Are we Hoarders or is it something else?
 

I don't like to think of myself as a fabric hoarder , but my stash never seems to go down in size , only gets larger. .. This got me thinking .. am I hoarding or is it that I am just too optimistic in thinking that I really will get to make all this fabric into quilts? What do you think are you a hoarder or too optimistic for the size of your stash???? or is there something more to your hoard?.... sorry meant to say large stash.

Hoarding is, as I understand it, a psychological condition, in which people find it impossible to get rid of anything, often as a reaction to losing someone. I don't think that quilter's fall under that umbrella, because they are buying it for a purpose, and they use it. They may not use it all, but there is a constant outflow of material. Now if you've filled your attic, and your garage, and your basement, and you don't want to use the fabric for fear you might need it for something else in the future, then yes, I would say you have a problem.

Other than that, if you think your stash it is getting too big, there is a Fabric Moratorium group you might find interesting. Or you could just send some of that lovely fabric my way :)

I think there are some of us that are afraid to let go of fabric because as soon as it is sold or given away, we are going to find ourselves in a jam because we needed that print for a quilt in the future. Hope this makes sense.

I think of myself as a collector, not a hoarder!

If you have significantly more cotton fibers incoming than outgoing, then I guess it does start to become something sort of like hoarding. If you just have a lot of volume flowing through your hands, then you're just productive and busy.

I like to give my fabric collection a reality check every now and then. I force myself to commit to use it or lose it. If I realistically don't want to use it, then it's time to give it to someone who will, sell it, or donate it. Interestingly, some of my favorite quilts have been made when I faced a use it or lose it moment -- somehow that removed the mindblock I had which was keeping me from using it up, waiting to find just the right pattern or the perfect recipient, and just get going and do it.

My guideline for myself is that all my fabric needs to fit within a specific space-- I have a dresser with drawers designated for color ranges, a collection of shoe boxes on top for scrappy bits, and one tote for larger yardages. Anything more coming in translates to something has to move out-- ideally in the form of a quilt.

Hoarder no I don't think I am one as I do buy and have years of stash but I also am one who are willing to give it away ti those who don't have due to not having extra money to buy themself. I consider my self a collector cause that fabric I just found at the LQS is to pretty to pass up and I might just need it someday...lol

Don't you just hate it when you pick out fabric that is just way to pretty or different to cut up!!! Now I might be a hoarder for those type...

I give away more fabric then I use. I see new fabric colors and designs and I will buy it because it is beautiful. Giving is the way to receive. The more I give it seems the more I'm able to buy.

Me too. But I did make 14 bed size quilts for Christmas this year, mostly from stash. I do try to keep the stash moving out.

I don't think hoarders are neat, orderly, and organized are they? I am constantly making quilts, so my fabric is constantly moving. One mistake I did make, and won't do that again. I made my SIL a quilt a couple of years ago, he called a couple of months ago and said he burnt it with a cigarette! Just a few weeks before I wash clearing out my stash and gave away all the left overs from his quilt. I did fix it and it looked fine, but wish I had saved some of that fabric back.

Every now and then I go through my fabric and cull out different things. This year I packaged up a bunch of panels that embellished sweatshirts, made advent calendars, Christmas dolls, vests, etc. Took them to a guild meeting, put them on a table and they all went to good homes. Earlier this year I pulled out a bunch of small pieces of fabric or fabric I didn't like and made a string quilt out of it all. It turned out really nice. So, to answer your question - no I don't think I'm a hoarder even though I probably will never use up all the fabric I currently have.

Jackie -- a little trick I use for quilts that will stay in the family-- I make a pillow case or set of shams out of the leftover fabrics. I try to wash the pillow cases about as often as I do the quilts, so that the wear and fading will be roughly the same. Then if I need to do repairs down the road, I have a source for material that matches wonderfully. But I don't have fabrics sitting in my space taking up room.

Well as someone who just finally found a job this past year after being out of work for 4 yrs. I can say a stash comes in handy when you are no longer flush with cash to buy new fabrics :)

What a great idea! Thank you so much. This is something I will do, because all my quilts go to my family.

What a great idea. I will add this to my list of projects when I make a bed quilt.

