I’m conflicted between possessive feelings about my fabric stash and a desire for a minimalist life. The possessiveness is really a fear that discarding things will somehow injure my creativity. On the other hand, I’ve developed an overwhelming feeling that my life should not include any more stuff unless it’s for keeping me alive, functioning, and creatively occupied in the moment.
I want to bring your attention to Felicia who wrote a year-long series of posts, aptly named Stash Less, about fabric and craft-supply stashing on her blog, part of her website “The Craft Sessions”. The Craft Sessions is a community of crafters, knitters, sewers administered by Felicia, in the Melbourne area in Australia.
The Stash Less posts are written thoughtfully, analytically and dive deep into a maker’s desire to create, and the related penchant for collecting craft and sewing items. Go ahead. Click on the Stash Less link to read.
Felicia’s words resonated. I found much clarity after reading the seventeen posts when working though my ridiculously extensive, and expensive, fabric stash. In the past six years, I’ve sewn up a lot of fabric from the hoard (let’s call it what it is), but a bigger dent is required. I even gave away some fabric pieces and sewing/fashion books with a heavy heart. In my attempts to reduce the size of the fabric stash, I do struggle.
Do I buy anymore fabric? You bet, but now I buy it thoughtfully, as opposed to indiscriminately. I buy only when I see that proverbial “hole in the closet” and there is no fabric in my stash to fill that hole; and I make sure the piece is sewn up immediately; so that it fills the hole and makes me love my self-made wardrobe. I have a long way to go before I see the last fabric piece sewn.
Enjoy reading Felicia’s thoughts, and post your comments. What do you think?
A word about the image above. That’s a very small part of my beloved fabric hoard. All the pieces are oldies but goodies; as in tropical wools, silk, cotton, linen, rayon, and a bamboo/wool blend thrown in. At the time I must be going through a sage/taupe/grey phase, beautifully photo bombed by the jade silk cut-velvet at bottom right. Are you surprised I find it hard to part with the pieces? The only way forward is to sew them up.
Go forth and sew up a storm….
Samina
Sew Everything Blog 
I made a major purge last year, admitting that there were a lot of fabrics I would not be using and needed to let go. Since I am a pretty heavy thrift shopper, I needed to donate the unwanteds to the store I frequent, sort of a karmic return.
I do not dream of a minimalist home with clean counters and a few, choice stash items. I feel better with a layer of stuff on top of more stuff. I do appreciate paying it forward, though, so I do move it along.
On a perfectly related note, a group of music writers I know have been discussing the books and records they keep and those they’ve sold off, and why. Which has been a great thought provoker: do you need to keep the Beatles? Or make space for new bands?
Do I need to hang onto the Armstrong and the other drafting books? Don’t I have that stuff memorized by now? Shouldn’t someone else have a time with it?
Curious to know what others think.
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Hmmm. Good Beatles analogy. When it comes to the Armstrong books and such, I really have a hard time letting go. The books I let out of my house were held back for along time before the final donation – and they were good ones too. Oh well. I had to decide what books I would realistically reach for in the time allotted to me on this earth.
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I know that feeling!
My personal goal is to have NO fabric stash and only buy fabric for one project at a time. When it’s new is when I’m most interested in both the project and the fabric.
PS I saved your instructions on how to do a cuff thumb hole, which I like for cozyness. Thank you
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Oh, please let us know how the thumb hole turns out when you do use the idea! Thanks!
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I enjoyed reading the 17, thanks for the link. I am a recovering stash-a-holic. My whole being feels lighter with LESS-of-everything.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts – I hope to reach that lightness of being some day. I hope very soon.
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I haven’t bought fabric for a long long time – because I refuse to go into the fabric store! 😉
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Oh, wow. I try to shop my own stash first, and make substitutions. I do buy fabric, but thoughtfully. Hahahaha 🙂 – laughing at myself.
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