Reasons to not build/acquire a stash:
 

I do have a stash - some people have a lot more fabric than I do - many people have a lot less -

Would I acquire as much fabric again?

I am not sure -

Sometimes blessings can turn into burdens - such as having no place to adequately store my "stuff"

My kids are not enthused about dealing with all my sewing stuff when I am no longer able to do anything with it.

I'm not getting it all used up.

The money I spent on sewing things might have been more useful spent elsewhere.

Do I have regrets? Yes and no. I did have great fun while in my "acquiring" mode. If I traveled or went out a lot, the money would have been spent and I would only have memories.

At the time I was in my acquiring mode, it was my way of dealing with emotional "stuff". Was it the best way? It was my way of coping in what I felt was "acceptable" behavior at the time.

Anyone else with mixed feelings about their stash?

I've decided to reduce my stash. I've also decided that there is absolutely nothing wrong with collecting fabric, or anything. I know many people with rooms full of fabric who have room for that. It's when the collections that get in your way that you have to question it and I have a small house that goes with my small budget.

No regrets, but I never really spent a lot of money at one time. Sure, $20 here and there and that adds up after a few decades but other people bought lattes or cigarettes or whatever. I would never have done anything sensible or noticeable with the money it was always discretionary funds.

We've talked about it before in other threads, but for me it took a diagnosis of unpreventable progressive vision loss to make me decide what I truly value. I've done the "your house is on fire and you have 5 minutes" test and the fabric and the quilts never made it on the list. The pets go out first, anything after that is gravy and can be replaced. There is another test which is "how long am I willing to carry that?", if you can only have what you can carry how much and how far are you willing to carry it.

I still love my fabric. I still love fabric that isn't mine. I want it and I want it all. And that's ok, I want but I don't need. If I'm going to use it, I buy it. But if I'm not going to use it, well then I want to reduce the amount I have. I want the space more than I want the fabric in there. It used to be hard on me to use up the last little scrap of my godchild's baby blanket or whatever and I felt I had to find the perfect use. Now I realize the perfect use is whatever I am doing that I can use it in, I hold a little memory ceremony and then I use it and move on. Sometimes the perfect use for me is to send it to someone who does want and will use it.

I was ready to let go and I've let go of a lot! I find it comforting that there is still only one piece I regret sending out -- but I also recognize it would still be sitting here unused, it's "perfect"use still not found. Yeah, there has been a twinge here and there but nothing I can't live with. Recently I was filling a collector's request and I had two small pieces left of a really great fabric I had already used. I was really tempted to keep one but then the "therapist" voice in my head went off and asked me what I thought I'd do with it and when, and I put in both pieces. If I regret it later, well, by this point in my life I've learned to live with regret and I've found that there is always more fabric to be found... if not that piece something else.

I don't feel that way about my stash - but I sure feel that way about my sewing machine collection. It was also part "therapy" for me as I did most of that while my mother and then MIL were in their final stages. We found out right after my mother passed (long illness) that MIL had brain cancer - she was gone 6 months later.

I met a lot of very nice people while collecting sewing machines, and shared a lot of stories of the relatives that had owned the machines - as most often I was buying them from the "heirs". Lots of talking about final illnesses and dealing with those issues. And I know I was able to give some people and outlet for their grief, and a bit of closure for them in letting go of their grandmother/mother's beloved sewing machine, even though most of the time it had not been used in 30 years.

I know my kids could easily donate the fabric and it would end up going to good use. 150 cast iron antique/vintage sewing machines are not near as easy to rehome. But I'm 58 so I hope to get that number way down by the time I retire.

I don’t have a stash but I remember a comment a carpenter made during my kitchen remodel. He mentioned the glassware and china and shared tidbits about his collection. He went on to lament the realities he faced because his children didn’t want it and he’d begun to downsize. I don’t have much and I pruned the kitchen recently.

I suppose that’s the issue. I don’t want to saddle anyone with lots of stuff to sort through. Let alone a fabric horde. Or fill my room with bins to house it all. I’d need a studio and a financial reason (read: business) to invest in that manner. And even so, it’s hard to keep things orderly when you have a lot. Some of the studios I’ve seen in Stampington magazines make my eyes cross.

