Battle Axe

Snooze, the guy at the Featherweight shop in Idaho had some special sewing machine needles on sale today that would glide through things like that. Just Google Featherweight Shop and the eleventh day of Christmas. Marcia

juliasb

Stash and a half! That is what I have. Go to the stash first is my motto anymore. Not only are my stash cupboards full but so are tote and totes and totes and a few suitcases! Because of the holidays am 3 deep in toes in my studio with barely a place to walk through. Even though things are well sorted by color or themes, like holiday or batiks or 1930 repos etc. I still find myself searching for the right piece that I know is in there somewhere. It is the looking that is dangerous for me because I have to pull large sections out to get at a single piece and then putting it away can be the biggest challenge of all.

Cheshirepat

Oooh, I'm guilty of having a few I consider 'almost too good to use'! One of my favorite illustrators, Julie Paschkis, has designed for In The Beginning fabrics. Her collection "Luminaria" is *amazing*. I have full panels (and a few coordinates) I haven't yet touched. I just bring them out once in a while, drool on them, re-fold and imagine what I might do with them some day. Some day in my head, is when my skills are honed enough to *not* screw it up if I do. You can imagine that's a fairly high bar I set myself!

MERRYG

I too have way too much fabric it tends to run over to other places. I have one piece I dearly love and I just can’t use it yet. I take it out of the tote every once in a while and love it and the put it back. I will use it in a quilt for myself one day .i save bits and pieces cause someone might use them and go thru every once in awhile and give them away. I’m organized have stuff sorted into kits with pattern and baskets that have color families. Just recently retired and love being able to go to the sewing room each day if I choose too.

Anniedeb

Well, most of my stash has been moved/packed for the holidays, but I know for sure it is very similar to yours! I have the lower right panel, upper right panel, and the colorful bubbles/dots next to the butterflies! I may have another piece or two also. I also have a lot of the gold enhanced matching smaller prints. Cranes galore, and a couple of peacocks also!

Iceblossom

I had a lot of little bits of fabric, the last scraps from "precious" projects or fabrics that I was saving for the right project. Over the last few years I've been working on the concept that the perfect project is any project that can use that piece. I have a little memory ceremony, use it and move on. It's helped a lot.

Likewise, this last year I've been pulling out the pieces in the stash that speak to me and go together into a "potential projects" box. These haven't been decided on what exactly to do with them but that I wish to use them and here's a start. So when I see a project I like, I first think of what is in the box that would work.

I pulled out my various metallic fabrics and am figuring ways to use them, one quilt top down, one quilt planned, at least one to two quilts worth of fabric still available.

Likewise, I am also going to be working with my civil war fabrics this year. Again, one project planned, it will be very scrappy and use up at least some of my 10" swapping squares. Another project semi-planned. And yes, probably 4 quilts worth of fabric total.

Sometimes when I'm working on collections of fabric I need to really carefully curate each piece. Other times, it's everyone in the pool! Here's a picture and the story the first of my metallic stash projects, made mostly from 6-10" swapping squares.
2019 Fabric Moratorium

Cheshirepat

Iceblossom, I just went through your links and 'project notes'. I really love the thought behind, and the execution of that Scrap Metal quilt - it hits home! I have some physical challenges too, and feel like I'm up against creating before I cannot any more. I wonder if I could follow a bit of your process myself, and free up my stress about getting the projects done 'in time', and without compromise. Thanks for sharing all of that!

oksewglad

luvstoquilt, I, too, have some Fr Gen fabrics that I've been hoarding...this summer bought some blue toned Fr Gen for $3 a yard at a LQS closing, so now have 2 sets of it. I have 2 groupings of 3 Sisters fabrics, one soft blue Sanctuary and the other soft corals I also got for $3 a yard. I love paisleys and have a hard time randomly cutting into any of those.

1Nanoo

Oh! Your comments speak to me! I have a room filled with 5 6' tall shelving units with 4 shelves each. For 20 years I collected batiks. Then I realized I am reluctant to cut into them for concern that I may "ruin" them. For the last couple of years I have only collected blue and orange batiks and Kaffe Fassett. Same story. I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet, pick a pattern, cut into them and see what results.

tuckyquilter

I have a yd of the circle Kaffe Fassett fabric between the butterflies and, the red/cream orange peel. I bought it to make a little jumper for my 1st grand daughter. She's 7.5 and I still have it...LOL I would suspect that we all have some of "that fabric" that we just can't seem to let go of.. yet... I mean really, the perfect quilt pattern is right on the horizon.