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Today I decided to go through some fabric I cut a long time ago. They were a part of my UFO pile, and I no longer want to sew these things.
My initial plan was to sew up my stash, but I won’t do that. And I’m not going to feel bad about it either.
I once felt the need to use up all my fabric. There are materials I’ve had for a long time and liked at that time.
But my preferences have changed. I’m looking at all of this fabric and saying things like:
“Why did I choose this fabric?”
“What was I thinking?”
“What a waste of money.”
“I thought this would make a nice dress, but I don’t think so.”
“Why did I buy so much of this?”
“I don’t even want to make a top out of this anymore.”
“How would I use this?”
Have you found yourself doing the same? I’m just not interested in some of the things I picked out months or years ago.
And I don’t think it’s useful to feel bad about changing your mind about things that no longer serve you.
The thing is, I do feel bad about spending all that money. I bought a lot of fabric on sale when Joann went out of business.
All of this rayon challis is making me wonder why. At the time, I thought I’d make a lot of flowy tops.
And I have made one recently. One.
There are some I’ll sew, don’t get me wrong. But there’s a lot that probably won’t see the light of day.
It’s the sunk cost fallacy that keeps me thinking I should use up all these fabrics, whether they bring me joy or not.
Just because I spent the money and time getting these fabrics doesn’t mean I need to hold onto them or use them.
I bought them at another time or chapter in my life. I had plans at that time.
Those are not my plans right now. I can evolve, ebb, and flow.
When I reflect, I have some guilt. I think about all the money I spent on fabric hauls.
Trust me, it has been a whole lot throughout the years.
I used to buy yards of it in the fashion district. I ended up donating and tossing out so much of it later.
Then I’d curate a new stash, only to look back and get rid of those things too.
Maybe the solution is to only buy fabrics when I’m serious about sewing them at that moment?
But then that’d take the fun out of sewing. That’s my fabric stash talk for now, and life will go on.
Do you collect a lot of fabric, only to realize later you don’t really want it?
Read More
- Find out what I decided to do with my unfinished sewing projects.
- What size should you make when sewing clothes during weight fluctuations?
- I’ll tell you how I got my professional dress form at a deep discount!
Originally published: August 11, 2026
