quiltingeileen

I'm sure they are all beautiful! Isn't it a nice feeling to know you can go fabric shopping at home, especially when there is bad weather

justflyingin

Yep. I agree 100%.

justflyingin

For sure. It is my pantry and just as you (probably, assuming you eat at home) have food in your pantry/kitchen, I have fabric in my fabric pantry. And why does it matter to anyone else?

MdmSew'n'Sew

Ah, the great debate ... to wash or not to wash ... when I buy cheap fabric I may wash but otherwise, no, and I've never had a problem with running colors - the only ones I even worry about or test are reds and purples ... and never have had a problem. I know that some use Retayne or color catchers when they wash the first time, I haven't felt the need.
Haven't ever thought to wash batiks, since they are washed in between each color - and I have a LOT of batiks, well over 100 (probably closer to 2 or even 300), I'm afraid to count but am cutting strips to make my own 'jelly roll 1600 quilt' and will have more than enough to make at least two quilts if I only cut one strip from each batik in the bin.
I really love the look and feel of the quilts when I wash them for the first time and they suddenly look and feel like old friends instead of something that is perfectly smooth and 'too good to sit on' - I'm old and comfy and I want those things surrounding me to be old and comfy too

Mousie

so for the mensa-mathics, lol, what is horrified times 50? I gave up horrified long ago and am now numb, lol. Turns out I can't be creative if I can see it, so to help my artistic side and to protect my fabrics, all my shelves have curtains

NikkiLu

FYI - I would certainly take the time to wash the batiks - this is how I did mine. I have a pure white dishpan and I put a drop of liquid soap in a couple of inches of lukewarm water and then put a piece of batik in it - still folded and swished it around. If it did not bleed, I gently squeezed out the water, still folded and set it aside. Put in another piece of batik and repeated. If it did bleed, I changed the water and put in cool rinse water and kept changing the water until it quit bleeding - sometimes I would rinse a piece about 5 times before it quit bleeding. At least twice I had to throw away the piece as it never did quit bleeding. One bright blue piece looked like an octopus squirting out his ink every time I touched it. I then rinsed all of the "washed" batiks in cold water - still folded - and then laid them out onto thirsty big towels on my kitchen counter. I then draped them over clotheslines in my utility room and portable lines in my living room that I had my DH put up - it was winter and we had the fireplace going and the pieces dried very fast. Then folded them and put them away - did not see any need to iron. However, before using, I will probably iron them. Very little wrinkles.

HTH - Hope this helps.

Normabeth

I wouldn't be horrified, you are just saving up for when money gets tight and you can continue to create. I, myself, can't resist the word "SALE", I am quilting about 3 years now and probably have 500 different fabrics, always have to go out any buy fabric to match the quilt I am making, usually the borders or backing fabric is needed. We spend a small fortune on our "hobby", probably have enough to last the next decade, but I keep buying, don't want to run out.

wildwoodflower12390

I confess, I am a fabricoholic; my stash exceeds a closet with shelves across the closet and fabric in rows like fabric shops, (by color) bins for small pieces and overflow in an old dresser. You're not alone, I am not sure there is a cure, except maybe more fabric. (p.s. fabric shops will give away those cardboard fabric holders, and they can be divided into thinner pieces to hold more fabric)

dingle525

I have "some" Fabric, I'll admit that much. BUT, my kids see it differently. They are all grown and have families. The running joke with all of them is "if you head downstairs to Moms sewing room - grab the rope so you can find your way out" and the one they like best is "telling people they think they have more siblings but they got lost in Moms sewing room and Mom aint talking.

Dingle

cricket_iscute

Exactly! If you see two or three that go together, put them together in a basket and before long, you will see another, and another, etc. If you ever have a chance to get an out-of-print book by Jinny Beyer called Color Confidence, that would help you.