Does anyone not have a stash -- ON PURPOSE???? I just finished talking with a co-worker who is also a quilter, and she told me that she doesn't have a stash. She said she used to but found it too depressing to go into her sewing area and see all the -- what she termed -- unfinished projects (meaning the fabric in the stash that has not been used). She only buys fabric when she has a specific project she will be making. She brought in a quilt to show me that she had made for her nephew when he was young. She said she had taken a class for that particular quilt, and when she was finished, she asked if anyone wanted her leftover fabric. The women were agast that she didn't want to keep it to add to her stash. They were even more amazed that she had chosen NOT to have a stash. :| When she does see fabric that strongly appeals to her, she will purchase it and make the quilt right away. Get this: she used to work at a fabric store!!! Once upon a time I worked for Minnesota Fabrics, and I could not resist buying fabrics as we would get in a new collection!!! I don't know how she does it!!! She certainly has much more willpower than me!!! :roll: I do have a stash. It's not huge, and I "shop" from it first when gathering fabrics for a quilt. If I don't have something that will work for the quilt, then I will go shopping for what I need. :wink:

So-o-o-o the question is: do you not have a stash -- ON PURPOSE?? :?

I'm working on it as a newish quilter. Love my two underbed boxes and intend expanding! Don't tell my DH!

OK, I hate her - - - with admiration. There are actually some people on this board who do the same thing. Me - not so much.

I think that is just sick, sick, sick! Almost as sick as my compulsive fabric purchases!

I have a little stash. However, I got a gift card for JoAnns for Christmas and when I went to look for some fabric to buy, I suddenly found I couldn't buy anything. I walked out of there with nothing because I was so used to buying fabric specifically for Christmas projects!

I imagine that will change soon though, lol.

I buy fabric on clearance and sale prices. My stash saves me money. If it didn't I wouldn't have one. That is the reason for my stash.

Mine is a modest stash. I pull from it first before I buy for a quilting project. I have lots of scraps cause I am a scrappy quilter!

Not want a Stash??? Unbelieveable!!!!
I think someone needs to take her temperature.

Ok, if I worked in a fabric store and got a nice discount anytime I wanted to buy the latest fabrics, I might just look at the quilt store as my stash, and then I wouldn't need one at home.

I guess this is the total opposite of a hoarder? :D
I have friends that cannot abide any form of clutter, and to them? my stash is nothing but clutter LMBO
To each their own :D:D:D

That's what I think, too!! Anyway, that's my excuse -- and I'm sticking to it!!!!! :lol: I can't afford to go out and always pay full price for fabric for a specific project. Whenever I do have a particular one in mind, I ALWAYS check my stash first. :wink: Now, that isn't to say that I don't ever pay full price. I do, and quite often it's because I know that fabric is seasonal and that once it's gone, it's gone. Well............except that I might be able to locate it on eBay! :roll:

WOW, my hat is off to her!!!

I think that a quilt fairy just lost her wings lol.
I am not a massive quilter but I have to say that sadly I have a massive fabric stash. It is overwhelming and I have gotten rid of a good chunk of it. Now I'm planning on having friends come over and make charity quilts to get rid of it all!

I guess she's not into scrappy quilts or applique.

I buy at tax time because I can't afford to the rest of the year unless it is on clearance or on sale. I'm glad I can't afford to buy all the time or I would probably need to rent a small house to keep it all in.

I couldn't imagine NOT having a stash, but some just prefer not to "hide" or "hoard" or "stash" fabric...to each his/her own as long as it works for them.

Pab...maybe let her know you are always willing to take what's left over from her projects. If you don't want it...you could send it on to someone else.

I know a quilter like this. She does beautiful work, but keeps none of the leftover fabric. She gives it away, usually to others that make charity quilts. I could not do this.

I make the charity quilts myself with it.

Good points and ditto. Also, having a stash saves me time and gas $ from traveling all over the place.

If you can afford it I think that's a great idea. Me, I buy remnants, on sale, and on clearance. I don't have the money to buy yards at a time or to pay full price.

I have a small stash that is growing. I mostly purchase fabric when it is on sale. I just LOVE looking and touching the fabric, folding it and placing it on the shelf in my sewing room. Then going back and looking and touching it again and imagining all the things I can do with it. It is a comforting feeling. I would think that is weird, but after watching this Board for sometime, I know there are a lot of other people who do the same thing.........so I stopped worrying about it and ENJOY IT!

Hmmmmm....now that's a great idea!!! :D She did give me some miscellaneous goodies a few months ago. Most of it was leftover craft items. She said keep what you want, and give or just throw the rest away. Well, I did keep nearly all of it. I passsed some of it along and still have a few things to purge. I brought her a couple of pieces of fabric for I Spy quilts she is making for one of her sons and a daughter. They are color-specific so it has been difficult to locate enough fabrics to finish them. For example, one son has all greens, another all blues, and another all reds. Her daughter's quilt is to be in all pinks. ;)

I can't imagine not having a stash.

