Grann......I just want to roll around in all that closet lusciousness...jus saying..:p

Rock on, girl!

I don't count blenders, Pam, in my moritorium. It's the focal fabric I have a major addiction to. My over all stash is small because I try to use every bit of scrap following each project for a 2nd or 3rd project...or whatever to get rid of it. Lol...That means I use up blenders, too... So, you get a pass from me....but that gold metallic one...oopsers! :D

Conchalea..:hug:

Yes! Congratulations!! How did d you track your inventory? I started in January but wasn’t finding it easy to track the output. Or to keep a running total of fabric bought.

Well, today I am going to attempt to take an inventory of precuts and kits/projects in artbins. Taking inventory of yardage would send me to the looney bins, plus I'm not sure I can count that high.:D I am thinking this will give me more incentive to reduce the stash. And any new fabric that falls into the house will be documented. Not that I am intending to purchase any, but my friend that I quilt her quilts pays me in fabric. She is currently housebound taking care of her DH who just had knee replacement surgery a week ago. He is a large man, so I'm sure he needs a lot of help getting around. So she isn't getting much sewing done, or any fabric buying.

Teen, I love opening the closets and just taking in the beauty of it all.














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I haven't gotten to the point of using a spreadsheet, but I have a handwritten list that's written in my LA notebook. Counting total of what's bought? Look at your sales receipts to keep track. And, yes, the using part is harder and a little more time consuming.
If it's a large quilt with pattern yardages one can use those figures. But I usually add up the amount of width of fabric (wof) cuts (in inches) in each quilt and divide by 36 to get yards of each fabric.
When it's smaller projects, like the pincushions I made...The base was 4.5 x 5.5" or 24.75 sq inches rounded up to 25 sq in. I used one for an inner lining, one for backing and one for the top (I didn't figure in seam allowances). So that's 3 x 25 = 75 sq in per pincushion..I made 27 x 75 = 2025 sq in. Using 1512 sq in in a sq yard (42 x 36), 2015/1512=1.33 yards.

Then it's a simple calculation of fabric bought minus fabric out...hopefully a negative number. The total amount of fabric in stash is irrelevant to the figuring. We want to reduce that amount, so no beginning inventory is required.

I hope this is clearer than mud! I think this is the third year I have done this. Like every habit it takes time, the very first year I started, but didn't keep up, so I have 2 solid years of verified stash reduction.

It is unlikely I would ever consider doing an inventory by how many inches of each fabric I have. That for me is a terrifying though! That I am able to annually sort through by colors is an overwhelming task. I have kept purchases to a minimum with this thread reminding me I don't need more fabric. I have been quilting continuously from my stash most of the year and that is the best thing of all. I only made purchases, except for the penny sale, that I did not have available in my stash. Admittedly this has kept me in order! That is what has been most important of all. And saved a whole bunch of money!

Ok - thanks for the info. I was going to have to figure out how to calculate certain fabric usage on smaller items.
I made it past Black Friday with only a bundle of quarter cut yardage 2.5 yards but it was $4 so how could I pass that up? :) Cyber Monday was far harder but I still did alright. Between the two days only the 2.5 yards - thankfully I don't count patterns and books and tools on my moratorium. At this rate I will have to soon if I keep this up.

Well, my way of keeping track of outgoing will be to measure the fabric before starting (if I can remember) and then measure what is left, if any. It won't be any exact measurement, but close enough to suit me. Right now I am more concerned about using up all these precuts. I certainly reduced them a lot this year, but still have too many. I am weak-willed when I see a collection I fall in love with.

I certainly have been more mindful of my purchases since joining up with you gals. I guess that is the purpose, to help support and encourage each other.

I haven't gotten to the inventory part of my day yet, but I got all the quilts trimmed and binding made. So I have 6 big quilts and 2 baby quilts to bind. My friend will do some of them once she gets over her cold and can get over to pick them up.

