I love looking at all the creations for the Stashbusting Challenge. I even like looking at other people’s stashes. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in housing chaotic piles of fabric. I also like to see what fabrics people are drawn to. Sometimes it inspires me to try a new color, or experiment with patterns. Recently, however, I have found myself just staring at the flickr group in envy, with a tinge of frustration.
I have not been as engaged with the Stashbusting Sew-a-long as I would like. I recently started a fantastic new job, one I have been working towards for almost two years, so I can’t blame myself for being focused elsewhere.
But April is half-over and I have not had any “vibrant” inspirations. I am frustrated and befuddled by my fabric stash. When I open the fabric closet and look inside, I just don’t see any of it becoming the type of clothing I [want to] wear. Maybe my problem is I am trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, rather than just picking a lump of fabric and imaging a use for it.
My stash is made up of costume left overs, hand-me downs from my grandmothers and mom, and thrift store sheets and curtains. Some fabrics were purchased with a very specific use in mind, some were simply accepted. Very few fabrics were acquired with a coherent vision of my wardrobe in mind (in terms of color scheme, textures, or materials). My overall sewing goals (to build my personal wardrobe) just don’t jive with my stashbusting needs.
Maybe I just need to step back, forget the me-made wardrobe goals for awhile, and focus on clearing out my stash so that 2014 can be devoted to the calculated acquisition of fabrics and construction of a unified wardrobe.
In an effort to end this post on a happy note, I leave you in the capable paws of Maya:
The Fabric Alchemist 
I can definitely see your issues here. Costume fabric and hand-me-downs don’t always jive with what we want to wear now for everyday! My advice would be to put the stash-busting on hold for now and go buy fabric to make something you really want! Then you will be re-inspired and can take another look at your stash. Good luck!
Those are some capable paws, Maya!
Have you considered trading stashes with people? I know there’s some swapping going on too. I know what you mean about the hand-me-down fabrics, though — once I started sewing people kept giving me really bulky fabric that I feel the need to use up, but none of it was necessarily my choice… sigh!