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?

My "collection" has reached critical mass....except my MIL in the assisted living facility said I could start storing it under her bed! The problem is,whenever I make a quilt,the scrap pile gets more horrendous. The DH says not to use time sewing scraps,whilst I still have uncut fabric in big pieces.

I don't think it's hoarding, although there are some aspects in common with hoarding. I buy with the purpose of using the fabric. Sometimes stash increases, sometimes it decreases. Sometimes I feel like quilting, sometimes I don't. Mine got out of control after a basement flood, followed by our boat sinking. Everything on the boat had to be washed, and everything that contacted the flood waters in the basement had to be washed, fabric had to be ironed. I didn't take new purchases to the basement, and I'm slowly organizing it mostly in the garage (so no car in there till I'm done). Then I've been really sick, so that slows stuff down. I've had trouble finding my UFO's, but I've finally found almost all of them, including a few I'd forgotten about. I started working on Christmas runners and discovered why I set it aside. But I've tried not to buy anything until I use a good portion of my stash.

I enjoy the entire quilting process, starting with fabric shopping! I don't do lots of other things, like eating out or going on expensive (or cheap) vacations. If someone who ate a nice dinner out once a week, instead spent the same amount on fabric, their stash would grow by leaps and bounds.
I think it's all what you think is important enough to spend your money on, and besides, fabric is non-fattening!

Since we use our fabrics for gifts, charity it's not hoarding. We have to collect something. Sue.

We have accumulated a rather large stash. I don't think we will ever be able to use it all up, but it is handy to have something to choose from when we are ready to start a project. I don't think that makes us hoarders. We have intentions to use what we have to make quilts, but even if we don't put it into quilts right away, we enjoy it. Sometimes it's fun to just go out to the sewing room and open the cabinets and admire the collection and remember when and where we bought the fabrics. In my mind, that is serving a purpose, if temporary.

My "hoard" continues to grow. I make lots of things and use lots of fabric. Lots of times, I just can't resist the remnant bin. My take on this is that - you never know what will be the "perfect" fabric and.. I am saving for my retirement. Yeah - I know that isn't a good excuse but it's the only one I've got. I do mostly scrappy - bought three rems today that total about 1 1/2 yds. that cost me $6.21. I shop about once a month. I've saved all the rems that I've purchased for the last 3 months and will wrap them up to put them under the tree for me. I live alone and I'm really looking forward to the treat. If I haven't used it all by the time I die - I'm sure someone will enjoy the blast from the past that I've left behind.

It's interesting that I just found this thread after spending 8 hours trying to organize my sewing room today. I got disgusted with it. I can't really say it looks that much better, either. Lots of little stuff is out: thread, fabric donations I recently received, a friend's project, books, projects underway, UFOs, projects that are queued for cutting, piecing, needing a back, or quilting, needing a binding, etc. The biggest thing in the way is donated fabric, and I spent hours cutting some on the Accuquilt GO hoping it will take up less space and be easier to use. I make quilts for homeless families and people know that and give me fabric. I haven't done as much sewing lately as usual due to health challenges. I'm not using fabric up as fast as usual.

Hoarding? No, I use the fabric and give away quilts. It's inventory. It's just that I have too small of a house and very limited storage space, and this feels very cluttered. I do have my own fabric also, plenty of it. I bought it while I was working a job that always needed overtime, and there went my sewing time. Now I have the time.

I haven't purchased any fabric to speak of for a year or more, and before that, didn't buy much for years. One exception is fabric for a specific project. I don't collect anything else, like a hoarder might. Despite the current mess, I am usually reasonably well organized. I do give away fabric to others who are doing local charity work. You can walk through my house. I know where everything is.

I think that the storage space is just too limited for the space the charity quilting requires. I don't think it's hoarding, but the sheer volume of it makes it feel like it might be. Does that make sense?

I think of fabric as tools, or pantry/kitchen supplies.

Some people don't like "extra" in their house--their cupboards are basically bare. These are people who were actually "afraid" during Y2K. Others, who work from a "full pantry" idea, weren't fearful--they already have enough on hand, probably, in a pinch, for a month of food. (Maybe not ideal menus, but food nonetheless).

