Piles upon piles of fabrics.

Here's something you may or may not know about me: I am so precious about some of the fabrics I have in my stash that I cannot bear to use them.  Does anyone else feel this way?

I've thought about various ways to get around this problem - but have never really found the answer, or done anything about it.  I tend to force myself to use the fabrics, but so sparingly that I really lose the impact of the fabrics.

The other day I saw a downloadable swatch card (I'm really annoyed that I can't figure out where I saw it to point you to it - if I find it I'll tell you) which you could print out to catalogue your fabrics.  Great idea.  I can keep a small swatch to always remember the gorgeousness of the fabric I had, but still use the fabrics.  I immediately downloaded it, printed out a bunch of them and started sorting my fabric.  Now, my fabrics are all over the place.  I find if I keep them in lots of places and not all together then I can pretend I don't have as many as I do.  The selection above, which looks less in the picture than it does in real life, is a small selection of what I have.  I'm a little too embarrassed to show you the rest.

grey & yellow quilt - been on the cards for about 3 years,  never figured out the design I wanted to use...

 It's interesting to see the history of my sewing fads through the last few years.  There are projects that I've gathered the fabrics for, and not completed. 

bought to make my own version of a skirt I saw on anthropologie - with a big bow on the front.  A bow?!

Bought to make a dress.  I loved this then and I love this still.

Just love.  Grayson Perry for liberty, bought from Fabrics Galore

  Fabrics I bought with no particular idea except that I loved it.  Fabrics I cannot for the life of me figure out why I bought them.  A whole pile of jersey, with the thought that I would one day miraculously be able to whip up loads of jersey dresses similar to a very posh one my friend gave me.  The only jersey I have sewn with is in a bag under my bed, half sewn.  I come across it every now and  then and pretend I don't know whats in the bag.  It's my shameful secret.

Leftover half-made bunting - the first half went to my god-daughter for her first birthday.  The rest never got finished.

And of course, unfinished projects.  I won't bore you with them all, but needless to say, there are a lot of them.  One of my plans for 2012 was to work on finishing them.  I've finished some, true, but I've also started a lot of others that have since been added to the half finished pile.  

 I haven't got very far at all with the swatch cards, as it's taken me hours to make piles.  Do I sort it by colour, or by style? By designer?  I could even do it by the amount I have.  Fabric type?  Use?  The possibilities are endless.  I think I will go by colour - and then sub-categorise by designer.  This is going to take me days.  But it's oddly satisfying, strangely cathartic.  A sort of spring clean, although I haven't found anything I truly want to get rid of yet.  Each one of these pieces is a part of the history of my creating.  Of my sewing story.  

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with you all, really.  I think there's probably some part of me that wants you to tell me your dirty little secrets too.  But most of all I think I am weirdly a little proud of myself.  I'm saying "look at me, look what I did."  In hindsight, maybe I should have waited until I've finished the job, but I've never been good at not spilling the first chance i get.

anna x