Building a Fabric Stash

I confess, I'm hooked on browsing fabric sites. There's just so much really nice stuff out there that I never see in the crappy stores I have around me. I'm also sure that just as soon as I figure out *how* to sew, and get some decent patterns, I could make some great stuff :)

Now, let's just say I wanted to buy some of this stuff for inspirational purposes.... How much do you buy? I'm sure it depends on what you're going to make out of it, but how do you know at the time? It's better to have too much than too little, yes? So much fabric, so little time!!

Julie.

Reply to
JulieB
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Funny, I used to wonder the same too. I worked my way up from 4-5yards to

10-18yards. At the beginning, I was doing mostly pillows. Then it was tablecloths and curtains but found myself really stretching that last little inch out of the smaller yardage. That was a major hassle, so when I can afford it, I buy twice as much. There's always some leftover for patchwork type decor. Plus, I limit myself somewhat only to cotton linenweaves so I have a little *control* over my growing stash (ha!).

However, if there is an unusual print that catches my eye, I'll get a yard or two of it if it is not too expensive. But I have a funny logic - if there seems to be a small amount left on the bolt, I'll just buy the whole thing. Sometimes I buy fat quarters for inspiration because of the color combination.

If you're making garments, probably best to look at some patterns and gauge how much each pattern in your size calls for and add a couple more yards?

-- Rose's Sewing Page

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Reply to
RLK

Now, let's just say I wanted to buy some of this stuff for

So much fabric, so little time!!

Hi Julie, Well here is how I do it. I check to see how many yards I need for slacks, jackets, blouses and suits. When I see fabric that I like for a pair of slacks I know exactly how many yards to purchase. My hands down smallest amount is 3 yards if the fabric is 54-60 inches. If it is 44-45 inches then I purchase 4 yards. Now occasionally I see a fabric that just "speaks" to me and I have not a clue what it will be sewn into. In this case I usually purchase 6-7 yards - no reason - I just do it. If I find a fabric that I know will make lovely flower girl dresses I sometimes purchase the entire bolt (usually around 10-15 yards). Now if I am in the local Wal-Mart's and they have a REALLY nice shipment of $1 yard fabric I sometimes purchase as much as 20-30 yards. Our local Wal-Mart's have $1 and $2 per yard fabrics. Mostly these are seconds or overruns from manufacturers and factories. Some of this fabric is poor quality but some is very nice. Last year I was able to purchase 2 full bolts of the Daisy Kingdom Cherished Teddies strawberry border fabric for $1 a yard! Yikes!! The flaw was that every third teddy bear had a missing strawberry in the gingham print over his head -- no one even noticed it but I made several little girl's party dresses with that fabric and used a small red button sewn over where the each of the strawberries should have been. My rule of thumb is - if you like it and the price is right you must get at least 4 yards. If it is household / upholstery fabric the minimum might be more - depending on what the fabric tells you it wants to be made into. Have fun!! Sun

Reply to
SunshineLady

Inspirational fabric - what a nice way to put it! How much have I bought? Well in the past, for garment fabric, 6 or 10 m is about right... 6 m of various crepes (as yet unused!), 6 m of cotton and silk mix satin, in an elegant lilac, now earmarked for an Elizabethan court dress (I got some silver and white ecclesiastical brocade to make the front piece for the under skirt), 6 m of suit weight ivory twilled silk, just because the swatch felt to good! 10m of £1 a yard stuff for making toiles - always a good investment! I often buy packs of skirt length too:

4 x 1.5 m of different skirt/trouser fabrics. I sometimes buy 2 or 3 packs with the same fabrics in, and have been known to use them for costumes (the stuff for Mrs Capulet's pale blue Jacky Kenady outfit was bought like this).

For quilting, anything from a far quarter to 3 m. Quilting fabrics are a bit more expensive!

-- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

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on Kate's Pages and explore!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

a few years ago an older lady gave away her stash to our local sewing guild. She was moving into a retirement home. There were bags and bags, I don't know where she kept it. Any way almost every piece was 10 yards. Her logic was that she could get sometning for herself out of it, and even something for someone else.

I buy 4 yard pieces unless I know that I want it for a suite, then I get 6.

Sandy

Reply to
Corasande

Building a Fabric Stash

Reply to
sewingbythecea

What do I think it might be good for, might I want to make a matching set, how much does it cost, how likely is it that I'll see something of the sort again?

I seldom buy fabric that I don't have a specific use for unless it's incredibly cheap. (a piece of Very Loud dollar-a-yard linen just saved my bacon when I unexpectedly needed a hot-weather shirt, a shawl, and two bandannas.)

Buying only for specific purposes won't stop me from making a gown from the wool I bought to make a suit, and a suit from the silk I bought to make an underdress.

Once Phoenix Textiles (now fabric.com) put some nice blue-and-white-and-ivory plaid linen-cotton shirting into the late, lamented "everything for a Dollar" section. I'd been looking for some cheap, all-cotton gingham to test patterns with & figured this was as close as I'd ever come at $1/meter. So I bought thirty yards.

And I've worn every single test garment -- light-colored linen-cotton is the most *comfortable* stuff to wear in the garden!

Joy Beeson

Reply to
joy beeson

Julie, welcome to the addiction!

I usually buy enough "inspirational fabric" to make whatever the fabric thinks it might want to be. I've bought as little as a yard for a fun child's sundress or shorts and as many as 15 yards for some white pique that was dirt cheap. It it is for a fitted dress or skirt, I'll usually buy 2 yards. 3, if the fabric indicates that it would rather be a blouse, instead. I buy 5-6 for some of my fuller dresses and some of my suits.

I'm currently working on stash reduction for Lent. I can't buy any until Easter and I'm sewing like someone possessed. It's kinda fun at the moment. I did 3 pairs of pull-on pants and a peasant type blouse for one of my friend's children yesterday. It was great, very productive day.

Reply to
Angela Moak

Well..... I'm currently in possesion of my mother's machine, but she's probably going to want it back at some point. It's at that point I decide whether I want one of my own (and the way I'm going I think it's a case of

*when* more than *if)!

This I don't think I'll have a probelm with!

Julie.

Reply to
JulieB

Haha! This sounds like me! The local fabric store knows me by name, I'm in there so often! =O

Reply to
Glitterati

Two of the places I order from over the phone recognise my voice...

-- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons

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on Kate's Pages and explore!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

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