I have other interests including crafts, gourmet cooking, and photography with the requisite extras they bring. I have to be practical.

I got rid of 75% of my extensive stash. Didn't use it that much anyway. Haven't missed it. I seem to generate scraps with every project so scraps are always around of the same old stuff! Why did I keep those? I buy precuts a lot. They look great on the shelf and gives me motivation to make something. I didn't want to leave a room full of stuff for my DDS to have to deal with. They are able to buy their own stash if they want one.

My stash isn't huge, but definitely big enough for me. I'm personally glad I have it, because I "shop" from it all the time. Most has been acquired through scrap bags at thrift stores or clearance at Walmart, so I have a lot of odds and ends. I love finding "that perfect" scrap for a block. It feels so nice that I have it and didn't need to buy a specific piece.

I have not been thrift store splurging in a while, which is probably good. I've been able to sew up some of my stash, while saving money. It's an investment. :D

I'm not yet 30 years old, so I'm not even worrying about my kids cleaning up after me. I might finish everything, but probably not!

I don't regret my stash at all.

I do have mixed feelings about so much stash and where to store it. My husband just doesn't understand why I need so much fabric. I always tell him it makes me happy. I love to go thru my fabrics once in awhile and just dream about what I can make with it.

I don’t have a stash except for some bins of scraps, a few fat quarters and those remnant rolls left over from Hancock’s before they went out of business. Those are what I might regret because they never seem to be right for any project I start. I can afford fabric and have plenty of place to store it but just seeing what my quilting friends have makes me happy I don’t have to contend with managing it and finding the right this or that for a project. My quilting friends don’t understand that part of me at all. The beauty of quilting is that there is no one size fits all.

I have been 'again' working on thinning my stash. I know it will out live me and will then be donated to my quilt guild for charity quilts. I do my best not to add to it and cleaned it and refolded every piece not to long ago, then I thinned again. My scraps are piling up to become as many as the different pieces of yardage I have here too. If I thought I would be able to make all this up into quilts I would keep growing my stash. I say go for building as long as you might put even a piece of it into a quilt. Scraps are great.

I don't have a very big fabric stash. It fills a five large storage containers. I love the fabrics. Most were bought and used in projects.

What I may regret just a little are the six sewing machines, one embroidery machine and all the other crafting supplies that I have accumulated over the last nine years. I have a little bit of everything to do a variety of crafting. I have a large supply of cotton thread for quilting, several boxes of yarn for knitting and crochet projects, crochet hooks, knitting needles, a small table top loom, embroidery floss for cross stitch and regular embroidery, a few large pads of scrapbook paper, polyester embroidery threads for the embroidery machines, stabilizers, and all the other supplies like pin cushions, scissors, seam rippers, bodkins, threaders, hand sewing needles, sewing machine accessories for all the machines, quilt pattern books, crochet afghan pattern books, quilt magazines, and sock knitting pattern books. I have filled a small bedroom closet and most of the bedroom with these supplies. I wish I could use it as it as fast as I buy it.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't started a stash. My problem is, I have so many hobbies and a stash for each.... quilting fabric.... garment fabric... scrapbooking....knitting/crocheting....stamping and papercrafting. It's distracting and even though I love all my "stuff", it can be annoying. Just this past weekend I embarked upon attempt #967 (being facetious but that might be true) to rearrange my sewing room. Now everything is out all over the place and it's just a mess.

I just turned 61 and I have no one to pass anything down to (one niece but she's not the crafting type). So now it stresses me out to think about my brother having to deal with it all. I'm hoping that when I can eventually retire (probably around 70) I can sew faster but who knows what's going to happen?

Sorry I didn't mean to depress everyone including myself but that's how I feel. Hopefully everyone else on this thread is a bit more upbeat....!

Edited to Add: Irishgal just reminded me about the Books. Holy cow I have soooo many books on every kind of craft. Those stress me out too!

