With summer coming in just two days and all my sewing plans changing from the cold weather projects I didn't quite get to, to summery fun projects that I plan to sew, there was a near crisis in the Craft Lounge this week. The fabric situation started to get out of control because of my recent acquisitions.
You see, after all the travel in the last 5 months, my glee to be back in the Craft Lounge with time to sew manifested itself in a bit of a fabric binge - 31 yards of fabric somehow came home with me in a two week span.
Plus, I still hadn't made room for the 12 or so yards of wax cloth my pop brought me from Ghana.
My stash has been in a happy equilibrium for some time. I buy a few yards and then sew a few yards, never outgrowing the chest of drawers and sweater box where my fabric lives. But because I had purchased fabric for the winter projects that did not get sewn as planned, there was no more space in the stash.
Something had to be done.
So I sorted the fabrics that I have no immediate plans to sew, plus a number of winter weight fabrics that will not be sewn this summer into a few piles.
And Phin has found a place for them in the basement for me. I have to confess, I'm a little nervous about my fabric not being within arms reach in the Craft Lounge. But I'm glad to have a bit more room. Um, especially considering that I didn't buy fabric for a few of the projects that I will be sewing soon.
So, it looks like I will now have to do a seasonal changeover of fabrics. Do you do any kind of seasonal rearranging of your fabric stash?
Oh, and speaking of seasonal, I rewarded myself for a job well done with strawberry sour cream ice cream, made from berries that Phin and I picked on Saturday... recipe here.
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| This is just some of the binge fabric: jersey prints |
You see, after all the travel in the last 5 months, my glee to be back in the Craft Lounge with time to sew manifested itself in a bit of a fabric binge - 31 yards of fabric somehow came home with me in a two week span.
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| Rayon Challis for a summer dress |
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| Boucle for a jacket/blazer to go with this lining |
Plus, I still hadn't made room for the 12 or so yards of wax cloth my pop brought me from Ghana.
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| Wax Cloth |
My stash has been in a happy equilibrium for some time. I buy a few yards and then sew a few yards, never outgrowing the chest of drawers and sweater box where my fabric lives. But because I had purchased fabric for the winter projects that did not get sewn as planned, there was no more space in the stash.
Something had to be done.
So I sorted the fabrics that I have no immediate plans to sew, plus a number of winter weight fabrics that will not be sewn this summer into a few piles.
And Phin has found a place for them in the basement for me. I have to confess, I'm a little nervous about my fabric not being within arms reach in the Craft Lounge. But I'm glad to have a bit more room. Um, especially considering that I didn't buy fabric for a few of the projects that I will be sewing soon.
So, it looks like I will now have to do a seasonal changeover of fabrics. Do you do any kind of seasonal rearranging of your fabric stash?
Oh, and speaking of seasonal, I rewarded myself for a job well done with strawberry sour cream ice cream, made from berries that Phin and I picked on Saturday... recipe here.
15 comments:
I do seasonal rotation of fabrics, or at least I used to when I was living out of one tiny bedroom! I took four of those giant reusable tj maxx bags and sorted by season, only putting in fabrics that also had a pattern paired up with them and any notions. Then, whenever I visited my parents I would swap out a bag, keeping the other three bags there.
I think I need to bring rotation back into my own sewing space, I'm getting overwhelmed by my stash to the point where I just shut the door and leave instead of wanting to start a project.
Have you ever approximated how many yards total of fabric you have? I counted once and it was embarrassing.
I love that boucle, but aren't you supposed to pick your lining AFTER your fashion fabric? LOL
I love your new fabrics! I have a very small cupboard in my sewing room that (amazingly) actually fits 55 yards of fabric at the max. I mean, it's not airy, but it's not a horror. That's a good yardage to allow me to do all kinds of diff things, for diff seasons, on a whim. I buy, if I am compelled, as long as I can fit my fabric into that closet. When I can't, I just say no.
Your fabrics are yummy! And, if I had a way to do seasonal stash rotation I would so do that! I've noticed that when I can't see my stash fabric I tend to buy more than I need, for similar projects! And when I do see my stash my sewing is more impulsive, fun, and creatively rewarding. Unfortunately, sewing for other people means my stash has been buried under all the fabric for them... So I am having a total storage space issue right now too. I am itching to get back to my own projects so bad, but it will have to wait for another few months...
Oh, and your ice cream looks yummy too!
I blame Devra for the lining. ;-)
In a word - notonyourlife!
I actually don't have an astoundingly large stash and I tend to give away fabric that I later decide I probably won't use. So as long as it fits where it should, I have no issues with my normal stashing habits. This last bout was a bit unusual for me. And it was really overwhelming - paralyzing - to have piles of fabric in my work area. I guess I am a neater person than I knew.
That's discipline! Actually, I do often say no. But I've been wanting to sew some knits and don't have much in stash. And I had a bunch of summer projects in mind, and well, things just sort of happened from there...
Sewing from stash is rewarding - especially when you rediscover a fabric that you had perhaps overlooked. Yeah, I have a few "for others" projects and, even though they are for loved ones, I kind of want to get through them asap so I can get back to projects for me.
I'm not much of a stasher. I buy mostly just for projects I already have in mind and am ready to sew...with a few impulse buys now and then. I do seem to sit on a big pile of leftovers that I don't want to toss in case I can use them for my sewing classes or with my kid. Every now and then I cull it out and giveaway a bag on freecycle.
I actually did go through my scrap bin and got rid of a bunch of smaller scraps - I tend to just heap scraps into the bin at the end of a project and when the bin gets full I go thru and decide what is a useable size and what really is not worth keeping. So, my scrap bin is in order too.
Does the soap trick work? I haven't had any insect issues, but better safe than sorry!
Yeah, lately fabric is finding me too.
He actually was able to find a little space in the closet. So, my fabrics are still near! yay!
Soap definitely repels silverfish. It keeps out roaches and carpet beetles if you use a heavily scented soap. Ants usually don't bother my fabrics ... when they come in around the kitchen door seeking water, I pour a line of ground black pepper along the threshold and they stay away.
Nice fabric haul!!!
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