Building a Fabric Stash

Wow, guys.  I haven't written in a week and a half!  There is so much I want to write about, but I have less free time than ever.  Although Tommy is a good sleeper at night (he's been sleeping for 5-6 hours straight since he was 5 or 6 weeks old!) he doesn't sleep that well during the day.  Getting one of his cat naps to line up with Nathan's afternoon nap has been quite the worthy challenge.  And he doesn't start sleeping soundly at night until 10 p.m.  And condsidering that he nurses every hour and a half on the dot (or less), it' s a wonder that I get anything done, let alone the fun stuff. 

So without further ado, here's some fun stuff:

 

I've been buying fabric here and there for specific projects since purchasing my sewing machine back in March, but only with this last purchase did I realize that I'd been following a strategy for how I was building my fabric stash.  Unconscious Fabric Stockpiling (UFS) -- is that a disorder?  Like the people who sleepwalk to the refrigerator and stuff their faces in the middle of the night?

 

It's simple -- I've been buying more fabric than I actually need.  Or, UFS. Buying a bit more fabric than I need for a project isn't just smart sewing, it's how I've been growing my useful and productive stash.  Much of my leftover fabric already goes together, and if you're drawn to the same colors over and over again like I am, you'll have countless combinations to work with as your stash grows.

 

I've been sewing small Christmas presents during my scant free time, and I feel very pleased (and satisfied -- is that wierd?) that all of my projects are coming directly from my stash.  Even the fusible fleece, thread and emboidery floss.  (Yeah!!!)  I also made the crayon roll I sewed for Nathan's birthday entirely from my stash.  I love how easy it was to select coordinating colors -- a no-brainer because I already did all the sweating it out over what fabric to buy and how the colors work together when I bought the fabric for the original project.  Opening the doors to my fabric stash is getting to be a little like going to a [very small] fabric store.

 

In the photo above, I bought the first three fabrics on the left for an apron for Nathan.  (All four fabrics are from the Woodland Tails collection by Sherri Berry designs, blue pallet.  I know, it's too nice for an apron, but I have nothing else lined up for it.  Should I do a quilt instead?)  I loved the collection so much that I bought the fabric on the right to make Thomas a pair of reversible shoes.  (Baby deer, giraffes and toadstools all on the same fabric?  Yes, please!)  So of course I had to buy some extra blue dot fabric for the lining.  While I was at it, I bought some extra deer/giratte/toadstool fabric -- and I already knew I'd end up with more stripe and animals fabric than I needed for the apron.

What else will I make with all the leftover fabric?  Who knows?  That's the fun of having a stash.  Someday I'll have a project in mind and I'll know exactly what fabric I'll make it with.  And I'll be able to start it right away.  Or, as soon as I can squeak some free time outta these boys.  I love being able to start on a project as soon as inspiration strikes!

 

In today's mail I received this laminated fabric to make a smock for Nathan.  The fabric is Bermuda Owls from Robert Kaufmann's urban zoology line -- I received it already laminated from from the Laminates Etsy shop. I'm excited to get started on the smock for one of his Christmas presents, and I also see some nifty pencil cases in my near future.

My name is Kelly and I have UFS.  I buy more fabric than I need.  What is your your affliction?  I mean, what are some of your stash-building tactics?