Emma, I am also in Michigan and I will gladly send you some of our moisture. We woke up this morning to 10 inches of new snow and it is snowing again now. I am soooo ready to see the ground! In the meantime, back to my basement studio to use up more of my stash. No purchases this month.:)

My little slip on Friday was Tula Pink's 100 block sampler book--perfect for the few batiks in my scrap bag--already have 50 blocks cut out. So not so bad for me, right?

Hi Rose & Emma! Yes, I'm the hostess of this thread and should be setting a better example. The reason I started it was I thought that the threat of public shopping confessions would eliminate my fabric purchases. Unfortunately, everyone is so supportive that didn't happen completely. I guess the good news is that I really have cut down on impulse purchases. I've also (almost) eliminated my 'alternative fabric' purchases. We go to thrift shops at least once a week and I've finally got my husband weaned from checking out the linens for flat sheets and I stay out of the store on 5 for $5 garment Fridays. Got some snow yesterday, but it turned into rain and I can now see a few patches of earth. We are getting a bit of dawn chorus from the song birds and the male turkeys are strutting like crazy, which I'm taking as a sign that spring is here!

Just wanted to share a book I stumbled upon. Thought maybe it fit here because we are trying to use the fabric we have now. Its called "The Big Book of Nickel Quilts" by Pat Speth with Charlene Thode. The whole principal of the book is to use 5 inch squares. Some really great scrappy designs. Plus its help me determine what size to cut the left over scraps.

Ladies I'm making 3 red,white and blue quilts for 3 National Guards that came home and one black, white quilts 2 1/2 inch strips for the black and white for those of you want ingot o help just PM me. This will help some of you to use up your stash and not buy. I have no red, white and blue fabric for this project. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

I can't agree more on the Nickel Quilts book for some of the best scrap quilts. When ever I get a mental block , her books always break through the mental congestion .

Princess, I can say that I do buy a whole lot less since I started "sharing my confessions" on this thread. There are many times that I toss coupons, don't respond to sales emails, and stay away from the LQS to avoid temptation. Before this thread it was a free-for-all with the only justification that "I work hard and can afford it" and of course "I deserve it". I do a lot better thanks to this little group.

LOVE her books! I have most of her other ones and looked at the new one at the bookstore, and it looks like a consolidation of her previously published works. So if you have the older ones, you are good, if not this is a great deal. I was obsessed with recycling shirts a couple years ago. I think I bought 100 and cut them all into 5" charms. I have thousands of charms (love my accuquilt)! I made several quilts from her books.

I'm being good. Since January, I've bought two backing fabrics and one batting. This thread has me going in Joanne's only when I absolutely have to and I stay out of Hobby Lobby's fabric section, too. So this thread helps me save $$ and use some stash that I'd keep looking at and not using. Thanks, everyone! :thumbup:

Paperprincess, if I had the chance to buy bolts or even half bolts of fabric at wholesale, I would jump at the chance. I have a bolt of muslin bought years ago at an auction and it is one of the best things I have in my stash. I personally give you a pass on all that you bought! I will finish my cat quilt today (hurray) and then I can concentrate of looking through stash to see if anything will work for the layer cake sizes I need to a class in May. I keep checking CT and other places that sell layer cakes. There seems to be such a range as to how many pieces are in one. Seems to vary from 20-32-40-42??? I need to get my hubby's math help to figure out how much yardage I need to buy to get 10.5 inch pieces that will come out with no waste. Sometimes, I think it might be better to buy yardage and have a bit leftover than buy just a layer cake. But so far, I have resisted....hard as it is. Thanks everyone!

Sandy, you need to really read the details on those precuts (layer cakes, charm packs, jelly rolls etc.) to understand what you are getting. The thing is they often contain 2 pieces of all the fabrics in that particular line. There's not a set number of fabrics in a line so the number of pieces in the pack will vary widely! Connecting threads lists the yardage for each of their precuts, which is nice. Also, I think that layer cakes are 10" square, not 10.5".

Paper Princess, I too am happy you started this challange. I use to pick up fabric just because I thought it was pretty and just had to have it. Since joining this group my fabric purchaseing has cut way down. Not only saving me money but also helping me to use my stash. I have basically made two projects that I dug into my stash first instead of just going out and buying more fabric.

