Confession time again ladies...I fell off the wagon again. But .....there is always the but! Our guild went on a fun trip two hours away from our town for our 5th Tuesday fun day. We all found some bargains. I ended up buying some flannel pieces (on sale) that were just what I needed for my next project. Plus I couldn't resist the little bit of fabric that had the names of many quilt blocks on it. Always on the lookout for some red/white fabric to make the blocks for my r/w quilt. Then there was a bargain bin that had all the neat patterns for $3 each and lastly a large chunk of fabric that can be used for backing. So if I plan to use all of it...it doesn't count right. :-)

Well Rhonda I think you were in complete control by only purchasing 5 yards. In addition, you had a plan.....not just a willy nilly impulse purchase......

I did purchase "seasonal" fabric.........The Ghasties and if I am able to I would like to return to the quilt store to purchase some of the Christmas themed variety. I hadn't seen that before. So I am very bad......even making a plan.

I saw Bonnie K. Hunter at guild where she did a trunk show. The next day she did a class but I didn't attend, sorry for any misunderstanding. My friend has been making leaders and enders and having fun. Also,the 9 patches.

Later all.......is that new machine humming?

Hey, it has to end before Thanksgiving. Monday before last year I bought material. I plan to buy material again this year before Thanksgiving when out of town. My one chance to get material there. Could be Friday after. This will be my buy for the year. Of course it will depend on what they have. I will shop the week if get chance if not son will stop on way home on Friday. I will leave here on Sunday and come home Friday.

Least that it the plan as it stands now. You know how that goes. I asked my doctor fr excerises to strength my hands and arms. No I did not need to bulk up like my son. He said I was small like him and just make my quilts.

FM
I am older than you by a few years. I will be 83 next month. Only one in family interested quilt making an she has quit. She was trying to get granddaughter to do it . What to do with it. ? Quilt club?

Sandy: Are you sure you didn't purchase that beautiful haul with a special project in mind, or to complete a collection you already had? The loop hole committee works very hard to find an escape clause for everyone that confesses, although I've reread your post several times, just doesn't appear to be anything but a gratuitous purchase. Looks like a complete fall from the wagon with a back flip included. Sorry!

LOL! Emma! A virtual back flip is all you will ever see me doing. I will take the wet lashes because the final word was that I had a great time with my quilting friends and that was worth all the bumps and bruises from falling off.

Nuts, completely nuts! Love it here. Only quilters understand quilters and even in a moratorium we understand the falling off. Actually I think we help both ways if needed.(On and Off the wagon lol). Swan dives, virtual back flips are there more?

Sandy: Maybe we should include a "just had a lot of fun" clause, plus "a just needed a treat" addendum.

I think we can add a "needed exercise" clause and falling off/getting back on the wagon is the only exercise I can think of doing right now. lol

I read an explanation, .........coin collectors don't spend the coins they purchase and stamp collectors don't Mail letters with there stamp collections........just saying.......I did pass up 3 quilt shops today.......Marlette, Lapeer, and Imlay city..........I must of been really tired......calla

Emma and Martina..I am sure those 3 clauses are now in our moratorium. (Had fun..needed a treat and needed exercise) I know ther are days when I need all 3. Calla...I loved your analogy about stamp and coin collecters. I am sure we all can relate to that with our fabric stashes.

Ricky Tims actually starts his seminars by saying that very thing (about stamp collectors and such). He says that as soon as you refer to your stash as a collection, it is a non-issue (unless you get to that unhealthy "hoarding" stage). I need to go to the LQS for some fusible interfacing. I hope nothing else jumps in my basket.

Some of us, who shall remain nameless, tread a very narrow line between collecting and hoarding. As you point out, sometimes that fabric just jumps into the cart, what's a collector to do?

I haven't been on the board in over a year and came back to see this. :) I placed myself on a moratorium to get myself to use what I have. The only purchases are to finish a quilt with backing or something I may not have. I do a fair amount of charity quilts for raffles and my only purchases have been just that- some yardage for borders in April and some blenders- why do we always need blenders- where does it go? This Christmas I am making quilts for all my grandchildren, so I bought 3 Frozen panels and some fabric to make my own borders. The other 5 will come from my stash, thank goodness. Need to get some backings I'm sure but hoping I can piece some from the leftovers, although I don't think I will have enough. 18 tubs of fabric and I need to tame the beast that is my sewing room. Just finished a raffle quilt for our car club (totally from stash!) and now I have the itch once again. Forced myself to get some canning done this morning so I can sew tonight. Feels good to be back at it, but the carpel tunnel in my right hand is rearing it's ugly head. Sigh....

Carry on my fellow destashers- maybe we should make an ongoing list of yardages used. :)

This category is quiet, stashes are being reduced...........

That is a good thing, calla. Is there a there a thread for stash reduction quilts?

