I had decided a while ago not to buy anymore until I whittle down the stash. It is a challenge but I am working on it. I don' t have as much shelving as you do but what I have is filled.
Good luck!
Theresa

Jackie, I'll be happy to come visit you! And I promise I'll bring an empty suitcase! :)

Donna

I sure identify with you. Thank heavens for plastic tubs. I still have lots but when it is organized, people think you are supposed to have that much!

Jackie, don't curse your stash! I'm not wishing bad things on you, but there may come a time that for whatever reason you either can't afford to buy new anymore or can't get out, etc. You are going to be so grateful for it. When I was working it was nothing for me to go out almost weekly to buy however much I wanted, but now the only time I buy new is when I get a gift certificate or when I need to buy yardage for backing, which lately I've been using stash to piece together anyways. I've still got fabric in the stash, and last year I was given a bunch. I've been making scrap quilts all year with it. I do occasionally buy the wide muslin by the bolt when it's on sale, too. This quilt that I am now quilting is all from my stash, with sashings of scrap strips. I'm doing the strip piecing on paper method from Bonnie Hunter. The only new fabric in it is the border, which I bought with a gift certificate I got for my B-Day.

I am not cursing my stash as much as cursing myself for being out of control! I understand that when I reach retirement, I will not be able to buy like I do now and really have planned on that. I have also been making scrap quilts lately. It seems the more scraps that I use, the more that I have. I think those things breed sometime in the night! I love scrap quilts though and want to use up most if not all of my scraps before cutting into yardage.

Jackie, you are right! I've been making scrap quilts, too, and somehow even after I cut a bunch of pieces from scraps I still put scraps back into the stash. How does that work? LOL It's like the loaves and fishes sometimes.

Donna

Maybe that's God's way of treating us in our old age!! Miracle stash!! But shush - don't tell the younguns, make them spend their money just like we did! Someone has to keep the fabric shops open enough for when we have to buy something! I mean, occasionally we do like a special fabric treat or thread, or batting or something.

Ahhhhh, Jackie. You will appreciate all that fabric once you retire. My mission for the last few years was to use as much from my stash as possible. It does work, but as others have said, it seems that the scrappy pieces multiply. When it's on sale, I have bought basic background fabric that I knew would be used, but haven't washed it yet to make sure I use up what I already have. Have fun as you fondle your fabric. :-)

SharonG/FL

I am so enjoying this thread and some of the analogies like casting your bread on the water with scrap pieces. It's why I've been doing scrap quilts for so long it's become my trademark. I have may stash of actual quilt material down to one of those huge plastic tubs, but have three more the same size of other sewing materials like silks and linings, wools and flannels. It's also why I've ventured into flannel and wool quilts occasionally. I also had a SERIOUS fabric addiction and I think it's just honestly inherited from my Mama. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. At present I'm backing my scrappy puff (utility) quilt with some absolutely gorgeous heavy cotton slubby border print I bought on sale years ago with the intention of making draperies with it. It seemed like such a waste to use it for this, but honestly I live in the country where curtains are not needed for privacy, and I get by with lace or just valances. It's quite wide, so there is only one seam on the back I'll do by hand to join the two sections, and when I turn the bed down, the wide border will show. Why not? Not only does one have less money to spend on the luxury of 'collecting' fabric after retirement, the costs of cottons has skyrocketed in the last five years. It's almost a luxury now to buy it. I've picked up endless yards of cotton on clearance sales over the last decade for a dollar a yard and just told the clerks I'd finish off bolts of it and had lengths of it sometimes in the same patterns twelve yards long. Same stuff now, same quality is going for six and seven and UP, UP, UP a yard and the cheaper stuff, is junk. You can read a paper through it.

This post was edited by calliope on Mon, May 26, 14 at 14:10

I too suffer from fabric hoarder/lover syndrome. I was hoping to initiate a future quilter into the picture, but no grandchildren. As it stands now, at my current pace my stash will outlive me. Guess I'd better quilt faster!
LindaB/CA

You're speakin' to the choir here, Jackie! I rearranged my stash today so I would actually have room on my cutting table to cut! I started the baby quilt for my niece with the "Donkeys in Wellies" fabric. The new mom might not like my bright colors, but seeing those donkeys just makes me smile!

While I was making space, I realized I had plenty of empty shelf space ----- because most of the fabric was on my cutting table! Ooops!

Teresa

I should let my DH read this post so he understands I'm saving him retirement dollars now in anticipation of future dollars I won't have to spend once I retire!

Obviously I'm a lite weight on the stash department.....me shelves do not runeth over, but I'm working on it!

V.