Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Stashbusting

When I said the word "stashbusting," my husband yelled, "WHAT?!" and quickly covered his face. You see, he heard "'stache busting" and assumed I was going after his beloved handlebar mustache. I have no such intentions; I actually love his 'stache, as it perfectly expresses his quirkitude. No, the stash I intend to bust is my fabric stash. This weekend I pulled it all out of storage so I could take inventory and actually, you know, use it. Well, it turns out I have amassed over 100 yards (!) of fabric, most of it in lengths of two yards or less.

Some of my 34 different quilting fabrics.

I'm not going to turn Choice of Pies into a sewing blog, but I did want to let you know of my plans. I created a monthly calendar with two or three sewing projects listed next to each month; if I can keep up with this schedule, a good portion of my stash should be obliterated by August. Pictures of all the fabrics are in my Stashbusting 2009 Flickr set, and I will add pictures of the projects (which include a hoodie, five dresses, two blouses, two aprons, and more) as they are completed.

I also have some pantry stashbusting planned; I recently reorganized and realized I have seven different kinds of rice (wild, jasmine, sushi, brown basmati, brown nishiki, long-grain brown, and arborio) and six kinds of dried beans (chick peas, lentils, adzuki, pink, small white, and rattlesnake) just waiting to be used, so I'm probably going to do a lot of variations of rice and beans in the comings week. Clearly I have some packrat tendencies. There's nothing wrong with having so many different kinds of rice and beans on hand - each serves its own purpose, and long-term storage isn't a problem - but it's been a while since I've tried to do anything different with these humble and nutritious ingredients. Best of all, they are all cheap, and even cheaper (free) since I already have them on hand. I anticipate lower grocery costs in February while I shop from my own pantry.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I, also, save too much fabric. Can't part with it. I don't quilt so I have little excuse for this habit. I am also ~~~very~~~ frugal so 13" scraps turn into hankies and yard pieces turn into pillow cases. I also make my own napkins.....so, if you are at least 20" square in my syash you become a napkin whether you match anything or not.

Teachart2 said...

I'm sorry that I gave you the awful "I can't throw it away" gene. I have also been taking stock in my studio. I have 12 boxes of craypas, six different kinds of watercolor paints and numerous boxes of various sizes. Any ideas how to combine the three? MOM

Sarah Maxell Crosby said...

The crazy thing is, I don't actually quilt either! But that doesn't stop me from buying quilting fabric. I'm a sucker for bright patterns and 100% cotton. I'm hoping to make my first real, full-size quilt this year (it's on the sewing schedule for September).

Mom - I also know you have loads of amazing papers. To me, the boxes suggest dioramas. I know you've done up some boxes as decorative holders or gift boxes, but why not fill the insides, too, with art? Make the boxes art pieces? Think Joseph Cornell crossed with Faberge. That's the direction I would take.