Beautiful Embroidery Quilt Designs You Wish To Have

Posted by embroideryquilter on May 22nd, 2013

The rafters in my garage are becoming filled with bags and bags of freshly washed fabrics, waiting for the moment when I have time to give them a more dignified storage space. Yesterday, I realized that this moment is further off than I had thought.

When I went to prepare the large cabinet that was supposed to hold most of my stash, I opened the doors only to find that it was already completely stuffed with more fabric! Fabric that also needs to be laundered. Oh my!

I’ve been making quilts for about twenty years, so it is understandable that I have a lot of quilting supplies and fabric. Even though I threw out lots of fabric in Greece that got damaged by the basement flooding, I still have more than enough to embarrass anyone who thinks they are frugal. This just shouldn’t be possible. I know I’m a bit of a pack rat, but this goes beyond anything that is acceptable for my inner soul that loves to be organized. And, my truly secret shame is that there are several large tubs of fabric that I haven’t gotten to yet.

I’m having a yard sale this weekend to get rid of housewares, games, movies and miscellaneous items that we just don’t need anymore. I’m honestly thinking about having a crafter’s yard sale in a couple of weeks to get rid of some of my stash. Just the thought makes me cringe, though.

I know I’m not alone. Those who like making quilts tend to collect more than they can use in many lifetimes. There are some fabrics I hate to use because then they will be gone; no more. Then, there are fabrics I plan to use sometime in the future that get pushed to the back of the pile when I buy more fabric. Of course, then there are the scraps that I love to use for in-the-hoop quilt blocks, a form of embroidery quilting that I absolutely adore. I just hate the thought of getting rid of anything that I have so lovingly collected over the years!

When I see a beautiful machine embroidery quilt design, I love knowing that I have just the right fabric to use it with. It’s rare when I don’t have the perfect fabric in which to indulge myself this way. But, I know in my heart that I will never use even a small portion of the fabric in my stash. So what is there to do?

Instead of selling my fabric overflow, which would seem so final, I could hold a class and teach the joys of making quilts and utilizing quilt embroidery to make them fantastic. I could allow the students to use my fabrics, and that would allow me to watch my collection be lovingly used instead of being sold like some … well … thing. I could donate fabric and a lot of extra quilt supplies to charity and know that I’ve done something noble by sharing.

Or, I can just continue on, hoarding my fabric and always having exactly what I need to indulge my embroidery quilting passion. Decisions. Decisions.