I know there was one in 2013, but it looks like there's not one for the current year. Someone could host one next year! I'm happily working on my quilt that I started in the Bonnie Hunter workshop (see how I drop this name whenever possible :p). I belong to a club that meets monthly at my local LQS. We got a free FQ today. I suppose I could have turned it down, but I didn't.
Speaking of BH, after listening to everyone at the workshop, and seeing previous year's mystery quilts, I decided to participate this time round. I was pretty geeked. Today she released her color selection. I have hardly any of these colors in my stash. I mean pink? I have like 1 piece! I guess I'll just collect the clues & then decide if I want to make it in the future with a different color way.

Princess: I have done two previous BH mysteries, pulled all the fabric from my stash. Figured I used up 36 yards when you calculate front and back. This year its going to be a bit of a problem. I joined another mystery where just by chance I opted for almost the same colors so the variety is really depleted. Going to take a trip to the local hardware store to actually get the color samples. Maybe when I have the colors in hand some of my options will appear to go together better than they seem to right now. Wish you would join us, you know nothing ventured nothing gained. Usually there is a group here on the board that shares their progress, its a lot of fun.

It may be the end of the year, but I'm joining the moratorium today.
I just reorganizing my quilt room and it's time to stop buying and start using.

Welcome, Veronica. We've already discussed starting another thread for 2015. The new thread will be sited here so be sure and stay tuned. The paint chips really helped to find the fabrics in my stash. Not a yard will be purchased for the BH mystery and approx. 18 yards will be used from my stash. I call that a win.

Veronica, this is too much fun not to continue AND it is NEVER too late to get on the wagon. I have never "belonged" to a group where following the goal was as rewarding and falling off the wagon was as entertaining. Noticed the other day that I actually have a few gaps in my cupboard and pulling out stash is no longer a wrestling match. You gals are good for me. Thank you!

Good plan, Emma. I bet it will feel very rewarding. I am going to a quilt retreat in Pismo Beach the second weekend in November and I will take projects from my stash. HOWEVER, the group generally visits local quilt shops and I foresee angst and anguish. lol

I too fell off the wagon this year. But now that I am almost settled into new sewing room and have unboxed all but a few totes of fabric. Downsizing sure makes the stash look overwhelming. Instead of buying pillow form inserts at $10 a pop, I used up some white fabric and reused a zipper from an insert that was too small. I also used the stuffing to do the insert and added more polyfil from the stash. So now to make 3 more of these then I will post some pictures.

although i have been on and off the wagon all year I did a good thing today. My husband took a hugh pay cut at the first of the year and have gone through all the savings we had to make it to this point in the year. We were broke and it is a long weekend so I got out a bunch of the fabric I had stashed and put it on craigs list In about 30 min I had someone who wanted to come take a look when she got here She took what i had for sale and paid me well then told me next time not to put it on craigslist just call her she lives about 45 miles to the nearest place to buy good fabric and would take all i wanted to sell now she has more fabric for her stash and we have money for the long weekend that we dont have to pay back and it will also get us through till the next payday. So i feel better about how much fabric i have

bezzie, heart warming and heart felt. Hope things turn around for you.

I think we've all done pretty darn good this year.
After piecing together the UFO blocks I had with the new fabric I bought, I had enough for boarders and had 3/4 of a yard left. Good deal don't ya think?
I've been pulling fleece and flannel and putting them together to make lap quilts for Christmas. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to use the fabric that has been taking up so much space! So far I've enough for 12 of them! There's a lot of grand kids in this family. I'm not finished yet and much to my dismay my machine decided to be sick. It's being cared for at the dealership. I'm glad I extended the warranty! I'm going to borrow my mom's little machine to stitch these things together.
I'm looking at Bonnie Hunters Mystery..if I do this one there is definitely a shopping trip ahead and a fall of that darn wagon!

After the last day or two of unpacking, sorting and repacking some items, I am finally moved into the new sewing room. So it is time to put on the moratorium cloak again. Must sew, sew, sew and not buy any more until spring. Why spring?
Because that is when I hope to get to Lancaster. But until then...make do with what I have!

Well, so far it has been 278 days since I bought any fabric. I have inherited fabric from two different quilt friends, but have bought none. I made a New Years resolution not to buy any fabric for a full year, so as you all are getting ready to start shopping again on November 2, I will still be avoiding the fabric stores, (and Walmart fabric department) until January 1. Sounds like I have all kinds of will power ( or won't power) but really I have enough fabric now to send each and everyone of you a piece and still be able to make bed sized quilts....two cabinets, two book shelves, two big dressers and three upper cupboards from a remodeled kitchen, and still have 7 boxes of inherited fabric in the dining room in need of a place to live. I am afraid that if I buy anymore, my face will end up on the new season of "Hoarders"! Lol!

