I have a fairly large stash, but every time I want to start a project, it just seems that none of what I have will do! And I'm a sucker for a good sale, clearance, coupons!

So far, so good. No fabric purchased since the end of May!

I bought a new Vicking Seing machine back in April...I had to promise to cut down on buying fabric untill it is payed off. This does restrict me somewhat. I only buy fabric if I need it for a specific project and don't buy anything untill I am done with that project.

I have stash envy. I have unpacked my lone 18 gallon tub of fabric stash to a shelf so I can better see what is there. It's so depressing I may toss it back in the tub! LOL Can't buy much extra so I usually buy what I need per project and make pot holders or doll clothes from left overs. I know groceries are getting higher priced also so it may not be a productive year ahead for sewing or quilting. :(

I too have not bought any fabric in quite awhile now. I am using the stash to satisfy my habit. Thank goodness the modern quilting phase is in......any fabric goes with any fabric theory....helps to clean up some of the "why did I buy that fabric"...........not my favorite patterns, but the younger gen likes 'em.......

I fell of the wagon after the first month. My LQS had a bunch of fabric on sale 40, 50 and 75% off. My car heard about the sale and drove right into the parking lot, how could I refuse. I stocked up at that time and have only purchased a few other pieces since then. Maybe someone needs to come up with a 12 step plan to help us fight off the need for fabric.

I made the same decision in January and have been pretty good about not buying fabric until about a month ago and then I went over the top in buying fabric. We visited a shop that I had been wanting to visit for quite some time and it was my undoing. I bought fabric for 3 quilts and I didn't even look to see how much it was a yard. That is a bad sign when you buy and don't even check the price. One of the quilts will be a christmas gift so I don't feel bad about that but the other two were just because I liked them.

I too was successful with my goal of not to buy more fabric until I use up at least 1/2 of my stash. But sadly I discovered I have an evil twin who sneaks in new fabric because I keep finding it in my sewing room. She must do it when I'm busy cleaning house or cooking. LOL
Maire

I love this idea. If there isn't one, shall we create one?

There's a UFO challenge that seems to work well for people. I love the idea of stash challenge. I'd play that game! Anyone else?

I just really got into quilting at the start of this year and I already have what I consider to be quite the stash (although some of you have stashes that are just incredible!). I had to put myself on restriction too - it's just TOO EASY to buy fabric that I have no plans for!!

Now I only buy for specific projects, and I only let myself get about 2 projects ahead of things I'm actually working on. It's really hard to pass certain things up, though, so sometimes I let myself buy something for "my" quilt...the mythical quilt I'll make some day when I'm done making them for everyone else! But I'll only allow myself a half-yard of ONE fabric for myself, so that's kept things pretty reasonable.

Of course, this forum is no help. Y'all have taught me about so many stores and products that I had to go check out! I would never have splurged for Aurifil on my own, for example. Now I have about a dozen spools of it. Thank you...I guess! LOL

I did vow the same on January 1, 2012 in addition to reducing the size of my UFO "collection" -- have done amazingly well in each category. I took a class last month that required strips or a jelly roll - I had a roll in my stash that had been sitting for at least 5 years! I did have to purchase border material. Now the top is completed, I love it! Working from my stash forces me to be a bit more creative. And I have a huge bag of scraps to start a scrappy quilt. The UFO depletion was interrupted by b'day, babies and a graduation! Now that stuff is out of the way, I am back to the quest.

I have really been trying to use only my stash for a couple years now, the only time I buy fabric is for a theme quilt ( made a pink cowgirl quilt for GD)....but I think the stash fairy comes once a week and does a refill as the closet does not seem to be emptying !!!!!!

I also decided not to just keep buying material for my stash. Went through all my fabrics and weeded out fabrics that I knew I would never use. Donated it to a group that makes quilts for charity. If you think you can look at fabric places on internet or physical store and not buy, you are wrong(weak like me,as it happened), just delete those adds, then make a list buying only what you need to finish a project when you do go to a store. Since I still have about 10 quilts to make in different stages of material, plan on buying what is needed to finish these, then give away all left overs and take up another less expensive hobby. Good luck to all you that are trying to break your fabric addiction.