It is my guess that these same people who get uneasy at the thought of having extra fabric around, probably don't buy extra food--they don't work out of the "pantry method" of food shopping--they prefer more day to day or week to week shopping.

I think it is more of personality thing.

I honestly don't think it is hoarding if you are constantly using it.

I love having fabric around--but too much can be too much to organize. When you spend more time organizing, cleaning up around, etc. than using/sewing with your fabric, then you've probably got too much.

Hoard?...no....I fully intend on using every bit of fabric I have. When? Who knows! I made four wall hangings, all from my stash...I have at least 4 or 5 more "ideas" rolling around in my head that I know I have enough fabric for...but I also know that there's fabric on bolts, in the store calling my name!!

Congratulations on finding a job Carolyn.

It's not the stash, hoard, collection that's growing, it's our houses that are shrinking. It's a well known fact that creative, intelligent and loving women, quilters in fact, exude warmth which dries out their houses causing shrinkage and therefore their stash, hoard, collection only "appears" to be somewhat large in volume.

My brother refers to my stash of fabric as stuff, which I need to get rid of. Therefore to his mind I am a hoarder and it all needs binning even quilts. I just think iam an untidy stash storer.

I've just started quilting. So far I've only bought new fabric for the quilt I'm working on now. I've also bought used flannel shirts for my next quilt and if I see a fabric I like in the thrift store I'll pick it up for future projects. So far the daughter has claimed most of them. I also want to build a small inventory of different threads and other sewing essentials so I don't need to buy a bunch of stuff for every project. It doesn't hurt to keep an inventory of fabrics or other supplies you know you're likely to use on hand.
Rodney

I put out a fair amount of quilts... but I also feel that my stash is getting bigger and bigger. Part of it is due to the fact that when I order from Fabricshack (which is the only place which gives me reasonable "bang for my buck") I have to order 7 yards.
I really try to think ahead on what I might require on the next project - but sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Right now I have decided that there is no more quilting fabric coming in. Only quilts going out. If I don't have the right color, tough luck, I just have to stick with what I have.
Well, maybe I have hording tendencies but I'm keeping watch on it and try to "walk the line".

I am not a hoarder just a gatherer of pretty fabrics!

there are two reasons that my stash is large. one... i want to have choices available when i choose my project. two... the fabrics were all purchased on sale... i love a sale.

I'm purchasing fabric now while I'm working. Might not be able to afford it when I retire. :)

Shelves full of fabric along my sewing room walls help to insulate it!

Can't help it, the fabric just multiplies like rabbits.....hubby was just ragging that I have bins on both sides of the basement now.....well one side I have fabric the other yarn...can't have enough projects going at one....

I live in the Northeast and it's freezing here, snow, snow, and more snow. I'll admit I have a large fabric stash. It's insulation for my sewing room ! lol

I finally, this year, started using some of my Christmas fabrics. Made 48 paper pieced, Christmas hot pads, a bunch of trivets, 8 Christmas table runners, and am working on a few aprons. But it seems like my Christmas fabric bins are even MORE full than when I started.

Non-quilters would call us hoarders. We're artists and fabric is our "paint".
SharonW in Texas

Carolyn I am glad you found work - the economy in New England has been in the tank for years.

What you said also resonated with me because I think that whether quilting is a hobby or a business, you need to keep some kind of inventory so you have materials on hand.

If someone just wanted to make one quilt, then great, buy the fabric and use it and be done with it, but this is an ongoing activity and I don't think it is economical to approach it as if it is a one-off.

I, too have started quilting fairly recently( due to medical reasons I now have the time). I have put together some "kits" of my own, but when I take a class at the guild, they say "oh just use fabric from your stash". That's when I really wish I had a stash! The girls I usually sew with all feel the same way, you have to love and caress that fabric and save it for something just right. I just lost a good friend in her 50's with a Huge stash...her Husband still hasn't decided what to do with it. That's when it makes you think about how much you have, but you can't live your life with that looming over your head. As long as the bills are paid and your kids/partner aren't ignored...whatever makes you happy!

Collectors!!!!! Some people collect coins,some collect stamps, we collect fabric and we can do something with it.