i like to think of my stash as collecting ha ha

good for you!

That's a different condition ;-)

Part of the fun of having a stash is to horrify my kids. They want me to live forever so they won't ever have to figure out what to do with it. My son and I went out to breakfast not long ago. In spite of my objections, he insisted on paying. I gave him that "mother" look and told him "I hoped you realize I am just going to be standing on a street corner buying more fabric with this money". His response, "Oh no, I'm a enabler!"

Sewing supplies - I love calling it " inventory" - right now I don ' t even want to think of the replacement value of what I have.

I am not a fabric hoarder. I like lots of choices when starting a quilt and I keep it neat. Hoarders's house on TV are not neat. I am even trying to use up my scraps, all in neat bins. I have given away lots of quilts and have lots more to find homes for. I am temporarily storing them until I find someone that needs a quilt.

Hoarding, never!! After making all my nieces and nephews graduation quilts, it's now time to make for other people. I have never sold a quilt, they have all been gifts. When gifting you have to buy fabric on sale, and sometimes that means overbuying to feed the habit. I've also purchased other people's stashes, and while I give some away, I find lots of great stuff. After an illness that left me unable to work, I find quilting fills my days and makes me a very happy person. I resolved to work down my stash and was doing pretty good at that to make my hubby happy because I have so much. Then guess what happened next, HE starts picking out fabric that he thinks would look great in quilts, and of course, I have to have coordinating fabric. My stash is growing again fast, although I've made 10 quilts since summer. LOVE this hobby!!!

I like to call my situation "oh, there are not going to make anymore so I better get all I can NOW" and I tell people, some people spend their money playing golf, planting flower in the yard, smoking or gambling, I buy fabric......I rest my case!

I wish mine would grow again seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

I think of myself as a designer not a hoarder. Since I live 160 miles one way from a fabric shop I have to have lots on hand when I want to design something. At first it was over bearing but now when I get an idea I can walk into my rooms and my ideas fall together with what I have on hand. So far I have never had to put off an idea because I needed some other fabric from the store. In fact I will sometimes pull out a piece of fabric and the designs start flow from that fabric.

I have a good size stash. I started sewing for Christmas in Sept. Mainly from my stash. I've bought 9 yards of fabric since then. I can actually see the bottom of shelves in a couple of places. That gives me space to get more to fill up those holes. :)

The instant gratification syndrome.
Replaced the use it up syndrome.

I don't think of it as hoarding. I think of it as saving for the future. Fabric prices will not be going down, only up. If you buy at today's prices, or find fabric on sale, then you are saving for the future - what an investment! I have fabric that I purchased in 2000 from a fabric store going out of business, and I got purchased it at 10 cents on the dollar! I love Judy Niemeyer patterns, so I'm trying to accumulate a lot of batik fabric. Just this past week, someone on the board announced that Sea Watch Fabrics was going out of business, so I immediately went online and ordered - more than once! Wonderful quality fabric for $4.99/yd. Then a friend told that Quiltin' Country was going out of business, so I ordered from there as well. With fabric prices toward the $14-$15 range, I want to save all I can while I can!

I don't like the term "hoarder". This gives off a negative aspect to collecting fabrics. We quilters are collectors of finding nice fabrics, fabric deals, all for good use some day. If we dont get to use all of it, someone someday will be in fabric heaven. I woudl prefer to call any of us who store up items for future quilts, "savy fabbers". lol

About five years ago, while with my BFF and fellow fabric enabler, we started "collecting" all these wonderful sale fabrics while out and about. She used to say "we're saving for our retirement". I retired in 2012 and she's still working. I've made numerous quilts since then and it's a nice feeling shopping in my own stash. Have I made a dent - oh heck no! Buying fabric is one of the few things I consistantly enjoy in life. When I visit my LQS needing something special to complete a project, I am so thankful that I have that $4.99 sale fabric to use for the majority of my latest project versus current prices. Enjoy life while you can within your financial means.