My stash is limited by the amount of space available in our small house plus the fact that I can't be bending to get into bins, so everything has to be out and accessible. It was fun to buy fabric just because I liked it, but then my LQS closed, so that was the end of that. My current stash is not large enough to foster regret.

My stash fits into about three dressers. Small by many standards, large by others’, but I have put a halt on acquiring more till I have used up, sold, or given away all but two drawers’ worth. The exception would be buying for a special occasion or person. I don’t want to pay movers to haul my “someday” fabric.

This is me too. Almost. I am glad I started building a stash. And you can add patterns and lots more 'hobbies' to the list. (Painting, fabric dyeing, etc).
But I started buying fabric years ago when $6.50 / yard was expensive. I bought a lot of it on sale for around $4-$5/yard, and I 'shop' through it now. I'm happy I don't have to buy at todays prices.

Having said that though, there are So Many must have, super cute or pretty fabrics out there now...who can resist a good sale? :)

Oh....and I don't much care who has to deal with it all when I'm gone. I have many quilty friends who know what to do. :D

I have a stash and I'm sure it's small compared to most, only a bookcase and a half or so. It's all folded nicely and arranged by color so it doesn't cause me a lot of stress. I have cut way back on buying any. Mostly I'd shop remnants at lunch when I was aggravated and I have pretty much stopped doing that. ;) I have cut way back on buying in general the past few years because I realized pretty much no one knows why I have this and that and they are just going to get rid of it when the time comes so why am I keeping everything. If no one knows why I had that glass horse for 20 years and they are just going to send it to Goodwill why do I need to keep it myself.

my stash is down to about 1/3 to 1/4 of what it was 5 years ago.
it's still more than i would like it to be.
the good news is that i only have to buy fabrics necessary to complete a project.
the bad news is that despite all i have, i often can't find everything in my stash necessary to complete a project.:hunf:

My wife and I have a decent stash, but we have a space to store it. Sometimes it seems like a burden, just because we have plans for a lot of it and no time to see them completed. The last few years we have been in "austerity" mode and had to almost completely stop buying any fabric. We miss the fun of the hunt, but it's nothing we can't live without. The stash has been a life saver for us because we have been able to complete several quilts but buy very little. I'd say if we had it to do over again our stash would consist of a lot more solids and blenders and less focus fabrics, but we would buy and maintain one.

Did you see my other post on building up a stash? When I saw this post I remembered this was one reason why I pared mine down. I also had books and supplies from various other crafts, so I donated quite a bit to the local nursing home and the books to the local library for the book fair. It haunted me to have all that around, like it was lonely and calling me to use it and I couldn't take it anymore. I figured someone else may benefit from it so out it went.

I then wondered how I had accumulated this and that and realized that maybe my buying was a coping mechanism, a sort of control over buying/returning when other aspects of my life weren't very pleasant. Now that I realize that, I try to ask myself if I really really need this "thing". Sometimes I just fall in love with something and have to have it, but those things are usually small in cost, like less than $20.

I'm also a very introverted person and have no real friends, so the social aspect of joining forums and hearing everyone's excitement and enthusiasm over creating makes me want to as well, but then I wonder if it's that that I need or do I really want to sew?

I would also like to retire next year at 62, probably won't happen but nice to think about, so I am now trying to pay off debt and keep it that way. Some unexpected expenses of course, but every little bit I don't spend stays in my account and not someone elses, so with that ahead it's easier to not spend on every little thing I think I should buy.

I guess we have to come into our own truth, and decide why we do what we do, and ask ourselves if it really is what we need or if it's just what we do.

When I made my first quilt almost 40 years ago, fabric at Woolworth's was a dollar a yard. Now it can easily be 12 times that much. I consider my stash a hedge against rising prices...especially if I stock up on solids and blenders. I have told my children who to call to clean out my sewing room when I pass..I know other quilters would love my stuff...I have no guilt about it. I can afford to buy fabric, I enjoy quilting, so I do...

