Welcome 2009

New Year's Resolution

My NYR is to use all (ok, most of) my quilting fabric stash. I already had a lot of fabric before I even started quilting....and it's just kept growing. I have yards and yards of fabric I ordered online that looked perfect in the catalogue or on screen -but was out just a tone or two when it arrived, so it couldnt be used to plan....and then I have stashes from when I find stunning prints that I know I will need 'one day' ...and then I have fat quarters from shows and shops and markets that compliment already existing stashes...and of course I've been given a fair share of prints too.

But just recently, I went looking for some suitably inspiring fabric and I opened a stash box (I have them arranged in colours, prints, themes, etc) and the box was so jam packed (and looked so pretty) that I had second thoughts about rummaging through it. I had arranged it so well that it could have stayed like that undisturbed until one day I went out and bought exactly the same print and shade...forgetting I already had it.

Now this surely isnt impossible, because as I kept looking through my boxes I found fabric I didnt recognise, had forgotten was there and never even knew I had (a fat quarter wheel of chrismas prints comes to mind - perfect for a new December tablecloth that I need, and that I wasn't even thinking of, for instance)...

So, when is enough fabric, finally enough? On the one hand, nothing in my stash is inspiring me right now, its good for 'other ideas' but none that I'm currently entertaining. I have lots of plans for quilts I want to make and I don't want to be constrained my existing stash. Also, when you have an idea and you need a certain tone...its hard to match your colour theme from an existing batch, you usually have to go out and buy some more. Or, you buy a backing fabric and then by sheer coincidence you find a great 'zinger' for a quilt you're working on...and it has several prints in the range that you need to compliment the look. Then of course, there's always lovely new fabric coming out which is fresh and exciting and I have to stop myself buying it all up and just storing it for when I 'get around to it'....

On the other hand, my shelves are groaning. They are so tightly stuffed that it can take me 30 minutes to expertly remove a 'layer' without disturbing the fabric surrounding it. I have run out of boxes (which are a nuisance to wheel out and un-stack and then re-stack) everytime I want to start something. And then of course, I'm bored of looking at the same fabric all the time, knowing that something should be done with it, rather than have it just sitting there. I could easily buy fabric almost constantly, infact, everytime I go out I could probably pick up a few more fat quarters or metres of something really special....but when am I going to get around to sorting out all this fabric? There is always going to be something new and interesting coming out, but I've decided to devote more time to my numerous pending ideas....and commit myself to creating new projects, patterns and ideas that use up existing fabric only.

This year, I'm going to be stash busting.