Palette vs. Stash vs. Fabric Collection

I have been thinking about my fabric lately. It is hard not to think about my fabric. First of all, I love it and second of all, it is where I can see, at least some of, it all the time.

Fabric
Fabric

I have been thinking about fabric over the last year, in general, on a lot of different levels:

  • terminology
  • how much yardage should I buy?
  • do I have enough fabric?
  • do I need to add to what I have in order to have a wide range of colors?
  • do I need to add to what I have in case the manufacturers stop making that perfect shade of turquoise?
  • do I need to add to what I have in order to keep my inspiration high?
  • do I still like the fabric that I have bought in the past and haven’t used yet?
  • what happens if I can’t add to what I have?
  • is shopping for fabric a stress relieving mechanism?

Terminology

Fabric
Fabric

Stash – this is the most common way quiltmakers refer to their supplies of fabric. I wonder why? I wonder who first called their fabric a stash? I wonder if calling it a stash was a joke that got out of hand? When I think of a stash, it has a negative connotation. I don’t hide my fabric in a baggie in the toilet so my parents won’t find it. I also have a stash of emergency cash on me, which isn’t really negative, but does imply poor planning or organizational skills.

None of those things really suggest that fabric buying or, by association, quiltmaking are positive activities.

Finally, buying fabric, as many others have pointed out, is not illegal and it doesn’t hurt anyone. For myself, touching, pressing, playing with fabric really reduces my stress level.

Palette – for a long time, I tried to call my fabric supplies ‘my palette’. I was diligent, but eventually gave up because people had no idea what I was talking about. A lot of them thought I was talking about a wooden thing with paint on it. Painters have it made. They have their palette, they put paint on it and everyone knows what they are talking about.

Fabric Collection – TFQ has a fabric collection. She buys fabric as a collection. We have discussions about the subject often. She may buy a fabric that she just wants to for her collection while I really try to buy fabric if it is something I think I will use. I have to admit that some conversationals are so fun-hilarious-cheerful etc that I can’t not buy them.

Fabric vs. Material – when I was a kid my mom would take us to House of Fabric which was in a mall called the Laurel Plaza (I liked a fast food-ish, but not a chain, restaurant there with great blue tropical shakes as well as dried puffer fish hanging from the ceiling) and we would buy some material to make a dress or outfit or something.

Now I only buy fabric.

I don’t know why I don’t call it material anymore. I think ‘material’ isn’t specific enough. If I say “I need some material for my project” someone could think that I wanted to buy some paper for a scrapbook project or metal for my most recent welding project. Perhaps material is a regional term and people don’t use it where I now live?

Size and Shape

I was listening to Brye Lynn’s podcast (still catching up) recently. One of her podcasts talked about the quiltmakers’ Fabric Stash (episode 8). It got me thinking about how much fabric I buy. Up until I started making tote bags at an alarming rate, I always bought half yards and FQs nad that was plenty.

Cutting up a FQ
Cutting up a FQ

Now, when I buy fabric specifically destined to be a tote bag, I buy at least 2 yards and sometimes 3. That is more than I need for most tote bag projects, but I like to have enough for the straps and a FOTY piece and to screw up. Brye Lynn said that the minimum that she has seen recommended to buy is a yard and then if you REALLY like it you should buy two yards. Hhhmmm.

Well, if I buy a yard as a basic rule, then I would only have half or quarter the variety of fabric I have now.

What's Left of a FQ
What's Left of a FQ

Half yards are starting not to be enough. I have a whole list of pieces I have to cut before a piece of fabric is filed into my fabric closet. For blue FQs, they rarely even make it to the fabric closet. I have so many blue pieces to cut (a 6.5″ square, a 2.5″x4.5″ rectangle, a diamond, a Tumbler, etc) that a FQ is just not enough. The above FQ may be a little bit misleading because it was larger than a normal FQ. Not much bigger, but enough.

Part of the Palette
Part of the Palette

Half yards are not enough for most bags, but they are enough for straps for a bag. I have adapted half yards for a bag, but it makes me wonder if I need to purchase fabric with bags in mind and not just quilts? Buying a yard of fabric regularly is a lot more of financial investment as well.

The Whys of it All

  • do I have enough?
  • do I need to add to what I have in order to have a wide range of colors?
  • do I need to add to what I have in case the manufacturers stop making that perfect shade of turquoise?
  • do I need to add to what I have in order to keep my inspiration high?

Well, if I don’t have enough fabric, then there is no such thing as enough.  I have less fabric than others. Still, you saw all the things I made last year. I did not make a dent in what I have.

Adding to my fabric selection choices is interesting, because I have enough, in terms of physical quantity. However, I often  seem not to have the right colors. No matter how many colors I buy, I often don’t have the right color. I am coming to the conclusion that buying more colors is futile. I am not going to stop buying fabric, but I am going to buy without the goal of having ALL the colors.

I have also been caught with my quilt pants down and not had enough fabric (remember the Windham fabric?), so perhaps I need to buy larger quantities of fabric? The FOTY project has helped in learning which fabrics really work in the projects I make. Perhaps I will start a project to convince fabric manufacturers it would be to their benefit to upload their out of print fabrics to Spoonflower.

New fabric does get me excited about quiltmaking. I do think that I need to shift my inspiration from cash outlay to books, as in read books and don’t use my credit cards. I will probably never be able to stop buying fabric, nor do I want to stop buying fabric, but I need to be aware of what I am trying to accomplish when looking for inspiration.

Is Shopping for Fabric a Stress Relieving Mechanism?

Definitely. That reality is good and bad. On the positive side, I have a legal way of relieving stress that also, as an added bonus, keeps small businesses open and helps the economy. If the stress is bad, it can be really expensive and if I don’t have money my stress just continues. I have to admit that I do have other methods of stress relief.

I don’t think I have any answers for anyone but myself. I am curious what you think about fabric.