My Fabric De-stash = Fellow Fabric Lovers Delight!

Now that 2017 is here I'm reaching the two year anniversary of my fabric hoarding reformation.  I began my journey here and was pretty candid about my situation.  My fabric stash was OUT OF CONTROL.  I've spent a lot of time since then trying to work through my fabrics, plus donating, selling and relapsing slightly, so that it's just semi-out-of-control now. 

All in all I've been pretty good about not adding to the problem - especially the last 6 months.  I've been making lots with what I have instead of continuing to buy more when starting a project.  Also using whatever I'm buying right away instead of adding to the ginormous pile to fabric to stare at.  I've donated a bunch to a local convent and several goods charities too, but I've still got some serious stacks of special fabrics I just couldn't just toss in a bag with old t-shirts and discarded music cds.

Like these organic cotton Viking prints.  You know, the stuff you love so much, yet don't use? I still love them, but have no real project purpose on the horizon.  So, it's time to offer them to other fabric lovers instead by adding them to my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog: 

My middle son was a huge Viking fan (still is really) and I made some cute slippers with some of them (tutorial for them here):

I'd forgotten how awesomely matched the crosshatch solid went with these and being organic cotton is still fabulous:

I'm not a big quilter, but I could totally see these ASL & Braille Alphabet + Coordinating Balloon & Stripe prints making an awesome quilt for a fun little guy or girl:

I originally used some to make these Love Language Soft Blocks.  I showed how to make them in a tutorial here:

Am I being an enabler for fellow fabric hoarders right now? Possibly - but, if I'm honest, I really want these unique fabrics I've been treating like museum pieces to go to a good home that will use them...or maybe one that'll take it to the next level and put them on podiums with spotlights like a proper museum would;)

I feel semi-crazy because I'm actually having second thoughts while I write this post and considering keeping them, so someone please stop me and buy them before I can change my mind!  They're currently available here.  My plan for 2017 is to put up new fabric obsessions in my shop each week to really keep up with my goal to whittle down my stash.  For REAL.  So that it stops looking like this.  Because even though this photo is over a year old, it still looks about the same:

I'm also going to do a few giveaways for some random bundles or prints that are still awesome, but maybe cut into a little or are just smaller than usual cuts.  What do you think? Fabric hoarders lovers unite!?!

The Reforming Fabric Hoarder - One Year Later

Well my friends, it's been one year since I admitted to the internet that I am a fabric hoarder.  From all the feedback my hoarder posts got I knew I wasn't alone.  It's been quite a journey. One that's still in progress.  I thought, on this anniversary occasion, that it would be a good time to reveal what I've done, what I've learned and the answer to the real question - can you ever really stop being a fabric hoarder?

A year ago outlining the actual problem (or as fellow fabric addicts may still think, "dream fabric situation"): Too Much Fabric, Too Little Time.  In a few short years I'd bought, been gifted & inherited way more fabric than I could get through and it resulted in this:

and this:

and this:

Sure it looks kinda organized, but it's still more than 1 woman can sew through in a year or even five.  Plus, free time to actually sew, design and use said fabrics has dwindled more with every year.  Kids getting older (aka no naps, more schoolwork, outside activities, chauffeuring, etc.), the house needing serious work/proper cleaning, family time coming before anti-social hiding out in the craft room...it just means less time to do projects folks!

Last year I started out with a solid plan and parts of it worked well.  Others, not so much.

Sewing More.  I tried this, but as you can see from the previous paragraph, that hasn't always been possible.  I find a get spurts where I can sew a couple of things, but then have periods where I can't even get into my craft room for a week or two.  Most of us have a lot of other things to juggle, so while it's a nice idea, it's not always realistic.  

Some more recent stash-busting projects

Donating & Giving Away Fabric.  I've continued doing this. It can be hard for fabric hoarders to let go, so I do a bit at a time.  Some prints I couldn't bear parting with a year ago, were easy to gift away a few months ago.  Time can make that emotional attachment wane and that's a good thing.