I do!! My kids say the same thing, what is going to happen to all the fabric and all your sewing stuff. I tell them to call the neices and tell them to come over with some big boxes and let them take what they want, none of my children sew or quilt but my nieces all do, there are two of them..I just hope someone will enjoy all the fabric and all my machines as much as I enjoyed all of it. Most of my stash was given to me from friends that have passed on, so now I will do the same..

I do not regret having the fabrics I have. In 2010 I decided I wanted to make quilts for the rest of my life. I have made many, many quilts since then. If someone wants a quilt I give them one. Most of the others I donate. I try to donate about 40 per year. They go to the Foster kids in our county. Warmth is always good.

I don't have mixed feelings. I think you need a stash of some sort to be able to get creative. But for me too much fabric is overwhelming. I've donated a lot over the years that I've gotten tired of and don't miss any of it.
I love precuts because I like to have all the fabrics in a line.
So now I have a lot of precuts and some yardage but not as much as before.

I think we’re coming from the same place on this issue. I began pursuing French cooking at 19. I’ve acquired a lot of items and haven’t begun to add copper to the horde or the silver pans I’m eyeing. I started exploring an eco-friendly lifestyle several years ago and make many things myself. The jars and equipment require more storage.

I have a mini photography studio, food props and boards, scrapbooking materials and others for drawing. Now I’m exploring fashion illustration and piano and we haven’t addressed sewing yet. I’ve built a life around cultural pursuits and self-improvement but we’ve outgrown our space. I don’t want a house but a townhouse with an office and studio are a must.

I enjoy gardening, herbalism, and soap-making. I’d like to make some candles but canning season is here and I’ll be busy for the summer. Now I’ve added woodworking to the mix. I’ve been pruning continually and trying to rid the house of paper and unnecessary items. Clutter is bothersome and I’m buying a lot of organizational items to keep things tidy.

I have a lot of books but got rid of my share when I changed things around. Decorating has a way of igniting my want to purge. I’m in my 40s but excess overwhelms my senses. I think its manageable with great storage (like floor to ceiling cabinets) but I’d want glass to see what’s in there.

The way I curtail taking on more is by documenting my time. For instance, if I have 4 hobbies when will I do them? Although I work from home I think its important to account for my time. It’s easy to assume you’ll do more until your time tracker reveals otherwise. And I have to answer the now question as well. Why is it necessary to do it at this moment? Is it feasible given my other interests?

Most of my activities are interrelated. And there are others I haven’t taken and may never pick up. I’m beginning to limit myself and opt for specialized interests that I can dig into rather than a hodgepodge.

I've never been the person to buy much fabric just because I love it--a few pieces but not as a habit. I will buy batiks and blenders/solids when I see them on sale so have more stash of that type. I'm pretty limited in space to store it so that helps. I am trying to limit to only "need now" purchases both wanting to restrain my spending and also because I want to clear out all the other "stuff" we've accumulated in the basement and other storage spots. My DH is a bit of a hoarder so it's sometimes an uphill battle.

I have quite a large stash of just about everything quilting - fabric, thread, notions, etc. When we moved, I did feel badly, sort of, about just how much I had. However, we moved because of the economy. My husband had to close his business. Since moving, I have purchased SOME fabric but not a lot. I don’t have much room to store it and we don’t have the income we used to have. That said, I have still been able to make many beautiful quilts and am now teaching 4 beginners to sew/quilt. I am providing all the supplies since 3 of them are children and it is nice that I am able to do that.

I’m sure my relatives (I have no children) will have to deal with my stash, machines, etc. but, for now, I am able to use it to teach others the joy of sewing and quilting!

I have a large stash. I make scrappy quilts and I draw from the stash. Unfortunately, I always want to buy a few more fabrics for any scrappy quilt I make. Hence, more stash. I’ve instructed my granddaughters that when I die, whatever they or their friends want, please take. What no one wants, donate to a quilt guild. The members will want my fabrics.

