I Have A Stash Problem

Yes, yes, I know.  I should sew fabric instead of buying it.  But silly Fabric Mart sucked me in with more awesome sales.  And I need to stop looking at the New Arrivals section.  Seriously.  The fact that Jo-Ann Fabrics strategically had a 50% off Red Tag at the same time as a major pattern sale didn't help much either.  I also found some cool things while traveling.  And then the $2.50/lb pricing at the Loft always does me in.  Granted, this is several months of fabric accusation at work here.  And, well, if I am being totally honest with myself, my fabric intake always seems to be pretty proportional to my stress level.  Clearly, I have been quite stressed.  (Well, still am, really.)  A post about said stress may be forthcoming, but I am simultaneously young enough and old enough to realize the folly of posting rambling rants on the internet in this day and age.  On the other hand, this blog was always intended as a way for me to keep track of my sewing journey, and I feel it would be disingenuous to leave off certain recent developments.  So I will allow for some time and distance before waving about my dirty laundry, but I am pretty certain that a rather introspective and slightly emo post will find its way to this blog sooner rather than later.  You have been warned.

In any case, in the interest of full sewing disclosure, here are my most "recent" fabric buys:

From Fabric Mart:

Lots of knits!  Ponte and glitter slinky on the left.  ITYs on the right.

A bunch more ITYs - lots of prints, and one blue solid.

They had some great sales on ponte!
I am excited to try color blocking with the leopard print.

And some wovens.  Cotton sateen on the left and some twill blends on the right. 

Dark blue rayon challis, and some cotton prints.

Water-proof green cotton and faux leather on the left.
Purple and green stretch denim on the right.

From Fashion Fabric Club:

Dark blue and grey denims, and metallic brocade.
LOVE the stretch/texture of the dark blue denim.
The brocade looked way cooler in the photograph than it is in real life.

From Spandex House:

Blue pleather on the left and ITY prints on the right.

From Jo-Ann Fabrics and Fabric.com:

Tricot lining from fabric.com and snake-print stretch denim from Jo-Ann.

Cotton velveteen/denim (back), rayon jersey (left), cotton knit (center), and ITY knit (right).

Marble brocade (from the 50% off Red Tag section!).

From Hancock Fabrics:

Poly print for lining (left), black taffeta (back), glitter slinky (right), and teal poly/cotton twill.

Stretch denim print (left) and fun poly chiffon print (right).

From LA Garment District and Other:

Black ponte (80% rayon, 20% spandex - it is LOVELY) and teal ITY (back).
Texture poly knits (front) from assorted LA stores.

Textured ponte-weight knits.  The red is from Angel's and the rest are from the Loft.

Ponte and sweater knits from the Loft.

T-shirt sequin knits (left) and ponte and jersey prints (right) from the Loft.

Textured knit fabrics from the Loft.

Knit linings (left) and pants-weight stretch suiting (right) from Michael Levine.

Metallic and slinky knits from the Loft.

ITY knit prints from the Loft.

Leopard print slinky and jersey prints (from $1 piles and the Loft).

Jersey stripes (from Michael Levine and the Loft).

Navy stretch satin, white ribbed knit, and ITY prints (from the Loft).

Olive green cotton (from M&L Fabrics in Orange County).

And, the piece de resistance, a lovely metallic guipure lace from Fancy Fabrics:

It was a bit difficult to capture in photographs...

This lace has a teal metallic coating - fantastic!  So pretty in person...

I also found some amazing sewing books at A Book Barn in Clovis, CA:

Used sewing books, aw, yeah!  (The title on the third book down - All About Sleeves.
A whole book dedicated to sleeves!  Crazy, no?)

Shortcut books from Betzina and Shaeffer.  Yes please!
And, no, I didn't buy all the books they had.
Just the ones that weren't already in my library.

Why did a used book store have a pleating device?
I don't know, but I bought it to try anyway...

Yeah, that is... a lot of fabric.  And a lot of books.  My stash is starting to hit that point where it is becoming more than just a little bit overwhelming.  Storage space is becoming problematic.  And, despite the fact that I feel like I have been sewing quite a bit lately, I don't seem to actually be reducing my stash at all.  Or, at least, not much.  But I have only a few weeks until the end of the skating season.  Which means only a few more weeks of sequins, rhinestones, and spandex.  I still have a lot to get done, but the end is in sight.  And until I get there I am just going to have to occasionally glance at all my pretty stash fabrics and perhaps pet my lovely black ponte on an occasion to calm my nerves.  For some reason I find soft fabric to be rather soothing.