Selling Fabric.  I've done this too, a bit at a time, via my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog. Like the gifting, I continue to add new things as my attachment to parts of my stash decreases. I never thought I'd part with these fun knits, but I listed them recently and feel good about them finding a new home:

Saying "See ya" To Scraps.  I just had this epiphany last week.  I had two ginormous plastic bins full of fabric scraps. Bins my kids could climb in.  I couldn't even close them without something heavy on top because they were so full of fabric bits.  FOR YEARS.  Ask me how many times I actually dug around in them or used scraps from them?  I could count them on one hand.  It. Was. Madness.  I started my annual New Year's attempt to clean up the basement and realized it was just stupid to hold onto them any longer.  So, I put them all in garbage bags and donated them. Two 30 gallon bags full.

It felt great!  I wasn't using them, I never even wanted to dig through them when I did need a small piece of fabric and I really needed to cut into the piles of unused fabric, so it made sense.  Even seeing bits from past projects didn't get me all sentimental or nostalgically wanting to keep them like it used to do.  Lesson learned: unless you actively use scraps on a regular basis, saving them for "something, someday" isn't smart.    

Fabric You Can See.  Out of sight, out of mind usually leads to fabric not being used. About every 2-3 months I've dug through my bins for seasonal fabrics to work through.  It helps remind me of what I already have (as in don't buy more of the same stuff) and I do seem to sew through several yards that would otherwise sit around for another year.  On the down side, it means things look like this for a while:

It's not ideal in appearance, but since I took these photos at the beginning of the year, I have used about 4-5 of these fabrics.  So, while not the most attractive method, it does work, despite some going back in bins for a while. Now, photographing and blogging about the projects I made....that's another issue. 

Using Self Restraint.  This has been a big one.  At first it was hard to stop myself from impulse buying at Jo-Ann's or loading up my cart whenever there was an online sale.  Now I've started holding back and instead of going "Ooohh, that's pretty...I WANT it!", I ask myself do I have an idea in mind?  If I can't think of a specific plan I can start right away (and not a vague, "I'd make a bag", but no idea what kind of bag), then I leave it.  

Quality Over Quantity.  While I've cut back on buying fabric I now buy differently too.  I used to see sale or a low price on something and just buy it.  A lot of the time it would end up being the wrong weight/print size/stretch, difficult to sew, or the print/color was cute when I bought it but not really flattering to wear.  Now I tend to buy three main kinds of fabric: basics like rib & fleece knits in useful, solid colors, designer quilting cottons and custom print knits with spandex. While these sometimes cost a bit more, they're more versatile, sew up better and since I usually have to wait a bit to get them, I really appreciate and plan for them better.

Now, for the big question - can you ever really stop being a fabric hoarder?

I think it's possible.  I can't say I'm not a hoarder yet because I've still got way more than I should, but I don't feel compelled to go wild every time I enter a fabric store or hear "fabric sale" anymore.  I'm a lot more thoughtful about what I buy and what I make these days.  It's true that I still have bins of fabric and that it's taking me longer than I'd like to work through and thin out the contents, but I do see things steadily moving in a pared down direction. I aim to have half the fabric stash I currently have by this time next year.  It's a bit ambitious, but I really want to get to the point where it's more about fabric as a way to make things I love and less about having a fabric collection.

Until my next update.  The fabric hoarding reformation continues!

A Birthday-Inspired Fun Fabric Giveaway!

How about a little fabric giveaway?  I'm keeping my blog tasks light this week because it's birthday time for yours truly.  More than getting presents or eating cake (which, don't get me wrong, I love), I want to enjoy this time with my family and spend it doing fun things rather than putting in hours editing photos and typing up a new tutorial.  Got to live, not live to blog!  That being said, it seemed like the perfect time for a fabric giveaway.  I get gifts & you might get a gift too;)

The prize is a grab bag of fabric goodies.  Since this year began, I've been on a mission to stop my fabric hoarding (as evidenced here, here and most recently here).  To keep that plan going, I've compiled a bunch of fun fabrics from my stash for today's giveaway: 

This collection is an assortment of whimsical prints. They are great for kids or kids at heart. There are knits, quilting cottons and flannel.  

