We are three months into our fabric moratorium BUT anyone can join at any time :) The official end of the moratorium is 1 November 2011.

Here’s a quick summary of the guidelines/rules:
* no fabric purchases to start a new quilt top (till 1 November 2011)

“Allowed” purchases include any item required to finish an existing project (either WIP or UFO), including but not limited to:
* batting
* backing or binding fabric
* fabric (if nothing in your stash will work)
* thread or notions
* fabric purchased on a plan prior to 1 December 2010 (e.g. block of the month)

So why are we doing this – the reasons are as varied as there are people involved. Some of those reasons include:
• de-stashing
• working on WIPs
• financial constraints

Want to bend the guidelines/rules a little? Sure – go for it. Some have chosen to:
• commit for a shorter period of time
• buy fabric if a really good sale comes along
• use 1 fabric from their stash each month
• purchase new fabric for volunteer projects

Threads that are related to this are:
Original thread: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-79756-1.htm
January’s updates: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-86351-1.htm
February’s updates: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-95818-1.htm

So now… it’s update time. What have you been working on? What have you (or have not) purchased?

Cheers

So far I have only used frabric that has been in my stash, however, I am getting weaker and weaker by the day. There was a notice in the local paper about a quilt shop 40+ miles away going out of business and having big sales thru the end of March. All I can think of is what I am missing out on. I hope I don't cave this early in the game.

So far so good, I have been deleting e-mail alerts for fabric sales, spent a week reorganising my fabrics. Since December have made 10 charity quilts, have only quilted 4 of them so far, finished a block swap quilt and am at present trying to finish a UFO. Heaps of Tablerunners and Tablemats for my embroidery club. I will however have to purchase fabric for my Farmers Wife Sampler quilt, I have enough fabric for the blocks just none for the sashing and borders but it can wait for a few more months. ;) \I thought this would be hard but it has been fun to think outside the box when putting fabrics together

I have only purchased wide backing - enough for 2 quilts because it was on sale - and a special piece of fleece to make a quillow for my daughter's birthday. But I am going to a retreat in 2 weeks and I know there will be several vendors there. Let's see how strong I can be under pressure for 3 days!!!

I started Dec 1 in earnest, and have not bought a single yard, a single thread, a single backing. I have "filled" a cart on line a couple times and just really sat on it for a few days, until the "sale" expired or until I just really realized I wasn't in love with stuff that was in my cart.

Time was the thing that helped. I "used to" sit down within the same day or a couple days and then click checkout. Up until now it's been easy, but I was getting "the itch" last week. :oops:

Hi I just joined the forum and this is the first non-introduction post I'm making. After several weeks of attempting to organize my studio and taking breaks to watch the TV show Hoarders: Buried Alive, I decided that I will not purchase any more fabric until I make a serious dent in my endless stash. I not only purchase at stores, I also buy copious amounts of fabric at estate sales. My latest buy had a lot of solids which I was not too well stocked up on.
No more!

I don't know how you all are doing it. I'm not sure I could be that strong.

My only two fabric purchases so far were six yards of fabric to finish a quilt (that is now gone on the back burner, so I didn't need to buy yet, if I'd known!!). And 2.25 metres of fabric for borders for two quilts I'm making.

I also bought two dollmaking books - and that's it.

I've resisted endless temptations to buy more books, dyes, fabrics...

This morning I sat in a quilt shop for two hours taking a spinning class. I wasn't even tempted to wander around looking at fabrics! I do believe my habits are changing. Thanks to this!!!!

I am determined to make more room in my sewing room by finishing my WIP's/UFO's. So far I have completed quilting 5 quilts, am FMQing one now, have completed 3 tops that are ready to be sandwiched. Three are baby quilts. I have a queen top pinned and ready to be quilted. I have 4 more baby quilts ready to be pinned, one more to make completely, and 1 that just needs a border. I hope to get the baby quilts done in the next 10 days or so to be taken on the trip to see family. Getting the baby quilts done will almost get me caught up on the little ones my nieces and nephews are having.
So far I have only purchased thread, batting and backing to finish projects. I have gotten creative in using my stash as much as possible.

