On Thoughtful Stashing

Earlier this week I read a convicting post by Rossie/Fresh Modern Quilts on "What to Stash". She referred back to a series of 2011 posts by Jeni/In Color Order on "The Art of Choosing," specifically the post on Building a Well Rounded Stash. It didn't quite ring true for Rossie, who discovered that "personally [she didn't] need a well-rounded stash" and I encourage you to read her post to see what she has to say about that, as it's thoughtfully written.

For me, I find both posts were imminently helpful. When I read Jeni's original post, I was a new blogger with pretty much no stash at all. I had been quilting for years, but rarely purchased fabric that wasn't for a very specific project. And I had just discovered the modern quilting movement, so whatever bits of fabric I had left from my projects were not quite what the bloggers I was getting acquainted with were using. As I got more involved in the online quilting community, I began joining swaps and bees and such. And I soon realized that I needed to build a stash, and a modern one at that. So slowly, over the next 18 months or so, following Jeni's advice and watching others, I built that stash that allowed me to pretty much always have something suitable on hand whatever project or sewing whim presented itself. For the first time ever, I had a rainbow of prints to choose from, and solids even! And linen!

Fast forward 3 years, to a place where that well rounded stash has served me very well indeed. I pretty much quit "building" a while ago and as Rossie suggests, am more "maintaining." When I'm running low on certain solids or Essex or text prints, I get more, because I know those are standbys for me, and I'll need them to do what I do. Which brings me to Rossie's basic guidelines for herself which she kindly gave me permission to share:

I'm not suggesting that her rules should necessarily apply to you, me, or anyone else but her. But I do think the whole subject is worth some thoughtful consideration. And even though I'm working on the "admire, don't acquire" bit, I was also touched by something Molli Sparkles shared in his post yesterday, where as an intentional challenge to himself he joined a fabric swap for fabric that didn't really grab him. And after working with it, he found he loved it! So yeah, sometimes I, too, purchase fabric just to see what all the fuss is about. Or because a certain grouping just is so nicely done. Or, yes, just because fabric therapy is a real thing and I need some. But I also want to be attentive to what I have already gathered - because it's helped bring me to where I am - and I can trust it to serve me well going forward.

So give it some thought. I'm pretty sure happy medium wins again.

How Things Have Changed

Months and months ago, Elizabeth of Don't Call Me Betsy wrote a post saying farewell to fat-quarters. At the time, I didn't really get it. Now I do. But here's a bit of backstory . . .

Ages ago, as a new quilter, I purchased fabrics only as I needed them, totally according to whatever pattern I was making at the time. In short, there was no stash, and I didn't see why I needed one. To top that, I wasn't comfortable choosing a grouping of fabrics without the company and approval of my friend, Sharon. Dare I say, I quilted like this for years.

Fast-forward to three years ago when I discovered modern quilting and started blogging. I'd progressed enough to have the confidence to choose fabric by myself, but still pretty much purchased fabric project by project. I think I can honestly say I'd never purchased a fat-quarter. But things were about to change big time.

I joined a bee or two, and began participating in swaps. I started to gather fat quarters in order to build a modern stash so I had a variety to work with. It was a good thing. Really. I hopped onboard the For the Love of Solids Swap, and entered a world previously unknown. At that point, solid fat-quarters found their way into my growing stash.

So what about today? I thoroughly enjoy my closet stash. I have a good variety of color and I can reach into it and satisfy most of my fabric needs, and for bees and small projects, it's great! But. When I'm ready to bind a quilt, I've got maybe a 75% chance of finding something that will work. For a backing, the chances are much, much less. And that impedes progress.

So I'm beginning to go about things a little differently. Fat quarters are rarely the way I go these days. I more often buy 1/2 yard cuts of fabrics that might possibly becoming a binding. If I love something and want enough to 'play' with too, I'll buy a yard. When I come across a great sale, I might even grab 4-5 yards and stash a backing. So far, my luck has been pretty good that I'm able to put these finds to good use.

So I'm not saying no more pre-cuts ever; in fact there's even a fairly new fat-eighth bundle that I'll mix in with a collection I already have. But in general, I'm cutting back on the small cuts. And overall, things have definitely changed. Five years ago, I could not have imagined that I would have a roll of batting in my closet. I keep my favorite basic solids on hand at all times, in quantities that allow for some creativity. I guess we all need to find what works for us and indeed, it's a process. I feel like I'm adjusting to a new stride. What about you? What works and what doesn't? Inquiring minds want to know.

