Some folks call it hoarding, but stockpiling is a WAY nicer word, don't you think?
Either way, it's thought by many to be one of the primal instincts, like the drive to protect one's young, to procreate, and to survive...
Experts say that that the hoarding instinct is hidden in the genetic code of all humans, mostly a recessive trait in modern times, but like night blindness or schizophrenia, it can't be ignored when it surfaces. The trick to keeping it dormant they say, is to refrain from activating the gene in the first place. Sometimes it's the uncontrollable circumstances of life that activate the urge to hoard, like the way the Great Depression turned a generation of impressionable children into pathological savers, for example.
But sometimes the urge to accumulate can be triggered by something as benign as....
If I had to point to that moment in time that triggered MY urge to accumulate fabric, I think it just might have been in the Fall of 2007, the first time I felt the pure adrenaline rush of the Quilt Market. That's when I knew for the first time that I'm not the only one who:
And I know I'm not the only one who strategically displays my new fabric on my cutting table for days before I cut it, just because I enjoy looking at it that much!.
But now, as I sit here surveying my studio, littered with bags of free samples & remnants fresh from the Quilt Market, I simply have no choice! My love of fabric is beginning to overpower the storage units designed to contain it! There's no room for anything else! As much as I hate to admit it, it's time to schedule an intervention with myself because. I've developed a pretty bad case of "fabric creepage", (otherwise known as the slow & steady migration of a fabric stash beyond the boundaries of its designated storage containers). In other words, it's time for a good old fashioned P-U-R-G-E, as painful as it might be!
It's been less than 2 years since my last stash purge (when I moved into this new studio) and what I would love to know is...
Is there any way to avoid "fabric creepage"?
Does anyone out there have a really GREAT system for controlling their fabric stash?
If you have any thoughts or suggestions,
I'd love for you to leave them in the space provided below!
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Please feel free to re-tweet or pass this post on to others via Facebook, StumbleUpon or any other way you see fit. :)
Either way, it's thought by many to be one of the primal instincts, like the drive to protect one's young, to procreate, and to survive...
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| Here's some beautiful African prints I saw at Market! |
But sometimes the urge to accumulate can be triggered by something as benign as....
- placing that first batch of home-canned green beans on the storeroom shelves, or...
- stashing that first freshly cut cord of wood in the carport, or even....
- the perfection of a neatly folded stack of color coordinated batiks.
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OK- it's no secret that I LOVE fabric!
(And I'll bet some of you do too!)
If I had to point to that moment in time that triggered MY urge to accumulate fabric, I think it just might have been in the Fall of 2007, the first time I felt the pure adrenaline rush of the Quilt Market. That's when I knew for the first time that I'm not the only one who:
- loves getting lost amongst towering rows of bolted cottons.
- loves touching fine silks, textured laces, and velvety corduroys.
- loves the thrill of a digging through a bargain table of reduced remnants.
- loves 'playing' in a stash of fabric, refolding pieces and stacking it according to color.
And I know I'm not the only one who strategically displays my new fabric on my cutting table for days before I cut it, just because I enjoy looking at it that much!.
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| And surely you know by now That I love EVERYTHING by Laurel Burch |
It's been less than 2 years since my last stash purge (when I moved into this new studio) and what I would love to know is...
Is there any way to avoid "fabric creepage"?
Does anyone out there have a really GREAT system for controlling their fabric stash?
If you have any thoughts or suggestions,
I'd love for you to leave them in the space provided below!
**********************************************************************************
Please feel free to re-tweet or pass this post on to others via Facebook, StumbleUpon or any other way you see fit. :)
You could always use the closet concept- If something new goes in, then something old must come out!
ReplyDeleteOuch! I'm thinking I might could find a way around that though....... :)
ReplyDeleteOMG, you do that too? I am actually going to be teaching a class for people who want to get into or just try out quilting and one of the help requests we're going to deal with is stashing fabric and conquering the reluctance to cut into it. I'm afraid it might be like having a bartender lecturing winos on the evils of drinking. I have (in my shameful past) resorted to hanging my stash from skirt hangers and purging clothes so that I could hang them in the bedroom closet.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any ingenious storage methods, but the last time I purged, I gave the fabric to the quilting club at our local senior center and it was very satisfying to know it was going to a good home. Yes, I do still miss some of it and I've had a few "What was I thinking?" moments, but there are nice warm seniors cuddled up in lovely quilts made from my fabric out there, and I can live with that.
Good Luck!