I watched a tv show called Hoarders. It scared me to death because I see myself going that way. I am seriously working to destash now :) Or quit watching tv :)

I'm willing to help anyone "destash"....of course I'd be adding to mine in the process...hehe

Thanks to my mom's stash, I was able to use some scraps she had left over from the baby quilt she made my daugher. I used some of the same fabric in her big girl quilt. No stash? Is that even aloud in quilting? Someone check the rule book, I can't find mine. It's folded up in my stash. :)

I read once that a person who buys fabric for projects is "one who quilts" but a "quilter" is one who buys fabric and decides what shall be done with it later. So--she's "one who quilts." It just doesn't run as strong in her blood. :wink:

I have a best on-line friend who I say is a horsewoman who quilts, while in comparison, I'm a quilter who plays with horses. Can you guess who has more fun with stash? :-D

I tried to not have one....but with good deals and prices going up, I decided to create more of one so that I can sew from my stash. I also am wanting to do some scrappy quilts and that is hard to do with no stash.

But most of the fabric I have gotten, I have specific uses for. I make quilts for different people in my family and some is going to those. Others is enough for a quilt, just hasn't got a pattern to go with yet.

Question - What would constitute a stash. I always have some fabric here (at least scraps) to work with but I try not to buy things that I will never use. That may be due to the fact that I am about 10 minutes from where I can get just about any fabric I need for quilting at a fairly reasonable price.

I wanted to stand up and say "I am an alcoholic - oooops quilter" Being an addict means that I have to have a stash. It is only a very modest one, but I can play with it, dream of new projects, sometimes just stroke it..... but without it creativity would go away. If that happened, I guess I would just take up another hobby and do that instead.

Collecting fabric is in the blood of every real quilter.

I had planned to quilt like this - only buy the fabric that I need for the next project.

I think I was pretty good for about the first year, but how can you resist a great price on a fabric line that you really love?

After that first Rubbermaid bin, it was all downhill from there. :mrgreen:

Doesn't one of the fellow quilters associated with Eleanor Burns also do the same thing? When she gets fabric for a quilt, she uses the leftovers on the back of the quilt. This way she can start fresh on the next quilt she wants to make.
I'm a scrappy quilter so YES, I do have a stash, not HUGE like some on here, but what I can afford.

How can you live without stash?

I guess I am in the minority here. I started out buying fabric without a set purpose but found I never had enough for what I wanted to use it for. Now I pick a block or pattern and then buy the fabric for it. I do however, keep my leftovers.

I am in the minority too, I think, like sidmona and a few others. I always check the remnant bins at the stores and have won fat quarter draws at the quild, and sometimes see fat quarters in odd places, like Odd Lots, haha, some were good quality, some were crap. So I have a mini stash I guess, very small, but satisfying to me. I also save my scraps. I guess to each our own, whatever we find works for us.

can you imagine the good stuff people must throw away. I mean throw in the trash. They don't even try to give it away to neighbors or friends or the thrift shop. They are to lazy and just toss it.

Stash? What stash? OOOOOOOOOOOh you mean all the pretties that are on the shelves, cubby holes, totes - big & small, sweater shelves hanging in the closet, under the bed totes too and the plastic & cardboard dressers. NAHH I don't have a stash. I have a hoard :-). To think I only started this back in late 2008. OH don't forget about the books and sewing machines too. ROTFLOL

I can't imagine not have a stash. I even stress over throwing away tiny bits of fabric ... I keep thinking I might need it for something.

I would say Im still fairly new to quilting. However I think having a stash is the best part of quilting.. I love buying fabric just because I like it. I mostly buy quarters or half yards. However twice now I have liked a fabric so much I have bought all of it. My stash is still evolving I am working on collecting Paisley prints and shades of brown and other earth colors. I get frustrated because it takes me forever to find a paisley I like and then when I do the price is outrageous so I sadly have to pass it by.

I agree with this person. I have a stash (too much stash) every time I go to make something I don't have anything in my stash that would work in the project. So off I go to buy new fabric to use. I have invited a friend who wants to learn to quilt to use my stash. If I were to start over I would not have all this fabric taking up space.l

At last a stash thread that doesn't make me feel bad. (Just kidding!) MY "stash" came with me when we moved to Oklahoma where we have had 3 financial downturns in the last 10 years. We are just working our way out of the third (and hopefully last!) one. Thankfully I am a scrappy quilter and have been able to use up even small scraps, so I have been able to find something to do. I have more than enough double nine patch blocks to make a quilt and lots of the little squares that I think I'll use to make lap quilts for the nursing home. I also have most of the top cut for a log cabin quilt. But it has reached the point that my whole "stash" fits in ONE rubbermaid tub and some of it I think "why did I ever get that?" Thankfully last month we paid off one BIG bill and this month there is a little $$ left over- so you KNOW where I am going today! To the FABRIC store!!