2019 Fabric Moratorium
 

I'm in! I need accountability.

Pulled some fabric for a new project. Think it's all > 1yr resident. Been making charity quilts and wanted a new pattern. So one of the fabrics with a geometric pattern that reminds me of kites. So I enlarged the pattern. Think I've got enough long bottoms of the kites. So now I'll start on the tops. Picture tomorrow.

I'm in as well. I was in it last time and it proved very beneficial to me. I not only used from my stash, but didn't add to it hardly ever for any excuse, so it worked well. Everyone was a help with their ideas and the way they made me laugh, so I am in started on the first. Good luck everyone.

I tend to hoard craft supplies of all kinds! That’s why I agreed to start this thread anew for 2019. In fact, yesterday I started sewing strip sets for Unwind. I chose it because it uses a variety of fabrics in strips & I have had some FQ sets for a few years now. They were bought ‘just because’ & I had no real plan for them. I also have some remnant rolls from Joann’s that will coordinate well with the FQs. My scrap boxes have yielded some pieces large enough, too.
To stay on track in 2019, I visited Joann’s yesterday & took advantage of a birthday coupon that expires today. That gave 20% off my total purchase! Combined with 50% off some neutral white-on-white (WOW as Teen calls it) I spent less than $20.00. I hope that’s enough to complete Unwind. If not, it will be one of the smaller sizes!

I'm in on this one too. This past week I found out about two nieces having babies in 2019. Went shopping in my stash and found two panels perfect to start with and have a top almost done for our son that I will complete and use stash for backing. That should be a good start. First I will pull everything out of my fabric closet and organize in case there are any other projects to complete. Good luck everyone.

I am in for 2019!

I'm in this year. I need someone looking over my shoulder to make sure I don't buy any more fabric. Maybe this will do it. There is way too much fabric here! My mother passed into heaven in October, and my plan is to make her home into a place for out of town guests, and office for me, a space for sewing, and also a place where friends can come sew and have lunch. Really, I have lots of "just because" fabric, and now I need to use it up!

I'm in. I have been trying to do this for several years. I try to not buy fabric just because it is so pretty. I shop my stash first most of the time. I seem to have lots of pretty fabric but not the blender fabrics for backgrounds or to pull it all together. Another way I have been using up some of my stash is I don't buy quilt backs. I piece them from things I have.
I also made up a bunch of pillow cases to donate to the million pillow case challenge. It it a good way to use up fabric also. I had a lot of children's prints that are cute but I would probably never use.

I'm in again...so nice to see so many signed up so far. I have fabric from over 30 years ago! And newer fabric of course. "Just because" is not a reason for me to buy fabric. Now I'm off to work...in a LQS (ahhhhg) that's having a finish the bolt 40% off sale (bigger Ahhhg). Wish me restraint.

It's great to see what gets made from stash so please everyone share those victories!

Although owners of fabric stores might not be pleased, I’m pleased to have so many joining the new moratorium.
OK, your older fabric is now ‘retro’ & could be perfect to make quilts for those kids of the 80’s! Both of my kids would fit that category.

Sign me up! I really need this. I can do pretty well on partially using my stash but go running to the store for solids and backs. Especially backs. I want to find exactly the right back. If I manage to keep spending down on those items I'll be doing pretty good. Thanks for getting this started again.

I am also in this year. I have been trying to stay on budget, maybe this will help. I just started a new tree skirt for next Xmas, all from stash !!

Im defintiely in. Not only using fabric from my stash, but also making all the kits I have bought over the years!!!

Ive tried in past years, but sometimes the fabric just calls to me.

I'm in. There is more fabric in my sewing room than I could ever use in a lifetime. Soo, before the new year I need to order some background fabric for my new Caswell Quilt. And I got a gift certificate to Joanns that I'm saving for something special. Other than that, it's using what I have !!!

