lclang

Quilting is my hobby, it is not a business. We have coins that we do not spend, musical instruments that we do not play, cars we do not drive (much). They are simply items that bring us enjoyment and that is good enough for me.

sinceresissy

I agree with most of what you said but I was a warehouse manager for 20 years and it was sounding a bit like work. I don't keep much extra fabric on hand because I don't have the room and I want my life simple. I don't want a lot of rules to live by about quilting. I agree with you about inventory and making something unique that is a one and only. I always have some mistake so my quilts are one and only.

maminstl

I am NOT generally a collector of things, but when I take up any hobby, I will buy whatever supplies I need and/or want to pursue those interests. As it sits now, I have an 8 shaft weaving loom and a mountain of yarn for that all collecting dust, and more skeins of knitting yarn than I will ever use. I took up quilting a few years ago and have acquired a comfortable amount for me. From time to time I will start to feel that there is too much money sitting around in fabric, and I'll just stop buying until I've completed some projects. Knowing that I am a little fickle when it comes to hobbies, I have finally learned to keep my accumulating under control. What I always have to remind myself is that there will always be another sale, there will always be new fabrics out there that I will like just as much if not more than "the one that got away". I practice my self control on a regular basis, as I just spent about an hour looking through all the fabric on sale at Craftsy. Tempted by several things, but then I think about what I already have and just move on - at least for today.
I do not "kit" anything until I am ready to start working on that project - just prefer to always leave my options open and be able to see everything I have when creativity strikes.
As is evident by the responses, everyone has a different way of thinking (one might say rationalizing) about their "stuff", some being comfortable with abundance, others not so much. It would not dawn on me to compare the amount of stuff that I have to the amount of stuff my husband has (I win, by the way) but I've seen many comments in numerous threads related to that. Always an interesting topic!

sewbizgirl

Good points, even if we are not all as organized as you are! As for those chevrons... our charity quilting group was given a TON of that stuff in all colors. We wanted to use it up quickly before the trend passed,so most of us in the group made at least one chevron quilt. When they were given to the hospital, they were very enthusiastically received, as they are great visual stimuli for patients with brain injuries. So, even when they are out of style, they have their usefulness!

tropit

Thanks for such a great post! You're absolutely right...time and space is also money. (Ask me how I know...I'm building a house right now.) I've pared down after moving from a home of 30 years to living in a construction zone. My new sewing space is very small and compact. As soon as my fabric stash starts to get too big, I'm critically aware of it, so I had better make something with it, or out it goes. I have an EBay store where I sell all those things from my past life, including quilting stuff.

That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy my quilting hobby. I love to quilt and can quilt to my hearts content with what I have. I rule it. It does NOT rule me. It's very refreshing to come to that conclusion and have my space manageable...have my LIFE manageable!

BTW, Your sewing room is sweet!

~ Cindy

tropit

That is so true! There are so many fun, and inventive quilts in my stash, just waiting for me to make. I don't want to offend those old fabrics, just sitting there, waiting patiently, and bring in some fancy, new ones. It might hurt their feelings.

Becky's Crafts

I am disabled and can't afford to buy as I go, but have been blessed by many good friends with the scraps they didn't want any more. I have been making lots of quilts with it all and they love seeing what I make with it as I go. Most of my fabric are small pieces. Some as big as one yard and all different colors & designs. I like making controlled scrappy quilts & if I need something extra will get it. I recently had the pleasure to teach a friend how to quilt & I went through what I don't use any more & gave it to her, to get her started. It gave her a chance to find out if she really enjoyed quilting or not & I was happy to pass it forward. I also shared my stash with her except for a few pieces I am working with, to give her a good head start. I agree with you that we should always do our best on our quilts. I would add to that...what ever we do! I grew up hearing, "Any job worth doing, is worth doing well!" & I usually try to go that route. I have a large family & haven't gotten to the end of them yet, so haven't had a chance to do any for charity so far. I have donated some fabric so other quilter's who might be able to use it can have the chance. I just couldn't see any reason to store what I knew I'll never use. I made my grandchildren & great grands quilts that I pieced. For now, I'm just having a lot of fun with it & it makes me feel productive.

Pagzz

I appreciate the manifesto and agree we all have to do what works best for us as individuals. I am only 63 but my son is deceased so when I look at my 'inventory' I think of what my DIL and grandchildren will have to deal with. I love them all dearly but my DIL is remarrying this Spring and I don't want to leave a mess for anyone.

I recently had a water heater in a closet leak and had to shuffle all fabric and machines out of that closet. Because it was in the center of my home the surrounding floors in 3 rooms have to be replaced. The insurance company looked at my stuff and said can you move some of this? or they will have to get a pod to move my stuff into so that the flooring can be replaced. I already had my actual sewing set up in one of the rooms so I have that clutter and the closet clutter to shuffle. It was a large closet and had 4 extra sewing machine which are now shuffled to my breakfast nook.

Just my thoughts and concerns.

EmiliasNana

Thanks for your interesting thoughts as presented in your quilting manifesto. Everyone is different, but I, too, can't work in chaos, even organized chaos. My quilting room is organized so I can find things, projects are kitted and labeled and stored in the closet, but it is my scraps (leftovers from quilts already made) that drive me crazy. One of these days I need to organize them by color as I tend to love applique and could use the smaller ones for that. Like the original poster said, "use what works for you.............if it continues to work" If not, she offers some suggestions that work for her. Thank you for starting this thread. It is interesting to see how each of us approaches our hobbies differently.

beadywoman

Do we look at the "supplies" - paints that an artist has and say that there are too many? Do we make assumptions based on the number of model cars or trains a collector has and decide that the collector shouldn't collect because relatives will have to disburse it all after he passes? While I think this article is food for thought to some extent, for me it is rather like going to church and forgetting to invite God. There HAS to be room for the Spirit to move.

Quilting has moved in so many ways from functional form to art form. Art is not usually a regimented process, rather a changing, undulating stream of bubbling ideas that sometimes erupt in a riot of colors, that in the Quilter's case happens to be fabric, threads, rulers, tools, books, scribbled ideas, folded patterns, and what to the non-quilter must assuredly look like a pile of nonsense, but to the quilter holds a world of creative promise.

Perhaps, or rather, hopefully, my family will sort through my "palette" of fabrics after I pass and say, "look at all the wonderful plans Mama had! I would love to see what she was going to do with this piece of fabric." Maybe my son will look at a machine and say, "Dad got this for Mama just because she mentioned that Someday she might like to own one." Or..."Dad built all these shelves so Mama could organize, but if you look, you can tell every time she went on a color quest based on the upheaval." Hopefully they will find smiles in the images of me puttering around in my special room, surrounded by all of my creative mess.

My quilts will never hold the value of a Van Gogh, will not be put on display in any museum, and certainly won't fetch a great, commanding price. But to me, the peace that I find in disappearing into my messy, overflowing studio to escape the world, to put stitches into fabric, the ideas that bounce around in my head about the next or five projects, the excitement that I feel when a project comes together or an idea gels - this keeps me sane in a stressful, overly busy, demanding, judge mental world. How boring and bored I would be without this wonderful, riotous, creative outlet. Maybe my stash will inspire someone to step into quilting after I am gone. In the meantime, I hold in my heart the joy my tiny granddaughter displays every time she sneaks out of my studio holding a pieced block or wraps herself in a top that hasn't been quilted yet, her little face beaming, pointing at the colors, and singing, "Mine, mine. Mine, Nonnie."