I have a huge stash and moved it many times in the last 7 yrs. It has become burdensome, but at the same time I was going through a lot of family turmoil when it was purchased. For the first move it wasn't so big and after that move a JoAnne's was closing and I bought a few bolts. Due to living in small apartments the fabric wasn't easily accessible and their was no place to quilt. Which made me keep on moving it. Hopefully, after I get this house renovated I can quilt again and will be happy I have a nice stash.

Butterfli19 - It was your thread that "inspired" this one - I did not want to hijack your thread.

https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...ml#post8266687

I have a pretty good sized stash. I am avoiding quilt stores because it is too hard to see cute fabric and not buy. I am making my DH a wall hanging for one of our rooms but it is out of solids, so not too expensive.

I have scraps, love the posssiblities and colors. I have yardage, mainly of blenders. I have a goal of finishing three larger quilts this year and some smaller ones including wall hangings. I will only buy fabric if I need it for a backing etc. I already have the fabric for the quilts I am making.

The only regret I have is some of the individual purchases. Some of my “must haves” have turned into “what was I thinking” but it is still nice soft quality cotton so I will cut it up and with other fabrics in a scrappy quilt it will add color and texture.

I enjoy being inspired by my stash and shopping it. I like knowing I don’t have to shop to start a new project or in many cases to find the right fabric. I even have some fabric I have saved for backings.

I hope to make more charity quilts. I want people to feel the care and support in the quilt wherever life takes them.

I too want to teach children to quilt and I have plenty of fabric to share.

I wondered if there was a connection and that's ok. There has to be a balance.

Right now my 8-1/2 year old grandson wants me to make him a shirt using a hawaiian print. Saturday we went out and I picked up Simplicity 8852 but it's not so easy to find hawaiian prints in New Hampshire, lol.

I probably have a medium stash by Australian standards. I love to sew scrappy - I have only made about 4 quilts using a small number of fabrics (maybe 3-5). I had a lot of fabric donated recently because I make a few charity quilts each year, I also sew with a small group of friends who also do charity sewing as a group occasionally. I am happy to donate fabric for borders and backings when asked - even though I am probably not the only one who could. Tonight I have cut out 9 breast cancer cushions without having to purchase anything and I will probably donate many more. A small bag of scraps makes me as happy or happier than yardage.

Julie

Bearisgray, you did it again! You always bring up something intriguing to ponder.

Yes, I have a huge, huge stash. I was a volunteer at a thrifts shop and became the Craft Lady! Since I am a Depression Baby, and have a bit of a hoarding gene, it was impossible for me not to buy every pretty, and not so pretty, fabric that came in.

After I 'retired' from that retirement volunteer position, and had time to survey my house, I realized that I really went overboard big time!

Do I regret my indiscretion? In a way, but life is too short to grieve. I am just trying to correct the situation... by not buying any more fabric at all! And, sewing like mad! And, thank the Lord, I am seeing progress! I am making baby and kid quilts for donations. I have no idea how many I've made. I'm too busy to count them.

For the record, I have only one working sewing machine and only about a dozen quilting books. --- But I have 100s of novels left over from a post-retirement 'job' of selling books on eBay!

Since I'm in my 80s, I have to really work at finding homes for all this stuff. Time is running out!! :)

I have a relatively small stash in comparison to others...but I’m okay with that. I typically buy fabric for a specific project and seldom purchase something just because I like it. I have 3 small scrap bins (strips, crumbs and larger pieces) that have evolved from leftovers of projects. Sometimes it’s difficult to do scrappy projects because I don’t have enough variety but I’m okay with it since I end up giving my quilts away anyhow.

I have a stash. It was inherited from my sister-in-law after she passed away. My purpose/goal/calling is to use her stash to bless others with a quilt from all that she had accumulated.

I have made quilts for family members using her fabric, first for the babies that would have been her grandchildren and now working on other family members, so they can continue to remember her. But many more quilts are just given to someone who can be blessed by a warm “quilty” hug.

