Those are fantastic prices for good fabric and would be difficult to resist.

I store my fabrics in bins in a large closet, in dresser drawers in a guest room, and in about 15 boxes on shelves in the garage. I am "acquiring" less of late as I try to avoid fabric stores unless looking for something specific.

My best find last year was a whole stack of drapery and upholstery fabric samples which I got free. Some are $200/yard and are large pieces. They are great for pillow covers and crafts. I was so excited to get them and enjoy going thru them to decide which one to use next and for what purpose. I've washed and ironed them all and have them in a dresser in a guest room. I have hopes of getting all those used but maybe not all the rest in the bins and boxes.

I'm a tile-a-holic...as in we currently have boxes of Ann Sacks tile that I purchased from the local building salvage for cents a sf in the foyer and family room, along with the boxes that I shipped from SF that I picked up at the Heath Ceramics salvage room...I have just used a few for a new doorbell mount and house number mount, but that leaves...oh let's just say lots and lots of tiles out beyond the entire room that I had dedicated to them...tiles don't fold!

But if it helps, I have lots of clear plastic storage boxes with separate kinds of tile in them, all on top of each other on the heavy wire storage shelving, in that one room (formally the "north bedroom" but informally "mom's tile room" :)). I'm thinking of lexeling individual representative tiles onto the front of each box so I can definitely know what's in each box before I have to pull it out and open it--the clear plastic helps *some* but not entirely to see what's in there.

I have bins and bins of fabrics that I've collected for years stored in a guest room closet, and bins and bins of yarn in floor-to-ceiling shelves in a study. I'm just now starting to realize that I'm getting old and the chances of using it all are very slim. It's sad! Yes, it's an obsession, and a lot of women have it. My family laughs at me and we could have a smaller house if not for my obsession. I do let my daughter "shop" the bins whenever she wants.

Recently an email knitting newsletter that I get ran a big survey about yarn stashes. Thousands of people responded.

A suggestion - if your stash gets too big, sell some on ebay. You could probably get more for the designer fabrics on ebay than you spent to buy them.

Now why would anyone want a ten step program for fabriholics? I ask you, WHY? If nothing else we are keeping the economy from falling!

It's like our Mom's and Grandmom's collection of buttons. It's just something we do. Like breathing. The day I stop buying farbic will be the day I die.

Years ago my hubby bought me four heavy duty metal shelving units which we placed two deep and set side by side. Then we bought 16 large clean plastic containers that set two on a shelf and pull out like drawers (with lids) for viewing. Yes, I said viewing. Like any collection, fabric begs to be looked at. At least that's what I think I hear calling to me from the basement.

As time went by I had them all over flowing with fabric and had to purchase four more large ones to set on top of the four on the top shelf. Later it was twelve shorter ones, but with the same footprint, to slip in on top of the twelve on the lower shelves. If I could find at least two more of shelves this exact size I'd buy them. But for now the over flow is in two armoires and an old wood cabinet. These, in the old wood cabinet, are fabrics that I'm currenting using. Yes, shock of all shocks I'm actually sewing. I've made close to twenty five pillow slips. Otherwise known as pillow cases to the masses. For some reason my family called the ones my Grammy made for us pillow SLIPS, so that's what I call them. I'm in the process of making pillow covers for down pillows in our Gentlemen's Parlor. Well, when I'm not online writing about my fabric that is.

Fabric isn't my only obsession. I have a number of them, but it is one of my two favorites. Guess you could call me a fabri-choco-holic. Now if I could just find fabric made from chocolate it could solve one problem.....STORAGE! 8D

I'm glad I'm not alone...We sew our own window treatments and upholster and make pillows...I am always on the hunt for fabric...I have a gigantic fabric warehouse by us (they are wholesale, not retail)...
They supply the fabric stores...They sell me (2 BIL's) outrageous stuff for 2.00 to 8 dollars a yard. I have seen fabric that I bought at Calico corners for 17.99 to 24.99 a yard, and he gives it to me for 8.00 a yard. I'm there so much we're become friendly...I tell him when I walk in, "I'm here with your lunch money" They crack up...
They don't use a tape to measure either. I buy 3 yds of trim at half cost and when I get home it's 4 1/2 to 5 yds.
They have upholstery rements for 2.00 a yard.
It's a hopeless situation for a fabricholic!
Joann

Hi, my name is Cindy and I'm a fabric-holic! I got the disease honestly from my mother and both grandmother's . Now I am passing the trait on to my youngest DD. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my oldest DD has been able to escape this malady. There is hope for her though as she aspires to be a Family and COnsumer Sciences teacher. Perhaps she will just be late to this hobby.

I store my fabrics in clear plastic storage totes. It is separated into fabric types with fat quarters in small bins and bigger cuts in larger bins. Home Dec fabrics are kept on their rolls on a shelf.