I'm in; or at least will try; I had someone tell me I needed an "intervention" But darn they keep coming out with more and more gorgeous fabric that is SO hard to resist. Do I hear any 'amens'? I'm with the poster who is doing a moratorium. I need to do that too. I'm getting better at just deleting and Not looking. Hard to do though.

I'm in again this year. It's been lots of fun participating in this challenge over the years and having all the support and encouragement from folks has helped me reduce my stash a bit and focus on buying fabrics that are useful or are needed to replace frequently used fabrics, (like blenders, neutrals, etc.).
Rob

I am joining! I have so much fabric that it's coming out of my ears! I need to try to reduce my stash and get my sewing room organized.

Sewnclog, we’re all in the same boat. Too much fabric. But they’ll keep coming out with new lines, & you want to use fabric you fell in love with in the past, right?
Laurilli, congrats on using stash for the tree skirt!

I'm in, again!! I saved hundreds of dollars last year because of this commitment! I think I have all the fabric needed for at least 5 of my projects targeted for this next year. Plus, I'm hoping to make several QOV's ....my patriotic stash is plenty full...

I would like to join this endeavor this year because I have too much stuff in my sewing room. I have it all well organized and every piece is measured and has a label. If I work on UFO's and scrap quilting I am sure my year will be full without purchasing much, if any fabric. I play the grocery store loyalty game and my 'savings' is my hobby money. I stayed within that amount and have a couple of hundred dollars going into the new year. I am seriously considering the purchase of a frame and mounting my extra machine on it. I would like to reduce my stash for sure. Making it bigger doesn't help.

I'm in! I'm working on some kits I've had for a while, but I won't buy anymore fabric, I promise, unless it's for some cozy flannel for service quilts our guild makes. Good luck everyone, and persevere for this cause!

I’m glad to have so many newcomers joining the moratorium this year. Plus, welcome back to all who are returning! We can all help each other resist temptation.

I'm in!! With y'all helping keep me straight last year, (I bought only 3 large flat sheets from the thrift shop during all of last year), I now have a little bare spot on the spare bedroom's floor. Seriously, I am drowning in fabric.... and I'm really old! A critical case of double SABLE... Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy.

I hereby promise to use stash only and not buy even an inch of fabric all year!! And, make all those baby and kids quilts like crazy.

Well....
Im not sure I’m ready for a full moratorium, but I definitely need to slow way down and set and stick to a modest budget. Can I still participate?

When I'm hungry is not a good time to grocery shop.
When I'm sad, excited, lonely, bored or just looking is not a good time for the LQS.

Pamela, this group is pretty loose. Whatever goal you want, we'll encourage you.

I've already got a container that I store these fabrics in! Once in a while sneak them into scrappy quilts as well!

I was so proud of myself today...I walked out of the store today and resisted the finish a bolt 40% off sale...know I could of found something for backings for future quilts, etc, but decided no I need to get the tops sewn first! Although I did cringe when a customer bought the whole bolt of a couple of really neat black and silver pieces....I just sighed and measured the yardage and made out the sales receipt!

And Pamela...some of us get donated fabric and we have to learn to say "no" to that as well....sometimes it just overwhelms me and I don't see any progress!

I'm in and started today. I managed to make 2 tops already with fabric in my stash, this includes the backs. I did not buy fabric for two veterans quilts (which have to be quilted and bound by lunch on 12/31. i had to buy 1 fabric for a 3rd veteran quilt but cannot find it so used something else for borders. I have lots of projects to finish and will probably not need to purchase additional fabric, plus I have barely started Good Fortune and bought one orange fat quarter for that quilt. I have tons of scraps so will probably make more of Bonnie's designs.

Pamela, any reduction is a good thing! When we go on a food diet we don’t stop eating completely, right? What we do try & accomplish is not buying just to put the fabric in our stash. Shop your stash first & use all you can for a project from the treasures from your own shelves that are waiting to be put in a lovely project. We all run out of some fabrics eventually & have to replinish. Just be mindful of your purchases. Designers will always make more lovely fabric to tempt us.

