Sunday, July 25, 2010

successful de-stash

so, it is no secret that i have a slight obsession with fabrics. i have an entire sewing room full and then another hall closet full. yikes. i have gotten better lately and not buying unless i need. however, i also have a warped definition of "need" in my vocab. oops.

well, as i was trying to get things done in the sewing room the other day i realized that it was getting to be a hazard to my health as i didn't have enough room to the left of louise (my serger) due to all of my fall fabrics. the bolts are overflowing, as i have ordered as much as i could afford for the time-being. but...as the fabric i was serging kept bulging up and threatening to come back and get chopped in all the wrong places by my serger knife, i thought - hey, something needs to give here. i knew immediately that i needed to get my fall stuff off my actual sewing table and onto the racks, but how was i supposed to do that when they were JAM-PACKED full? ugh, i needed to get rid of some fabric. no bueno. no bueno grande, if you can't tell...i do not speak spanish, but i try.

so, as i stared at all the bolts and yardage in front of me, i almost panicked thinking of getting rid of some of it. i mean, what if i needed it down the road? what if it was about to be out of print and i have some of the last of it? spoken like a true hoarder, right? well, i put on my big-girl panties and i narrowed it all down. and then i had a slight anxiety attack and put some back up on the shelves and justified the keeping of certain fabrics. but, in the end...i came up with a very large stash that i felt i could part with. so, i unbolted and unrolled and unfolded on my 8-ft long cutting table that only about a foot is not covered in crap. and i measured and i priced. then, i listed on facebook. and i felt good about it all, until people started wanting my fabric. then i panicked again. then, reminded myself that i needed to do this so that i could get my sew on properly when the levees of fall orders break. so, i started taking orders and cutting and inventory-ing and such and realized that if i ever got into a fabric-selling business (who am i kidding?) that i would definitely have to clean all the crap off my cutting tables before i tried to cut and measure yardage. geeze.

well, all in all...it went great. BG has some extra money in her accounts (perfect since lou's school is starting up soon and tuition must be paid and my sweet lucy-goosie is still limping and will see the vet this week and i am HOPING that the whole s-word (not my kind of s-word...surgery i mean) isn't mentioned) and the most important part....look at the empty spots on my shelves.

wonder what that mess of smudge is in the corner on the left, well...that is where my fall fabrics are living at the moment (notice how dangerously close to louise) and i got all fancy in photoshop and smudged them so i wouldn't be giving away the cow. oh, and pay no mind to the hula hoop, that basically says "louisa kate was here." next importantly, look at all this fabric that is going to homes that are excited about them. no more sitting on a shelf or a bookcase ignored.

oh, and one of the saddest parts, empty bolts. am i the only one that sees an empty bolt as a sad thing?

but, all together, THANK YOU everyone who bought fabric from my stash. you are helping me with my problem, and it makes me smile to think that soon little kiddos will be wearing cute little frocks made with love and some of these fabrics. i even had a moment where i thought i would do this bi-annual. well, let me not get all crazy yet. but seriously, thanks. and if you had no clue this was going on...check out my BG facebook page and you will find the de-stash album there. i do have some fabrics/yardage left. :)

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