Stash Busting

So I got right to work last night on the wedding quilt - going through my stash for tans, creams, whites, browns and blues. 432 2" blocks needed for the main body of the quilt, not counting the blue "stitches" as Hubby calls the big blue blocks. I figured I would cut what I had and then make my shopping list for today.

Without a hiccup, without a foot set into a fabric store, with just me and my mad rotary cutter - I now have a bin of 432+ 2" blocks cut and waiting. Did not think it was possible - but it was.

The worst part is that my stash does not look any smaller. I thought I busted a lot of the "black/brown/tan" fabrics when I made a Mid-Winter Night's Dream. Nope. Nary a dent. I could probably make a few more of those, and a few more of these - and STILL have blacks, browns, tans and creams left over.

How? When? Why? - those were many questions going through my mind as I came across more and more and more of these colors.

HOW? - well - we all know how fabric happens. It happens when we can't keep our feet out of the fabric store, or our mouse off those fabric shop online pages, and our wallet in our pocket. Forget birth control - I need fabric control.

WHEN? - mostly since moving back to NY right before the Millennium. I did a couple of big "lion" or "camping/wilderness" themed projects back then - mostly involving appliqué and paper piecing, so I needed lots of little tiny bits of lots of different fabrics. (pictures on real film - so I need to hunt down the prints to share).

So did I buy inches and 1/8th's? Noooo..... I bought 1/2's and more. Guess I did not inherit my Dad's calibrated eyeballs (I swear - the man can look at something and tell you nearly exactly what the dimensions are)

WHY? - I think I just covered that in "when" as far as these fabrics are concerned, but I guess a bigger "why" is why I have gotten into quilting and sewing, and why I find these escalating and overtaking some of my other crafts (rubber stamping, beading, stenciling to name a few)

I think it is the utility of it all - as far as I am concerned. While I like my "bling" and I like to give handmade cards (when I plan ahead enough to make them), I find quilts and totes and wallets and other fabric projects to be hands on useful on a day to day basis. Even my curtains in my house, the occasional furniture slipcover (not my favorite project), and a storage bag for our Christmas Tree were all satisfying projects. And with so many fabrics out there - the same pattern will be different every time.

OK - enough deep thinking - I am still working on that first cup of coffee and counting the minutes until I am out of work and fabric shopping - again.

Lets just hope that the local store has not discontinued the three blues I have in mind for the rest of the quilt (don't even need to buy that narrow middle border beige - got PLENTY!!!).