Do post a photo! Inquiring quilting minds want to see!!!

December 2012 will mark 2yrs on my self-imposed fabric "diet". A day of re-organization actually made me feel ill,
going through all the beautiful fabic I had. It made me realize i needed to use up alot of what I had, I'm happy to say I've used some larger pieces for backing. The only purchases have been 2: both large amounts for a back. Oh, and batting!

I too have been on a buying freeze, not of my choice, just can't afford it right now. LOL I have used up alot of my stash and now I have run out of some of the basics like WOW and other blenders. I keep hoping the fabric fairyies have hid some fabric and I just haven't found it yet (hey it could happen). LOL But I have made do with what I have the only things I have bought is a couple of zippers and some velcro for purses and tote bags so I think I'm doing good. For xmas I told hubby I want to shop for fabric.

I was able to do it for 2 years! In that time I produced more than 100 charity projects!But I will admit that more was donated to me! That's how the stash replenishes itself. The more I give the more I get!

I took the pledge, too, and can honestly say I have hoarded NO fabric. I bought 2 fat quarters to make a mug rug to go with a beautiful cup for a special friend's gift and I wanted the fabric to be just so. Other than that, the only other piece I bought was an end of the bolt which JoAnns told me because it had the sku# hand written in they would probably never get it again. It's very pretty with crosses and I bought it to make the Church Lady's Apron. I bought one other gift of 1/2 y fabric and that it! That's all I've bought in 7 months.

BUT :o I've spent a fortune on lampwork glass beads, pearls and charms to make bookmarks and 'Bling Things" for a craft sale that's coming up in October.

Sorry for the duplicate, my first picture post and I can't figure how to get the extra one out!

Here's the other one I meant to post.[ATTACH=CONFIG]352932[/ATTACH]

DH asked why I just didn't let the quilt shop store the fabric and I go get it when I need it. LOL. That's the way I feel about antiques, let the museums store and clean them for me. I wish I could think of fabric the same way.

I took the vow this January also. I had not been in a fabric store since until last week. I was finishing my scrap charm quilt, and needed seven more fabrics. I had 1081 different squares. I needed 1088. I did some embroidery on a couple of pieces, put some lace fabric on a couple of others. I finally did go to Joann's, BUT I only bought 2 fat quarters. I figure anyone with that much of a stash, does not need to shop for several more years!

I decided to stop buying at the beginning of '11 unless I was desperate. Since then, I've only bought a batik jelly roll for a Sue Hausman class making Mondo bags - and 3 more batik jelly rolls to make more Mondo bags - LOL. They're very adictive! She didn't say we had to buy batiks, but they called out to me at the Tucson Quilt show last Jan, and I couldn't resist! But that's it! I'm almost finished with 2 quilts for DGD made from dresses I made for her when she was 5 or 6 - she's a 20 yr old soph in college now.

made the same pledge myself...and to finish my UFOs.....have done pretty well so far - buying only backing and batting and only bought new fabric for 1 quilt - my solution - stay out of JoAnn's entirely and when i go in to get batting - walk down the OTHER non-fabric side of the store to get to the back !!!!!

Just like with chocolate!!

I have tried the fabric moratorium, but I had to adjust "the no new fabric" as I didn't know that I will be doing "quilts for Kids" this year. I have passed on some good fabric "on sale" when it didn't have a purpose - but I am addicted to ebay fabric listings on large yardages for backings on the quilts for kids. I did slow down the buying, I feel real good about that. My stash has doubled in the 6 years since I retired. (maybe tripled) I can say that I think I have added less than 20 yards to the stash in 7 months. And that is a miracle for me!!!

I love your beadwork! It helps to sell and get some $$ to buy more!!!

I wish I could quit buying fabric! I can't. It's my downfall. That and notions. I know prices are high, but it doesn't stop me. I buy fabric at least once a month, which, really isn't that often. But I splurge when I buy. My shop owner loves me!! I think I pay her electric bill.

Instead of thinking of her as the "evil twin", think of her as "the fabric fairy". She is like the tooth fairy, fabric gets used up, and she gives more than was used.

