Stop Hoarding

I always had some kind of fabric stash. It gradually increased with the available space. When I moved over to Germany I didn´t have much since I didn´t have the space. Then I got carried away. Boxes, basement, free space in my cabinet. Constant chaos and the pressure to decrease. Honestly nobody likes this type of chaos. It´s highly depressive and blocks creativity - even if you don´t dare to admit.

I joined the Stashbusting Sewalong in 2014, joined the FB group created a year later and made an inventory of fabrics I had. I was not surprised by the lengthy xls list but it was a start.

My target is always to sew more than what I buy - and I do manage. All it took was an Excel sheet and some discipline. I made a few rules for myself. No, I don´t always manage to follow but it keeps me organized and within a reasonable limit. 

Here are the rules -

1. Stop visiting online fabric stores regularly to avoid temptation.

2. Unsubscribe from newsletters of the above. They will always have great deals. No point in buying something just because it´s a great deal but you have no idea what you´ll use it for.

3. Keep track of your spend for fabric. You´ll be surprised at the end of the year how much you could save.

4. If you come across stuff you really like put it on the wish list. If you still want it badly after a week it´s probably going to be used so go ahead and buy.

5. Learn to give away fabric. It feels liberating to do good with stuff you don´t need. And make space in your cabinet.

6. If you happen to visit a store make sure you only buy fabric for specific projects.

7. If you really itch to buy something buy notions. A few new buttons, trims or FOE takes smaller space, costs less and have less limitation on usage. I´m a fan of Aliexpress as it has endless selection of dirt cheap notions. It takes a month to arrive though.

8. Accept the things you can´t change. My sewing space is always messy. My ironing board is always full of fabrics and patterns. 

I´m sure there are many more ideas on controlling acquisition of fabric stash. Any that works for you?

First recorded fabric stash

My yearly fabric charity give-away