my fabric diet

I’ve gone on a fabric diet thanks to a meaty article on the blog of Quilting Mayhem from January 16, 2024 ( https://makers.quiltingmayhem.com/2024/01/how-to-go-on-a-fabric-diet/ ).

What does this mean to me? It doesn’t necessarily mean buying less fabric.  I’m just buying smarter.  It’s not that my fabric stash will turn to skeleton bones before my eyes. It just means I am getting wiser. I have opened a small shop on FeelGoodFibers.com  where I can not only buy previously loved fabric, I can sell some as well. How many of us have fabric that we just can’t seem to let go of even though it’s been on our shelves for years? Me, for one. Until I read Quilting Mayhem’s blog last year.

I realized I am quick to jump online or run to my nearest fabric shop when I want fabric and I have always tended to buy new. But my consumerism has come at a cost; both to my wallet and perhaps, the environment. So, while I haven’t given up buying at my local quilt shops, I am being intentional about first seeing what I’ve got in my stash and maybe stretching my mind to visualize just how a certain pattern would look in the fabrics on hand.

This fabric diet, to me, is about being more mindful, more intentional. It’s about understanding myself and the difference between my wants and needs.  But it’s not just about understanding.  It’s taking that knowledge learned and applying it in real time, in real life. It’s about taking an inventory and being present with what’s there. It doesn’t mean I never buy new fabric again…just that I am more aware that it may be a want, not a need, and therefore I may need to press the pause button. But I can still hit the play button, too.  After my pause.

 Have you ever gone on a diet, fabric or otherwise? How was that journey?

Also, if you haven’t checked it out yet, I have written a journal for quilters called The Story of Your Quilt filled with inspirational prompts and motivational quotes to help you describe the journey of your quilts.  You can pick it up here.