Yall are just mind boggling me with the math. That is never going to happen here. I think I will just keep an eye on the empty spots in the drawers when they come up. I scrap quilt mostly, so I never really buy large amounts of yardage. Unless it is for backing and backgrounds. And, I have plenty of that for next year. I am really going to challenge myself next year to stay out of the fabric store. I want to see how much extra money I can save for LA quilting. I did pretty well this year, but, then I gave half of it to my DD as a just because present. I can probably keep a log of anything coming in. That might not be a bad idea. At least I will have an idea of what I'm spending my money on.

I've taken stock of what I have on hand and pulled a few patterns that I want to get made. I have all the fabric right here right now for that. (Except maybe for backings. I have a bit here that if I'm creative, I might have a few more backings on hand also.) We'll see. Most times, I don't care if a backing matches perfectly. But, sometimes, I do like to splurge on the right backing.

To track amounts, I estimate. First less than 1/4 yd goes into scraps of small pieces box and I don't keep track of them. When I get too much to store, I give them to a person who like very scrappy quilting.

So after I've made the front and back; I consider how much is in the back, add amount for binding and double that. If that seems off yardage for the front I adjust up/down. Since there's probably x0,000+ yds in my stash 1/2 yd off isn't an issue right now. When it's down to x000 yds, I'll keep it more accurate

:D:D:D Some of us are a little anal when it come to math. Whatever works for you is what counts...I like empty spots too!

Since my stash is not huge (fits into 2 dressers, a few bins and a few piles (ahem!) , I'm not overwhelmed. This challenged has really helped me think twice before just buying for the fun of it, with no purpose or plan for the new stuff. I can honestly say I have curbed my impulsiveness by a lot. (It would be math to give you a percentage, but for the joy it brings you math heads, I'll say I spent approximately 29.8 % in 2019 of what I spent in 2018. :)

Estimating works better for me, as far as determining the bottom line: did I use/get rid of (by donating, selling, giving away) more than I took in? For that I will have to do a bit of figuring and remembering (both of which are taxing).


Fabric In:
Bought/rec'd as gift/won ---- est. 20 yds




Fabric Out:
1 lg throw (4 yd)
3 doll quilts (.5 yd)
20 tissue holders (1. 1 yd)
20 handwarmers (.64 Yd)
Donated (2.0 yd)
Gave as prizes (2 yd)
Gave a gift to niece (1.3 yd)


So est. 11.5 yds used

20 yds- 11.5yds = 8.5 yd surplus

That sounds about right, based on what I haven't cut into into yet from my intake.

Sounds great, zo!

Great job, Zozee!! I agree with you that, even tho you and I don't have a bunch of stash like others, the moritorium has helped in those impulse buys I was beginning to do. Exactly why I join each year.

Like Zozee and Teen, I maintain a small stash but I have been motivated by this Fabric Moratorium thread to limit purchases to those that are necessary. As New Year’s Day rolls around I am already planning my deep cleaning and reorganization of my sewing studio...this year I plan to take an inventory (estimate) of fabric on hand and will pull unwanted items to donate. It always makes me feel good about starting sewing projects in the new year. : )

I periodically go through my stash thinking I will get rid of some of it, but I never find anything I dislike enough to give up. I did give my friend some pieces she could use for her DGKs, since mine are grown up, youngest being 15. My 24yo DGS is saving his money to buy a house, so I told him he would get a new quilt when that happens. He was quite excited about that. It won't be very exciting to make because it will probably be in various shades of grey.

I went through some Christmas scraps I got as a grab bag from Equilter a number of years ago and started making some star blocks. I will make a few at a time, and that will be a bin about half emptied. I think I'll go through the rest of the bin and make up a bunch of charm squares. It would be nice to accomplish something completely.

