Do you ever sit down & think of just how much stash you have? I decided what I wanted to stitch for my mom for Christmas & decided to look for the pattern. Now I'm not very organized when it comes to my stash. I have a general idea of where things are, and that's about it. So I start looking. Here I sit an hour + later & I'm totally disgusted with myself. NO ONE ON EARTH needs 1/4 of the stash that I have. Seriously. I am more than a little ashamed of myself right now. The worst part is I don't know how to organize it - how to get rid of it... there is so much $$ sunk in it. :-(
I keep telling myself that I've been stitching for most of my life - since I was about 8 years old, and that I've REALLY been collecting a lot since I've been online (about 13 years) and that I've still been collecting since DSL, though not as much (mostly imports & limited edition kits/designs). As I looked though my stash tonight though, I totally realize that NO ONE needs this much stash. :-( NO ONE, and there is no excuse for letting it just grow & grow & grow. I feel like a total addict at the moment.
I have to get rid of a good amount of it. And geez, I already have gotten rid of some of it over the past 6 months or so & I haven't even made a dent. Not even a scratch really. :-(
I'm really depressed now. Anyone else ever feel this way?
**Edited - (the morning after) - I know I still have way too much stash, but after reading the comments so far, I don't feel quite as bad about it as I did last night. You're right, it's my "collection", my hobby, and it brings me great happiness. BUT I do need to get rid of some of it anyway - but not 75% of it, that won't happen! lol
Gaby, if you're reading this & want to do a trade, send me an email! :-)
HAPPY SUNDAY STITCHING my friends!
19 comments:
i kind of feel the same way...with me i need to buy littler amounts of the fabrics i love. i tend to see a fabric i love and buy a bunch. well what ends up happening is that that fabric i end up hating because i put it into too many quilts, just to use the dang thing up. so i have either yardage of stuff, or i have little bits and pieces that don't go with anything. my stash is a mess and i'm not really sure HOW to organize it. so i keep making small charity baby quilts with it...and am rarely happy with the end results. i tend to purchase kiddie fabrics, and they aren't always easy to use. oh well. quilters have this bad fabric habit, dunno
Sorry you feel bad about your stash.
My stash probably does not compare to some people's stash, but I still have more than is necessary or needed.
I realised recently that my stash had gone beyond my life expectancy - so I started selling some of it off.
However, I have still bought a couple of charts in the past couple of months. It's hard not to sometimes when the charts really appeal and/or there is a sale on.
Perhaps you could sell some off to help make yourself feel a bit better, and then just enjoy the rest of it. Think of it as a 'collection' :-) And try not to feel too badly, there are plenty of stash collectors out there!
I just wish I could have all my stash in one place but then maybe I would realise exactly how much of it there really is!
And I would like to know why it is that when I come to start a new project I don't have the 'right' piece of fabric or the 'right' threads that I need to begin!
I used to feel that way. When I finally organized my stash I had over 2,000 charts, and I don't even want to admit how many kits. And that's just xstitch. Doesn't including the knitting, quilting, etc. Just go through and give what you know you won't use and sell them off or trade and go on. You can never have enough stash!!
I too feel like I have too many patterns that won't get stitched - especially since some of the patterns I started with way back can now be considered vintage!! My tastes have changed some as well, so some of those patterns will never get done, but I do love to look through them. I always manage a smile as I remember the reason, be it a place or person, etc., why I purchased the pattern in the first place!
My oh my Amy, everything you said could be said by me too....I am reorganising at the moment too and I was overwhelmed, I also have toooo much stash but most of it are just things which still shout "Stitch me"...well isn´t it great to get a wide range of charts to choose from??? The only thing I changed: I don´t buy any new stitching stuff lately...there are still some charts I need BUT if I am thinking of the charts I already have: There is always something similar;-))
Well, perhaps we should trade some stuff, you can get some German stuff and I ...some American stuff;-)) Just kidding....
Hugs,
Gaby
I have too much stash. Does that stop me from buying more. Of course not! I think half the fun of a hobby is buying stash for it.
I look at it as "saving for retirement." One of these days, I might be on a strict budget with limited income. Won't I be happy for that stash then???
I have tons of freebies printed up, charts and leaflets and not to mention the magazines. So if all the designers stopped designing I still have enough to last me a life time. I also have 2 small bins of fabric and a lot of extras for DMC. The fabrics though are all colors and I don't have naturals. My tastes also change every few years and I have a box of charts and mags that I don't want anymore.
