Stash Stories

Fabric has a way of finding us. Sometimes we buy it for a specific purpose; sometimes simply because it’s beautiful and it has to come home with us. We may use it right away (in which case it doesn’t add to the fabric stash but the finished project stash instead), save it for the right project, a budding idea, or for reasons we can’t always explain.

Stash Stories is a series of reflections on fabric, quilting, creativity, and the stories behind what we keep. These posts explore collecting, making, memory, abundance, restraint, and the quiet joy of surrounding ourselves with materials that inspire us and come to life after much consideration, time, creative effort, and patience.

This series isn’t about guilt or excess, though most people who sew have plenty of both. They go hand-in-hand. It’s about paying attention to what draws us in, how that impacts our art—and what those choices say about a creative life.