Why I'm cutting up my favourite fabric

For the last few years I have been collecting and squirrelling away some nice bits of vintage fabric. Nothing very expensive or very old but just things that I really like and found in charity shops or on eBay.  It's surprising how much you can accumulate without really noticing how it's piling up.  I've been pretty good at nosing out a bargain but not so good at actually doing anything with the blessed stuff!

I like to go to my fabric stash and get out a few favourites, give them a stroke and admire their vintage loveliness and then tuck them away safely again.  Heaven forbid that I would actually take a pair of scissors to them. But a little while back, I attended a workshop with Anne Kelly, a wonderful textile artist, and she said something which really struck home when we were talking about vintage table linens and fabric.  She said,

'It will only end up in landfill one day'.

Shock, horror! Nooooooo! But, Anne made a very good point.  All the fabric I love that I can't bear to take a pair of scissors to will very likely not mean much to the rest of my family.  When I have shuffled off this mortal coil, my fabric stash will be passed through charity shops, recycling units, and binned as others do not see the worth in it that I do. So, what's the point of stashing it away in a pile, hidden away from view, when I could be having fun with it?

 

So, I have been cutting up my fabric and sewing with it; ooh, get me.  I am really enjoying playing with fabric and ideas and working on simple patterns for things to sell.  Thing is, like so many crafters I suffer with chronic bouts of 'I'm rubbish, everyone else is brilliant and I can never be as good as them, so why bother?' Oh Woe is Me!!!  I may not be as experienced or talented or creative or as perfect as others but I tell those negative naggy naysayers in my head to 'bog off' and do it anyway.

source

 

I'm on a mission to have a very creative 2018 and to kick things off I've revived my Etsy shop and signed up to sell at my next local craft fair. Just waiting for some sunny days to take some nice-ish photos (bleugh; worse thing about selling online is getting the photos as I am so rubbish at them). Look out for lovely things appearing in my Etsy shop, here.

If you would like to come see me and other clever crafters at the next Kitsch and Stitch Fair, then it's on 10th March. I'm having a bit of a clear out of nice fabric that I know I'll never do anything with and other vintage loveliness. 

Thanks for reading and do come back as I have a lot of things to share with you.  I've seen and read and heard about so many wonderful creative things over the last few months; things that make my heart sing and fill me with creative joy.  

TTFN

The Duchess of Saucy Towers