Mini jungle & space print knits

Cut sizes range from just under a fat quarter to 3/8yds.  These are perfect for small projects like burp cloths, diapers, booties, hats, bags, appliqués - whatever you want.  One winner will get them all!

Turtles, Jungle Animals & Roosters Oh My!

Yep, there's even a bit of Wall-E in there, as well as this cool retro star print:

I'm keeping the rules extra simple too.  

Just leave a comment below on why you'd like to win.  

That's it!! No widgets or social media hoops to jump through.

Official Rules info: Open to US only, through 11:59pm EST April 27, 2015.  A winner will be chosen at random and announced at the following week's Craftastic Monday Link Party. Void where prohibited.  Good luck everyone!

Fabric Hoarding Reformation - Is It Working?

Spring is finally here and I thought the start of a new season would be a good time to give an update on my fabric hoarding reformation.  I started back in January when I asked the question Are You A Fabric Hoarder Too? and loads of you raised your hands to tell me I wasn't alone:

The bottom line was my piles and bins of fabric had reached the point where I was trying to find space to store fabric more than I was using it.  Absolute craziness.  It was time to stop the madness.  And in February I shared my progress here, which saw me resisting the siren song of the fabric store and starting the chip away at my ridiculous stacks of fabric:

So now I'm 3 months in.  

Am I back to my fabric hoarding ways?

I can confidently say no.  I think I've turned a corner.  I'm not actively adding the the stash anymore (which had been an ongoing problem).  I can walk into the fabric store or see an email screaming BIG FABRIC SALE and not feel compelled to find something new - which was hard to resist a few months ago.

Just a few of my past impulse fabric buys

The good news is I have been sewing up a storm.  Instead of procrastinating or "saving for a special project", I've picked out a stack of Spring-style fabric from my stash and told myself to use them.  Now.  And it's actually happening!  I've just gotten terrible about photographing it and writing up blog posts for them, but one problem at a time, right?

Some of my stash-busting sewing for Spring

What's been working to de-hoard the stash?  

MINI-PILES.  It may sound a little crazy, but what's really helped whittle down my stash is putting several small piles right out in the open.  I'm not saying a stack as tall as the kids, but about once a month I'm taking a look through my bins and shelves and pulling out about 6-10 fabrics.  Right now I grabbed Spring/pastels and put them on my craft room counter. After a couple of days of just looking at them I started to separate it into  "Have an idea" pile and a "Don't Know" pile.  

Why they've worked: Seeing them out reminds me they need to be used, and keeping with the current season/themes around me encourages using them.  When I have a little free time I tell myself to start there. Not only have I used up about a dozen yards in the past 2 months, but it's also helped me get a plan for my projects better.  I don't have any more free time than I did before, but I'm using it more effectively.   Added Bonus: It's also given me a reason to sift through my patterns more too and finally use some that I'd forgotten about or kept postponing because there was a technique or step I didn't want to do.

OUT WITH THE OLD:  Seeing a handful of prints out in the open (not in a tightly packed stack) has also made me realize that my tastes have changed too.  Some fabrics that I LOVED a year or two ago, just aren't as fabulous to me now or what I originally wanted them for isn't needed anymore.  Hanging onto them doesn't make sense, so a few more of the "Don't know" fabrics will be added to my Etsy shop or given away.  

A few of the still nice, but just don't need fabrics

"1 IN, 2 OUT" RULE.  I mentioned this in my previous hoarding posts.  After I bought 6 yards last month on a trip in Canada, I then went to my bins to de-stash.  I pulled out more than 12 fabrics I knew I could part with, added part of them to my shop and donated the rest.  It wasn't even that hard to let them go.  Emotionally detaching from one's stash is the key to getting things under control.