I finished one quilt today from stash fabric and started another. Also have started making string blocks to use up my unending bins of scraps.

I’m definitely in then. I went crazy buying fabric as a new quilter and now have plenty of fabric. Hubby is going to help me put shelves in the sewing room closet for fabric. I’ll find out as I organize just how much fabric I have. For sure I need to stop buying fabric just because it’s on sale.

Getting organized definitely helps you see what is on hand, Pamela. Plus, I don't know about you but, for me, clutter in my creative space drives me nuts. Lol... Have fun...one of my favorite past times is organizing my quilting space.

I'm in. I need nothing in the line of fabric - just time and motivation. I had two Christmas finishes - a wallhanging that only the backing was from stash, so I won't post it. The other was a baby quilt. All I purchased was 1/2 yard of the fishy feature fabric, so here it is. Both battings were from stash. The picture in on its side again.

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I am in and Teen, i have projects scheduled for all of 2019. Will need to figure out if I have anything for the larger pieces needed for the Bali Wedding Star, but that is months into the future.

The best thing about being with the moratorium is that it makes fabric purchases purposeful, not impulsive. Fabric manufacturers bring out new lines all the time, and they don’t stay long. And they are so beautiful! Every so often there will be something simply irresistable—a panel or one gorgeous print. If the coordinating fabrics are available in my stash, “splurging” on one perfect fabric is OK by me. Or a particular shade is low in stash, and a few FQ’s are required for a quilt. That is also OK by me.

Backs are usually pieced, but once or twice a year there is a perfect backing fabric. And BH quilts, with all those tiny pieces, can really cut through the scrap collection!

I'm in again!

Welcome everyone. I have really enjoyed this thread the past couple of years but have been very lax about posting my quilt tops. I bought quite a few yards of blenders on Small Business Saturday but not all of them were from my LQS. I also was given boxes and a huge bin of fabric strips that was purchased to be used in rugs. I will be using some of the fabric in string blocks. I am hoping what I can't use will work for handles on diaper bags for a baby charity where I volunteer. Otherwise, I am not sure where some will be donated. Like Oksewglad said, sometimes we just need to say no to donations. I just haven't been successful this fall. LOL!

Great use of stash, Irishrose2.

Count me in, too! This is one of my favorite threads. I love seeing all the projects members are working on by shopping their stash, and it has been a great source of inspiration to do the same myself.

In conjunction with the moratorium, I've been working on getting the UFO pile knocked out, trimming down scraps into precuts for my scrappies, and getting rid of any fabrics I will likely never use. My long-term goal is to get both my stash and UFOs down to a single bookshelf, and my precuts into a set of Ikea drawers I have, so I need all the encouragement I can get!

I'm in.

I did change how I bought fabric in 2018, but in 2019, I'm committing to the fabric moratorium. I have let my fabric subscription lapse and have snoozed buying and selling fabric Facebook groups, so that I am not tempted to buy fabric just because it's pretty. Like JJBlaine, I am planning to concentrate on finishing my UFOs.

Pearl, I like your avatar.

Someone mentioned getting stash + ? into 1 bookshelf. I don't think that'll ever happen here. I've got 6 bookshelves of fabric and another of books. Then there's bins of not-cotton, art fabric. And 3 deep shelves in the linen closet and a couple shelves fabric in the studio. I'll probably find more. So, if I can reduce it by 10 yds/month.....maybe I should aim for 100 yds/mo. I think that would eliminate 2 shelves this year. Then by the time I'm 80, we can downsize our house.

I certainly need self-control and encouragement.

Oh, by the way, over Christmas, we went camping and had to check out the store in Scotts Valley. Found 2 pieces at 50% off for backs and I can match from stash for the front for charity.....rationalization. Can I use vacation excemption? Or just admit...before the year even starts, I've lost my footing.....help, I need a hand up.

Thanks, petthefabric. It's one of my ufos.