Hi all,
I went into Walmart this afternoon with my hubby.
While he grocery shopped, I looked at fabric.
I picked out 3 bolts, then added 4 more, but it just didn't hit me right color-wise. I actually walked out without buying any fabric.
Has anybody tried the round rings with the hanger on it for your rulers? I bought 4 of them so I will let you all know what I think about them. I tried using shower curtain rings, but didn't like them. Too small in diameter.

My stash goes up and down. While doing charity quilts it got pretty low. When we moved south my stash was big enough that I was kept sewing a long time without shopping. Of course up there I had a good job and no time to sew.Retired now with low income, I watch what I buy. Yard sales here I come. My stash for charity quilts is low again.As for the little scraps of 5-1/2 inches they are being transformed into a yoyo quilt. I was sent a yoyo maker and it is lots of fun. Don't expect to see a quilt anytime soon as I am slow but it is a good project to take along when sitting and waiting.
Periodically I clean out my stash to keep it down to things that will hopefully get used

My stash is from the kind hearts of this board. Do I have yardage ? no, I have scraps and some fat quartes. God bless. Penny

I teach a quilting class at my school to 3rd through 5th grade students. Last year, we were down to just a few scraps. I sent an email to my whole school district asking for anything (cotton) that they were willing to give away. I only asked that the piece be 1 inch or bigger. We have received so much fabric that we now could make 50 quilts and still not use it all. People are so generous!

I like your story- ain`t it true. I have a bookshelf my husband built in the spare bedroom and it is not anywhere near full. I will be glad to just see what I have. I got some goodies from someone on our free cycle in the Malone NY area and that was great. I am even making a polyester 6 inch squares quilt for the local dialysis unit patients.There was lots of yardage too.I have a few more years of working so I won`t have time to use it up yet.

I use to make my own clothes. So I have a stash of misc. fabric for that plus quilting fabric. A large stash of that. I have my 10' x 10' sewing room full of tubes, drawers, shelf's, etc. Plus a 8' x 14' shed filled with material and craft supplies. And I am still buying fabric. It is a sickness I have. I hope there is no cure. I know I will not die without a stash!

"What are you talking about when you speak of your stash?"

we mean something we love to hold, to touch, to feel, to stroke. it makes us secure and happy. it takes the place of thumb-sucking.

it's part of a cult that also involves wine and chocolate, cats and dogs and other miscellaneous animals. some people are so fanatical that they won't cut into theirs.

it comes in many prints and colors, and some are ugly. ask kwhite. she knows.
but every piece has someone, somewhere who loves it.

i hope this answers your question.

When I worked in a fabric store a few years back, a former customer died. Her home had rooms stacked almost to ceiling of fabric. One of her sons called and asked if we would buy it back. We had to refuse and they ended up selling some out of the house. I do not know what they did with rest of it. As clerks we thought she was sewing a lot. She was always buying for her grandyounguns. Guess she had dreams and no time :?

That's what I have, dreams and no time. My stash grows and yet I do not seem to ever sew. I look forward to retirement just so I can sew. I thought being an empty nester would give me more time, wow, was that a misconception! It seems I have much less!

The "empty nest" doesn't necessarily mean you'll have much more time. My DH always said "there'll be time for us later." Well, he was wrong because he's not with me now. He passed away 11 years ago, and I find myself still working (at my age of 70). So, if you have any "free time" you should cherish it and get done what sewing you can. I always bought fabrics so I could quilt and sew when I retired but it sure doesn't look like that's going to be any time soon.

I am so sorry for your situation. I am sending you a very big cyber hug!
I have learned we have to live the day we are in, we don't know what tomorrow can bring.
I have everything a quilter or seamstess could wish for as far as material goods.
I didn't think about the fact that I might not have the energy needed in my retirement years.
Since the latter part of 09 I have had so many surgeries that I will just have to build myself back up to where I can enjoy my sewing/hobby room again.
When I'm feeling sorry for myself I will think of you and others on this board and say a prayer for you all.

You are very sweet to think of others when you have your own problems. I try to do as you and just live for today. Hopefully, today will be good for both of us and others.

This was a very nice 'thread' to read and hear about all your stashes so I will add my story. When I was very small,(under age 6) to entertain me, my mom would sit me down on the floor next to her rag drawer and she said I would play there happily for hours. It must have stuck because now, I can sort through all my bits and pieces of scraps and let my imagination soar. Fortunately, I have a wonderful friend who does not wish to keep her scraps so she sends them to me. How fortunate I am and I tell her that it is way better than Christmas when she sends me a treasure box of goodies. I have 3 scrap quilts begun (spider web;one I call stained glass and a replica of one my mom made back in the 30's) and ideas for more. My stash just seems to grow also and I have had many fabrics for years. Some I know now are not suitable for quilting so need to get rid of them. One day, will get them all organized with the neat folding tut that I saw on here. I probably have 8 of those square milk carton like storage containers full of fabric and a couple cardboard boxes. Loved all your stories. :-)

I, too, played with my mom's scrap material, but I do not remember ever having much in the way of "scraps" from anything, including food, etc. I had three brothers and two sisters and my dad was a carpenter. Mother didn't work outside the home until I was in my early teens. Any fabrics that were left from her sewing our clothes with feed sacks, were put in braided rugs, or something useful for our home. Our flour, sugar, etc. all came in feed sacks so we didn't have a lot to throw out. My dad always had a garden for vegetables and mom made bread, pies, cakes. She had a sewing day, a bake day, a wash day, and an ironing day. I don't remember a day when she bought groceries. I don't think she did. We grew everything.

I so enjoy hearing these stories of "how it was" as well as the ones of "how it is".
I can so relate to all that you all have mentioned.
I wish they still put feed in cotton fabric sacks.
Better than having to buy burlap type sacks or disposing of the heavy paper ones.
We always had a garden, as well as a milk cow, even in town. We staked her out in empty lots or close by fields.
Owners were glad not to have to mow.
I wish my brother hadn't taken my Mother's churn to the dump :(
I think I just may write a journal for my Grandkids & Greats.

A journal is a great idea. My grandchildren would probably like to read something like that, too. I have turned that idea over in my mind a time or two, but the time to do it.....? I can't even find the time to quilt right now. I, too, wish they still put flour, sugar, etc. in fabric feed sacks. Maybe I wouldn't dislike going to the grocery store so much.

))))))Hugs((((((( Pat
Thank you for your kind and gentle reminder.

um..............tubs here, labled, darks, lights, heirloom, Asian, toile, Christmas silk, ............and one tub with fabric that contains some yardage that is just too beautiful to use or I haven't found the right item to make with them......ggggg.......take a look at some others stash.....especially Virginia Farrell...............sometimes that's mine...............sheesh............calla/Sue

http://www.amisimms.com/stash.html

Carol, what "cool" storage you have :D
You are close to being my neighbor!
Just found another neighbor on this board that is just a few miles from me.

Thank you for that good advice. Enjoy what we have now. Don't wait for someday. :)

Most of my projects, I buy new fabric because I try not to have much left over because of storage. Also when you go buy for the next project, I don't have my leftovers with me and can't remember the colors.

I HAVE1 LARGE PLASTIC CONTAINER. JUST GETTING STARTED.