Introducing Stash Roulette: A New Challenge, A New Series

I have a problem. It's a good problem, but it's still a problem: years of fabric and notions, collected from travel, gifted by people who know me well, and stockpiled during the JoAnn Fabrics era. All of it sitting in shelves, cabinets and a closet that has quietly become its own small archive.

So I'm doing something about it.

The Premise

The idea for this challenge actually started while I was making a two-tier/ high-low hem skirt, paired with a matching halter top for a Havana Nights themed fundraiser event. I had seven days, a specific theme, and one rule: use only what was already in my stash. No shopping to save me if I ran out of the right fabric or couldn't find the perfect notions. Just what I had in my stash.

Honestly, it was a little nerve-racking. Seven days is not a lot of time and "figure it out with what's already in the stash" is a very different kind of pressure than starting a project with a blank slate and a budget for shopping. But something happened around day three, the constraint stopped feeling like a limitation and started feeling like the whole point. Not having infinite options forced me to get creative in ways I hadn't in a long time. (You can read more about the Havana Nights project here.) That's the feeling I wanted to chase on purpose, on a regular basis. So I decided to build a series around it.

Starting this month, I'm launching Stash Roulette: a wooden box on my sewing table now decides what I make next. I write down categories pulled from my actual stash (eyelets, bag making supplies, embroidery thread, beads, sequin, etc.) fold each piece of paper and drop it in. Once a month, I pull one and with whatever comes out, I have to make something I would actually wear. Not a proof of concept, not something made just for the sake of making it, something that actually fits my life and my style. Petite Goth Glam, a little (or a lot) of sparkle and definitely not practical.

A few times a year, I'm also running a second version: Stash Roulette: Couture, where the wearable rule disappears completely. No wearability requirement, no "would I wear this out." Just sparkle, drama, and however far I can push my own skills. If Wearable is proof that intentional style doesn't require buying anything new, Couture is proof that an idea doesn't have to be shrunk down to be worth making.

Why I Did This Live

The first category draw happened live on Instagram, this was on purpose because I wanted you to see the actual moment unedited and in real time. If you've ever wondered whether "creative challenges" online are really as random as they claim, this was me making sure mine actually is.

What got pulled: Embroidery. I have a couple of choices with this one. I can either raid my stash for fabric that's already embroidered or embroider something myself (given that I barely use my embroidery machine).

Where to Follow Along

Full projects, reveals, and behind-the-scenes process will be on both Instagram and YouTube. New episodes roughly every two weeks on YouTube, with shorter cuts and studio updates on Instagram in between.

Episode 1 drops soon, follow along to see what the embroidery project turns into.

Dress like you mean it. 🧵

~Marisol