No slip since the "paisley incident", totally shopping my stash. I feel so noble! Congrats everyone on standing strong in the face of so much temptation.

My main job has been kicking my you know what so I have been good, and have not even spent the gift certificate I got for doing my friends taxes.

I've been good; I did buy a kit (my very first) a couple months ago, but I immediately made it. It's for my sister. Top's done; just need to sandwich and quilt. I'm now resuming my Baby Jane, which is completely from my stash.

Well, so far so good .. no fabric has been bought. However, I bought a couple of Accuquilt Go dies. They were on sale, if that helps explain the purchase. I know this moratorium is for fabric, but I want to look at everything I purchase regarding quilting and be honest with myself. I really am taking a whole new approach to control unnecessary spending. This thread has helped me to be more accountable. Hopefully, I'll keep being honest about it too. It's really easy to not say anything.

I just joined Quilting Board but this sounds like a wonderful challenge! My DH and I are downsizing this summer/fall (to an RV and a storage unit) so I'm also trying to use up fabric. Still have about four tubs of fabric and two of kits, plus one of batting and one of finished tops. Do you think I can get along without buying anything for a while?

How many of you are still working on this challenge?

Magpie Quilts: Welcome Aboard! Like Rhonda Lee, I am trying to watch my purchases associated with quilting/sewing. My biggest downfall is gadgets(rulers, different size of cutting mats, sewing storage bins, etc.), the fleece remnant bin at JoAnn's and garage sales. I am fortunate to volunteer with a couple of different groups that use donated fabric so I really don't need to buy much but those garage sale bargains get to me. :)

Time to work on some sewing projects. I'm trying not to think of the batting that is on sale at JoAnn's tomorrow through Sunday because I really need to use up what I have at home first.

Connie

Welcome magpiequilts. You will love it here. I know I do.

I also like this challange because it does make me think about what I am spending and purchasing. So far I have been very good and have not purchased any fabric in 2014. I even have a gift certificate to my LQS that I have not spent yet.

Looking foward to running into you on other boards.

Anoka Quilter.

No buying since the Guild auction.
I was thinking of going into Joann's and using my 50% off fabric coupon yesterday after work but I couldn't do it. I actually felt sick and stressed just thinking of adding to my fabric collection.
I just have NO ROOM for more and am working very hard to only make quilts that I have all the fabrics I need. I really want to use up enough fabric so that I can have a little breathing space and so that my space can be neat and organized.
cindy

Welcome Magpie quilts...I am still trying to stick to my guns. Each time I look in my sewing room, I think I have enough fabric to last me the rest of my life so am making a diligent effort to not buy anything else. I think at some point, I will need some neutrals and some black design fabric but haven't gotten to those projects yet. The latest CT catalog has a couple kits I would like to buy plus some sewing notions..but I am staying strong so far and have resisted..asking myself if I really need them. Glad you joined us. Remember if you ever want to sell any of your fabric, you can do it here after you have been a member a while. Has to be reasonable priced.. :-)

I have to place an order with Bear Creek Quilting Fabrics for our church group. I am tempted to add some Moda batiks for $7.75 a yard. Remind me to control myself. I need enough of the butterfly fabric for church that the shipping would be free for mine. Oh, oh.

Irish: Yet another clear case of entrapment.....

In my defense, I only added two to my shopping cart which shows great restraint on my part. They are replacements for fabric I gave to my daughter when I was in a generous mood. I must love her a lot to give up red batiks. I haven't hit submit yet, so I can remove them, but will I???

Irishrose, I feel your desire for red fabric. CT has a way with wonderful colors.
MagpieQuilter, welcome and good luck with your goals. We do try to help each other here, but we are so understanding it's almost fun to fall off the wagon. A lot of clucking with sympathy from us all. It's just about the 14th, and my oh my, I haven't bought fabric yet this month. I am in awe.

Ok....10 days since my last trip to Midland (our closest big shopping precinct)...I was offered part-time employment today (Yay) no more job applications, only a small amount of hours to start, but it will build up over the months. I did stop by at Textile Trader's - bought a replacement zipper for a skirt, some stabilizer and one spool of cotton thread. Did I look at fabric....oh yes....was it beautiful...oh yes..did it find it's way home with me ...NO. Even went to Good Samaritans (they had 50% off clothing today) - I did buy a skirt and a shirt and a big basket with flaps, but the clothes are to wear, and I'm re-lining the basket with fabric from stash...I thought the basket would be handy for supplies I'll need for my new job. Gosh....I can justify almost anything:)

So Ms Irishrose....did you hit submit?...

Well done everyone.....in the face of huge temptation, we stand strong.

Well done earthwalker!

I fell off the wagon again!! BUt I just couldn't resist those 50% off coupon at Joann's. I bought 7 yards of Kona bone and 2 1/2 yards of pool. I also got some tone on tone FQ's for the workshop I'm taking on Tuesday.

