That's a lot of people. I can comfortably fit 8.

Martina: Um, Um, ......nice job on the paisley!

Here is why I can't sew right now.

3 of our 4 kids were here for Thanksgiving. I fixed meals for anywhere from 7-18 for a week. Thanksgiving over at Aunties which we brought half the food for (27). Then kiddos started getting sick--flu vomiting et al. Of course I had the triple whammy with cough and congestion. All of the above really puts a damper on shopping and sewing!!!! Slow internet--can't see your pictures M...

Martina...Looks like you finally got the machine out of the box? I am asking the correct person??? Been so many posts back that I am not sure.

i fell off the wagon with the Row by Row in the summer. It's not done yet...and then had some medical things...and then my son announced out of nowhere that he and his DW would be coming for Christmas. ACK! Chair to be reupholstered, drapes to be made, drawers to be cleaned out...I really, really need to start following the Fly Lady!! So they will be here Friday and stay for a bit over a week. It's been 5 years since we spent Christmas together. Even the sewing room is clean, so no sewing until they leave. Except for one fleece blanket that just needs to get done. It's for their favorite sports team.

Coopah: Thank goodness for guests, how would we ever get any house work done if someone wasn't coming? Martina: Are you still under construction? Hard to tell because my sewing room looks like that a lot of the time. The only real tip off was the last picture of the shelves.

Well, I'm not sewing much either. To top off my dinner for 42, I got stung by a Yellow Jacket that evening. In the living room. In December. I have glass doors on the fire place, and had candles in there. I asked someone to light them and they left the doors open. We had several buzzing around, but scooted them out the door. Usually if you don't bother them, they don't bother you. One was hiding in the blinds, however, and when I went to close them, it was not happy. It's been almost 10 days & still not healed. Called my Dr. who didn't have an appointment available, but told me to go to urgent care. So that was 3 hours out of my life. No allergic reaction, but the bite was infected, which I found out is common with yellow jacket stings. Got 3 prescriptions. Told me to take Benadryl too. I'm going to take a nap now.

Oh no, princess. Hope your bee-bite heals quickly.

The fun just won't stop at our house. Now the septic is backed up. DH is digging to get to the tank access in the rain. Poor man. At least we have the pumping scheduled for tomorrow morning and it won't break the bank. ($250). Yesterday we workedn the bedroom (the other side of the little cabinet in my sewing room) and built in an IKEA cabinet. Next, my bathroom gets demolished. I don't see much sewing in my future at all. BUT I am looking forward to a nicer bathroom than what I got.

OK: I've heard some very bad things about that creeping crud. Take very good care of yourself that stuff can be very dangerous. Princess: Who gets stung by any kind of a bee in December? In the best of times their stings itch and burn for days. The "stay still and they won't sting you" is truly a myth, specially with wasps. Told both of my younger kids that and within seconds they both had been stung. So much for mother's wisdom. Hope it gets to feeling better quick. Martina: Been under construction for extended periods of my life, my Dad was a contractor, it's always the promise of the golden toilet on the hill that sucks us in. Stay strong. Sorry so many are having problems. Don't really want to talk about the elephant in the room, but think I'll suspend the moratorium until the New Year. Fell so far off that wagon, not even sure its in the same galaxy anymore.

OK, 2015 "rules". What do you think? Should we post pics of projects made from our stash here? Post in the picture section & just link back? Have a different thread for stash busting projects? Here's the kick off text I was thinking of:
....
Welcome to the 2015 Fabric Moratorium. We have general guidelines, but please just do whatever makes sense for you. Although we call it the "Fabric Moratorium" the main idea is to not add to our stash and hopefully reduce it!
Here are some general guidelines:
* No fabric purchases "just for your stash" from Jan 1 until Black Friday (11/27/15).
* When you start a new project, shop your stash first. If you don't have anything that will work, then feel free to make a purchase. Hopefully at least some of the fabric for any new project will come from your existing stash.
As the year progresses, post your updates here. We can support and encourage each other, post tips on how you use your stash, and any planned new projects where you shopped your stash!
Let us know about falling off the wagon, everyone enjoys a great excuse to purchase fabric.
As stated these are guidelines, there are no Moratorium police! Just start using all that gorgeous fabric in your stash, after all, that's what you bought it for!

