WELCOME TO YOUR LIFE WITH STASHBOT

Most crafters have a stash.  Various materials may have been purchased both purposefully and spontaneously.  Are you more of a pack rat than a minimalist when it comes to shopping for your craft? I hope StashBot can help you organize yourself a little and make your purchases more meaningful.

WHY WE BUY 

My knitting and sewing time is my self-nurture time.  Shopping for fabric and yarn is an emotional experience, I connect with it and then want to bring it into my little nest to work with for comforts sake.  When I see something I REALLY connect with, I want to buy a lot of it.  That’s why I bought 10 yards - that’s right, 10 yards - of two fabrics a few years ago. I’ve made countless things with both of them and they’re still in my stash, staring at me every time I peek in.  And now I’ve created a situation for myself:  this fabric, which I once loved, I now hate.

TIP ONE.  If you’re shopping and stumble across something you love, take a deep breath.  Resist the urge to buy a ton of it to reflect how much you love it.  Once the heart palpitations and sweating have subsided, try to think about what you would want to use this material for.  You might not have something specific in mind yet, or maybe you have too many things!  Can you narrow it down? Do you want to make something for a child or for an adult?  What would this material be best suited for?  Then using StashBot purchase enough to make that future item. 

STASH GUILT  

What happens the next time you find a project you want to work on and you realize that your stash, though large, doesn’t have exactly the material you’d like to use for this project?  Stash guilt.  Are we still having fun?  

TIP TWO.  My advice here is to not force yourself to work from your stash if you really aren’t finding the right fit for a particular project.  You’re less likely to enjoy working on the project and might not like the finished result.  A better way to approach your stash may be to start with the material, fall in love with it again, and then chose a project that suits it.

TIP THREE.  Sometimes we save materials for too long because we love them so much. We want to be sure they match up with just the right project.  There have been cases where I held onto something for years.  And then what happened?  I’m not in love with it anymore.  If you really love a yarn or fabric in your stash, don’t stress, just USE IT.  Power through the doubts and create SOMETHING with the material.  In most cases you’ll be very happy with the finished project.  

ORGANIZE THE BEAST  

Who wants to shop from their own stash when it’s an unsightly, disorganized mess?  Create a more pleasant crafting experience for yourself by making your stash pretty!

TIP FOUR. Take a a few hours to organize your materials in a pleasing manner.  I’m not a big fan of storing things in ziplock bags inside plastic bins.  I like to have everything out, sorted by color or coordinates, so it can inspire me on a day to day basis.  I shuffle everything around from time to time to give me a fresh perspective.

Are you empowered yet?  Take a deep breath, organize your stash, use StashBot and begin a new life with a stash that works for you!