{Just so you all don't think this was in any way easy, I want you to know that sitting in a corner sucking my thumb instead of fabric shopping has made a horrible mess of my thumb, my hands shake, I feel attacked every time a new issue of Keepsake Quilting catalog comes in, and the worst part is I can't even complain that I might run out of fabric!}

Starting the new moratorium I am going to keep a running inventory. My stash is too big to actually come up with a starting number for the yardage but I want to keep a tally for amount used and the added amount. Yes I might as well be honest, I would have to reside in a cage to never buy anything. I know I have used far more yardage this year then I bought, thanks to this moratorium, because there is a lot more space on the shelves than there was at the beginning of the year.

MadameKelly, you are to be commended! You should treat yourself to a manicure to see if you can get that thumb looking good for the holidays, just make sure you pick a salon that's not right next door to your LQS. I love your avatar! I have my pattern, but just can't seem to get around to creating her.
Emma, I'd be afraid to quantify my fabric collection. I don't want to know how many bins I have. I'm just going to go with 'I have a LOT of fabric...'

Madamekelly, I am really amazed...278 days! Congratulations are in order big time.
And yes, I too, do not really want to know how much fabric I have...I must agree with 'I have a LOT of fabric...'
I don't think I could really not buy any more but I've sure given it a heck of a good try this year. It's been way less than previous years.

There is some great resolve being presented here. (Unfortunately not from me.) No, I have not purchased any fabric but I really want to. I have not looked at the last 3 issues of my fabric catalogs which is really depressing. Maybe I should start sucking my thumb too. (Might dip it into some caramel first though.) Lately I have been working exclusively out of my scrap bins and I am not making a dent.

I so understand, MadQuilter. It's like suffering a caffeine withdrawal headache! So lucky we have someone like Madamekelly to inspire us. Back to the scraps.....

Confession time- DH was put on permanent disability so it was a little easier for me than it might be for you. When the money doesn't exist, it is easy not to buy anything. Thank the stars I have enough stash to last me the rest of my life, and still leave some for my daughters to sell when I am gone.

I'm retired, but my BFF is still employed. I've been trying to get her to come over & play (quilt) for a while now. They came for dinner this evening & wandered into my dining room (aka sewing area) and was blown away by my fabric collection. I mean totally amazed. I was embarrassed to tell her that what she saw was just a small amount of my stash, just what I had pulled from my fabric storage area to work on current projects. I had been telling her to that if she wanted to quilt, just come over and DO NOT BRING ANYTHING!!!. I think she finally believes me.

I am so proud of myself: Went to Joann because I needed a piece of mesh or tulle. I am killing poor Sunbonnet Sue again and the latest adventure has her being beamed up into a space ship. Right now she is floating ON the beam of light and I want to put some mesh over to make it look like she floats IN the beam. Bought a small piece of mesh and a gift for the next quilt retreat exchange. I had a 40% off a single item and 20% off the entire order. Walked out with a $13 bill. YES!

I'm starting the second year of my personal moratorium. I'm about to move into a 2 bedroom apt on the south side of the building. I am going to sort the sewing room out into stuff I really want and what I'm likely to use. I'm not putting a time limit on the "likely to use" pile though. I'm pretty sure there's going to be plenty that I can live without and I'll either gift it or sell it when I have time.

In the last year I've bought 5 spools of thread and 1 yard of fabric. I've made 8 wall hangings this year for my "pencil" series totally from stash. They're all sized so they hang on a hook with a new pencil in the corner pockets. For some of the wall hangings I used some of the patterns from the Year in a Snap series that I did and some of them are totally my design. When I have time I'll find a good spot out in the hall to take some pics of them this weekend and post them.

I'm using some leftover Stonhedge for a church project. They're small, but still... Other than that, I've started a quilt and had to buy background fabric. The top is done and is square. That's not making me happy, so I've figured out how to make it more rectangular. It seems that the more I sew, the more scraps I have!! I haven't bought any fabric in over a month...so I'm happy!

Scissor Queen...your post #794 intrigues me. (" I've made 8 wall hangings this year for my "pencil" series totally from stash. They're all sized so they hang on a hook with a new pencil in the corner pockets. For some of the wall hangings I used some of the patterns from the Year in a Snap series that I did and some of them are totally my design. When I have time I'll find a good spot out in the hall to take some pics of them this weekend and post them.") I am most certainly looking forward to seeing pictures.

There's plenty of wall space out in the end of the hall that gets good light so I'll take pics of the two series hanging together. I hang the larger ones in my cubical at work and I hang the smaller ones on the outside of the glass sliding door. I think I started the original series some time in 2007.

Yesterday was another proud moment in the life of Mad. Hubby and I had some business to attend in a different part of town. I passed 2 LQS, JoAnn, Beverly's and Michaels and didn't stop at any of them. Did I want to? Of course! But I heard you ladies talking me out of it. Even DH was a good boy and didn't try to convince me otherwise. YAY!

I posted pics of the series in the Pictures forum. They're all titled Pencil Series.

Martina: Really a little worried about you. Is your sudden interest in your Sunbonnet Sue in any way related to your withdrawal from fabric buying? Maybe we should add stable mental health as one of excuses for buying fabric. Has your new baby come out of the box yet?