Hi, I’m Joan and I’m a fabriholic. I am addicted to buying fabric – for which I do not necessarily have any use.
My addiction isn’t as bad as other fabriholics who have filled their attic, basement and spare bedrooms with their stash of fabric.
All I have is a medium sized cardboard box – filled with various shades of white material; two drawers stuffed with of color and pattern coordinated stacks of fabric and that’s it … except for the two stacks of felt and flannel material tucked in beside the craft, crochet and quilting books and magazines. But, that huge plastic trunk of material which doubled my stash when I picked up at yard sale a month or so ago, I don’t count. I am still trying to figure out how much of it I actually want to keep. The trunk takes up the space of a love seat in the guest bedroom.
I have not reached the level of the woman writing in a 1980s quilting magazine. She had packaged up all her spare fabric into boxes, stacked them and covered them with tablecloths to look like end tables. She did not run out of fabric, she ran out of furniture to accent with end tables. She also ran out of attic space, space under beds and space in the clothes hamper.
I may be a fabriholic, but I not that bad.
For one thing, I don’t smuggle new purchases of fabric into the house so my husband won’t see it … I leave the new stuff in the car until I am ready to show him.
Besides, my husband enables my addiction – last month he brought home several pieces of fabric to add to my options for making a jar or bottle quilt. Even as I write this, he sits at the table designing a baby bottle/baby jar quilt for an upcoming addition to the Hershberger family. As a craftsman, he understands the need to have a wide spectrum of colors and textures for any artistic development, including quilts, cross stitch projects … and his wood working projects. Our garage overflows with his tools, piles of wood kept for an unknown future need and the remnant of the broken ceramic tile that I bought – which he used three years later.
I am a neophyte fabriholic – I only fit four out of 10 characteristics of a fabriholic.
I do like to “pet” fabric. Fabric feels and looks good to me. It triggers all sorts of fantasies of combining the material with completed cross stitch projects, my collection of lace and bias tape and those unique buttons I found when the fabric store closed last year.
I buy fabric without having any idea how I will use it – nor do I care if I use it. I relish in new fabric purchases – and quietly put it away.
But, I don’t stop total strangers on the street to admire the cloth used in their shirt, nor do I ask others to will me their stash or refuse to find a use for the more unique pieces in my collection.
I should quit buying more material. And I will – as soon as I have some fabric printed with M&Ms, Hersheys and Coke insignias. I kinda ‘need’ those for my palette when making a jar quilt or an “I spy” quilt.
Unfortunately, those types of fabric cost a bit more than most.
Fortunately they do sell jar quilt bundles on e-Bay. Unfortunately, a tiny piece costs more than half a yard of most fabrics. Fortunately, I do have a thrifty bent … I can wait for a bargain – I think.