Stash Envy

I wish I had a stash.

Ok, I know a lot of sewists spend a lot of time bemoaning their massive stashes and even trying valiantly (and vainly?) to whittle them down. And I do have a stash, of sorts… a whole rubbermaid tub full of bits and pieces of fabric. But a lot of them are scraps, scavenged or collected here and there over the years. A few Fabricland remnants. There’s three yards of an orange crinkle-fabric-with-lace that I got at Value Village years ago and keep meaning to make into something for my best friend (It was going to be a tiered skirt, or at least the bottom of a tiered skirt, but since it doesn’t seem to be getting there yet and neither of us is dancing right now, maybe I should make her something else. It might make a nice JJ top, but I don’t know her measurements, I don’t really want to guestimate something like that. There’s a set of nice, heavy, grey-tan curtains that would make a nice jacket or even “jeans” (I was going to use it for my coat muslin until I found that wool at VV), but they’re actually really nice curtains… I’m tempted to just keep them as curtains. If we ever get a rod, we could use them in our bedroom, or the livingroom. There’s some slinky, slithery polyesters that I’m not that interested in actually wearing (though they’d make nice costume elements). And that, really, is about it.

I guess I just think it’d be really nice to be able to sew something without going to the store. I’d like to have some linen (especially handkerchief linens, not that I’ll be able to find that at Fabricland). A whack of cotton broadcloth. Some nice knits… if I’m going to be sewing clothes  for myself, I’m going to need to come to terms with knits at some point. All my favourite RTW tops are knits. (And while I’m wishing, I wish my serger were fixed). Some denim, and other bottom-weight fabrics. This is without even getting into fabric I currently need for planned projects (stretch denim, lining etc. for the coat). A variety of interfacings and linings.

There’s a lot of notions I’d like to have in my stash, too. A real button collection (like my Grandma’s), for one. Twill tape. Fray check. A wider selection of sewing needles. Zippers (I have a few 8-inch ones that I got at Fabricland for 3/$1, but other sizes/styles). Fold-over, waistband, and buttonhole elastic. Some cute trims. I am definitely lusting over those wash-away markers, too.

I wonder if stashes are sort of like wardrobes… it fills shelves and shelves, and you still sit and stare at it and go, “I have nothing to sew!”