I'm at a dilemma...Anniversary sale at LQS today and tomorrow. Most fabrics are on sale. Also a great deal on FQ's. DIL's father will be undergoing cancer treatments soon. Want to make a comfort quilt for when he has treatments, but don't have a lot of "masculine" fabrics on hand. Have no idea what I want to make for him except I have some gray minkee to put on the back.---hmmm I could get some Grunges as a starter? Will see how the day goes.....

Well, you want to keep the LQS in business, and you want to make a quilt for FIL, so this is a perfect time to do both. As far as I'm concerned, you get an exemption, since you know what you are doing with the fabric you buy. It's when we go into a store without an idea in mind, that we get in trouble. I have a 20% off coupon that needs to be used, but I don't have a thought of what I would buy, so am saving it for a while. I will start formulating ideas after New Years, so then the coupon may come in handy. Any fabric I buy will have to fit into the stash so I can use stash along with a new purchase.

To help with guilt, remember the moratorium is only through Black Friday, so any purchases made on that day until New Year's Eve are exempt. I'll start the new thread for 2020 in a couple of weeks. I will have to buy backing for the tee-shirt quilt, but will do that before the end of 2019. As it will be used immediately & go out of the house once I've washed it, it won't add to my stash.
I am looking at moving in the early part of 2020, so I won't be sewing or buying during that confusion & stress. I have so much Stuff!

As we come to an end of the year I can look back and see I truly did good with the moratorium this year- as far as not spending money. I did not do so well making any sort of dent in the stash though! I have a dear friend who’s mom passed away, his dad has started getting rid of her quilting stuff- evidently she had the whole basement! They have brought me up boxes and boxes and large totes of fabric. And the last load (12 large boxes and 4 totes!) they told me a dent has not been made. I have been giving most of it away, but oh my goodness I’ve also accumulated a lot. I’ve also won some fabric prizes this year. It is becoming quite overwhelming. I plan on doing the moratorium again next year and trying to make more scrap quilts too. I have to admit I didn’t make anywhere near the number of quilts that I usually make, spending the first 9 months of the year working 2 jobs. Next year will be different and hopefully I will find ways to be more productive. Either that or I’m giving away a lot more

ckcowl: I enjoy going through donations but the amount of fabric you are being given must be overwhelming. Please share some of the fabric you are keeping.

!!!

In my downsizing efforts, brought boxes up from the basement thinking they're all Christmas decorations. ! One very large tote is blankets and worn out matress pads I thought would work as batting...... maybe. Two large totes of different kinds of fabric, one box I don't even remember any of the fabrics. The other is a mixture of all types, including fashion fabrics. Those 2 are now in the garage waiting investagation and decisions.

Reading CKCowl's post makes me sad.... sad that that poor lady didn't live long enough to use even of her stash. She didn't have the joy of looking at it and touching it. I have a basement full, so this makes me want to make even more quilts. I have about 50 or more finished quilts in my little back room with 2 closets jammed full and more stacked on the bed. At least if I go today I know someone will get wrapped in love. This makes the moratorium even more important for me to stick to it and get more fabric used up. I also have a lot of fabric in bins in the garage. Most are home dec fabrics that I am no longer interested in using. Most of it was gifted me back when I did home dec sewing. It has got to go.

I'm proud of myself for my stash reduction, but I still have a comparatively huge stash. Still, in the last 10 years I've gone from a room full of fabric to a large closet's worth stuffed full. I just need to get the stuff out of that closet so the fabric can go in it and it will be lovely :) Most of it has been simply given away, some of it has definitely been made into gifts and donation projects but the bulk was given as yardage.

But I know people who do have whole basements and rooms and storage units full of fabric. I still say there is nothing wrong with that. I would have more fabric if I had more space, even though I feel I'm running out of time to use it, because ultimately what does it harm? I'm very proud on my not buying "new" fabric, but I do need to do better with my thrift store fabric even though I'm turning over my finds into projects pretty quickly and I'm not accumulating much stash, but still more than I'm turning out.

