When Did My Craft Stash Become a Hoard?

Owning craft supplies and crafting are two different hobbies

Hilary’s craft stash hiding place

All crafters are familiar with the concept of a “Stash.” Anyone who shares a living space with a crafter will also know of this phenomenon. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a “Craft Stash” is an indeterminate (and often not fully disclosed) amount of crafting material which is stored by a crafter for use in unspecified (and often as yet unknown) future craft projects which may or may not ever be started, let alone completed. Different types of crafters have different types of Stashes, but we all recognize their importance.

There are certain unwritten rules about “The Stash,”, known only to crafters. These include:

“Non-crafters will never fully understand the value of The Stash,” and

“The reasons for the contents of The Stash must never be questioned.”

My own, ever-patient spouse is well-versed in these rules. After three decades of cohabiting, he now acknowledges my purchases with a resigned roll of his eyes and the question, “More ‘making’ stuff?”

But even I, a seasoned crafter, had to acknowledge that things may be getting out of hand when I realized that my Stash had morphed into a hoard!

I know how it came about. The empty wardrobe in the spare bedroom had long been my hiding place for Stash that I wished to remain discreetly unobserved. Nothing awful, I just didn’t need to admit to it if it was out of sight. Then we had a visitor coming to stay for a prolonged period. I had to clear out the wardrobe for him to use. I emptied the wardrobe, packaging everything up and discovering, happily, that it could be secreted beneath the spare bed.

Problem sorted. Our friend stayed for the summer, and the wardrobe was used for the storage of his clothes.

The problem really started after he left. I didn’t retrieve the items from under the bed. Instead, I left them there and started to refill the wardrobe with new Stash items. I know it’s naughty, but….no, I can’t think of an excuse. Crafters will understand.

I wasn’t aware of how out-of-hand things had become until I wanted a specific item for a project: a small bag of bells. I know I have them. I thought I knew where they were. There’s a bag under the bed with a selection of costume pieces, and I was sure the bells were in a side pocket of that bag. They were not. That triggered a full search. Every drawer, box, and bag, every cupboard and cranny I use to store materials was meticulously emptied, studied, and repacked. The entire contents under the bed were pulled out and examined. All the official storage places, as well as the unofficial, the discreet and the hidden places, were all ransacked. I didn’t find the bells.

However, I did find that there were a lot of surprises in my Stash. There were items I knew I had, of course. There were items I knew I had but had forgotten where I’d put them. There were items that I’d forgotten I had but remembered as soon as I saw them. Then, there were items that I had absolutely no recollection of ever having had! Those were the disturbing ones.

At that point, I had to face the fact that at some point, without my knowledge, my craft Stash had turned into a Hoard. I use the word advisedly. A quick search on Bing came up with the definition, “Hoard: A stock or store of money or valued objects, typically one that is secret or carefully guarded.” It seems to sum up the situation admirably. And, like all true hoards, it is filled with unexpected treasures beyond the understanding of the uninitiated.

The problem is, it’s housed in a home of limited size in West London. As such (and I write this with huge sadness), it must be kept under control. Further growth must be curbed, or there will be unpleasant consequences. To this end, I have made a pledge to myself: no more purchases until I‘ve used up enough of the Hoard to reduce it back to a recognizable Stash; no more visiting craft stores to browse (too tempting); no more opening emails from fabric suppliers (too many bargains!). I will be ruthless with myself. I will be strong.

I never did find that bag of bells, though, and I can’t complete the current project without them. Maybe just one quick look online…

Hilary worked as an actress, entertainer and hospital clown until she was incapacitated by a hereditary medical condition (now fondly described as “The Family Curse”). The need for a more sedentary lifestyle led her to redirect her energy into more writing, alongside a varied selection of textile projects.

She lives in London with her husband, their Romanian rescue dog, a plethora of ideas, and an undisclosed hoard of craft materials. She hopes to complete all ongoing projects (written and textile) at some point in the year 2135.