You walk into a fabric shop, or more likely, you open a browser tab at midnight…. and something happens in your brain. A little light switches on. Your pulse picks up just a tiny bit. And before you know it, you are adding things to a cart with the quiet confidence of someone who absolutely has a plan.
Do you have a plan? Sort of. The plan is joy. And honestly? That counts.
The Feeling That Starts It All
Here’s what I think is really happening when we buy craft supplies: we are buying hope.
Not in a sad, desperate way though, it is in a genuinely beautiful way. Every bundle of fabric, every skein of yarn, every new set of embroidery hoops represents something we are going to do. A future version of ourselves, sitting down with a cup of tea, fingers busy, heart full.
When I pick out fabric, I can already see it. I know where that print will sit in the quilt. I know how it’ll play against the other fabrics I have in mind. My brain has already started designing before I’ve even hit “checkout.” That visual in my head imagining the finished project or even the thought of playing with the fabric is so real to me that buying the fabric almost feels like starting the project.
Is that a little bit magical? Yes. Is it also a tiny bit of a trick my brain plays on me? Also yes. But I’m choosing to lean into the magic.
The Stash Is Not a Problem. The Stash Is a Gift.
Let’s talk about this. Read along…
Oh, my fabric stash. I love it so much it’s slightly embarrassing.
There’s something deeply satisfying about walking into your sewing room and having a stash to come home to. It’s like a pantry that’s well-stocked. there’s a particular kind of ease that comes from knowing the ingredients are there when inspiration strikes. You don’t have to wait for a delivery. You don’t have to plan a shopping trip. You just… reach in, and you create.
Yes, it is a privilege and I’m so thankful for every bit of it. Even when it was a small stash.
The Joy
And the joy of fabric doesn’t start when you sew with it. It starts when you’re selecting it. Then when the parcel arrives and you get to do the unboxing (one of life’s underrated pleasures, truly). Then when you unfold each piece, hold it to the light, properly admire the print, and fold it back up to sit prettily on the shelf. And then — finally — when you actually get to sew with it, which is a joy all of its own.
And then the finished quilt. And the giving of it, or the keeping of it, or the hanging of it on the wall.
That’s not one moment of joy. That’s a whole season of it from a single fabric purchase. When you think about it like that, it’s excellent value. Don’t you think?
These stack of fabrics has turned into a quilt top and I love it as much as I love these fabrics when it was on the shelves! Check out that quilt top HERE>
When Buying Replaces Doing
Okay, here’s the part where I get a little real with you.
Have you noticed that you tend to buy more supplies when you have less time to actually craft?
I have. And I think I know why.
When life gets busy and I can’t get to my sewing room, there’s a little ache. A low-level frustration that I’m not doing the thing I love. And buying fabric? It scratches that itch. It’s a treat for myself. It’s a promise, ” I see you, future-me. I’m setting this aside for you. You WILL have time to sew this beautiful thing.”
It’s almost like sending a care package to your future self.
Is it always the healthiest response to stress or time-scarcity? Probably not. But is it human and relatable and honestly quite sweet? Absolutely. I think most crafters will read this and quietly nod while looking at their overcrowded shelves.
The key, I think, is just to check in with yourself from time to time. Not to be harsh about it — no guilt allowed here, please — but just to notice. Is the buying bringing me joy? Or is it starting to feel like it’s filling a gap that needs a different kind of attention?
Most of the time, for most of us? It’s genuinely joyful. And that’s fine. Carry on.
On the Guilt (And Why We Should Put It Down)
There’s a joke that goes around crafter circles: “If I’d saved all the money I spent on craft supplies, I’d be a millionaire by now.”
Ha. No.
I mean, let’s be honest, that money was going somewhere. To eating out, to clothes, to random things we bought at the petrol station at 11pm. The idea that we’d have accumulated great wealth if only we hadn’t bought that charm pack is a fiction we tell ourselves and a stick we sometimes use to beat ourselves with.
You have a hobby you love. You invest in it. That is a good thing.
And we are not people who waste things, are we? Crafters are among the most resourceful humans on the planet. That tiny scrap of fabric that most people would throw away? We are already picturing it in a project. We treasure things. We see potential in pieces that others see as offcuts. There’s something genuinely wonderful about that.
The Legacy Question (Yes, We Go There)
I’ll be honest now… I have wondered what will happen to my stash if, well, one day I’m not here to love it anymore.
Will it burden my family? Will it just sit there, unloved?
And then I remind myself: crafters take care of each other. Within our community, supplies don’t become burdens, they become treasures that find new homes and new hands. I’ve already had a gentle word with my sister. She knows what to do. She loves going through craft things just like I do… she can keep what she wants, rehome the rest, and honestly probably enjoy the whole process. There are whole communities built around exactly this kind of passing-on.
So I’ve decided to enjoy my stash fully, without the shadow of that worry. My sewing room is mine to enjoy, right now, in this season.
I find joy in finding stash from estate sale before especially when I was new in that crafting world. So I bet you, someone else will find joy in mine too when I’m gone.
You Are Exactly Where You Need to Be
Here’s the thing I want to leave you with.
Whether you’re deep in a buying phase, a making phase, a using-up-your-stash phase, or a just-looking phase — there’s no wrong answer. We go through seasons. Life changes. Sometimes we make, sometimes we collect, sometimes we just sit with our supplies and feel grateful that they’re there.
Honestly, the way we stash up is also changing with your phase. It is a process of learning as well. Along your quilting journey, your style may change, your way of mix matching fabric matures and you’ll know better what to stash on. I have a blogpost about mixing and matching fabric for a quilt which I usually stick to, check it out HERE>
There’s no rule that says you have to earn your stash by completing every project. There’s no correct ratio of supplies-owned to projects-finished. You are a crafter because this brings you joy, and joy takes many forms.
