Stash Overload

It has occurred to me that I need to thin out my stash quite a lot.  I found a piece of fabric yesterday i have no recollection of purchasing, very weird.  I have a piece of Dutch batik that I bought in 'Amsterdam when I was eighteen years old,  it might be time to do something with that or pass it along.  I have to stop buying fabric, at least with the internet I can view all the wonderful fabrics that are out there and not have the urge to take some home with me.  I live in Maine,  and we are fortunate enough to have an incredible salvage store chain,  and they have fabric at really reasonable prices.  I have bought Kaffe Fassett cloth for four dollars a yard.  I bought some with flowers just to use them in applique,  sort of a cheesy broderie perse.  The inventory,  which includes clothing,  tools , Oriental rugs,  everything and sometimes some wonderful books.  They used to have one store that was just fabric. it was located in this crumbling old brick building which used to be the Hathaway shirt fabric company.  When they decided to eliminate this store since the lovely old building is falling apart,  thye advertised fabric at half off their regular prices and then at the end, bolt remnants for three dollars a bolt.  I am glad I didn't go near it....

A few years ago along with some help from a couple friends,  I did manage to get things sorted into color categories.  Then there is the bits of upholstery fabric,  good for making pillows or shopping bags,  The massive collection of old linen things, tablecloths,  tea towels, doilies,  and boxes of nine patches,  log cabin strips one and one quarter inch wide rolled up in dark or light.  And the buttons.  I've been saving scraps forever, the possibilities are endless.

Years ago my mother and I would take an occasional jaunt to antique or junk stores.  One,  located in a barn in a tiny Maine village,  was filled with amazing things.  The best potholders ever.  Someone created these incredible things from the tiniest of scraps. The next time we visited that shop my tiny mother took off at a run to scoop up all the potholders.  Then she would inform me that they were all hers,  and I could have some when she was dead!  (she was the oldest of three sisters and could have used a dose of charm school)  My friend Delia looked at them and said they looked like something a spider on LSD had made in a cellar.  I'll post a picture when I find my camera.  This person who made these wonderful things had a great sense of design and managed to make these wonderful creations with bits and pieces.  Every once in a while I make some potholders for a gift,  I like that I can finish them in a flash.

I have been seized with the need to make some more quilts and having started to investigate all the wonderful quilting blogs it is such a lift to my spirits.  Right,  I' m just blathering now,  time to hunt for my camera and figure out what to use as a back for my tea towel challenge.  The sun is shining,  it's a good day.