I guess I more than qualify. Have not bought anything new in way of crafts for over four months. Have not worked on any project in over four months. Will not be working on any project for over two months or more depending on if I have to do my Clinicals and seminars this summer. So...homework, homework, homework.

The only fabric I purchased was at a "garage sale" my guild had in Jan. and that was for my Home of the Brave quilt project. I did not finish any UFO's this month, but got one done to the point of hand stitching the binding. I completed and set together the blocks for a Home of the Brave Quilt. Also completed two tops for kids quilts that were in my UFO pile. I will machine quilt those myself.

Have been making d4p, at first to try the pattern I saw on this site and then just for fun. Also tried the asterisk pattern and made four of those. Have been trying to keep fabric from completed projects cut up in usable sizes. Oh I cut up a bunch of FQ's that were beginning to mold in my stash. :) Not as productive as a lot of you, but good for me.
A friend is taking me to a new quilt shop in our area on Thurs. I have promised myself to just look. :-(

I have 2 sisters who have done the clinicals so I know you're going to be busy doing that. Hope you do well with everything.

I've had a quite productive 2011 so far. Only bought fabric for an emergency quilt I needed for a friend who lost her home to a fire. While buying fabric for that I did buy a piece of fabric that I will use for purses. I've made 2 purses from my stash. Spent 1 1/2 days making a purse organizer (from StudioKat). That sure wasn't for the faint of heart, 71 steps. It has more pockets and zippers than I know what to do with. I also made a Spicy Spiral table topper from stash.
I have taken an applique class and made several blocks from scraps. Have 4 baby quilts pinned and ready to quilt.
I did buy 2 yds of fabric to try my hand at snow dyeing.
Plan to continue buying as little as I can get away with. I will do this with all your support.

Pat

Ummm, I have a confession to make. I declared a fabric moratorium until I finish my two WIPs. Today, I went to a quilt shop and came out with a half yard of cowboy boots fabric. Also, I'm going to the Dallas quilt show, and there is no way my moratorium will survive that.

In my own defense, the fabric I bought today was SO COOL. And I hardly hardly ever get to go to that quilt store, because it is far away. So it might have been my only chance EVER EVER to have that fabric. (hangs head) Okay, really I just have no self control. I went in there to look for some specific notions - came out with none of them but 1/2 yd of fabric.

It is a minor victory for me that I only used the cash in my pocket to buy my fabric today, and not the debit card, because if I broke out the debit card, I would have bought more.

^^^I bet I have that cowboy boot fabric. We should have traded! New fabric, only slightly scorned. :lol:

Except for a slip last month, I am holding strong. Bought 2 packages of batting for 2 finshed tops, gathered all my strings and made 42 10 inch blocks for a string quilt and this project has shown me that I do not need to buy any fabric unless absolutely necessary. Still have a zillion projects in my head to start. Getting stonger!

Getting stonger is how I'm doing. I have great fun shopping on line. Then either leaving the site or putting it in my wish list. I don't feel so deprived that way. I have wish lists at several stores. If and when I NEED the stuff, then we'll see. That's the first thing I learned here. The second thing I learned was to check my library to see if it has a book I want. If it isn't there, I look at Amazon and put it in my wish list. I'm keeping track, and so far I've saved $70. Thank you for these wonderful aids to a saner life.

I've been doing really well.

Made a small purchase to complete a quilt top I'm working on. Didn't buy more than I needed (it was within the guidelines), so I am very happy. It will take a few weeks to arrive here, so I've diverted my attention to a hand quilting project.

Everyone,
Post pictures when you're done. We would love to see your projects.