Monday Randomness

The randomness is piling up, so I figured I might as well share it while I've got it. First off, I noticed someone mentioned 'Explore' on one of my flickr photos over the weekend, and it was only then that I thought to look at my current 'explored' status. Lo and behold, I found several I hadn't known about. Here's my current Scout poster:

1. finished Mod Pop top, 2. Weekenders waiting for the flight home, 3. Stargazing block - August, 4. Triple-Zip Pouch, 5. Just Passing Through, 6. The Stars of Summer, 7. Orchard Path Tweed Pouch, 8. Logo Card Holder, 9. FTLOS2 large project done!, 10. Quilting Indeed, 11. A Sneaky Peek, 12. 5 little x and + blocks now . . ., 13. Another Solstice Star, 14. Japanese x and + block, 15. Scrappy Modern Halves quilt complete, 16. Modern Halves top complete, 17. "Tangerisk" for Tangerine Tango Challenge, 18. sneak peek, 19. Scrappy Super Swoon, 20. Completed Swoon Quilt!, 21. Dead Simple Quilt, 22. Kaleidoscope complete!, 23. Kaleidoscope complete!, 24. Mini-Swoon II, 25. Mini Swoon, 26. Supernova!, 27. Supernova top complete!

To make your own, go to Big Huge Labs, and scroll down till you see 'Scout' on the right-hand side. Click there and all you have to do is enter your Flickr ID. You can also go to flicker-explorer.com and enter your ID, though the two don't always give the same info. I find Scout more all-encompassing. Anyway . . . interesting.

I also saw that Giveaway Day has been announced! More info will be coming, but it's a great day to interact with other bloggers by giving away something handmade or sewing/craft supplies on your blog. If you can join in at all, do!

Jennifer has finished a few of the Hurricane Sandy Help! quilts! So far this is my fav!

 

And lastly, though I had intended to have some Mod Pop quilting to show off today, unfortunately I can only show you the backing I've chosen (V and Co. Simply Color Ikat Diamonds in Eggplant) . . .

because I spent most of my free-sewing time this weekend organizing my stash closet.

But since it now looks like this, I'm ok with the slow-go on the quilting.

Though I really need to get over the dreaded piecing-the-backing and basting steps . . . then I'll be on my way again!

Stash

You hear quilters talk about their ‘stash’, which doesn’t necessarily sound appealing, does it? But as every quilter knows, their ‘stash’ is a lovely place. It may not be folded and stacked neatly (probably isn’t) but your stash is one facet of quilting that keeps you going. It is what you want to use up; it is what you want to add to. It is your constant quilting companion.

Many quilters have very large stashes, collected over the years. Many add bits and pieces of all the latest fabrics by all the popular designers. Compared to these kinds of quilters, my stash is quite forlorn, mostly ‘leftovers’ from projects past. I occasionally make lists of what all I could make of these leftovers, and it really is quite a lot. But often, I am mostly drawn to what is currently on the market – what’s new and exciting.

My daughter adds fat quarters to her stash. One friend usually adds fabric in two-yard lengths; another buys all the fabric she’ll need when she finds a new pattern, making her own ‘kit.’ Lately, I’ve added a few things to my stash “just because.”

Before I share the really good stuff, here’s my current stash. Pretty much three bins of that leftover fabric I mentioned, with a tad of newish stuff tossed in, roughly organized by color. Bin three has leftovers bagged together with everything from one project. It’s hard for me to separate what I know goes nicely together. I also have two bags - one of Christmas fabric, and one of "Aunt Gracie's".

New this week and ready to go into bin three are 15 layer cake squares from the Central Park quilt I’m piecing. Thinking they might make into a cute baby quilt.

I don’t have a lot of ‘basic’ solids in my stash, so I recently added three yards each of KONA Charcoal & KONA Snow. Also, because I like it and it’s ‘in’ right now, a yard of Metro Living white rings on pewter by Robert Kaufman.

The quilt class I took this month was held in a quilt store. Duh. Had to check out the goods there, and came home with a charm pack (my favorite kind of pre-cut) of Origins (by basicgrey/origins for Moda), and a fat-quarter pack of Sunkissed grays (by Sweetwater for Moda), both of which would go nicely with the KONA Ash I have left from my SOCKEN QA.

And, of course, the best kind of stash additions are those that are gifted to you! And for my birthday last week, I got two more great additions:

A Cappuccino Bali Pop by Hoffman, along with a book with a pattern using said Bali Pop. I haven’t used batiks very often, but I love how they feel as you sew, so am looking forward to putting this project together soon.

AND a half-yard pack of KONA cotton solids! Hand-picked! Wow. Someone knew I needed those solids in my stash! Those lovely colors are Cardinal, Tangerine, Canary, Sour Apple, Lagoon, Bright Periwinkle, and Charcoal. And are they ever beautiful! They will definitely add some life to the (stash) party!

 

Thank you to the gifters! They are two woman who both encourage and inspire me!

(Am I the only one that leaves new stash items out for a while, just to enjoy the sight of them?! Can’t put them in the bin too soon!)