What about that fabric stash, quilter?

My last soapbox on the masks, concerns the meme that basically criticizes quilters for their stash of fabric, saying that finally, they’ll have a reason to use it.

Okay. Here we go. Quilters receive a lot of criticism, from themselves and from non-quilters, about buying fabric “just because.”

There are people who spend thousands of dollars going to football games. Hundreds are spent on hair color, nail polish, tattoos. Tens of thousands on antiques and antique car collections. And a quilter comes home with $100 worth of fabric for her stash and it’s …excessive?

I don’t buy into that. If your family has no food to eat, and you come home with fabric that you don’t have a plan for and have to find a place to shove it because all your cupboards are full. Yes, I believe that would be irresponsible. Someone needs to point that out to you. You aren’t reading this blog, so we are an an impasse.

If, on the other hand, let’s say you use fabric. You don’t want to always be running to town, wasting hours, when you come up with a project you want to sew, and keep a good stash of a wide variety.

What about people like me, who just really love textiles. I love the texture, design, color, feel. Why is it any weirder for me to buy a couple yards of a fabric that I love, instead of buying clearance stuff at Target to fill my shelves? (Nothing against Target)

People often like to tell others how to spend their money, if it doesn’t line up with their priorities. It’s okay. It is, what it is.

On the flip side, if you follow me on Instagram, I always encourage you to use your fun fabric. Either display it, so you can see and touch it, or make it into something. It’s so much more fun to use favorite fabrics, than to hide them away. It’s more fun to use beautiful quilts, than hide them in a vault to keep them safe.

And guess what? If you use those beautiful fabrics that you bought and are saving for just the right project, you’ll find more beautiful fabrics. You’ll make room for new discoveries. It’s like how meditation can help clear out the cobwebs so you have room for other thoughts. When you use fabric that you’ve hidden away, it opens up space in your storage or life, for new treasures.

When we had little to spend on fabric, I got so much joy out of buying even 1/8th yard. It was often my time out of the house, when the hubs would come home and give me a break from the demands of being a mom. I would go to the quilt shop, buy a snippet of fabric. It’s all I could afford. But, it brought me great joy. A

And, then, I would save it. Not use it. It was special fabric, I should have a really special project to use it in.

Let me tell you, when I finally flipped that thinking around, and started using my favorites, it brought more joy than when I found or bought it. Because, instead of folded up in a tub, hidden away, it’s now a runner on my dresser, or a placemat, napkin or mug rug, that I see every day. And it brings that charm into my whole house, instead of hidden away in a tub.

More on how to use your fun fabrics, in the future.

Until then, you’ll find me using recycled/upcycled fabrics and brand new fabrics, on my Instagram page.

Your friend,
Anne Dovel