Buy the fabric. Admire the fabric. Sew the fabric when you’re ready. And in the meantime, let the stash be what it is — a beautiful, colourful, slightly ridiculous evidence of a life well-loved.
We wouldn’t have it any other way.
So tell me,
Are you a stash collector or more of a buy-as-you-go kind of crafter? I’d love to know, drop a comment below.
Online Stores I shop My Stash:
- Fat Quarter Shop – I also check HERE in their SALE section to buy yardages to match my stash.
- Connecting Threads – They have great selections for blender fabrics.
- Green Fairy Quilts – I buy precuts here, they offer the best price!
P.S. If this post made you feel better about your overflowing fabric shelf — good. That was the whole point. You’re in good company here, always.
12 Comments
The ‘buying hope’ part definitely explains why my stash exploded during the last ten years given all that’s happened in our world. Love the article. I e shared it with a number of quilty friends. Definitely makes me feel less guilty. But does anyone else calculate whether their total ‘projects in waiting’ will outlive them?! 🤣
We recently moved and I had to consolidate my stash that was scattered around the old house. I was surprised and a little embarrased at the amount of fabric that I had. Reading your very insightful blog eased my mind and I will just keep my stash and continue to “buy hope” and enjoy my ‘someday’ projects. Thank you for this.
I feel so much better about my stash having read this article. You really hit the nail on the head. I will relax and go with it from now on – Oh and maybe buy a bit more fabric. 😁
Oh my! Your words really resonated with me! Some days I honestly look at my beautiful fabric “stash”, (I almost want to say hoard!) and ask myself, “can I post with some?” My answer comes back to me almost immediately, “nope! Can’t post with it”. I have chronic pain, and you were so correct in saying buying fabric brings me joy! Lately, I’ve been looking at so many quilt and projects for fabric because it’s really did bring me great joy, and hope. Hope is the big word for me, because there are days I long to be sewing, but my condition just won’t allow me to participate.
I think I have a many patterns, as I do fabrics! I will say though I put patterns with fabric I “stash”, so when I can sew, I’m ready to go.
Thank you for your insightful blog!
Love the freedom granted and the guilt released by your thoughtful words. I’m pretty good at “buying hope” for my future self. That is such a beautiful way of thinking about it. And you’re right… there’s nothing more discouraging than being on a roll, sewing away, on a Sunday afternoon when you realize you are out of something, and the quilt shop isn’t open til Tuesday. Ugh. So having a hearty stash on hand is a good thing. But, that’s also a good reason why we need lots of quilting friends!
I try not to let my stash get too far out of hand. I haven’t been a quilter for very long and I normally don’t start a project until one is done. I used to make a lot of my own clothes. I don’t do much sewing for myself anymore because I’m retired and gained a lot of weight. Recently I had some dress fabric in a drawer, in plain sight, that I decided to turn into a dress for myself. I kept the receipt to it. It was fabric I bought 20 years ago. I only spent $20 on the pattern, thread, buttons and fabric. So, I will now have a $20 dress that wouldn’t fit me today had I made it 20 years ago. I am going to start dealing with my unfinished projects and scraps because my kids will throw it away some day.
I’m a bit of both; I generally make smaller quilts, throws or table toppers and some minis. I use mostly CW & 1800’s Reproduction fabrics which are not as easy to find. So if I find vintage prints, I will add them to my stash. But I also will occasionally buy a collection if I think it will work well in one of the quilts I have on my wish list. Making quilts that contain pieces generally no larger than 2-1/2″ means FQs go a long way…
What a lovely and thought-provoking post! Lately, I’ve been limiting what I buy because of space reasons, but I have quite a large stash to work from. I love choosing a pattern that lets me pull from my stash or incorporate fabrics left over from a previous quilt project. I have a Christmas quilt that I’m about to start and it was one of the rare occasions when I bought the exact same fabric for the quilt as was shown in the magazine that had the pattern because I loved the photo so much. Thanks for reminding us that our fabrics and craft supplies should make us happy!
I use my stash as a “rescue”. I go to thrift stores and search for fabric or plastic bags of unused fabric scraps. I am travelling in a RV van around Australia – very few quilt shops in the outback! But always thrift shops. My stash has to be tiny – just one box! I carry tiny samples of future projects to match up. What a joy to find something to match. It’s all about the discovery search. My quilts are an eclectic mix of fabrics, no matched fabric bundles for me – I am up for the challenge of making it work with often many ideas in the pipeline with smaller quilts and projects.
It is minimal cost – no guilt there. I just mark it down to entertainment expenses. And of course, help out the thrift shops that help those in need. It keeps fabric out of the dumpster. It keeps my creative juices alive thinking and planning each time I discover more. Ideas swirl in my head while driving.
I have so much I want to do before my time and surely converting waste fabric to beautiful quilts is a valuable use of my time and money. thank you for confirming this. Let’s go collect and quilt.
I think we should call you the quilt therapist because you said precisely what I think we all need to hear about our quilting addiction. I identified with everything you said. Countless times I have said “no more fabric,” only to decide I needed one more kit (I love them) or one more yard of something that just “speaks” to me. And going through my enormous stash is like visiting my most favorite quilt store. I know I won’t be able to finish every project in my head before I die, but I am definitely enjoying my habit in the meantime.
Absolutely! I have some fabric from the 1930’s that I love to take out and just remember what it must have been like to quilt back then from feed sacks, flour sacks, old clothes. Not a hobby – nessesary! Thanks – always a pleasure to read your stories.
I loved this post…so many ideas and thoughts to ponder…so many things that are true for me as well. Thank you for posting this!