I’ve decided to join Helen’s challenge for the year to make something every month using the stash. Oh the stash. Back when I first started sewing seriously I used to see people talking about their fabric stash, but at that point I was still buying for specific projects and had no idea how you could amass a stash of fabric and notions for which you have no plans. It seemed ludicrous and yet, here I am several years later, with a cupboard full of fabric, for which there are mostly no plans. Here’s how to go about getting your own stash if you don’t have one:

1. Become excited about your new sewing hobby & buy a book of projects, perhaps by Amy Butler or Amy Karol. Or both.
2. Earmark several projects you want to make & make a shopping list.
3. While you’re at it you might as well come up with several ideas of your own for things you want to make.
4. Expand shopping list accordingly, and add some things you know will come in handy one day, like zips, buttons, interfacing. (Yes, you should have learned to love interfacing by now)
5. Order some stuff online from your favourite retailers. Don’t worry about the extra stuff that falls into the basket because it looks interesting / inspiring
6. Make one project at the weekend instead of six because some friends came to stay and you went to the supermarket and you stayed up late watching a movie you’d already seen half of and you decided to make a cake and you went shopping for shoes.
7. Buy another sewing book and maybe some patterns by independent designers, because everything looks so interesting now your skills are improving. Make another shopping list.
8. Meet up with like-minded chums specifically for fabric shopping. Buy fabric for things you’ve already got fabric for because you forgot about the internet shopping you did. If the chums pick up anything nice get some too, and don’t worry what it’s for.
9. Decide it’s time you gave up buying small amounts and never get less than a metre of anything.
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Helen is right. It’s time to stop saving for best.

My first make for the year had to be a swift one because I came late to the party, so I settled on finally running up the ‘taggie blankie’ for the boy. Fittingly Helen herself provided two ingredients for it, in the minky for the back and in a sample of wadding she sent me last year, which I impulsively decided to use when I thought it ought to be slightly padded. I also used the fabric Kyoko sent as a present for Fitz’s birth, which seemed only fitting.

One thing I’ve always had trouble with is cutting into the precious Trefle tape, since it is so difficult and expensive to get here, but once you start it’s surprisingly easy to carry on, perhaps in this case because I was doing it for the wee one. How nice to see the various bits of ribbon, ric rac and tape sticking out ready for inquisitive little fingers!

This only took one episode of Grey’s Anatomy (yes I’m sewing to a box set again) thankfully or I’d never have finished it in January (Helen said I could have an extension but I like to play by the rules). February already, I see, and it’s a short month, so I’d best not take too long to figure out what I’ll be making next…

Thanks so much to Helen for the inspiration and starting the flickr group!