I think I might have a problem

I visited Shiisa Quilts in Bloomington Indiana last weekend as part of my life-goal of visiting every brick and mortar quilt shop in the continental USA before I die (kidding. sortof...) and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Owner Janet has stocked her shop with fabrics and sewing patterns by some of my favorite designers (Oliver+S, Figgy's, Craft Apple).  I ended up walking out with this:

Those mermaids by Heather Ross? DIED when I saw those. And the Anna Maria Horner? Can't ever have enough of that. And the Jay McCarroll prints?  I happen to have it on good authority that there will be another Boy Month coming up in February.

So here's the question I struggle with personally: at what point does buying fabric stop being a normal thing and venture into problem territory (specifically a Fabric Addiction)? I've met plenty of people who laugh about how their closet is jam packed with fabric or not being able to shut their sewing room door but it always seems relatively harmless. I myself have enough fabric to last me at least a year (two?) if all I ever did was sew. But is this healthy? It makes me feel better to compare myself to the extreme: Deborah over at Whipstitch used to buy up fabric by the bolt for her personal stash. But at least she started a fabric shop to offload some of it and divert attention from the fact that she is a Certifiable Fabric Nutcase (Love you Deborah!!!). Where does that leave me?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue.  I've tried making rules for myself but it might help me to have a better definition of True Fabric Addiction. Is it having too much fabric to fit in a dresser?  Your sewing closet?  More fabric than you can sew up in a year? Your lifetime?  Finding that small rodents have begun to nest in your stash? I need answers. And from the looks of my sewing room, sooner would be better than later. I don't want to end up on a Dateline special.

So how much fabric do you have? Do you have rules for yourself to prevent yourself from going off the deep end?

Notice how that fabric is neatly serged? I learned that awesome tip from Lindsay at The Cottage Home; I can't believe how nicely everything washed up with just a little extra time spent serging the edges before washing.  No more tangly mess in the dryer. If you're wondering how I could have gotten this far in sewing without knowing this and are just now realizing how daft I really am, please just smile and nod.

You can find Shiisa Quilts on facebook right here.  And guess what, yours truly finally figured out how to make a Made By Rae FB page too *does little victory dance* so you can follow me there if you want.