Stash Hub: helping sewists get more from their stash

As part of our Summer Stash Reset, we're excited to introduce one of our fantastic collaborators, Stash Hub. If you've ever looked at your fabric shelves and wondered, "How on Earth did it get this out of hand?", you know exactly why husband-and-wife team Yvette and Doug created their clever sewing organiser app. 

Yvette and Doug, founders of Stash Hub.

Since launching in 2022, Stash Hub has helped thousands of sewists catalogue their fabrics, patterns and notions, plan future projects and, maybe most importantly, rediscover the treasures already hiding in their stash. But the story of Stash Hub didn't begin with a savvy business plan or a tech startup.

It started with a pair of pet rats.

Back in 2019, Yvette bought her very first sewing machine with one simple goal: to make fleece hammocks for her rats. Before long, those first projects led to cushion covers and tote bags. Eventually, she discovered the joy of garment sewing. 

But as every sewist knows, new project ideas tend to arrive much faster than finished makes, and Yvette's fabric collection quickly began to grow. At the same time, she realised just how much there was to learn about fabric. Shopping online meant collecting useful information about fibre content, weight and stretch. But keeping track of all of this wasn’t easy. She tried everything from Word documents to Trello boards. Nothing quite worked. 

That’s where Doug came in. Conveniently, he was in the middle of teaching himself to code and was looking for a project to build.

He created a simple digital organiser for Yvette's stash, and it proved so useful that she persuaded him to turn it into something every sewist could use. Stash Hub was born.

We asked Yvette about Stash Hub, her own sewing habits, how she manages her stash, and what she’s learned from her sewing journey.

What are you most proud of when it comes to Stash Hub?

I’m most proud of the positive impact the app has had on so many sewists. I love hearing about how the cataloguing process has helped people reconnect with their collections or how the planning features have made people feel inspired to sew again.

Yvette speaking at the Stitch Festival

, 2024.

How do you see it evolving?

We’ve got lots planned over the next few months, including support for multiple languages so that Stash Hub can help even more sewists! In the long-term, we’d love to create organiser apps for multiple crafts.

What does your own stash look like these days?

My Stash Hub stats informs me that I’ve currently got 96.41m of fabric in my stash. I wrap my fabric around comic boards and store them vertically, which makes it really easy to see and access everything I have.

Yvette’s sewing stash.

I’m feeling good about my stash right now, it’s at the sweet spot where I’ve got plenty of inspiration but it’s not overwhelming me.

What's at the top of your sewing queue? Any projects you're especially excited to make?

Top of my queue is a vintage style dress for my mum. She was inspired by one of the entries into the Liberty dressmaking competition at the Stitch Festival. Luckily, the pattern just happened to be a tried-and-true pattern that I’ve made for her loads of times, so I think it will be a fun and speedy sew.

In terms of sewing for myself, I’m excited to sew a dress to wear to SewFizzTeaCated, the sewists’ afternoon tea that I help organise with my local sewing group Surrey Sews. I’m still toying with a few different ideas, but I’m all set for lovely fabric options!

How do you plan your sewing? Do you think ahead, or do you simply sew whatever inspires you in the moment?

I don’t like to plan too far in advance, as my project queue starts to feel like too much of a to-do list - I like to leave room for fresh inspiration! I tend to start with the fabric, then consult my pattern catalogue in Stash Hub to choose a suitable pattern. It’s a fairly intuitive process for me and I try not to overthink it.

I’ve always loved wearing new outfits for holidays and special occasions. The deadline is also good motivation for getting projects started (and hopefully finished!).

Is there a fabric in your stash that you just can't bring yourself to cut into?

I recently destashed 20 metres of fabric and used the money to buy my dream Liberty fabric. One small problem: I don’t have a plan!

It’s gorgeous fabric that has been on my wishlist for ages, so I’m going to spend some time thinking about what to make with it. I don’t want to sleep on it too long though, as the reason I bought it is because I’m excited to wear it.

Looking back at your early fabric purchases, is there anything you bought that you probably wouldn't buy now?

Honestly, there’s nothing I regret buying as it’s all helped me learn more about what I enjoy sewing, wearing and what suits me. A few years ago, I dabbled with lilac when that was trending, only to discover that pastels are not for me. Luckily, I was able to send those fabrics to a good home through the power of destashing! My first ever attempt at sewing a garment was a skirt made with a foiled synthetic fabric that was truly hideous to sew. Give me a stable woven cotton any day.

In addition to using Stash Hub, what's one habit that's made a big difference for you to keep your stash manageable and enjoyable?

Creating a temporary storage location for my patterns. I’m not the best at putting my patterns away after I’ve finished sewing, so instead of forcing myself to do it after each project, I collect them up in a container on my peg board.

Yvette’s peg board with pattern container.

When the container gets full, I can have a little session where I put all the patterns away. It’s really helped keep my sewing space tidy. 

Find Stash Hub on socials @stash_hub and check out their website.

And don’t miss Fabric Swap London on 26th September, 2026, hosted by Stash Hub and Bornella Fabrics!