Went to WalMart today and they had lots of fabric for 2.97. I picked up some and walked around with it in my cart, then put it back. Yeah me. I'll be buying some for a jacket I'm making but will shop at the craft shop where they sell other people's leftovers which have been donated. Fabric there is always $1 per yard. The jacket needs 15-1/2 yd. pieces in shades of cream. Should be fun shopping.
Keep up the good work everyone

Pat

I'm still in . HAD to make an I SPY quilt for my DD new car. She transports small kids and wanted to save her new seats from them being kicked all the time, Thus the quilt. she said it was the first time all she heard back there was I spy with my eye a cat. But in addition to my stash I bought an eigth yd of sponge bob, thomas,toy story, But that was all. go us! :thumbup:

I have used lots of fabric from my stash, but not to make quilts. I sew and sell my crafts at gift shops on the coast of Maine so when I buy, I usually buy big. Since I have joined this moratorium (I prefer to call it a diet) I have only bought two pieces of fabric. One was a 1.5 yard piece and the other was .25 yard for I spy quilts. I have used lots of stuff out of my stash, though. Instead of buying something new I keep going to the mounds in my sewing room to see what works and amazingly, I find something. YAY!!!

OOPS,
I fell off the wagon today. My favorite LQS is GOB and I purchased a yard of "Maxine". Can I pretend I bought it When I first saw it earlier last year. Thing is I will have trouble resisting buying on sale when I know the price of fabric is going up. I am going to need a lot of support to get back and stay on the wagon. did someone say there is a fabriholics anonymous. I better join :) and quick. :)

Oops, posted twice.

I went to the quilt shop for a spool of variegated thread to quilt a baby quilt and walked out with only one spool of thread. Whew, that was a first, but now I know I can do it. I saw a beautiful piece of fabric that I thought would make a wonderful cover for my daughter's e-reader, but I didn't buy it. I'm sure I can come up with something from my stash.

So far, no quilting supply purchases. I'm working at getting quilting UFO's finished and other sewing and mending caught up. Don't know how much longer I can avoid temptation when sales for $2.00 per yard are posted!!! LOL :D :D :D

Fell off the wagon this month. Found a bunch of "glitsy" fabrics on sale and bought quarter yards of prints and half yards of plains. I use them as "zingers" in my quilts and I love them. Don't need a lot, just enough to show off a little. Now I need to purchase a king sized sheet for backing for a quilt that I made entirely from my stash. Am also working on a phone book quilt made entirely from my stash, so I am really doing much better than usual about buying new fabric. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I went to a quilt show and did NOT buy fabric. I sure was tempted. I did buy a ruler and I had preordered a cutting table. But I have set up my sewing room and am using what I have

I know I am going to fall off the wagon tomorrow... I have to purchase my sashing and border fabric for my Farmers Wife Sampler. Plan on only purchasing what I need and no more so wish me luck it will be the first time I have been fabric shopping since Christmas

LOL! I know right?

If it helps any, the prices went back up at the one that was posted the other day...

I finished a quilt for my great neice. Everything for it came out of my stash. It is at:
http://quiltingboard/t-11101.htm#2872215

Didn't buy anything this past week. Made some scrap string blocks and put another quilt together and added a border. Had everything I needed in the stash. Stayed out of the quilt shop and fabric outlets.

I THINK YOU DID GREAT!!! Especially if you only came out with only 1/2 yard of fabric. Congratulations. As for the Dallas Quilt Show...take only cash, leave the plastic at home and you will be less apt to purchase as much as you want. I wish you luck there.

I just saw this post. I haven't posted often and this is my first time putting in pics. Hope it works.

I have been doing scrap quilts.....to de-stash.....since Sept.2010. I did buy backing and batting....everything else is from my stash. Here are 2 crumb quilts I did. Please forgive the pic of the red border one......... it looks 'buckled' because DH is holding it and his arms were getting tired.

crackers

The only thing I have bought is for Quilts of Valor. It's been fun digging through my stash.

TOTALLY digging how you did your crumb quilts, CRACKERS!! :D

I totally fell off the wagon this month. :( Fabric.com had their huge $3.98 sale. I was a bad girl. Or good, depending on if you consider how much money I saved!

Oops, It should be:
http://quiltingboard.com/t-111001-1.htm

Ditto