And I've also been compiling some themed bundles to do a few fabric giveaways soon so I can give them to someone who is ready & eager to use them.

I've also learned a few more ways to keep the fabric hoarding from returning.  The LAST thing I need to do after I whittle things down is go on a fabric spree and do it all over again!

Stopping Future Fabric Hoarding

Buying With Purpose:  As I try to work through my stash one thing I've really noticed is how many fabrics I've bought because they were a fun print or really eye-catching, but I never had a clue what to do with them.  Even while telling myself to make something with them now, I'm still a bit stymied on what to create.  I let the "Ooohhh pretty!" design overrule common sense on what I could use or need.  Yes, that fabric may be gone if I don't buy it now, but more fabulous fabric will replace it.  It always does.  It's worth waiting for the fabric you really love AND know you can use.

Picking Flattering Fabric.  This is key for apparel making & I'd been doing it wrong.  With fabric it's so easy to fall in love with a print or type of fabric, but if you're planning to make something to wear with it - look at it in the mirror.  I saw a knit in the store I liked the other day, but when I saw it next to my face and hair, the colors didn't suit me at all.  I've got a number of multi-yard cuts I bought to make into clothing for myself and now when I look at them next to my skin tone I realize they aren't the most flattering, the weight is wrong or the print looks too twee or busy.  Which means I probably won't wear them that much.   Time to rethink what to do with them or give them a new home.  Going forward I'm going to be a bit more careful when shopping for fabrics for myself. 

And on that note, I did a bit of Spring cleaning to get rid off some old clothes and one thing that stood out was how much clothing I've made for myself that I don't wear.  Either the fit isn't quite right or the print looks better on the hanger than on me. It's clear I've done the same thing picking patterns for myself as I have with fabric.  I'm considering those past projects as good practice for honing my sewing skills, but in the future I'm going to be choosier on selecting patterns for myself too. 

I've still got a long way to go.  Actively going through my stash makes me realize just how hoarder-iffic I'd gotten, but I'm going to keep with it so I'll end up with less full bins and more finished projects.

And if YOU have any other ideas, experiences, hoarding anecdotes, etc. go ahead and share them in the comments.  We fabric hoarders love to know we're not alone!

The Fabric Hoarder Update: Reforms a Bit...Also Buys More Fabric

Many of you will recall my post from a few weeks ago, Are You Fabric Hoarder Too?, and I want to give an update on things in Fabric Hoarderville. After seeing an explosion of page views for that post, and hearing so many comments echoing my situation, I realized this topic struck a chord with many sewers & crafters out there.  I've tried a few of the ideas I mentioned for reducing my hoarding and wanted to share my results and some things I've discovered along the way.  

Good News - I have made progress on reducing my stash!  
Cue the sound of angels singing.  
Here's what's happened so far: 

Sewing More.  I've used up a good amount of my flannel (some of it years old, some recently bought) by making some much needed pajamas pants.  They were quick to make and ideal for winter nights.  It's reminded me that not every project has to be something complex or unique looking or even a new design/pattern.  It was fun to be able to knock out a few useable items in a short amount of time and know they'd look good since I'd made them before.  Next up on my to-sew list are my fleecy/fuzzy fabrics as tops.  
Verdict: Definitely will continue to do this regularly. 

Selling My Stash: I've listed a bit of my fabric stash in my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog.  I started with prints I knew I didn't need or couldn't see using for a project any time soon and quite a few are already gone.  Emotionally detaching myself from my stash and getting realistic on what I'm really going to use has been worth it.  The fabric is going to someone who wants it and I'm making extra space on the shelf & a little money at the same time.  Verdict: Definitely keeping this up.

