How do you manage your fabric buying? Are you an impulsive fabric shopper, or strict planner with budget? Are you a super stash-buster and resourceful deadstock hunter? Or on an “I must not buy any more fabric” rule, chewing your fist when walking past fabric stalls, passing your wallet to your stitch pal as you wimper into your empty tote bag?

Well, you are not alone. I have been all of those things!

With new seasons come fresh ideas of makes for cooler or warmer months and as the big festivals roll around, fabric pop-ups pop and brilliant markets roll on, it’s worth taking a moment to steady that insatiable fabric shopping urge.

Needing to stock up for a new season of makes, this is how my friend and I handled a potentially overwhelming trip to Walthamstow fabric market recently.

Arrive early – no rushing or panic buying! There’s time for coffee and a few deep breaths. Let’s go.
Recce the whole strip before buying. We took snaps of things we loved in every shop, with a quick shot of the shop front on our way out so we could go back later.
Shop with projects in mind. I have specific pattern releases coming up, so I’m browsing with those in mind. Project then fabric, not the other way around. I trust my stash to have enough in it for anything impulse I want to make.
What's already in your stash? Will this new thing you love help you use something up, or fit well in to your bigger wardrobe picture? If not, is that fine? Beware the impulse buy that will sit in your stash for years!
Have a budget in mind. You could just go with what’s in your piggy bank. Or try this: consider potential cost-per-wear of your make. A wardrobe staple, made so well it’ll last for years? Better way to spend £50 than a trolley dash down the high street? Thought so. Working more mindfully like this is good for your purse, your head and better for the planet.
And if having a budget feels sensible but boring, can you get creative with that? The dreamy but expensive fabric doesn't have to be used for the entire garment. Maybe a bodice, panel, pockets, alone would do the job of showing off a fabric superstar you've fallen hopelessly for.
Work with a colour palette, or colour story. If you aren’t sure where to start, think about no more than 2 main colours you are drawn to time and again. You can gather a range of gentle hues and tones around these, but try to avoid the entire rainbow because—unless that is your happy place—it can be confusing and create wardbrobe chaos. Then you can add neutrals. Creating garments in colours that work together helps avoid dilemmas when getting dressed. It open up easier mix and match possibilities, ultimately extending the life of your wardrobe, and that is a very good thing. Shopping for Frocktails? That, my friend, is a different conversation!
Take a break! Fuel, drink, recap, gossip, relish the local vibe, and enjoy the fact that while many shiny ‘magpie moment’ things have fallen from your mind, the best choices will still be winking at you from afar. Trust your hunches, not your impulses.

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The Cutie Wrap Top