Shuffling the Deck - Trying to Void the Collyer Legacy

What did I do today?  I took a couple of whacks at the fabric stash, reshuffled it and re-organized it.

My mountain of fabric was overwhelming.  It was impossible to look through, difficult to find things and demoralizing to look at.   I saw a post on the local freecycle list for fabric scraps so that someone could sew clothes for her daughter's doll.   I was able to create two semi-large bags to pass along.  They contain some scraps  of fashion fabrics, quilting fabrics, as well as some large scrap pieces from my dance costumes that I have never created.  If I hear back from the freecycler, I think that she will be pleased.  Regarding my stash, I was able to organize the stash into knits and wovens, then by color (more or less).  I was also able to identify fabrics I would feel comfortable using as muslins.  and a few sorted scraps that weren't worth passing along were deposited in the dumpster.

The process was very strange and scary, because everywhere I turned, I came across another bag or stack of fabric.  Yikes.  I had no idea that I had acquired so much fabric!  It was a very disturbing discovery.   I really don't have any excuse to buy any more.   I have fabrics from several online vendors, several local jobbers, some lower quality stuff from local fabric chain stores, higher quality stuff from some high end fabric stores, as well as mystery fabrics that I got from estate sales, great quality cottons that I have purchased from quilting stores, and other mystery stuff.

I'm expecting two more fabric shipments:  one from Fashionista Fabrics, as well as some made-to-order fabrics from a coop.   I don't think that I'll have any problems NOT buying more material.  I still have to go through clothing closets and get rid of clothing that I have no intention of wearing.  I mean, if I sew even half of my fabric stash into dresses, blouses, skirts, and pants (or pajamas, jackets, fitness clothes), there would be no room even if my closets were empty.

Oh, regarding the black denim.  Another sewer the coop mailing list pointed out that it was normal for black denim to shed a lot of dye and that she usually pre-washes black denim 2-3 times before sewing.  Well, I was more than a bit concerned by the amount of dye in the dryer's drum.  Sigh.   I still have to remove the denim from my car trunk--I'll wash it again later this week.

Oh, as far as I am aware, I'm not related to the late Collyer Brothers.  :)