I almost have the baby quilt pieced that I just purchased the green and orange for. I am hoping to have it done this weekend and will post picture when done.

I did it, I did it! All the way through March without purchasing any stash builders. As I have already admitted, I needed 1.5 yards to finish the back of the quilt I am working on now, but its already used. So total purchase in March $8 and change.

Emma, congratulations! That is awesome. Wow! I hope I can join you this month. That stage you are on looks mighty good.

Paperprincess...thanks so much for making things clearer. I think I am going to make my own layer cake as I prefer to start out with squares of 10.5. Plus it will give me another chance to go through my stash and get some of it used up...even if I only make two squares of each color, I would still only need 15 fabrics* and I know I have that many. The challenge is to make them go together a little bit and since it is just pinwheel blocks, I think it will be ok. Will post a picture of what it turns out to be after the class is over on May 3rd. Here I go..stash-diving. :-) Congratulations to all of you for doing so well. * two pinwheels of each color laid out in 5 x 6 arrangement.

Made it through March without any purchases, amazing! My 'savings' are now supporting some nonprofits I appreciate. It's fun to realize there's more money left in my regular monthly budget for other causes. Yet, I've hardly made a dent in my stash as of yet with 3 quilts made in the past 3 months.
I did pay for LAQ for those 3 quilts (which I'd have done even if I wasn't on a fabric moratorium). I also signed up for my first real quilt retreat which I'd have trouble paying for if I was still fabric shopping. That retreat will be so much fun!

Oh dear! I had signed up for a FQ birthday swap. I got my birthday package yesterday and my stash of batiks just grew by leaps and bounds. Fortunately, I can pull some FQs from my own stash for those I need to send out.

Two yards of batiks for a birthday present to myself was it for March and for the whole year so far for me. Not wonderful, but I've done worse.

Martina, if you send out an equal # of FQs by the end of the year, then your stash really hasn't increased. I love batiks so much, I'd just sit and pet them.

...and if I feel generous and send out extras then I will be ahead.

Oh dear, Emma, I won't be joining you on stage. I went into my LQS to sign up for a class on hexy's and bought a book and bought some fabric for backing and borders. My humble excuses: 'but most of my yardage stash is at our other home, I just have smaller stuff here and this fabric is only 3.99 and it's good quality' and I stumbled right off that darn wagon. I'm really starting to wonder if I can really do this!

Rhonda: It's easy for me to feel smug about March but since you were to nice to remember how many times I fell off the wagon I won't bring that up. Sales for good quality fabric are always my downfall and after all you really needed the perfect fabric for the hexes. I have been working on a GFG for years believe me you will stare at that fabric for hours. Come on back up on the wagon!

Ok ladies, I fell...actually jumped, off the wagon. I needed some fabrics for the class I am taking next month for a pinwheel quilt. I only needed 1/3rd of a yard each of 7 fabrics but when I got to the store, they had $2 off per yard of selected fabrics that were just the colors I wanted so I splurged and bought 1 yard sections instead of the 1/3rd yard that would have been enough. Plus I had a coupon for 40% off a reg. priced item so I bought 4 yards of a white tone on tone that will be good for background fabrics and which I never have enough of. So now I have hopped back on and hope to ride for a long time. Will attach a pic of my purchases just so you can oh and ah. P.S. actually, I bought 2 yards of the pretty turquoise blue!

Forgot to say that I "had" to buy a yard of the red, too for my 'someday' red and white quilt!

Beautiful colors Sandy!
I was very proud of myself this past wknd, I had to buy batiks for a swap here on the board and I only bought the 1/2 yard pieces I needed to swap! The colors were SO PRETTY!!!! but I stopped myself. The thought of having to post my transgressions here is almost enough to keep me in check. (at least so far)

Well no buys for me....but I confess it's only because I am now working again (supposed to be part time but my roster is full for the next three weeks)....spend a lot of time on the road, and not a quilt store or fabric shop on my routes. Ah well, if my car holds up and fuel prices don't go through the roof I should have some extra "quilting money".

Sandy: Such pretty colors, You had to do it, you couldn't go to class empty handed. Well April is a 1/3 gone and no purchases, feeling very proud. What do they say about pride before.....

