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Fabric hoarding raises the emotional thermometer

Hello? Anyone still here?

Yeah, it’s been a while.

Sorry ’bout that. But I didn’t forget about you! I have no good excuse, really. I’ve been in a bit of a rut, both craft-wise and just everyday-wise. And you should feel bad for me! Because first of all, I didn’t win that contest. But you knew that already, because I would have been here posting about it long ago. Several wonderful people did win (though none of my faves), and they deserve it! Go see here.

While I have a feeling that winning a brand new $2000 sewing machine could have a way of healing many wounds, that has nothing to do with the rut.

See, for the first time in a while I had a few days to do basically nothing. Spring break arrived, two classes went away (yay!), and I had no homework for a whole WEEK. Which is great! It’s practically what I dream about. But for some reason, finally having nothing to do really messed with me.

I’m not generally one to sit still, so I thought that I’d be a whirlwind of activity churning out loaves of banana bread, filling my craft room with delightful bags, and getting an early start on spring cleaning (OK, stop laughing…but the baking and sewing are both real!). But even after a few days of requisite decompression, I felt bored, sad, and uninspired. Not even sewing a new bag could pique my interest! Can you believe it? Seriously. I think it’s safe to say that life is very difficult. Sniff. Poor me.

But you’ll be happy to know I’m emerging from my weird mood. Phew! I have considered many baking and sewing projects in the last few days and am raring to go again. (Coincidence that school is back in session? Probably not. I guess I operate best when there’s lots to do…)

In order to ease myself out from under the “uninspiration blues,” I turned to the best therapy of all - a little fabric shopping!

In the last few days, I’ve purchased all the tidbits you see in this post in various quantities. Isn’t the Internet great? I ventured onto a fabulous eBay store for the Ginger Blossom and Amy Butler polka dots. I never go onto eBay. I must really have needed the retail therapy!

But honestly, as I get more and more into this fabric thing, I have begun to notice how quickly things come and go. Here’s how the fabric life cycle seems to go:

Fabulous designer announces a new line of fabric. Teaser images appear to tantalize the fabric-obsessed. Date of anticipated fabric collection’s arrival is announced. Much enthusiastic blogging occurs on the part of fabric fans, generating hype. The arrival date occurs, and all the best patterns of the line sell out in an instant. Most coveted fabric patterns are scarce to unavailable on the Internet for several weeks. In the meantime you see fabulous Flickr and blog pics of other people’s creations. You stew with envy and self-hatred that you didn’t act faster. Vendors get restocked, demand levels out; you can’t justify more fabric just this moment, so you forgo a purchase. Several months later, the perfect project arises for that fabric, and, like a cruel joke, the fabric is nowhere to be found.

I think this is the cycle that leads to hoarding behavior. Beware! All of my fabric purchases this week were instigated by fear that it’d disappear! I think I’m becoming a hoarder!

The ovals fabric below is exactly some of the fabric that had disappeared for ages without me getting my hands on some. Now it will be all mine! Hahahaha!

I am awaiting the ovals as well as the top three fabrics from Sew, Mama, Sew. The top three American Jane designs make me want to sew some summer skirts and an apron to go over them, so I can run around in a meadow feeling like Laura Ingalls. Minus the braids, because I just cut all of my hair short. Oh well.

 

Are you a fabric hoarder? I’d love to hear about which designer sparked the most recent hoarding episode in your life!

Posted by robyn on March 23rd, 2008 under crafts

This is Banjo & I:

I'm Robyn. Thanks for stopping by! This is my craft blog.

Contact me at robyn [at] dognamedbanjo [dot] com.