My thoughts have always been that someone with a neat stash really never sews but just collects fabric.  My friend, Elaine, has proven that I am wrong.  These photos were taken with my cell phone, with her permission.  The fabrics look more dull and washed out in these photos than they are but look how neat and orderly this stash is.

There’s something not right about these pictures.

1. It’s just too neat.  I know she sews.  I see quilts she makes.  She makes a lot of quilts.  Maybe there’s a secret room somewhere in her house where she sews and she merely pretends this is her sewing room.  Think that’s possible?? I maybe should have explored more.
2. There’s no lime green fabric in this stash and I’m almost sure there was no purple fabric.  Is it possible to quilt without lime green or purple?  I’ll have to think about that some more.

Her stash looked so organized in real life but these pictures look even more organized than I remember and it was just a day or so ago that I saw the stash in real life.  I’m suddenly feeling like I shouldn’t go downstairs and look at my stash for fear I’ll realize how totally unorganized I really am.

Maybe I need a friend whose sewing room looks worse than mine.  Then I wouldn’t feel so bad.  But  . . there’s probably no one whose sewing room looks worse than mine.  Do I really care?  Not too much!   But, if I woke up tomorrow morning and found my stash this organized, I’d be really happy!

Ahh, you thought I was confessing already to having bought yards and yards of fabric?  Nope.  I’m not saying “Nope, I haven’t done that!”.  I’m simply saying “Nope, that’s not what I’m talking about today.”  You see, I do not have access to the internet while I’m away.  Where we’re staying has wi-fi but I chose to leave the notebook at home.  What’s happening in Paducah will be reported when I return home.

What I am talking about is fabric buying habits.

How do you buy fabric?  How do you choose the fabrics to buy?  What colors?  How much of each piece?  Do you buy fabric only when you have a specific project in mind?  Do you buy only when fabric is on sale?  Do you have a certain type (homespun, batik, paisley, kid print, tone on tone, etc.) that seems to dominate you stash?

Have you ever really thought much about your buying habits?  Do you use what you buy?  I know . . most of us will probably never use *everything* we’ve bought but do you find that some fabrics get used way more quickly than others?  While some may think I’m totally against buying fabric, I am not.  I want to use what I have . . not every crumb of it though.  I’m a quilter and I need a stash from which to work but I do not need more fabric than a small quilt shop.

I want to have what I need and use what I have.  The decision about how much or what type fabric to buy is personal.  What some consider excessive, others may consider meager.  Some might walk into my sewing area, look at all the fabric I’ve accumulated and not be able to put a single quilt together.  My stash works for me; hopefully your stash works for you.

What this all boils down to, in my opinion, is:  Know what works for you and buy what you know you’ll use.

Now that we have that settled . . I know what works for me and I may just have to buy something I’ll use!