Some of the lovelies available in my shop, The Green Hedgehog

Giveaway/Donate: I'm starting to get some random outgrown clothes, stuff we don't need, etc. ready for a donation to Purple Heart and am including some fabrics I never really wanted/needed to the mix.  Mainly, stuff I was given from prior hoarders looking to de-stash on an unsuspecting newbie.  I'm also compiling a few bundles of small cuts/scraps of fun prints to giveaway here this spring.  
Verdict: Still need to get them out of the house, but it's a good start for unused stuff.

Using Self Restraint:  I've been pretty good.  I've ignored the dozens of fabric sales and coupon codes hitting my inbox and mailbox.  A new Hobby Lobby has opened by me, which I'm excited about (the nearest had been 30min away before), but since I don't need anything right now, I haven't gone yet.  I even went into Jo-Ann Stores to buy elastic for my pajama pants and only came out with said elastic.  After a while I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.
Verdict:  It works and is a huge improvement for me.

Ok, since everything sounds good thus far, 
on to my fabric buying...
(cue any "so much for getting rid of your stash" thoughts).

We just got back from a kid-free long weekend in Canada.  Of course I planned to check out fabric shops.  I told myself I was allowed to get a few things, but only if they met these 3 requirements:

1. They were hard-to-find at home 
2. An unbeatable price
3. I could think of an immediate project use for them.   

Considering the impulse picked piles I usually come home with, I think I did pretty well.  I saw a few other things I liked, but when I couldn't think of what exactly I'd do with them, I told myself no. Here's what I came away with -

I'm a huge old-school Strawberry Shortcake fan (as seen with my Fleece Strawberry Shortcake Hat and Themed Birthday Party) and had been looking for some fabric for a long time.  Len's Mill had a couple prints, so I got this one to make a pretty party dress for my daughter:

I found these cute kawaii prints there too.  I'd never seen them before and thought they'd make some cute bags/fabric baskets to organize my kids' stuff with.  They hoard toys and knick knacks like I hoard fabric, so some containers be useful.

As well as this colorful rainbow minky fabric.  I knew my daughter would be in love with this, since she adores all things pony/unicorn/pegasus.  The price was crazy good - under $8US/yd.  I'm either going to make her a blanket or do a reversible, mix & match top and pant outfit with some solids I already had.

And they also carry some handy notions I can't find at home, like pleather strapping (going to use to make handles for purses/bags):

Plus these fun elastics - the wide grey one is super plush and the purple paisley seemed really different looking.  I plan to use these as "exposed" elastic waistbands and shoulder straps on skirts, pants and tops.

Over at Fabricland I got some cute candy print knit fabric.  I have a lot of binding & FOE in matching colors so I can see this being either pajamas or a fun top for my little miss:

And my husband found this interesting bonded faux suede that has some soft cuddle fabric on reverse and it was marked down from $40CA to $8CA per metre.  Will be using this for some historical/adventure costumes for my two boys.

The excellent exchange rate made all of these items a lot less than what I could buy them for online, so that also helped me decide what was worth getting.  
Verdict: Proud of my willpower to keep the additions to a minimum. Which also brings me to my last resolution...

"1 In, 2 Out" Rule.  For each item coming in, I've got to use up/get rid off 2 current items.  Once I get these babies washed, I've got to turn my eye to pulling out at twice as many items in my stash.  Then figure out a plan to use some within 60 days and get the rest out of the house via selling or donating.  I think I'm going to make a prioritized to-sew list comprised of the new stuff & things to use up.  It's a little ambitious, but I think I can do it - or at least give it a try! Verdict: We'll see how this goes, but I'll be too busy with this to buy more fabric, so I think it'll be a win no matter what;)

I'll be doing more follow-up posts to chart my progress, share more stash-busting ideas as they come and, if it happens, any relapses.  Stay tuned fellow fabric hoarders!!  

And if YOU have any other ideas, experiences, hoarding anecdotes, etc. go ahead and share them in the comments.  We hoarders love to know we're not alone!