Uses for long lengths of fabric (6 to 10 metres)

[SewRuthieSews]

Over on my diary thread I have been detailing all the teal things I've been sewing, including the last few which came from a 6 or 7 metre length of fabric.

@SewRuthieSews How much of the fabric did you have?
I have quite a few lots of 10 metres that I know I will not use all of and am considering cutting in half and donating the rest to charity but never know if I would regret it.  Some I bought to make specific Victorian gowns and never made them.
Wondering if you think it was worth making so many items from one fabric or did you get bored with it?

I thought this deserved its own topic, so others could give feedback to Bumblebuncher too.

[SewRuthieSews]

@Bumblebuncher I don't know how much fabric I had in this particular length, maybe 6 or 7 metres.
I'm going to pop this discussion out into a new topic as the answer has turned out to be quite lengthy and might be interesting to others who might give you different answers!

I think it goes back to something I read in a book - Sewing A Travel Wardrobe by Kate Matthews from 1999.

The Six- Yard Wardrobe
Designer Joyce Cusick has a busy life that includes lots of travel both for pleasure and business. She also loves to keep an eye out for special fabrics wherever she goes. She developed a 'six-yard wardrobe' approach to travel sewing after several trips to the local fabric store for more of the same material. She started with enough of the royal blue linen blend shown on these pages to make the skirt and slacks. She liked working with the fabric so much that she went back twice for more, to make the jacket and then the dress. The garments have become a well-travelled all-weather wardrobe and she reports she's worn them in various combinations at least three hundred times.
Joyce realised that if she consistently bought 6 yards of solid colour fabric, she would always have enough to sew a complete basic wardrobe that includes jacket, slacks, skirt, top and sometimes a dress.
Knowing this ahead of time makes it easy and fun to shop for fabric. She doesn't have to know precisely how much to buy of a good find at the fabric store or street market, but she's always sure that there will be enough to make up a well-coordinated grouping of versatile garments.
Today, all of her travel clothes are created from six-yard wardrobes, plus a few print accent garments and an assortment of accessories.

Joyce must be a smallish size, and likes sleeveless knee length dresses as there's no way I could get all of those garments out of 5.5 metres in my size and style preferences. I think I must've worked this out after buying a few 6m lengths, but then thought that was still useful for capsule wardrobes, and particularly for the ideas I had at the time for sewing interesting trouser suits for work.

[SewRuthieSews]

These days I don't go to work, but I do have more sewing time so I either use these longer lengths for capsule wardrobe plans, or just for trying out new patterns where I'm not sure if the style will suit me or quite what size to pick.
I do fully finish the garments so they are wearable by someone else if not me.

[Bumblebuncher]

@SewRuthieSews Thanks  You know when you buy something for something in particular and you know it is ideal, then never make it?  That is where I am, I might get a list and small pic of the ones I have a lot of (most totally impractical) and see what I can do and what will end up going elsewhere for a more useful life.

[SewRuthieSews]

Joyce E Cusick has 3 travel wardrobe collections in the book.
Spring Garden.

[SewRuthieSews]

Dress Up Any Season

[SewRuthieSews]

Cross Season Wardrobe

[Ouryve]

Liesl & co recently produced a collection designed to be an instant wardrobe, using floatier fabrics. I've not done the maths but the wide legged pants probably use a fair bit on their own.
https://oliverands.com/community/blog/2023/04/whats-behind-our-new-pattern-collection.html

I have the Closet Core Nicks dress pattern and the tiered dress uses 5m on its own. 

[SewRuthieSews]

Yes she says she used 10.5 yards to sew 5 pieces - the Cannes Trousers, a Sintra Halter Top, a Sintra Dress, a Garibaldi A-Line Skirt, and a Santa Rosa Top with long sleeves.

[Lowena]

I don't make clothes...but....would you want more than one item in any one fabric? I'd never buy 2pieces made from the same fabric, same pattern or exact colour. I'd be afraid of looking like a 4year old ( matching t shirt and shorts etc) 

[Ouryve]

Suits are 2 or 3 pieces in the same fabric, by definition. Then with separates, you can wear them together, like a dress or jumpsuit, or as separates with other things, making them more versatile.

[Tamnymore]

I suppose it depends what the fabric is. If it's a fabric you really like in a  plain colour then you could imagine trousers and a dress and a top  which would use up about 7m. I sometimes buy 5m of patterned fabric if I really like it - with a dress and a top in mind. And I have been known to chop a length of fabric in half to keep half for me and give half to a charity shop.

[BrendaP]

It definitley depends on the fabric, and the width.

A plain fabric for a jacket and trousers or jacket and dress would be OK. 
Or a floral pattern for a full skirted dress and a long sleeved shirt/blouse. 
Or a fine weave cotton for bedding.

[So Chic]

I have a couple of two-piece dresses as I find the fit is better for me rather than trying to alter a dress to fit.  I do find that the tops are worn more than the skirts.

[Bumblebuncher]

The problem with all the fabric I have is that it is just not what I would choose to make myself something with.  An example is the ten metres of pink candy stripe cotton which I can think of no use for whatsoever, let alone using it all on matching items 
I also have 10 of pale yellow muslin, which would be fine for those toiles if I didn't also have a roll of white muslin!
In fact, the more I think about it, the less likely it is that I would use the majority of them!
Although I do think those ideas may work for some of the fabrics so thank you for the ideas