Late as usual, but I'm in. I have already done a significant de-stash in that some of the fabric I've had for years actually belonged at a friend's house. She's built an addition onto her house for a sewing room and stuff that I've been temporarily storing is gradually getting moved to her. So for the first time in years I've been looking into bins of my own and yes, I need to continue the fabric moratorium until further notice!

Such a large number of us in the group with good plans to make use of what we have on hand. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers would be proud of us! They most likely did not dash out to buy new fabric at the drop of a hat but used what was at hand and look at what they created for us to admire and enjoy.

Needing borders for charity quilt. Decided to make do, rather than be picky. It’s only 1 yd, but it’s used. One “ why did I buy this” fabric gone.

Dashing out for my Granny would have meant an 8 mile walk...one way.
:)

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without
👍

I enjoy reading everyone’s comments.

I just finished my second quilt top using 3.5” squares and 2.5” strips. I am happy because I used 600 of the 3.5” squares between the 2 quilt tops, and a bunch of WOF strips that I cut into 2.5” strips, plus fabric for the borders. I will take these with me to my church quilting group and they will be sandwiched, pillow turned, tied, and donated.

I have one more top from the squares in sets so I will work on those sometime. The rest of the squares and 3.5” strips fit in a big shoebox. They are ‘resting’ for now. 🙂

Yea to you, retiredteacher09. That is a pile of fabric out the door and off to make someone warm and snugly. Your church ladies quilting crew must be very busy with all that you produce. Do they go to local charities or to a church mission? Just being nosey. Oops!

Thanks, WMUTeach! The quilts go to Salvation Army. Our group was started in the late 90s and we are working towards 8000, I think. Our leader is 91 and can’t help anymore. She always kept us updated on our numbers but the gal that records the quilts now hasn’t updated us. 🤷‍♀️. I inherited the job of sewing on the industrial machine. 🙂

I've got a teeny-tiny victory to report! :-)

I'd offered to bind some of my guild's community quilts (they get lots of flimsies and UFOs) and picked up a couple at the last meeting only to discover that there wasn't enough coordinating fabric included for said binding. I'm sure for some of you that wouldn't have made you bat an eyelash, but my stash is pretty strange and significantly limited in some ways. However, I'm pleased to report that while I didn't have a single piece of fabric large enough to work as a solid binding I was able to pull together a few coordinating "bits" and have finished the first binding. I'm actually quite pleased with it, so just about 650 square inches - so half a yard? - of fabric is out of my stash! Woo hoo!!! :-)

Edit: The darker green is an off-cut from the quilt back but as it would have ended up in my stash if I hadn't used it I'm including it in my calculation!

Gemm; love those fabrics and your solution.

Yeah! Good solution. Quilt out of your guild's UFO pile and some odds and ends out of your stash! Keep solving those problems and finishing warm hugs quilts for other folks!

Gemm: Way to go! Every little bit out counts! ❤️.

Gemm: Nice work!

Gemm, your binding choices are excellent -- add interest and better than whatever fabric you didn't have enough of! Creative and beautiful!

Another way to decrease stash; mentee wants to make pillowcase for brother. I give her options and she chose 1 yd.

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! :-)

Petthefabric - destashing together? A double win! :-)

I'm so, so late but I'm here with you all finally! Some wonderful ideas here. Glad to be back. I have been a good girl with only one purchase for a backing which doesn't count luckily. I'm currently working on a project piecing and looking for another to make from stash. I like the variety of having at least two going at once. Keeps me going. More than three confuses me though and takes up a lot of space. I also usually have a quilt that I'm quilting on too (different machine). Takes me longer to complete I guess but they get done sooner or later. I had surgery around Thanksgiving. I'm doing well (better than the doctor's even expected) but it's a reminder to use that fabric. I bought it cause I liked it so i need to use it. Happy to be on the train with you all😁

Went to LQS with intention to purchase. What I want is out-of-style, regionally unavailable and off season. Happy to say, I held tight and didn’t buy anything. Yeah! Me!
may go to Joann’s, but maybe change plans. Back to shop stash.

My stash is calling for black/white quilt.

Pet, congratulations on showing the strength of a quilting warrior princess! Wait for just what you want and exactly what you need!

I went to my quilt group's work day today and finished a baby quilt top, layered it. Now, how to quilt it? All from stash even the backing. I also cut all the pieces for another Pladish quilt. Made block "A" this afternoon and will move on to "B" and "C" tomorrow afternoon and Monday! Again all from stash! Not sure if I have a back for this one. I will post photos of progress tomorrow or more likely Monday. Lions football may get in my way tomorrow. OOPS! Tee-Hee-Hee

Cleaned up the fabric...I mean guest room today. thought I was going to need more chocolate brown (I use it often enough that it's worth keeping around, also navy). But I found a chunk. No purchases there! Always better when I can stay out of the store. Also identified 2 backings for works.in progress. Go me!