************
Comments?

It sounds good to me. I like the photos with the thread and not in another thread. Remembering to go to another place to check out photos takes time and brain power Some days I have neither! :p The fabric moratorium is great to see howlong it takes before falling off the wagon!

Sounds good to me too. Pictures are always fun.

PaperP...I like what you have put down as the guidelines. Would like to add pics of 'purchases when falling off wagon' too. It is fun to see what people bought and then one can think..."I had some of that!" I am going to try even harder to stick to the guidelines this coming year. Even though I will be starting my 7th decade soon, I think I still have more projects and fabric than I can use in next 20 years. I figure in my 90's I won't be sewing/quilting much! Looking forward to another fun wagon ride with all of you!

I've been doing bookwork. Along with our business I have kept track of household accounts. I instituted a quilting "budget" and pleased to say I came in under budget. Not only that 25% of my purchases were non fabric...ie batting, rotary blades, a couple of books, etc. Yeah......

2014 I bought 6 yds during the year and I bought 3 packages of needles.

Thanksgiving week, Monday bought some pieces of material and two sheet at thrift shop. Then Tues I bought two more sheets . Wed I went to material store and got my quilt material..

Ah, yes, you can still be sewing in your 90's. We have one spry lady in our church who puts us 'youngers' to shame. She does her quilts the old fashioned way, but they are beautiful! So, see, you have a lot to look forward to...and there's more fabric out there just waiting for you! (I'm an enabler!)

I started keeping a running inventory of input and used. I'm not sure it was such a good idea. Lets just say to date its been counter productive. I think I would need to finish three queen sizes both front and back from stash to break even. Jan 1st I'm getting back on that wagon and going nail my shoes to the floor.

Final tally for 2014: quilts (start to finish) completed = 15, quilt tops completed = 3, and 1 beading project 1/2 way done.
Spent 62% less this year than in 2013. (Not bad since at least 2/3 of my spending was limited to backings, sashings and borders.)
I'll go for the moratorium goal again in 2015. I'm heading in the right direction!
Some of you have sure done well. Talk about self discipline!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all!

Emma, nailing your shoes to the wagon floor won't prevent you from stepping out of them and jumping off. Save your nails and just ride along as best your can. :-) Coopah...you are an enabler but aren't we all. I really keep telling myself I will do better in 2015 and that is about all I can do. I hate resolutions so won't make any but still, like you all, I am going to try my darnedest to use my stash first!

Strapping your feet down might give you a better result, Emma.

I think I will also start tracking. That is a good idea. But first, I am looking forward to unearthing my sewing room and doing some work in there. ANYTHING at this point is better than not being around my beloved quilting stuff.

Princess, I like the guidelines for next year. We will be getting new windows; our screens don't fit well anymore, aince the house settled, and I was stung twice this year inside the house by paper wasps. One summer at the lake, I was at the top of a 20' ladder to paint. Saw a loose nail, pulled out my hammer to nail it back in, and hit a yellowjacket nest under the siding. Said "just go slowly" all the way down the ladder.

Paper P rules sound good to me also. I did purchase 2 yards for a class with Sue Nickels a couple of weeks ago......but will try harder. Part of my problem is accessing my stash........will try and organize. Hope Paper P that your infection from the sting is improving. And you said another shop in Imlay City is open, have to check it out.........later all. Calla

We are in the cell phone lot waiting for the kids. I am so excited!! (Hope I don't wet my pants!!) We stopped at a quilt shop today and I have my passport for the January shop hop. The pattern is of 6 beach cabins and it's soooooo stinkin' cute. So I'm off the wagon before we even start. Well, after that I will behave! I will!
Emma, keeping an inventory of your stash sounds way painful. OWEE!
Laynak, I'll take lessons from you on reducing stash! Hmmm...maybe nailing shoes to the floor is the way to go.
OK. Everyone...Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah...celebrations abound and may you all stay safe, healthy and have a joyous holiday season. :cool:

Coopah: Enjoy your family! This must seem like an especially blessed holiday.