I guess if I'm a hoarder than so be it. I have a stash that would make some people think I never used any of it, and I do occasionally buy yardage as a treat to myself--my stash doesn't move very much, I work and when I am not in the office I play with scraps, to me it is wonderful therapy. I just took photos of the quilts I am gifting for Christmas- I guess I did really well considering my time at work. I gift mine to my children mostly- this year one is going to my new boss specifically for the office wall that needs some color. She will appreciate it as much as my daughters. My totally favorite quilting projects are crumb and scrap quilts

I think of myself as thrifty and a collector of beautiful fabrics but my family thinks I am a hoarder. It is all in the eyes of the beholder.

I think of myself as a quilter, first and foremost, so I do not consider myself a hoarder, although my husband might disagree with me on this. However, since he became disabled and I could not find another job after being laid off, I am so, so glad that I had "several" shopping expeditions while I was still gainfully employed and came across some fantastic fabric sales. For the most part I have been using that fabric to make quilts and other quilted items, although occasionally I will have to buy additional background fabric, etc. to complete the quilt. In fact, I made a full size bed for our DGD entirely from my "stash" and only had to go out and buy backing fabric. Since my DH and I are together 24/7, my quilting hobby is the only thing that is keeping me sane.

I am so thankful to have been able to store so much fabric in my "little storage closet" (stupid realtor said it was the third bedroom. Lol!). Now that DH is on permanent disability, buying fabric is not happening anymore so I work from my stash only now. It forces me to get creative when I don't have enough of a certain fabric. I am not bothered by it, and DH says I was smart to buy it all before the prices went up, and he has no idea that I quit buying for him, he thinks I won't spend so much per yard, and we both stay happy. Works for me.

My stash becomes depleted every year .. as I quilt, sew garments for my grands, craft. Now my scrap bins .. LOL that is a different story ... One day I will make some quilts or pillow cases out of them !! :-)

Yeah!!! exactly what she said! roflol:thumbup:

This is so true lol!!! I have a friend a fellow quilter I would consider a hoarder she has her basement filled hard to walk around down there and filled to the ceiling laying around piled on top of each other. In the bedrooms it in the closets, in and on top of the dressers, under the bed and also piled up on the floors. The living room and kitchern is or should I say has fabric everywhere! Also besides the fabric she has tons of other crafts and UFOs mixed in the messes. I have never seen her use any of her stash over the years and when she does a new project (which may end up being another UFO) she runs out and buys new fabric to do it...of course she ends up buying extra (colors) she won't be using in that project, but because she might makes something out of it later...lol.

She will come to my house and will ask me for my scraps, fat quarters and yardage...would this be consider a hoarder still even thou she doesn't have left over food in with the mix?

As I read through these posts about hoarding, or not hoarding, I'm thinking, "Of course I'm not a hoarder. Absolutely not! Hoarders are always so disorganized, have way more than they need, live in constant chaos."

Then.....I went to one of my favorite online quilt shops and saw that they're having a huge blowout sale on fabric, starting at less than $3/yd...AND free shipping too!!!! AUGH!!!! I MUST BUY, I MUST BUY!!!

Oh, and I'm also disorganized and live in constant chaos.


:::Sigh:::

I guess I am a hoarder.

I am trying very hard, to use up some of the stash in my sewing room. I am at least finding a fabric to use as a focal before adding more and more. Its hard, but I'm sure I can do it lol

I literally laughed out loud when I read this! My kids feel the same way.

As to the hoarding question, I tend to agree that, unless the stash is interfering with your health, your ability to move about your home, your financial solvency, and/or your sanity, then it is probably just that, a large STASH, and not a hoard. We are all inspired by a beautiful bolt of fabric, or a fantastic deal. Sometimes good intentions get the better of us. I like to think of it this way, as long as I control the stash, it's just a stash. When the stash begins to control me, then I might need help!

I agree with Emma S and Scraplady. I have collected a fairly large stash because I know in the near future, I'm not going to be able to afford to buy. Plus, my oldest DD, who loves sewing, knows my sewing "stuff" is her inheritance.....
and that thrills her to no end! So it will not go to waste and for the time being, I spend what I can afford and nothing more.

Hi,
Had to giggle as I did watch a show on TV on the program, Hoarders, and this lady was a quilter and yes, she hoared fabric! BUT, she had it stacked everywhere in her house and garage, and I mean stacked! Couldn't sit down in the living room, cook in the kitchen, sleep in her bedroom, etc. That is hoarding.