Have any of you seen that Kona color pool?? I just fell in love with it. I think it would be great with some 30's fabrics or for a 2 color quilt with the bone color fabric. I have so many ideas of what to do with it I don't know which one to pick!!
cindy

I was to Joanns last week. Nothing I wanted and seemed very high. I will save up and buy material when I go out of town for Thanksgiving if I go. I got 3 yard of deer blocks to make a quilt. 4 blocks to the yard. All I have bought this year.

I plan to make a quilt for my nephew. Rest of quilt I will use stash. Got to do the math to make that work. Their house burnt last month. They got out okay but lost their couple cats. They are 78 . Have ins but I am sure will never cover it all.

So far this month, I have resisted the urge, to buy anything. I did tear some ideas out of the CT catalog and really need to get a layer cake for a class I am taking in May but thinking I may just be able to look in my stash and cut my own. I know we all don't want to quit buying totally or there won't be any quilt shops left but so far, we are all doing quite good.

SandyinZ4: "She who dies with the most fabric, didn't sew fast enough!" I love this quote. I think I have really supported the LQS's very well. It does make me feel a little strange walking in and out of their shops and not buying anything. I think the owners find it a little strange too. But, there are other quilters buying every time I go in so I don't think I'm doing too much damage. Sigh....

Rhonda my dear don't you worry about those shop owners. I have personally spent 60.00 and looked and looked again at my fabric. REALLY? 5 yrds? it fit in on hand! I know they do that all day long too so I don't feel bad at all. I am trying hard at not buying or if I do not much. I had to pick up some easter because I run a swap here for easter/spring swappers and well not everyone ever sends. So a yard is a good thing to have to cut and toss in a so sorry package. Phew. I have been superbly good.. for me. I am so tired of shopping it feels good to use up some of what I have. I cut into my scraps and darned! I still have so many to go! I could make several scrap quilts before I ever finished that stuff. Didn't even touch the black or white pile.. so many so little time! I am working on UFO's. Yup, goal of this year is to finish them all up. period. I will work on one and only one new quilt. The rest will be ufo's. so far three down. I am no where near as fast as another person but slow and steady still .. finishes the race :)

Linda, I like that 'slow and steady" philosophy. And you are right...until prices on fabric go down, I do not think quilt shops are hurting.

I'm still being good. The only thing I bought was a 120" measuring tape because mine met the rotary cutter and the cutter won. For a while I did the math (remember to subtract X" from the measurement) but that got me in hot water recently so I bought a new one.

What a difference a few days make. SIGH! We went to Livermore for a Gibson Brothers concert after work and there happened to be a wonderful LQS just down the street from the theater. I picked up a thimble and some glue and then I saw this packet of lovely prints that wanted to come home with me. So I told DH to please talk me out of the purchase. Wanna know what he did? He handed me another stack in two different color ways and comments how good they look together. (He was right, they did.) So they all came home with me.

On the drive home, I asked him why he took that option instead of reminding me that I REALLY don't need any more fabric. My DE (darling enabler) responded: "Oh honey, you looked so happy when you saw that fabric, I just wanted to spoil you a little." (Feeling spoiled rotten.) On the upside, I decided against going to the quilt show this weekend to avoid temptation and to have a little more time to actually sew.

Martina: It was really cruel that your post about how well you were doing is immediately above the one admitting to your fall from grace. Those little packages were not fabric they were a love note from your DE, how could you refuse?

here I am in my role as contrarian. yes, our not buying fabric does hurt the quilt shops, and I am deeply sorry for that. BUT, and I personally have a big one, if other sources can sell the product for $5++ less per yard then what does that say? I can't bankrupt myself to keep others in business. And personally, at the rate I sew I will live to 200 and still have stash. and my confession== I bought my ddil a fq pack of hand dyed greens for her birthday on Mar. 17. I am kinda proud of myself.

I'm doing just fine on not buying fabric but am not so much in the yarn dept. I seem to keep buying just a little of this and a little of that. I'll blame it on this long, hard winter we've had. Our coziest room is the family room and I can hang out with hubby and knit easier than anything else. But... I do have three new babies coming this fall that I can knit for now so that's a way to use up and accomplish something.

I bought 2 1/2 yards of fabric last night. My friends daughter is having a baby an I a putting together a baby quilt for her. For those of you who just finished the Mystery Train I am repeating that wonderful pattern and using up my baby fabric scraps. When I asked my friend what colors I should use for the sashing and borders she told me orange and lime green. Not my typical colors and definitely nothing I have hanging around in my stash so I needed to pick up some fabrics in those colors.

I am doing a quilting retreat next weekend so I am hoping to get the top constructed then.

