Stash: delusions and containment

To an artsy or craftsy person, a stash is as a pantry is to cooks--a storehouse of raw materials out of which you produce your creations.  Personally, I have a sewing stash, a beading stash and a knitting stash.  Last weekend, in my efforts to de-clutter and streamline my life, I tackled the sewing stash.

Apparently, I'd been deluding myself about the size of my fabric stash.  I have this wooden chest that, in my mind, was where my fabric stash lived.  And that was kind of true--the chest was, in fact, full of fabric.  But there were also random cuts of fabric in other places--a shopping bag in the closet, a FedEx box on a shelf, etc.  These pieces had somehow ended up in a holding pattern, like a pre-stash staging area.  Some still had prices or labels pinned to them, and thus hadn't been washed or pre-shrunk and thus weren't technically ready to use and thus hadn't yet moved into the stash chest and thus didn't count as stash...yes, this does sound like a massive loophole and yes, I told you I'd been deluding myself.

So, step one was to wash/dry/pre-shrink all of this vagrant fabric--eight cuts in all, totalling somewhere between 11 and 16 yards, enough for at least five garments.  That's a lot of stash to have been floating in limbo. 

With all of this former pre-stash ready to join the rest of its brethren in the chest, I had to face the next problem: if I really wanted all of my stash to live in that chest, some would have to go.  I discovered five sewing projects that had been stalled or abandoned. Taking a hard look at these, I determined that four of the five could be saved.  The other one I realized I no longer cared about and didn't feel sad about officially surrendering.  From elsewhere in the chest, I put together a bag of remnants to give to a friend who quilts, along with some yardage I'd had literally for ten years without ever figuring out a plan for it, as well as some what-was-I-thinking pieces.

Now I can honestly say that this filled-to-the-top wooden chest contains my entire fabric stash.  Some of you with a hardcore sewing habit are surely looking at this and thinking what a puny stash this is compared to your stash closet/stash room/stash wing of your house, but that's okay.  I now know what all I have and where it all is, and I like all of it.  Plus, there's now empty closet and shelf space formerly occupied by pre-stash fabric.  Perhaps most importantly: fabric is squishy!  I've managed to cram a LOT of fabric into this chest.  If I didn't buy any more for several years, there would be plenty here to keep me busy.  Of course, I'm sure I will buy more fabric.  But THERE WILL BE NO MORE PRE-STASH STAGING AREA: I'll be trying very hard not to obtain more stash until some of what's in the chest has been sewn up to make room for new stash.  If I make this vow in front of you all here, maybe I'll actually keep it. :)

Comments

[Ali]

Good for you! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks taking care of your fabric stash is important (all the little bits of fabric ... everywhere). :)

[Stacy]

Gaidig, me too! Organizing the stash was very inspiring. :)

[Gaidig]

What is more, we want to see the finished garments you make with that stash!

[Stacy]

So many jokes--I don't know where to begin. :) And I actually do have some Space Bags, but I don't use them for stash because I like to be able to fondle it. (more jokes...)

[Marco]

Yeah and that "more room in your trunk once you suck all the air out" comment...I was in fact referring to your actual trunk of fabric and not your actual trunk. Your actual trunk is quite lovely the way it is.

[Marco]

I hope you never discover the wonder that is the Space Bag. You'll go broke buying fabric because you'll have so much more room in your trunk once you suck all the air out.