For me personally, it was hard to admit that indeed I wasn't going to be able to use all that fabric. In the "she with the most fabric wins" I had already placed. I don't really want to get out 40 boxes of things just to get one piece each of 100 fabrics, most of what I want to get I can get out of 6.5" strips and so now I cut a strip that size, put it in the box and go to the one box first to see if I already have what I want. I no longer keep anything smaller than 6.5", have a lovely friend from here on the board who takes my crumbs, off cuts, and other pieces that I used to save. So a lot of my stash reduction just has to do with physical and mental fatigue and not wanting to deal with all that stuff.

I've shifted out from reducing to using, but now when I'm done with a project I find it pretty easy to collect up the related fabrics and send them out. While most of "my" projects are done with scraps, most of the donation quilts are done with yardage and then I keep that 6.5" scrap/WoF. Yeah, it's happened that I've sent out a piece only to quickly come up with a project that could use it. There is usually something else I can use instead. There is only one piece of yardage I've given away that I regret -- but deep down in my heart I know I would still not have a good use for it.

I've had to change a lot of my obsessive traits :p I'm finding it easier and easier to be freer and looser, it's still not natural to me but it is getting easier. This last year or so in my small group I've been sewing with an improvisational quilter. Our minds don't work alike, but it's good for me to see that there are other ways of doing things and the end result still works. My Wonky 9-Patch earlier this year was a good step in that direction. I can see where I can put all sorts of low volume things together, or maybe just collections of early 80s in that color palette just to use up bits and pieces of related things. I like the "stack the deck" style of crazy quilts too. String quilts are another opportunity for me to use up fabric and not have to be so precise and fussy all the time.

So now when I'm confronted with my desire for fabric, whether new or thrift store, the question is "can you really see yourself using this piece of fabric in the next five years" -- keep in mind that I really am planned out that far ahead. I'm figuring if it is for immediate use (especially when it means I can use stash with it) it doesn't even count in the moratorium, just my personal moratorium.

This next year I'm planning on working with my collection of civil war fabrics and more with the metallics. Have some more kid sized donation quilts in there too. Still plan on my Barn quilt, darn you paper piecing!

I'm proud of myself too. 'The past couple days have been spent sorting and rearranging the bolt size amounts of fabric so they are with like fabrics, blenders with blenders, florals with florals, etc. Some pieces had been reduced enough that they could be ruler folded into the shelves that I showed you. And I cleaned off a part of my counter space that had all sorts of schmutz taking up space. I had 2 layer cakes that have been waiting for a suitable pattern, which I found while eating lunch and going through my books for using layer cakes. I found some yellow solid that goes with it, started with 6 yards of that, think it will be whittled down to 2 or 3 yds left. Everything is now cut and ready for assembly. I can mess with that while watching TV in the bedroom.

I am going to try to not be so picky about matching and go with the flow as much as I can allow myself. It is still a struggle, but I am working on it.

Everyone is doing great with their organizational efforts! Rah, rah!

So far in December, I've used 40 1/2 yds for comfort quilts. At this rate I could use ~600 yds in 1 yr. We'll see if I can persevere. Pulled out 3 more groups of fabrics for more comfort quilts.....tomorrow.

Also purging books. The thrift store will get a delivery tomorrow.

Memory quilts are my favorite to make.

I’m trying to finish the binding on a ( Christmas quilt) my (left thumb is giving me grief) but, I used 18 1/2 yards of stash fabric for the top and a 3 1/2 yard 118” wide backing I also had. All I had to purchase for this quilt was a king size batting.
ive been going through things, and trying to put together a plan for the new year. I do have totes of scrap batting I’m going to try to start using up too... 2020 moratorium here I come. ;)

Last weekend at LQS anniversary sale (10th) I bought 10 FQ's, picking neutrals and grays. Started a chemo quilt and am using almost half of them in it, the rest stash...Win win.