Anoka, if you use it immediately, it's okay. It's stash building we are trying to curtail. I did leave the two batiks in my order for the church. The red one is worth getting 20 lashes with a wet noodle. The multi one not so much, but they both will work in a room divider quilt I am planning. I can't say they won't go into stash for now so I have to hang my head. :rolleyes:

nancia, my LQS is going out of business, but not because I stopped buying fabric. The rough winter was too much and they are moving to S Carolina. I'd rather battle snow than a hurricane, but to each his own. Bad news for our town but the owner feels he has several good prospects for a buyer. There will be large sales I will have to avoid. I will collect my free $15 worth of fabricor notions from my filled customer card.

lots2do, it's not unusual to trade one compulsion for another. Seeing a couple of 'Hoarders' episodes is enough to wake me up to stockpiling anything, but at least fabric and yarn are clean and usable.

Stay strong, everyone.

I don't watch the hoarders show any longer. That's a little too much reality TV for me. No, my fabric obsession is not in that category (thank Hannah!) and I can also afford to fall off the wagon on occasion. The bills are paid, there's money in the retirement account, some money goes to charity and we have no one but ourselves to support. Considering that I don't have any other extravagant habits, I think I am doing OK. On that note, I am heading upstairs to pull the next project to complete. I hear a UFO calling my name and it needs backing fabric which will come from the stash. Whoohoo!

I'm not going to watch it any more. I recently upgraded my TV channels and have watched some shows that were not available to me. I am going to back to basic. Too many of the extra channels deal with a person's pain (like Hoarders) or people yelling at one another. I don't care for either format.

Off to walk the dogs then I am going to make a Swoon block - from the church fabric and my stash so happy sewing to all of us!!!

:Dhttp://portalpark.net/10204/3/w.png

Martina, Love the DE nickname. I think that should go on our Quilter's Acronyms. Nancia, you are correct...one good thing about America is that free enterprise works. Of course, sometimes you pay for what you get. Which I have learned the hard way. I have learned to pay attention to what I buy and feeling the fabric is a big part of that. Anoka,...o-h-o-o-o...lime green and orange. They sound scrumptious to me. Please let us see a picture when you are finished. Lucky baby! I admit I don't watch tv. Did try one episode of Hoarders and I could not watch more. But did give me resolve to keep using up my stash. Irishrose, I am glad you kept your two batiks in the church order. We all have to have a few luxuries in life. This is a great group and we are all keeping everyone's hopes up of using stash. Emma, you are the best with encouraging everyone and yet leaving your cute comments. I always look forward to what you write. Okay...off I go to work on my cat quilt. I am getting down to the deadline I have set for myself. Have to have 2nd side done by next Sunday so it can go off to the LA lady on 31st. Good thing is that I am using stash that I bought for past two years in anticipation of making it!

Failed again...........calla

Calla: We want details! Amount of yardage, color and information regarding any price breaks. Come-on fess up. I just may make it for March, no purchases yet. I may have to buy a yard or two to finish a pieced quilt back but under our "very strict guidelines" I don't think I will have to declare it.

Yes Calla, We want the details. When one of us does fall off the wagon, the rest of us want to drool just a little before we give you a hand back up. :-) Pictures would be nice!

I think the fall here lands you on fabric. Not too bad.

I'm here to make everyone else feel good this month! It's a very long story, but my cousin talked me into ordering & splitting 4 BOLTS of fabric that she purchased wholesale. My (very weak) excuse is that I wanted to make some quilts for veterans this year and had no suitable RWB fabric, so 2 of the bolts were tone on tone red and blue. I also wanted to make some quilts and bags for a children's charity and have zero juvenile fabric, so that was another bolt. The last bolt was a batik. I love it. It is a neutral, but I have no specific plans except to pet it. I'd claim my birthday month exemption except this is so over the top, I'm embarrassed to do so. I think I'm just depressed with the severity of this winter. We still have about 70% snow cover. Oh, well. I'm going to spend a day cutting big block quilts from the fabric so I can get them made in spare moments. Next month will be better. Sigh.

Princess you almost made it. Seems to me that falling off the wagon because you want to make veterans quilts is a really good reason and contributing to a child's charity needs no comment. Now the batik is a little harder. If you combine your birthday and the incredibly bad winter you've had I think its totally justified. See, the power of rationalization triumphs again. Would love to see pictures.

Princess, it's your thread, but I feel anything you use right away is exempt and good for you for making veteran's quilts. The batik is a b' day present to yourself. Emma, thank you reminding me of the birthday exemption. My b'day was this month, too, so I'm covered on my two yards of batiks that snuck into the church order. We still have 100% snow and more coming down. Where is Spring???? I need to go pet my red batik.

Rose: I think Spring is stuck here in Oregon, not necessarily a good thing since we are part of that drought that's hitting California. I'll send us some of the great weather if you'll send us some of that moisture.