Welcome to the life of a quilter, we collect more than we could possibly use too! And when you are a cross stitcher too, like myself, well, that's hordes of two crafts. And I smiled when I read your blog entry, I have had that very same conversation with myself a million times. I just try not to think about it...
Amy, don't be too hard on yourself. You have a successful business and you are very knowledgeable about your business. I think if you weren't so passionate about your hobby you wouldn't be as successful. Don't stress, just enjoy! :)
The one thing I worry about my kids having to go through when I am no longer here is my stash! LOL
I have more than I could stitch in a lifetime...but sometimes I just like to go sit in my sewing room and fondle my stash....how weird is that???? It brings me joy...I could have far worse hobbies I think...at least this isn't dangerous to my health! LOL
So don't be hard on yourself...we're all right there with you!
Marion
I realized this about myself around two years ago. I have a real problem! I would hate to go and add up what I have spent on quilting and cross stitching supplies.... it is unreal. I have so many patterns, so many kits it sickens me. But I think I am making a little progress in that it takes a lot to knock my socks off now to buy something. When I shop or look online, I always have something similar that I haven't even started, and that puts the breaks on now for me. Hang in there! Great post :o)
I read every single word of these posts. Not to feel alone, we all have WAY too much! So, you are in fine company. AND yesterday I went into a 10,000 sq ft quilt shop in Fayetteville and about passed out!~ Lordy, if I was a quilter I would have to take out another mortgage on the house..beautiful stuff...I will stick to my true love of cross stitch and organize/reorganize every chance I get....And, will enjoy the journey since it is my stress reliever!~ Loved your post!!! Faye
I could go on a long time about stuff like this. (My family has a history of Hoarding...) Basically, "things" can be like cholesterol in your home the way that the real stuff clogs up your arteries. I think if something isn't helping you, it's hurting you. There are no "neutral" things.
At some point you stop owning your things and they own you.
As William Morris said: “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
It's about balance. If you feel like you are loosing balance, make adjustments (Not drastic overhauls, just gentle realign) You didn't acquire too much overnight, and you won't get rid of it that way either!
Also, you are a successful professional, so it is tied up with you business and hobby since you were eight!
Overall, don't panic, don't attack yourself. If you do reduce by some, it will be a blessing to you, others to whom it goes, and the things themselves; they want to be loved and useful. They were bought to make you happy, not to sit in a disused corner making you worry; to relieve, not create stress.
Well, I'm a relative newbie at xstitch, and so if I've overstepped my bounds in this comment please accept my apology. Too much stash really isn't my case yet; I have a modest little basket, and some things on a 3 level corner table only, but as I said my family has a huge history of problems with "things", so that's why I presumed to comment. If anything that I mentioned here seems to strike a chord with you or be in a direction you'd like to look into, please let me know because I can share with you some resources that have/are helping me to live a well-balanced life that lets me enjoy (and nothing negative) my things.
Berit
P.S. Thanks for your help on my order of this past week; the Colonial Copper you sent me is the "Perfect Orange". You are doing good work! Don't let the guilt of your stuff convince you otherwise!
When my stash got overwhelming. I started making three baby quilts of different sized, preemie, newborn to 6 mo. and crib size and gaive them away. For everythree I make, I allow myself to to someother project. My stash has really gotten much smaller and I have been so blessed by the giving.
Well I read your edited part and seen that it look like everyone else it telling you the same as I was going to. It is your thing!! If you feel the need to get rid of some it, then just sale, trade or give it away. But don't feel bad about it!!!
Don't be hard on yourself! We all have stash of some sort. Guys have tools or worse, some have motorcycles or cars. If that is their passion they throw everything into restoring, chroming, etc. So creativity is your passion.
As far as organizing, geez! Sometimes you organize only to revisit a few months later and reorganized differently. I would say start by just simply putting like things together.
I heard the expression STABLE STASH once. Stash Totaling Availability Beyond Life Expectancy! Now that is something to be upset about! I fear I have a STABLE STASH so much so that I have a pact with a friend....if she dies first, I will tell her husband that half the stuff she has she was holding for me......to try to take the heat off the amount of stash!! And she will do the same for me. lol
Sounds like we need to put someone on a "stash diet"! My question is where do you keep it? Your house is always so neat!
I felt the same way a little while ago and everyone may have a heart attack when I say this, but I sold ALL of my current stash on Ebay in various lots, gave away some and actually just threw away some stuff that was old. I still keep freebie charts, but I only buy now as I go from project to project, as I'm a one-at-a-time stitcher most of the time. My advice is if it is making you depressed, start selling it, and although you may not get what you paid for it, you will get something and make someone else happy in the process. Life is too short. Don't stress too much about it.
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