To stash or not to stash?

I've got a bit of a different kind of post for you today - no finished project to show off, just some thoughts to share. Specifically, thoughts about fabric stashes! I hope that's OK?

When I started sewing, I never intended do develop a fabric stash. I would buy the fabric that I needed for each project as I was getting ready to make it and that worked well for me. I'd see pictures and hear stories of the fabric stashes that more seasoned seamstresses had accumulated and wonder how they'd managed it - now I know very well quite how easily fabric will multiply!

Between the temptations of picking up bargains in sales, being over-ambitious about how many projects I'll get through in one season then not want to sew up super summery fabric in winter, and online purchases not being quite what I expected them to be therefore not being suitable for my original intended project, this little collection has gradually been growing in the crafting corner of my flat.

The stack of fabric that you can see in these photos is the vast majority of the lengths of fabric that I have that are big enough for a Ruth-sized garment of some kind (there are a couple of other pieces but they're packed neatly in a bag and I didn't want to disturb them!). Compared to some fabric stashes, this is fairly small but it's bigger than I want it to be.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having a voluminous fabric stash if that makes you happy and helps fuel your creativity. For most of us, sewing is a hobby and when it comes to hobbies I'm firmly of the belief that you should do what works for you. Personally though, I've realised that having a mound of fabric waiting to be used doesn't act as a source of inspiration for me, and instead it feels like a never-ending to-do list. And not in a good way!

So I'm now going to make a concerted effort to try to sew some of these pretties. That really won't be too much of a hardship because I do like each and every one of these pieces, but in some cases I do need to work out exactly what project they want to be used for.

I'd also like to try to make a bit of a dent in my leftover bits of fabric - some of which you can see above. These are all too small for garments, but hopefully will make some pretty bags, pouches and other small projects.

I'm being realistic - I'm not going to say that I'm not going to buy any fabric. For a start, my stash is mostly woven cottons, so if I want to sew a pattern that calls for stretch fabric or something fabulously drapey then I'm probably going to need to go shopping.

Also, sometimes you just see something that's so beautiful that it needs to come home with you (case in point: the Rifle Paper Co rayon on the top of the pile that I picked up recently at the launch party for Like Sew Amazing's bricks and mortar shop in Bristol).

And finally, if I say that I'm not going to buy any fabric at all, it's only going to make all the pretty things that flood my email inbox and Instagram feed on a daily basis seem even more tempting than they already are.

However, I am going to try to go back to how I purchased when I started sewing - fabrics for specific projects. I'll order swatches to avoid online purchasing mishaps. And I'll only buy things in sales if I would have wanted them at full price, not just be sucked in by bargains.

I'm not setting myself any deadlines for using my stash, but hopefully over the coming months you'll start to see some of these fabrics appearing here transformed into finished projects, and I'll start to feel like I'm ticking off some items on the fabric to-do list!

How about you? Do you have a bounteous and beautiful stash, or do you prefer to buy the perfect pieces for your projects as and when you're ready to use them?

Tilly & The Buttons Freya Top & Bibi Skirt

I'm a bit late to the party when it comes to Stretch! - the second book by Tilly Walnes of Tilly and the Buttons fame. When the book was first released, I thought the patterns looked nice but I had other things I wanted to be sewing so I didn't immediately buy it. As I saw more and more people sewing up the projects from the book, I decided that I'd like to make some myself so I got it as a Christmas present to myself.

The project that was top of my list to sew was definitely the Freya top. I knew that the mock neckline would be lovely and cosy at this time of year, and that it would work well with all of the my much-loved pinafores (I'm wearing it here with my Freja dress, and a pretty brooch from Layla Amber).

The Freya top is a nice simple sewing project and, as you'd expect, Tilly's instructions are very detailed. Truth be told, I actually just skimmed through the instructions and was mainly guided by the photos because I've sewn a few jersey tops now so know what to expect. From what I saw though, I think you'd be fine with Freya even if you haven't used knits much before.

The fabric that I used for this one is a lovely mint glitter stripe jersey from Sew Me Sunshine (just to be entirely transparent, I bought this fabric using the voucher that I got for winning the #sewingsunshine competition in November). It's a lovely jersey - nice and opaque and with just the right amount of sparkle in the glitter. And the glitter isn't at all scratchy on the skin as some glitter fabrics can be.

I was so happy with how my first Freya turned out that I went straight on to make a second version - this time using the cowl neck variation. I love cowl necks but don't have many so this is a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

The fabric for this one is from Sew Crafty and is an arrow print cotton jersey. Again, it's lovely and comfy to wear. I like the fact that it's black and white so will go with lots of colours, but the arrow print keeps it from being boring.

The pattern sizing puts me in a size 5 at the bust and waist and between a 5 and 6 for the hips (for reference, my measurements are bust 38", waist 32", hips 42"), but I wasn't sure whether I wanted quite as much negative ease (2 inches) as is built into the pattern so I compared the pattern pieces with my traced pieces from Tilly's Agnes top (which I know I like the fit on), and based on that I cut a straight size 6. I like the fit that has given me - close-fitting enough to be flattering, without being too tight.

After I'd finished my Freya tops, I was tidying up my leftover bits of stretch fabrics and found a sizeable chunk of ponte roma from my Gable dress. I realised that it was probably just enough for a Bibi skirt, so I thought I'd give that a try too.

I'll be honest and say that Bibi was probably the pattern that appealed to me least from the book because I don't generally wear straight skirts but, being as I already had the pattern and fabric, I didn't have much to lose!

The Bibi skirt is the first project in the book, and the most simple, so I had this whipped up from start to finish in just a couple of hours. I made a size 5 at the waist, blending out to a 6 at the hips as recommended for my measurements and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like it! It is, unsurprisingly, fabulously comfortable to wear, yet could look quite smart if you wanted it to.

My only slightly criticism is that my waistband was starting to feel a little loose by the end of a day wearing the skirt, so if I make another (a definite possibility as I might have some more leftover fabric I could use) I'd probably add some elastic inside the waistband - not to gather the waistband at all, just to add some extra stretchy reinforcement.

All in all, I may be late to the Stretch! party, but I think I'm making up for lost time with three projects completed already. I can see myself making all of the projects at some point, so I'm glad I finally got on the bandwagon for this book. Have you made any of the patterns? Which one's your favourite?