A blogger friend had asked me where and why I bought bolts of fabric. I sent her an e-mail. She wrote back that I should make a blog of my e-mail. So I did a copy and paste and the e-mail is below.
"Then I found an EBay seller that sold bolts of fabric. (they are gone now) Granted they were old lines of fabric. But 1st quality...starting bid was always $24.95 for 15-20 yard bolts. I could not stop! But some bolts I just had to have and spent maybe $70 for a bolt. But that was still cheaper than stores. I was working. I had a Union job that paid very well. I spent it on fabric for retirement time. I made many BORING quilts and never made a dent in my bolts!
I am not stretching the truth when I say I have over 300 bolts of fabric in this house. Ask my husband. Ask the UPS man who thought I was hiding my fabric obsession from DH. That is a funny story! Ask Bonnie Hunter. She has been to my home. She has seen it. She says quilters tend to fill up all available space. This was after I told her I needed a bigger house.
Then I discovered scrap quilting and never looked back. I have gone through each bolt I own twice now, ripping off a yard hunk. Then I cut them into Bonnie’s Scrap User System.
I also inherited my sister-in-laws stash of fabric when she passed away. She bought fabric but never sewed anything. She was buying ahead too. Lots of 70’s calicos....some were only 36” wide. And that type of fabric was not what I had been collecting.
I bought Jinny Beyer, Fossil Fern, all kinds of batiks and cat fabric of course. So her fabric filled in a missing spot in my collections. Then I went nuts for 30’s fabric and bought 200 1/2 yd. cuts. (Ebay again)
Then I discovered fabric samples with cardboard headers....perfect for scrap quilting. I had bagillions of those too but have cut most of them up in to the SU System. You can still get those...sometimes I buy fabric scraps by the pound too. But I generate so many scraps myself that that is kinda silly.
I have sold lots of fabric and sewing machines on E-Bay. But that takes so much work. I guess if I were less of a sewer and more of an entrepreneur I could open an EBay store or even sell from my home like a garage sale that would never stop. HA!"
My cutting is all done for clue#1. I have them all in little baskets waiting for sewing. Another sleepless night. I got up at 2:00 a.m. Nice and quiet house and I am content for a while.
XOXOXOXO Subee
10 comments:
Oh my over 300 BOLTS of fabric! You could almost open your own store! Me I have been using up my stash all year long, about a quarter to a third of it is gone since January. I keep trucking along, trying to keep up with the scraps at the same time.
I'm impressed. To say the least. :-)
I'm guessing you don't wash before you cut? What a huge job that would be. I won't put anything in my quilts that hasn't been washed.
Wow!What a lucky girl to have all that fabric. I am saving the clues until I can get enough of the black, red, and blue fabric. It won't be for awhile in this economy.Don't have a stash. I'll love seeing everyone's steps as they complete them. Love Bonnie Hunter.Can't wait to see your quilt.
Subee, you are "Queen of the Stash"! You use it and enjoy it and it spawns beautiful quilts. What ever could be better?
I'm just thinking "where would I store 300 bolts of fabric?" My sewing room (and fabric stash) is already migrating out into the family room downstairs. I too have a Bonnie Hunterized stash of fabric strips and I'm working on Orca Bay.
LOVE this post... so now my question is where can you (or me) buy fabric by the bolt now??? I keep looking, but not finding internet sources of by-the-bolt fabric... thanks, Kate
I have been stashing like you, not near as many whole bolts but lots of yard cuts at least. Found great deals on ebay, but many sellers are gone now :(
I bet the fabric makers have cut back on production so not as much goes to discount sellers.
Been looking for creams, have used up lots of that with my scrappy looking quilts.
I am in awe. I will never feel guilty about my stash again. Thanks! : )
I can see why you'd buy those bolts!
I love to look at your stash, and I love that fact that I know someone has more than me (despite what my friends say).
Post a Comment