Losing a pet is like losing a close family member, because that is what they are. I went through it a year and a half ago and I still miss her. I have since got a new love in my life, which helps. Waylon is another Great Dane and keeps me laughing. He loves to keep me company when I am in the basement sewing.
I have been doing some fabric buying the last couple weeks, but it has been backings for upcoming quilts. I am picky about my backings, like them to match the front if at all possible. But I do try to use stash when I can find something that will work. I make a lot of large, queen size quilts, so 9 yards is not always in the stash. Yesterday my MSQC order of backing for the collection Porcelain came. I still need to find just the right pattern for that one. And I got backing from Ebay for my little Regent Street Oh My Stars quilt. That one is all prepped and ready for the longarm. There is enough left for another small quilt to go with the leftover charms from that collection. So, you see, I am being mindful when I buy. Everything has a definite purpose when I purchase. And I, too, have fallen into the book buying trap. I put flags on the pages of the patterns I love, so I can quickly go to a pattern possibility.
Yesterday I did some rearranging of the stash and actually made room for the bolts I bought last week. So they are all put away neatly and the room looks good. I still have some clutter on the countertop near my rarely used sewing machines. That will be addressed in the next day or two.