This Isn't Even the Half of It

I am so incredibly thrilled to see what a response there's been from the online sewing community regarding our stashbusting sewalong! I told my husband I couldn't be the only one with bins and bins of fabric! Speaking of which...

*deep breath* Okay, friends, here goes...this is the picture of the fabric piles I hope to turn into clothing this year:

Just to give you a sense of scale, these piles are taller and wider than Walnut when he's sitting up straight. While not all of these fabrics are old per se, I tried to choose things I thought I could reasonably see myself actually sewing this year.

That doesn't look that bad, at least until you read the description of it all...here's the rundown on the individual fabrics, from top to bottom, left column first:

• 3 yards of bird print on cream colored background, jersey knit: c. 2012 from the FIDM scholarship store, originally meant to be a dress, still intended to be a dress.  Completed!
• 3 yards of feather print on pink background, jersey knit: c. 2012 from Fabrix in SF, originally meant to be a Tiramisu, still intended to be a Tira.  Not a Tira, but still busted!
• 4 yards of slightly stretchy navy blue cotton twill: c. 2011 from F&S in TCOCC, no original plans but it was $1/yd so I bought ten yards. I had plans to make it into a Battlestar Galactica dress blues costume.
• 2 yards-ish cream-colored sweater knit: c. 2012 from Michael Levine Loft, originally intended for a sweater, still intended to be a sweater.
• 5 yards of mint green and silver striped jersey knit: c. 2012 from Michael Levine Loft, originally intended and still meant to be a Tira.  Completed!
• 2 yards-ish pink lace-print jersey knit: c. 2009 from SAS Fabrics in Tucson, originally intended and still meant to be a summer dress of some kind.
• 1 yard cream-colored burnout lace-ish fabric: c. 2010 from Yardage Town in San Diego, originally intended to be a top, new purpose unknown.  Turned into a 20s-esque day dress!
• 1.5 yards mint jersey knit: c. 2010 from Yardage Town in San Diego, original and new intentions both unclear.  Turned into a slip for the 20s day dress!
• 3 yards coral twill: c. 2012 from the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, originally intended to be a summer blazer, now intended to be skinny trousers
• 1 yard black and red plaid, wool blend: c. 2012 from Happy Fabric in Oakland, original and new intentions both unclear.
• 1 yard gray tweed, wool blend: c. 2012 from Happy Fabric in Oakland, original and new intentions both unclear.  Completed, as gauchos!
• 2.5 yards dark blue rayon with an abstract spot pattern: c. 2012 from SAS Fabrics in LA, originally intended to be a dress or blouse, probably still will be a dress or blouse. 
• 3 yards floral print rayon: c. 2012 from SAS Fabrics in LA, originally intended to be a 30s or 40s style dress, probably still will be, but not entirely sure.
• 3 yards purple leopard print rayon: c. 2009 from SAS Fabrics in Tucson, original intentions unknown, probably destined to be a maxi dress. Completed!
• 3 yards of brown/purple plaid, mystery fiber content: c. 2009 from SAS Fabrics in Tucson, originally intended to be a circle skirt, now intended to be a dress and suit jacket? Completed and with pants and a hat instead of a suit jacket!
• 3 yards orange wool-poly blend: c. 2011 from F&S, originally intended to be a circle skirt, still intended to be a circle skirt. Completed, but as pants!
• 3 yards navy blue and white striped jersey knit: c. 2012 from Michael Levine Loft, originally intended to be a maxi dress, still intended to be a maxi dress.
• 1.5 yards of abstract print rayon: c. 2012 from SAS Fabrics in LA, originally intended to be a top, new intentions unclear.  Completed, as a blouse!
• Less than one yard of skeleton print quilting cotton: c. 2012 from Sew Modern, originally purchased just because it was awesome, now intended to be a corset for my sister. Completed!
• 3 yards gray chambray: c. 2012 from the FIDM Scholarship Store, originally intended to be a dress for me, now intended to be a shirt for Mr. Cation.  
• Striped twin bedsheet: c. 2011 from a TCOCC thrift store, originally intended to be a sailor dress, now intended to be a historical garment of some sort, possibly a Downton Abbey-esque day dress?
• Seashell print king-sized duvet cover: c. 2012 from San Leandro Thrift Town, originally purchased because it was just awesome, now intended to be a Victorian bustle dress.
• 4 yards black and white checked cotton: c. 2011 from Birmingham, originally intended to be the infamous Retro Butterick wrap-around dress, now intended to be a generic 50s-era dress.
• King-sized flat sheet and pillowcases with an only vaguely indienne large floral print: c. 2011 from a TCOCC thrift store, intended to be a late 1700s-ish polonaise of some sort.
• Red king-sized flat sheet: c. 2011 from a TCOCC thrift store, intended to be a fantastic red dress from an indeterminate era.  Half used, to make an Anna dress!

That is 53 yards of fabric and several sheets, which would probably make up another 20+ yards of fabric. Crikey. And this is my attempt to be reasonable and not just take pictures of everything in my stash! I've still got another 66-quart container of fabric that's not listed here, and another two 66-quart containers of fabric leftovers. A lot of my bed sheet projects resulted in fairly large remnants, and then there are the actual scraps from "real fabric" projects. Ideally, I'd make them all into a fabulous quilt that showcases all of my old dresses, but  to be perfectly honest, that probably won't happen this year. Don't worry, though, January will still involve a couple of scrap-busting projects! 

This it what my fabric storage looks like. *ducks embarassedly* There's still one more storage bin behind these three, plus miscellaneous pieces in corners and on chairs. I know storing fabric in plastic bags is a huge no-no, but well, giant tupperwares cost money. Readers, I feel more exposed in this one picture than I have ever felt, more so than when I was posting my croquis or posing in my Elizabethan undawears. 

Lastly and somewhat relatedly, I've got two twin-size duvet covers in my stash that I'm toying with for making into a Regency-era day dress. See, my fancy dress is for the Jane Austen ball, but I realized that there will also be an afternoon tea, for which I would like to have a different dress. I know that neither of these prints is period-appropriate, but in the spirit of making do from stash materials (especially since I already had to buy new fabric for the ball gown), I am resolved to use one of these. The question is, which one is the lesser of the two evils? Any thoughts, historical fashion buffs?

Left: I'm pretty sure the flowers are too bright, and it's a poly-cotton blend from JC Penney that's on the crisper side.
Right: The red is very red, and the design is pretty contemporary, but it's got a better drape and it's a little sheerer, plus it's 100% cotton. You might recognize it as the ALVINE TRAD from IKEA. 

I've also got a huge black velvet tablecloth that I want to make into a pelisse, but that might just be biting off more than I can chew...

Friends, if you've got a stash to bust and you haven't yet joined up, there's still time to do so! Okay, who am I kidding, you could join in December and it would still be fine. I'm just glad that I have companions on this stashbusting journey!