We have stash and it's no different than my DH having all those nails, screws, drills, hammers, etc. in the garage. It's the tools of our hobby and it keeps us happy! That's what counts!!

In my mind I will someday use all my fabric stash and kits stash......and if I don't, someone will! If fabric keeps going up in cost I will always be able to sew from my cupboards!

Enjoy!

I saw that show! I thought it was awful they wanted her to get rid of most of it. With a little organization, she could have had a very useful stash. They obviously had no idea of the value of her stash.

I figure if I have to have an addiction this is the safest one. :) my fabric runs out of the house, it also runs in only in a different color or print but I figure if it goes out.. its ok. So quilters anonymous I will not join. I love my addiction.

I am with you I only collect fabric and sewing machines not hoarding them lol.

Df would say I hoard fabric especially since I just spent about $300+ on fabric (my Christmas present) and have zero intentions of using it outside of petting it once in a while. I'm sure once the omg I just bought my first fq bundles newness wears off ill use it. Or when I've bought more bundles to keep them company lol.

I am still stash building. I only have a dress, three totes and a cabinet very organized and filled with fabric. Most though is junk fabric because till I found y'all I thought fabric was fabric. Then I found moda and from there it all went down hill. Thank god df spoils me rotten and I am on lifetime butt wiping duty as a thank you lol.


Butt wiping for our daughter not him that would be icky. Lol

I'm getting ready to move so my stash will do double duty as wrapping for fragile items. No apologies to anyone for my fabric, it makes me happy! Although my Mother was here last week and actually looked at the amount and only made one comment. Careful!
as she has benefited from it!

Horder? It could go either way...
I think a bit of orgnazation will help...that is my goal after cleaning the house, baking and all that stuff. I have lots of stuff that I COULD get rid of...but may not.

I am a quilter and collector of fabric and threads

My "stash" grew so big it had to be stored in my closet as well as bins and a cabinet. It got to the point where I would be afraid to grab something from the mid section stash in the closet for fear of a fabric avalanche. And oh yes, it happened!
So I would go back to the quilt shop and buy the same, or close, fabric that I already had. That to me is the beginning stages of hoarding. So, I donated one large garbage bag full of fabric that I really knew I would not use in the next 10 years. It was hard at first but I'm more organized now with the huge pile I still have. LOL! But it's much better now.

I think of it as a gift addiction. I love it when I give a quilt or item to someone who is totally taken by surprise at the thought that I "made" them something. And I give all my quilts away, I don't want a closet full of quilts. But it is also the joy of touching, petting and colors of fabric. It's satisfying. I guess that's a fabric addiction also.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by dunster http://www.quiltingboard.com/images/...post-right.png
Well, yes, some of us probably are hoarders, but not everyone with a large stash is a hoarder. If the stash interferes with the rest of your life, rather than enhancing it, then it's a problem. If the stash takes up space that is needed for other basic things, such as eating, cooking, bathing, sleeping, then it's a problem. If we spend money for fabric when it's needed for things like rent, food, or health care, then it's a problem. But if we just have more fabric than we can possibly use in our lifetime... well, it's not as bad as Imelda's shoe collection, is it?]

I like Dunster's definition. I just want to say, I need to keep things together that belong to one quilt if I'm going to set it aside for a while. I try to put all the pieces AND fabrics needed for it; AND THE PATTERN, or at least notes as to how it should be used; into a clear plastic bag. But I don't seal the bag, leave some breathing space. (This also helps me remember what was going on when I get it out in the future.)

I have told my children what they should do with it, so I feel better about it. I also think about this whenever I put something away. Life will be much easier for them this way. I have cleaned up too many houses of accumulated stuff, so I know how frustrating that can be.

I think it has a lot to do with growing up with next to nothing. My mom grew up during the depression and she had a real problem getting rid of anything. She always felt like she would need it one day and would not be able to afford to buy it....

I'm sure I have more fabric than I'll ever use but I'm thankful I have it because I don't have shops anywhere close to me. I make lots of quilts and potholders and it doesn't seem like I put a dent in my stash! I do take fabric occasionally to my guild because I'm tired of it or know I won't use it. I want to be energized and excited when I look at my fabric wall and not groan or feel bad or guilty, because that inhibits creativity.