needed. I've even had quilt angels send me scraps from our QB. Bless you all. :D

I started with only a few scraps when I decided I had to change my focus of craft, due to arthritis in my hands and wrists. I decided that I wanted to focus on making Quilts4Kids. I'm on social security so I had to get creative about procuring fabrics. I joined two yahoo groups freecycle and a local one and advertised the I was ISO scraps/remnants of cotton fabbrics for the charity. I have received fabrics from yard sales, fabric angels and goodwill finds. I finally have enough fabric selections to make scraps, athletic, toddler and girly theme quilts. It's taken me 6 months of collecting buying some theme fabrics and trimming scraps into useful sizes. Once this starts my minimal stash will dwindle fast and I will had to strart again providing the prices of batting and backing fabrics holds. I currently use flannel sheets, blankets and cotton sheets for backing when available as well as muslin backings. Whatever fits the bill when needed. I've even had quilt angels send me scraps from our QB. Bless you all. :D