Sunday Morning Contemplations

Trying to reduce my stash has been causing me to do more contemplation than normal.

I made another skirt last night. The same easy four gore skirt as below. From an equestrian print corduroy. After looking at the pattern, I realized that the front and back pieces are exactly the same. So instead of cutting out two pieces (two each for a total of four gores), why not stack the fabric four lengths high and cut out one piece four times. Then more thought...why not stack two or three skirts worth of lengths at a time and use my heavy duty rotary cutter, then assembly line production techniques and knock out several skirts at once? I'm trying to greatly reduce my stash this year and to fast from fabric purchases as much as possible (I have bought a few yards). Sewing three skirts at a time would eat up six yards in probably just a couple of hours.


Of my 750 remaining yards, probably about 400 are suitable for women's garments. The rest is home decor and children's. I was thinking that I might start sewing basic, somewhat easy pieces using assembly line techniques. Start stacking fabrics 2 or 3 lengths high, cutting with a rotary cutter and then use production technique sewing to really move fabric in the most efficient manner. Then I thought to myself, "WHY?"

Let's say that the average garment takes 3 yards. That means I could make 133 garments with the fashion fabric I have here at home. I don't work outside the home. Most of the fabrics I'm attracted to are dressier things, more suited for church and work. So how many skirts could I actually use? If I made 35 skirts this year (assuming I could even keep up that pace), how much use is each one actually going to get? And how many clothes does one person need anyway?

The fabrics aren't really suited for charity projects. I suppose I might be able to sew tons of forgiving fit skirts and easy-to-fit tops and donate them to some type of program that wardrobes impoverished women returning to the work force. Or I could send them to a girl's orphanage? Perhaps a dozen each of sizes 8,10,12,14,16 and 18?

It's interesting how this Fabric Fast is really causing me to re-evaluate the way I buy fabric. Even if I COULD sew up all my stash, do I really need to be so indulgent as to have that many clothes? How could I use my stash in a more fruitful, responsible manner? This is more than a Fabric Fast, it's really a reality check!

Charity