Thanks, Emma! They're sleeping in...not even the smell of bacon cooking is waking them up, so next it will be sugar cookies!!
Everyone stay safe and enjoy the holiday.

I did not get to finish what I was saying as got locked up las time.

Rules sound ok to me too. But I only get out of town to material store Thanksgiving week when I go visit my oldest son. I will only fall off a couple days early. Not planning to buy during year . Living out here in middle of nowhere in small town in gas/oil field. When I can get I stock. I am 83 as last month. I have backing material and some batts.

Just used 4 yards from my stash. Mailed off before I took pictures. Am girl doll bedding and quilt, a denim stocking and a flannel 44 x 52 quilt--now back to Santa's workshop.

Sounds like a pass to me. If you weren't ON the wagon, you couldn't fall OFF the wagon. Enjoy the family time.

I will join and try to do better than last year. I do have a friend who sells lovely fabric though, so I can't promise perfection. I will be busting stash, however, so I'm looking forward to that.

Another stocking done--this one for new DIL. Oh and will have another one to do for 2015 as Grand #11 is on the way. If interested in seeing other stockings here's the link

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...p-t170992.html

Good plan, Angelia. Every bit helps and we totally understand having to support a GF who sells fabric, don't we girls?

Nice stocking, OKsewglad.

Today we will take the design wall down and DH needs to fix some electrical issues (one too many light switches in the room). After that: tape, texture and paint, add the baseboard and then...... I kind of dread the "and then" because that entails cleaning the sewing bits. I suppose I should sort everything into bins of "like items" and see just how crazy I am. There are duplicates and in some cases triplicates. Time to cull - I lost my closet. Reality sucks sometimes.

I have not sewn since before I left for Germany and I am feeling the withdrawals coming on strong.

My sister wanted an apron, this was probably not exactly what she had in mind, but it does match her dishes (sort of) and I used up 2 yards of my stash. I don't have a dressmaker's form and it looks a little weird on the hanger, but better in real life...[ATTACH=CONFIG]503267[/ATTACH]

Nice apron, princess. I went to the LQS today to pick up my 12-days of X-mas specials (a F8 packet and a gift card) and I made the mistake of going shopping hungry. So a jelly roll (Moda "Persimmons") and two charm packs jumped intoe my basket. I suppose I can claim the hungry and X-mas blues excuse.

Martina, I like those excuses ( hungry and Xmas blues) so you can have a pass. Tis the season to be jolly so no complaints here.

Oh, I love the idea of staving off my hunger with a jelly roll... from Moda!
I just got an early Christmas gift, a gift certificate from the local LQS. Looks like I'll be shopping too, but maybe I'll eat first.

Princess: Love that apron! Around the holidays when I'm cooking in dressy clothes, and for longer periods of time, I remember the aprons my mother had and wish I still had some of hers. I'm sure my mother had some just like the one you made. Thanks for the memory.

Emma: it's interesting that you should say that. From Etsy, I purchased a vintage pattern (actually a leaflet), published in England during the war. Basically a sketch with some dimensions so you had to draft the pattern. Previous Pinafore Construction Experience helped a lot!

That is one fancy apron. Mom use to make aprons. I still have one she made me. Waist apron with a heart bib and loop over the head. Mom passed on in 75 at 86. Far as I know last sewing she did was a butterfly quilt and she gave to me. Her plan had been to make one for each of granddaughters (6). She only did one.

My plan for 2015 is to make these animal panels and blocks in to quilts.

Just got back from using my Gift Certificate! The small shop that issued it had a one day sale (she never has sales) so I just had to go and maximize my purchasing power. I got 2 yards each of 3 neutrals, including a Christmas one and didn't spend a whole lot more than the certificate amount.