I once went several years without purchasing fabrics. Then, you know what happened. I now shop at two quilt shows - Road to California in January and the Long Beach International Quilt Show at the end of July. I am now at the point where I can spend less than $20.00 at each show. One day, I hope to reach the $0.00 mark. We shall see. Of course it helps that I do not have room in my little house for one more fat quarter, let alone yards of fabric.

I have to stop buying fabric I don't need; and am having a difficult time accepting that fact. It is just so much fun to enter a quilt shop....see the new fabric lines....feel the fabrics....then chose which ones you want to bring home with you. My stash is quite sufficient to make many quilts and hubby is out of work for health reasons, so he is justified in requesting that I stop spending for a while and use what I have. Doesn't mean I like it!

I joined the bandwagon and did quite well for awhile... then a number of trips to Lancaster, PA, CL estate sale that I went the day before it started, some fabulous online sales, hit fabric stores wherever we travelled (Hawaii, Japan, Utah, Virginia, Texas, Alabama and San Diego- how could I pass up Quilt in a Day and Cozy Quilts and a few others too...) and the infamous CL sale where the shopaholic sold her FQs for 10/$1-all neatly folded, too.
I cleaned the sewing room last week and realized that I have more stash than one should have acquired in two years so I am back on this bandwagon. I have more than a handful of finished tops that just need the backings pieced or cut and then quilted. I have cut & boxed about 6 new projects and am still cutting fabric this week to start on a Bonnie Hunter creation. I had cut 2.5" strips but now need to cut down a lot of those to 2.5" squares. Oh, don't we love our fabric????

i suppose with prices like that, the moratorium should stay in place quite nicely, thank you!!!

Wow - I hope she is wrong about $15 / yard but I fear it is probably coming. I would fail at total fabric abstinence - I just try to keep it under control and use as a treat to myself. I just love fabric too much & espcially purchasing in fabric collections to give it up!

Me, too... and I land on a big pile of new fabric that needs to come home with me... LOL!

After the Keepsake Quilting Summer Sale in June that I attended and spent around $300 and got tons of fabric and a quilting frame for 3 bucks, I decided I needed to buy no new fabrics until I got my stash really cut down. I have had to buy some backing but that is it. I have 6 quilts pieced that I need to finish, and have finished 2 others, and still haven't made a dent in my stash. I should be sewing now lol.

I have been trying to not buy fabric with some success. Between what I have bought , been given and purchased at yard sales my stash is huge. I feel it is out of control. I have only been buying a couple of fabrics here and there to finish up a project. A lot of my yard sale fabric just isn't me so that is what I use for quilt backs and donation quilts. Most of my quilt backs are pieced so I don't have to purchase any fabric. I recently finished a queen sized quilt and only had to purchase the binding since nothing in my stash was quilt right. I have also made several baby quilts from my stash. Good luck to everyone trying to clean out their stash. I stil need to make a scrap quilt since I have a drawer crammed with scraps.

This is the second year that I have joined the Fabric Moratorium. And to date, the only purchases I have made were 2 yds of black and 2 yards of beige. Other than that, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, I have not purchased any fabric from either an online or mortar block store. My mass stash is dewindling, and I can see that a fabric run may be in the near future, but, not yet. I am using ugly fabric for backing and you would be surprised at how that UGLY fat quarter will fit into a scrappy block. Anyway, I can honestly say that in 19 months, I have ventured into a fabric store once and bought the black and beige, and had I not been getting my sewing machine looked at, I probably wouldn' t have bought those fabrics either. Keep up the good work ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that have been in the Fabric Moratorium successfully. And to those of you that are trying...also keep up the good work.

I just fell off the wagon. . . Couldn't pass up some gorgeous fabric a QB member was selling! However, I loved your idea about having him shop my stash first. He has agreed to purchase 3 yards out of my stash so I can put in the new fabric I just bought from the QB! So, does that really count as "falling off the wagon"????

Love that! The next 3 days will be a major test of wills-Sewing Expo at convention center 15 min. from my house, I'm leaving in a few min. & plan to be there all 3 days! Woo Hoo!!!!