We actually do use the fabric. 4-H judging was this morning. Both daughter's received Grand Champion and State Fair entries on their quilting projects. They did a great job.

randita... I could never sell any of my stash - that would be as hard as selling one of my teens -well, maybe the teens would be easier right about now. And, it is not about the money at all.

rnmomof2 - you must be proud of your DD's. My daughter just has no interest (at 17, maybe she will change).

justgotabme, too funny. If fabric were made of chocolate there wouldn't be a storage problem in this house for sure. I have yet to find a chocolate I didn't like.

We are doing an addition and will have an extra room, which I had planned to use for the computers but I think I will have to find room for the fabric and I like your two deep, see through plastic idea. That should last me until her next tag sale in June. I just salivate over these fabrics. They are all decorating fabrics that you just don't find in stores. Shame on me, I am bragging aren't I? Now all I need to do is use them!

Your story did tug at my heart. My mother sewed all her life and if a piece of clothing was beyond repair she took off the buttons. She had them all sorted by color and she had drawers of them. When my mother developed Alzheimers and we knew she would never sew again, I stupidly sold the buttons at a tag sale. I could kill myself with the heartbreak because if anything reminded me of her, they did.

You can't take away was is already done, so in her honor, I am starting my own collection - every opportunity for me to get buttons I do, and little by little I am building up my own "stash". Hopefully my daughter will appreciate the hidden meaning behind them when they are ultimately passed down to her.

Bottom line, we al need to go to a designer tag sale, that serves chocolate and margaritas!

Let the addiction live on!

Lynn, if it helps any...I look for boxes of buttons just like the ones you sold, and I adore them. The all end up on my crazy quilts (they're tied not quilted) and each is a treasure.

I'm not a fabric-holic like the rest of you. I know I can control my fabric purchases and each piece is purchased for a specific project. So I am much superior to you all...so much superior...""kicking a roll of linen out of the way"" yes totally under control ""Resting my legs on one of the stacks of bins"" yup only for real projects ""trying to pull a half finished quilt (I have dozens to choose from) over my lap"" Yup...no sickness here :oP

I recently cleaned out the garage...I found two yards of brown silk dupioni in the paint cabinet and a couple yards of feather trim (I went through a phase) in with the paint brushes. Yup nothing wrong here.....(I need to get the five yards I bought yesterday to make a table runner with my girlfriend out of the car....mind you I hate table runners) :oP

Ok I'm a little sick...

Lynn, I'd give anything if I had the large round brownish burgundish sorta flat tin with large gardinias on it full of buttons taken off of old clothes and attached together with pieces of wire or strings. I'm hoping my sister wound up with it. I'll have to ask her sometime. I believe I have a picture on my computer (I'm on hubby's laptop) of the shelves and containers taken long ago before I had the extra containers added. If I find it I'll add it here.

I don't have any designer fabrics, but have so many that I love looking through now and then. After thirteen years it's still very hard to come across the fabric I bought to make things for my Mom. She passed away suddenly of heart failure in the emergency room five hours after walking in. This was shortly before women having heart attaches came to the front of the news and that their symtoms are different than a man's.
Omaha, which I live close to, has a designer that has sales. I almost went to her last one, but had to force myself to stay home. I so don't need any more fabric. 8O

I think what we need here is a thread where we could all exchange our fabrics with each other.LOL. Wouldn't that be fun.
I love looking, but I do not have any stash.

Glad to hear others also have button collections. Guess it kinda goes along with fabric collections. Mine is not very extensive, I got about 2 cupfuls of my DM's but I'm sure she had thrown out or given away many more when she downsized. I remember playing with them as a child. Also got about the same amount that were DH's Gran's. Collect them whenever I find them in YS's. Have them in 3 old canning jars on an open kitchen shelf.

I'm collecting fabric's and can't sew a stich. HA! No, really I'm collecting samples and some yardage of fabrics that I think will look nice in my new house. I adore fabric, but unfortunately I do not possess the gene or skill to sew anything other than simple curtains or a pillow. Oh yea, a pillow case too!! I'm paying a young lady to make some curtains and things for my house.

As a child I had lots of buttons because my mom use to save them from old clothes. There's something magical about buttons.

Needless to say my friend in another State, who does sew, will have lots of remnants to make quilts this winter. I'm up to about 40 samples so far!!

It's reassuring to find out that I'm not the only one who has a house full of more fabric than they could ever use....LOL! I just put three new super size plastic storage bins in the garage attic full of fabric from years ago that I can't part with. There are already six plastic bins full in the guest bedroom closet, two more in the upstairs linen closet and three in the window seat storage under our large dormer window. I keep all the trims, buttons, tapes and zippers in smaller plastic stackable containers and baskets in my work room.

After 36 years of marriage, my DH was in shock to hear that I had purchased my first store bought window coverings last week.....and that's only because I haven't figured out how to sew bamboo, and I wanted roman shades out of bamboo for my office!! Yet we've had new drapes for all our windows every couple of years, and new bedspreads, quilts, lampshades, pillow covers, tablecloths, napkins, table runners, etc., as often as I like, or whenever I see a new textile I can't live without!

Thank heavens I'm not the only one who's obsessed!