My Stash Justifies Its Existence

Lately life has been strange and I am not trying to fight it. You just do what you need to do to get through the rough parts. I find it hard to do many of the things that used to occupy so much of my time. Getting lost in a book is difficult. Writing is impossible. Even knitting has not been good --- too much time to think. But for some reason puttering in my sewing room has suddenly become a great source of quiet, focus, and contentment.

Over the past couple of years I haven't done much sewing --- busy with other things. But that never stopped me from adding to my fabric stash. I'd buy stuff, launder it, fold it into 2 gallon size zipper bags, mark it and pile it up. In fact the piles had gotten so out of control that I was afraid to go in the sewing room for fear of creating an avalanche. But I've straightened most of that up.

So, because sewing quiets my mind and gives me focus I have been sewing. The simple truth is I have two patterns that I am making endless variations on. One is an old, old, old Butterick t-shirt pattern that I love and have probably used 50 times and one is an equally old McCall's pattern for drawstring waist pants with big patch pockets. Both patterns have been used so many times that they are soft and riddled with holes, reinforced with tape in lots of places. But I love the way they fit and I still like the styles so I keep on using them.

Thank goodness for my stash! It has yielded a lot of treasures that, thanks to my two reliable patterns, are going to get me through this summer in comfort and what passes for style with me.

The greatest treasure so far has been a length of black rayon jersey knit. I know I bought it because it is so unbelievably soft. I made the t-shirt with elbow-length sleeves and a deep, ballerina-type neck and I could wear this shirt everyday! It is so lightweight, soft and silky it is barely there. I need more of this stuff. In fact, thanks to Denver Fabrics, I will have more of it in a few days --- in black, turquoise and magenta.

The other treasure was one I knew I had but wasn't sure what I would do with it. An eBay find: 20 yards of snowy white cotton jersey. I made three shirts out of it. My opinion is that in the summer you can't have too many white cotton t-shirts. I varied the lengths of the sleeves and the necklines but all three are going to be well-used.

Then I came across two gorgeous pieces of 100% cotton in ethnic prints. One is a dark brown with a pattern of Navajo symbols in teal, aqua, green, black, gray and white. The other has black white and gold African masks on a deep mustard background. They made up quickly into comfy, summer pants with big pockets and a drawstring waist.

Finally, I unearthed a huge stash of linen I bought in one great lot on eBay years ago. The original lot consisted of five pieces that varied between 2 and three yards each. The colors are incredible. One is a 50/50 linen cotton blend in lilac. One, the only one I used when I bought them, is a 50/50 linen/rayon blend in fuschia that is now a jacket. The other three pieces are pure linen in a deep olive green, a pimento red, and a color called “buttercream”, a soft, yellowish cream. I laundered all the pieces and they are gorgeous. So I decided to start with the buttercream.

The piece was the smallest one but I remembered my thrift, Depression-era grandmother's techniques for piecing scraps and, using what I learned from her, it worked perfectly. They made a lovely pair of pants with big pockets and a cropped leg with a funky, cool treatment at the bottom.

So, I have kept myself occupied and relatively at peace the last week--- and I have three new t-shirts and 3 new pairs of pants as a result. Thank goodness for my fabric stash!

Thanks for reading.