The Stash, the Stash, and nothing but the Stash!

This time I’m all about Using Up Your Stash. I personally do not know any crafter who doesn’t have a Stash. In fact, most serious crafters have more than one Stash. There are Stashes of yarn, paper, fabric, trims, embellishments, buttons, cottons, embroidery floss, bindings, elastics, zippers, safety eyes…I could go on. And that’s just the Stashes of consumables. It’s also not unheard of to have Stashes of equipment – stamps, crochet hooks, knitting needles, patterns, cutting mats, even sewing machines!

Having an Equipment Stash isn’t (usually) such a big problem, unless you are a compulsive equipment buyer – and then possibly therapy is the answer. Or at least try to limit yourself to equipment for crafts you are already addicted to – DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES buy equipment for a new craft until you are absolutely certain you will have the time and the space to actually store and USE this equipment.

As for Consumables Stashes, the first thing I must say is don’t be embarrassed about your Stashes. Every crafter has one. They are an essential part of being a crafter. But if they aren’t kept under control, they can grow so they start to take over the house. To stop this from happening, every now and then you must actually use something from the Stash.

I believe it will never be possible to live without a Stash. I also believe it will never be possible to ONLY use things from the Stash. Crafting isn’t (or shouldn’t be) something you do because you have to, it is something you do because you want to. As a result of that, the projects you work on are the ones you feel like working on, that make you happy. So if you can’t find something in your stash that will make you happy to use it, there is no point in forcing it – it will not end well.

But the important thing is that at least you try. At least look at what you have in your Stash before you rush off to buy something new. You can even think of it as shopping – at a craft shop that is so close you can even walk to it! Maybe you have even forgotten some of the things you have in your Stash, so when you are on the hunt for a new project, pull all those items in your Stash out of their hidey-holes and have a good look at them. You might even fall in love with something all over again!

If you don’t find the perfect thing in your Stash, have a think about shopping someone else’s Stash. This will take some planning, and things could get ugly, but it might be worth a try. You will need a group of crafters you know reasonably well who have similar taste and shopping habits. Everyone sorts through their stash for the things they can live without. Organise a time and place (perhaps the home of the person with the biggest stash?). Then go for it!

There are a couple of tricky things to deal with here. Firstly, don’t expect to get things for free. Just because something is in a Stash and can be lived without by the Stash’s owner doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value, so be prepared to “pay” for things. The reason I say “pay” is you could decide to part with hard-earned cash, or negotiate a swap for something from your own Stash, or a combination of both.

An organised Stash - something to aspire to!

This leads on to the second tricky thing – everyone will need to have a good idea of what they are prepared to pay for things in someone else’s Stash, and what they are prepared to accept for things in their own Stash. Do think about this beforehand, do your homework, but also be prepared to be flexible, and perhaps negotiate, so that everyone is happy.

The most important thing is that everyone has FUN! Even if no Stash items change hands, it can be fun just looking at someone else’s Stash.

In summary:
1. Love your Stashes!
2. Shop your Stashes first, before you head off to any other shops,
3. Try shopping the Stashes of a good friend,
4. Have fun!