I do not despise my blessing of a quilt stash. Nor do I build it any larger. Reducing a stash is a slow process but it is happening. I have one double wide closet for my stash and the bins of fabric are much less full than when I brought them home 18 years ago. I have never purchased new fabric for a whole quilt. I just could not justify the purchase when I have enough fabric already on hand. This results in most of my quilts being scrappy, but what is wrong with that? After nearly 18 years of making quilts, I still have a lifetime of fabric to fulfill my call to make quilts for others. It is a joy to find a pattern online or on this board and to shop my own stash for the fabric to make my version of the piece.

When I begin to feel frustrated with depth of my stash, I have reduced it by periodically pulling out cuts that I know I will not use, ever. That is a freeing experience and as others have said, it feels good to put the fabric into the hands of a quilter who will use it. Why let it sit in my bins when it could be in someone else’s quilt?

Do I ever shop? Yes, but not often. I have discovered the joy of wide backing and I often will purchase that. The scraps climb into the correct color bin and away I go again. The second thing I have discovered about using my "stash only" is I do not have the current trendy, modern colors. Well, that is OK too. I am more of a traditionalist anyway. Beautiful fabric does not have to be in the current color or print. Lastly, I purchase neutrals, often by the bolt or large cuts on sale that will make my colored scraps POP. Love my stash and love shopping from my stash.

I will fully admit to being an emotional buyer which has left me to too large of a stash. I've given away fabric/patterns, have sold occasionally on sites....only to find that I go out and buy more. It's simply a never ending cycle.

I am beginning to thin out all my stuff. I have given away all but 1 sewing machine. Almost all my fabric has been given away. I sew now only to mend. I do have a new great grand, so I will make her a summer skimmer or two, but no longer any big projects. I can't sit to sew now, so it's time to quit. I have enjoyed my sewing career, though. I have made car seat covers, bed spreads, dust ruffles, awnings, you name it.

I have never deliberately acquired a "stash". But I have bought fabric -- not nearly as much any more -- because I liked it, and thought I'd use it sooner or later. And I've bought a few yards of basic black and basic white to "have on hand." All my fabric is in a 42x81" Billy Bookcase from Ikea. Some are in "kits" -- that is coordinated fabric bundled together for a project -- but most is on comic book boards, shelved like books, and I have a couple of less than half full bolts, one my kids bought at an estate sale, and I have containers of scraps.

I'm currently planning a quilt for my eldest son and bought fabric I thought would work but have decided against, so it will go in the "stash" until I can find a use for it. I do not have a dedicated sewing room so always have to think about storage, not only of fabric but everything else that goes with it. So I try to keep it manageable.

I started out making clothes for myself when I was about 13 years old. Then I sewed for family and friends. Next I sewed for the children. When I moved into this house in 1986, I had a bushel basket full of fabric pieces left from my sewing. I wanted to use it up and be rid of it, so I bought a book called "Fabric Lover's Scrapbook" by Margaret Dittman. I made some Seminole Strips, then used them in a Square Dance skirt (which I still wear). Then our homemakers club was making quilts for people in our area who had had a house fire. We made quilts together and had a stock pile of about four or five at a time. Some were donated for benefits, too.

From then on, I have been still trying to pare down the fabric I have in my house, but have gotten nowhere with that. It just keeps on getting bigger. I don't really have a huge stash compared to some, but I have plenty.

My latest project is for my 6'8" grandson. I'm making a scrap quilt for his bed, which is extra large. I start with two of my tiniest pieces of fabric (less than 1 square inch), find a straight side and sew that together. Create a straight side with those and add another small piece on that side. I keep adding until I get an 8.5 in square. My cornerstones are 2.5 inches and have at least 3 pieces each. Many have 4 or 5 pieces and some have 7 or 8. It is so much fun making these little things.

My kids know what to do with my stuff but I need to keep on sorting it and bagging it up to keep started things in one pile with the fabric that goes with it. I haven't tried to count the number of things I have started, but have many. I've been making more charity quilts lately, in which I use up fabrics I just want to get rid of. With eight children with spouses, 21 grandchildren and 4 great grands (+1), I have plenty of places for lots of quilts.

Now I have to stop spending so much time on the Quilting Board and start sewing.