Those are good ideas Diane! Thanks for sharing them! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're thinking about going with the skirt hangers, go with the ones that hold 5 or 6 in downward layers. They're great for organizing by color and/or theme. I got some at Wal-Mart long ago.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to go with the purge, I recommend giving away the containers too, since that's what you don't have room for in the first place. When I kept the containers, it just seemed like a natural progression to fill them back up again.
Interesting- I never thought about it that way
ReplyDelete:)
My friend gave a bunch of her fabric to our high school sewing class. The teacher and students were very happy to have it. She had decided she mainly wanted to work with batiks so purged the non-batiks.
ReplyDeleteI have been having similar thoughts lately about stashed fabric or good-sized remnants from sewing projects.
ReplyDeleteA quilting group at our church makes quilts from donated fabric for a school for teen mothers (which uses them as rewards or incentives for taking/doing well in parenting classes or other basic skills), missionaries, seniors, those in the congregation who are ill or need a touch of comfort, etc. It is amazing how they can put together "random" prints and colors, and even types of fabric (i.e. not quilt cottons) and come up with very attractive combinations and designs! They are not "heirloom" projects, but made to be used to show Jesus' love to those who need it in that special way. Maybe there is such a group close to you who do something similar.
Sharon A.
OMG I have several friends whose stash is creeping into the sewing space... including me!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of friends who gave me several bags of fabrics. I've used some of it, but there is some I have all neatly folded and will put it on e-bay to sell. Then there is a bag of fabric to make into bears for charity. A bag that I'm going to make up into re-usable grocery bags. My purchased ones are quickly beginning to give out. A bag of velvet I'm going to make into pillows. Oh man I have more projects than I have time! Diane I liked your ideas too.
Kathy -- your comments were so refreshing; your phrasing hit home. My sewing room is jam-packed and I'm also having to make room for my growing yarn stash. I used to have a rule: can't buy more until I've used what I have. That rule has fallen by the wayside. I know full well I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! You can control your fabric (& buy more) with this method and I didn't believe it until I tried it. I have so much fabric and in my minds eye, I know exactly what I have but finding it was becoming a real problem! Until, I took three days and rolled all of my fabric and put it in color blocks in my cabinets. All the red together, all the black together etc. I was astonished by how much room I saved and how little space rolling the fabric takes. I have very deep cabinets so I put one color in the back of the cabinet all rolled & stacked very neatly and then I bought plastic bins that are wire (Office Depot) and put another color all rolled and stacked in that and then put that fabric group in front on one of the shelves. They are easily pulled out to access the fabric in the back and I can see everything and actually find what I'm looking for! I ended up with empty space believe it or not and I won't tell what I'm filling it with! Give it a try and you will be amazed!
ReplyDeleteLinda
I've always thought that you can never have too much fabric (or yarn)!!! But, I have noticed a reluctance of late to purchase fabric unless I intend to use it in a current project or 'have plans' for it. So now I am using up my 'stash' and only buying fabrics that will be used in the project as either borders, sashing, binding or backings. But I still manage to add to the 'stash' with those purchases (the leftover bits)! So when a friend is looking for a particular fabric, I head to the stash and usually find what they are looking for.
ReplyDeleteI took a very hard look at my stash six months ago. Then I divided it into things I'd never quilt with and things that I would. The "never" pile got turned into a collection of ReUse-a-Bags that I donated to the Mount Tabor Historical Society's Christmas Craft Sale. They were a hit.
ReplyDeleteSome of the fabrics were mistakes-- purchased for a particular project, but did not work. Some were given to me by a friend whose tastes differ from mine. They all made handsome bags for a good cause.
PatW
I love these ideas! Sounds like I need to get to work. This is a great project to end the year with!
ReplyDeleteI found a great way to avoid adding more to my stash, I ran out of money :)
ReplyDeleteFor years our high school drama club had a lady who sewed costumes for them and always had a use/need for quite a mix of fabrics and trims.
ReplyDeleteThese are all great ideas for fabric stashes! I find that over time one storage system seems to overtake the previous one but the one constant I've found that may help others is to think really, really hard about the heavy, cumbersome wardrobe storage units before you buy even with the adjustable shelves (shelf space becomes too small too fast). Flexibility/moveability is key for always changing stashes and the Rubbermaid style bins offer it best. It's a pain to get to the bottom bin so it becomes a "lesser of two evils" thing upon realizing stackability and moveability, empty or full, occupies minimal floor space.
ReplyDelete