I liked her comments on hoarding, as well. We all know the feeling of not wanting to cut a particularly lovely fabric as well as the feeling of "why the heck did I buy that" -- two reasons for a growing stash are hoarding and faulty purchases. What good is a large stash that consists of fabrics you won't use for one reason or another? I hope thinking about this will make me more cautious in my purchases and less miserly with the stuff I like.
And I absolutely love her "quilting 401K" plan! She is saving money for quilting purchases when she retires. Not hoarding fabric now, but saving money to use when needed.
Yesterday, I cut down most of the sunflowers.
This picture is after some wind and rain that caused the plants to lean and then grow horizontally. They just take up too much space that way, and they were blocking or covering several paths. The ones in this area covered 2 paths.
I liked the piece you linked - good thoughts. I realized about five years ago that I really did have more than enough fabric for this lifetime but at times I like to update things with fabrics that push my boundaries or just plain make me feel good.
ReplyDeleteI have not felt I was hoarding or over-collecting - I thought it was important to whatever future permutation of a creative person I might become to gather a wide mix and then let it "season". I do have my share of things that make me wonder where I was at when I bought it but I think that illustrates how our concept of "beauty" and "inspiration" changes. These type of additions to my stash make wonderful gifts for younger females friends and family who love sewing and a more throwback type of vintage look.
One young friend refers to my stash as Vintage Contemporary. It makes me feel vital rather than out of step :)
Jen, I liked Nancy's comments also...and a few weeks ago I decided no more spending on "stuff" that isn't directly related to the quilt work I do...I will not buy another gadget, the newest technique-y stuff, etc...I really do have everything I need and I just need to do the work and to that point I taking a month at MACA to sew and cut, cut and sew.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely comments on my blog. The sunflowers are gorgeous! And that's so true about buying fabrics. I don't know how to quilt (although my late grandmother was a master), but I do have stacks of fabric for decorating or art projects. And I find too much of it seems "too good" to use. The things I buy that don't work, I give away.
ReplyDeleteYour sunflowers are so pretty -looks like a secret garden.
ReplyDeleteAren't sunflowers so happy making? I know what you mean about blocking paths, though. I've been cutting back some of my jungle wannabe plants lately so I could use my paths. As many of the sunflowers as possible I leave up through the winter for the birds and then clear them out in early spring. I even like the look of the dried stalks and seedheads in the snow, when we get snow.
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