Here is what I've been learning instead of cooking lately

Lovely, M. I know what you mean about the cost of cloth. Now...when I shop, I

determine if the item is cheaper to "buy" than to spend the cost of fabric & time to make it.

Never thought that could happen.

 
I have to share this story about a "fabric-holic." I was working at LM up in NJ

and rotating through different positions every 6 months. On one team I joined, a coworker's wife had recently passed away. She had been a "home ec" teacher at the local middle school during the day AND worked at JoAnns fabric in the evening for the employee's discount. Can you see where this is headed?

Bob and I were talking and he asked if I knew anyone who wanted some fabric. I said that I sewed and he said to come over and help myself, because he was thinking of moving and needed to clear out "her hobby things."

I went over one Saturday and he took me upstairs to his wife's craft room--a 10x10 room STUFFED to the CEILING with fabric bolts and remnants, small pathways carved out around the sewing machine. I made my way to the closet and opened the door. It was also stuffed to the ceiling with more fabric.

Had I been more sensible (and possibly not so stunned), I would have suggested a yard sale to sell the fabric right there at the house to raise money for his son. Selling it at 50 cents a yard would have netted him hundreds of dollars.

But I wasn't. Sensible, that is. We carted up everything and moved it to my apartment where I sorted and doled it out to church organizations. One coworker that I gave a 'truck-load" of fabric bolts to told me their sewing group actually started crying when they saw all the fresh fabric. They make quilts to send to poor countries and the sewer said they usually have to throw away 75% of the torn and used fabric they collect. Several "closet-size" moving boxes were packed up and shipped to Ukrainian and Serbian orphanages.

Another coworker (female) also sewed, so I asked if she wanted some. Kathy's response was quite volatile: "NO! I don't want Dead Wife fabric!" Turns out her ex-husband had been the widower of a sewer and had constantly tried to get Kathy to make clothes for his kids like his first wife had...to use up fabric Dead Wife had purchased. It was actually quite an emotional conversation, but then she started to laugh at her own terminology. I think it was quite cathartic.

Since then I've reined in my fabric purchases as I don't want to die first and have Larry hold a Dead Wife Fabric give-away.

 
Too funny! My sister garage sales & I have her enlisted now. She sent me a box she bought last week

For $2. Says she sees fabric at them all the time. Just have to make sure it isn't so old it is rotten. A few weeks ago my mom hit one where a quilting lady was getting rid of her stuff. She got me an Alto Quilt Cut II and tons of fabric, as well as a big stack of pattern books.

 
Melissa, I am SO thankful that I don't quilt.

That store would bankrupt me. As it is, I kept thinking of things I could do with the fabrics, such beautiful stuff. Having read Marilyn's story, I think I also have to stop buying fabric while it is confined to a couple of huge tubs. I keep finding lengths that I had forgotten buying.

 
NFRC That's the store where the co-founder yelled at me on the phone. Fun times! Never again.

I wrote a Yelp review, included in the link. Have since taken my fabric-hoarding tendencies elsewhere.

I've had some hair-raising customer-service experiences, but the one where the co-founder YELLS at the customer (for trying to fix their order/shipping screwup) really takes the cake...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hancock-fabrics-paducah#hrid:ZyDaui-EVkGkm7RvXupJjw/src:self

 
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