Congrats, CK on the usage of what's on hand. I used up some odd pieces of batting too on some of the last quilts I made. I still have 4 to quilt, but they can wait. This week is prepping for 2 of the DGKs coming for the weekend to do our annual gingerbread party. I usually have all 6 here, but the 2 younger ones, 15 & 18 are no longer interested. The 2 oldest, 24 & 28 are out west and not coming home for Christmas. So that leaves the 2 locals, 21 & 24. They don't want to mess with tradition, so party we will have, even if it is only the 3 of us. So I need to get food in and clean up the house a bit and make up guest beds.

I am also gathering my thoughts for the 2020 moratorium. I managed to fight past all the bargains, only fell to a couple. Bluprint had some great deals on some batiks, and I got some bamboo knitting needles for $2 each for circulars. And I ordered dish rag yarn from createforless.com for the year's upcoming knitting and crocheting for next
Christmas charity giving.

I have a friend who did this for all of 2018. She did not buy one single piece of fabric and made a nice dent in her stash. She loved doing it, but couldn't wait to buy a piece of fabric!

petthefabric: Way to go using stash this month especially.

oksewglad: Yes to a win, win!

I worked a total of 12 hours over a weekend at a LQS for the owners because they gave their employees the weekend off if they wanted to attend their daughter’s wedding. It was exhausting. However, when I get paid, I will support the LQS by spending my earnings there. Lol! I’m making a list of things I would like to buy. Some of the money will go towards fabric for my first grandchild (boy) due mid February.

Congratulations on the new baby! Grands are the greatest.

Have the tumbler blocks (6" cut) all cut out and the first 4 rows sewn. I figure I will have 4 7/8 yds in the top and binding using just 2 fq's of my new purchase or 4 3/8 yds of stash. When local box store was selling out last spring I bought some nice fleece blankets for $12. Will use one of them for the soft backing, but not included in my yardage usage.

Another top done from stash. I really like my Crazy Quilt die and am glad that I made kits over Labor Day. It makes it easy to grab a kit and sew.

66” by 80”. I don’t know why I didn’t get my math right for the border widths. I rechecked my math several times but I guess the mental part of my math wasn’t up to par this afternoon. Lol! Oh well. I’m going to leave it too narrow for the width (should be 70”) and I cut the length down. Ready to give to my church group to finish and donate.

p.s. The border fabric needs a good press. :) It wrinkles easily.

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Oh the "irony" of it! Seeing how quick you've turned out tops, I need to make up some kits too. Great idea!

retired, the brights really pop on the gray!

I have been inspired by reading this thread to join in 2020. I have been quilting for under three years and don’t have a huge stash at all. Imagine my surprise when I did an inventory in the summer and found I had enough fabric for 30 quilts! Reading all the posts here from members who have containers upon containers of fabric has scared me straight!

I have made every mistake in the book as far as my buying habits. First I went nuts with FQs.....if I loved the fabric I bought it. Busy, colorful fabrics.....that did not go together. FQ bundle on clearance? Mystery FQ bundle? I could always use the ones I didn’t like in scrap quilts. Then the LQS guilt purchases. I couldn’t leave the store without purchasing something. Often this ended up being a charm pack. Why?! Then I discovered online deals. How many purchases were rationalized due to clearance prices. And then there were the ‘I’m already paying for shipping so I might as well add this item’ or......’I just need two more items to get free shipping’. And finally the panic buys....buying more of fabric I already had because I didn’t have a project in mind when the original purchase was made and I was worried I might not have enough when I made up my mind.

The end result is I own a lot of fabric I like but don’t love and have to struggle every time to find a suitable project for what I have purchased. I hate churning out a top I do not love just to use up some of my impulse buys.

I will need to make some purchases.....I have only enough backing and batting to finish about a dozen quilts.

I am determined to use up what I have and when I finally do I am determined to have a pattern in mind for future purchases......and then buy what I love, at full price if necessary, as in the end it will be less expensive than impulse buying sale fabric.

Here’s hoping for resolve and self-discipline in the new year!