Shhh... I've made it to the middle of the month with no quilting purchases at all, but tomorrow is my club meeting at the LQS. I will stay strong!!!

ok i failed .. Miserably... Yosamitesa is hosting a batik swap and YUP you guessed it i HAD to join.. it was a MUST... How can a lover of Batiks NOT join !?!?!?!?!?! lol.. but hey i held strong, it was only 6 yards..

yea thats my story and im sticking to it.. .." MY precious... MY Precious Batiks... "

Well, I didn't buy any fabric, but....! Eleanor Burns' sister, Patti, came to our guild last night with a trunk show. I did buy the ruler and pattern for the Twisted Log Cabin and the pattern for the Honeycomb Quilt which comes with two templates. All bought with hopes of getting my stash reduced. So that's a good thing, right? I've finished 3 small quilts so far and am working on a 4th. Life is sure getting in the way right now.

I've been good since my last post. (Feel like I am in a confessional here, lol). There are some quilt show visits coming up. We'll see how that goes. I do need some new marking pens. Maybe I'll focus on buying what I actually NEED.

I'm very proud of myself! Went to my LQS meeting and didn't buy a thing! Even had a coupon and didn't use it, then came home and gave my cousin 4 yards from my stash!

Excellent, Paperprincess and Martina. I need to go to my LQS for a light bulb for a machine. I'm sure their closing sale has started, so I will need to be strong, too.

We are getting so strong willed its almost scary. Still without a purchase in April.

So far so good for April. Haven't had time to reduce my stash, but haven't added to it either.

You're a hoot! Thanks for my AM laugh!

Well...after my 'bird fabric' purchase with $$ my hubby gave me on our anniversary, I designed the quilt top and found I needed some additional 'textured' fabric for blocks between the birds. So, I recently bought 4 stonehenge 1/4 yd fabrics to complete the top. The top isn't one of my favorites because the frames and sashing between the blocks are solids meant to coordinate with the bird fabrics but didn't color coordinate with each other to my liking. A friend saw the top and really liked it (she's not a quilter). However, cornerstones in red/cream stood out but seams didn't match up perfectly, so they bother me. Bird pics were 7-1/4 x 7-3/4, then I added frames to make them 9" square but that required 1-1/4 x 1-3/4 red/cream cornerstones and simply didn't square up when I put it all together. I shouldn't have used red though it's considered a 'neutral' sometimes. Not this time!
Now, I'm starting a Thimbleberry pattern with some of my stash. I did buy 2 FQ's to fill in for some of the scrappy fabrics needed. I've made 2 blocks and love them! This new quilt will make up for any disappointment in the last quilt.
I can't believe how much $$ I'm saving with this moratorium and how much it's been needed for me. Thank you for the challenge!

Welllll.... I was doing so good this year...not a cent spent on fabric and UfOs were being completed from my stash...all my block swaps from stash..then Kapow!! fell hard. I spend 145.00 on railroad themed fabric for a future train show. I will be selling what I make and intend to work on bags, lap quilts and baby quilts all summer! Show is in Nov and I will make a tidy profit...which will not go for more fabric! In this case I think I should forgive my self and justify the "investment"!

Well, I did buy one piece of fabric, but.....I had a $10 off coupon for completing the last $5 BOM club, and it was on sale, and it is for the current $5 BOM. And the last $5 quilt was gifted to the next door neighbor.

HA! Went to Joann today and picked up a package of poly batting (with 50% coupon) and some quilting notions @50% off. (Needles, marking pencils, and wonder clips). NO FABRIC!!!!!!

Laynak: Would love to see a picture of your "bird" quilt. Seems to me your being far to hard on yourself. I so agree about the money saving issue. All of a sudden my checking has a cushion in it. WIN, WIN! Miss Giggle: Seems to me that's an investment and falls well within the guidelines of acceptable purchases. Please show us your progress as you cut in to your fabric. Kris: According to our tome on the "Rules of the Moratorium" anything that is used to finish an existing project does not earn a demerit. Your still on the wagon. Martina: Congrats on still being on the wagon. Quilters unite on the project to control fabric purchases, at least until the next sale.