I was hoping to make it through January with no fabric purchases but that ain't happening. <sigh> it looks like I need more of my red fabric to finish up clues 6 and 7 for Bonnie Hunter's Indigo Way. I did think about shopping my stash for another red but I know myself and I would not be satisfied with the look. This red is a couple of years old but I was able to find it online. I'll be adding 3/4 of a yard to my stash but when Indigo Way is done, that should be close to 12 yds out of my stash!

Great stories of willpower and stashbusting - it's awesome to have so many people on the wagon for this year's trip. Go team! :-)

Like Pet, I've been talking to my stash to see what it wants to make next - I took some time today to tidy up a bit of a mess and I'm seeing a couple of bulging scrap boxes, so I think there will be a message coming through soon! Of course, there are current projects that need to be finished up first (as always)!

And Sync - remember that buying what is needed for a project that is underway is a totally valid reason to shop. And wow - 12 yards is going to be something to celebrate!!!

WMUTeach - what is a Pladish quilt? That's something I never heard of.

Woodlandcreature, Here is a photo of one of my previous versions of a pladish quilt. If you google it you can find lots of examples. The one I am making now is almost identical to the one in the picture below.

WMUTeach - that's fabulous. My husband is of Scottish descent, and at one time, I thought about making a quilt based on his family tartan. I might just have to resurrect that idea.

Woohoo - another half-yard stash clearance victory under my belt. This time I used a man's 100% cotton shirt I had stashed away to tone in with the shirtings in the quilt. Like in the last community/charity quilt, everything was done except a binding. I did have some of the backing flannel as offcuts but I'm much happier with the blue. :-)

As an aside, this was a pattern I hadn't seen before but have now added to my ideas file. As far as I can tell there aren't any of the shirtings that have been repeated in the quilt top (maybe one or two but I haven't found them) and yet it still has a nice sense of cohesion thanks to the consistent background/accent fabric and regular wave pattern. Anyway, enjoy!

Gemm, you did a nice job coordinating the colors within each side of the blocks. A good looking quilt that looks perfect for snuggling up in on a cold winter evening with a cup of tea and a book. Yea! on using more from your stash! I have used this pattern before with all of the blocks being purple, lavender, violet and so on. Good way to use scraps to make a cohesive finish.

I used this version of the block. In case any one else wants the pattern. (2020 Scrap Buster Challenge from Boarder Creek Station) https://media.rainpos.com/5177/the_s...uctions_v2.pdf

Gemm --- Nice finish and nice design to add to your repertoire. As you've found out there is a lot of fabric in (especially a large man's) shirt!

One of the fun things that can be done with that block and others like it that are also basically HST like a log cabin is the many ways you can set the top. When I moved I donated most of my books. One I kept was Judy Martin's original Log Cabin Quilt Book -- back from the days of templates and not rotary cutting directions but with a lot of great information.

Here's a page I found that gives some of the overall layouts --
https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt...-quilt-layouts

For me -- well, I said I would be buying some fabric this year for a specific set of projects and I did -- but while I was there at the fabric store I didn't buy a slightly better back for my Bonnie Hunter mystery this year. I had a nice dark royal blue in my stash that will work fine even if it isn't quite the navy or indigo blue of the top. Nor did I buy anything not on my list although some of the sale fabrics tempted me greatly -- especially one with donuts, maybe I was just hungry??

Edit: When I tested my link I had sort of a different result from my first view with a "view slideshow" option. At the top of that is a "view all" button which I liked much better.

WMU - thanks for providing a source for that pattern - I've watched the Stash Buster challenge for the last couple of years but I obviously wasn't "there" yet in 2020! It would be fun to know whether the quiltmaker of the quilt I finished did it as part of the challenge that year. :-)

Iceblossom - that is a great resource for HST/LC layouts! It also reminded me that I have a quilt's worth of LC blocks still laid out on the guest room bed (since well before Christmas! Yikes!). I guess that might be a good next project to tackle. Also, congratulations for shopping your stash and engaging your willpower at the quilt store! While I do like my backing to be somehow connected/related/toned in to my top, I'm always happy when I haven't had to splurge on something that really doesn't get looked at much. :-)

While I'm just now joining in, I made the decision to stop buying in October last year.

I worked at JoAnn's Fabrics for about a year and a half -- what could go wrong with that?? 🤣🤣🤣 I now could open my own fabric store. 😳🫣🤭 And so am determined to work on using my stash, which is so extensive it's embarrassing ... Lol

Right now I am cutting up everything that is one yard or under. Anything that is over 1 yard but under 5 goes on the shelving. Anything 5 and over goes on a bolt (and I have a WHOLE shelving unit full of bolts I bought) and up on the shelf for backings.

I'm never gonna see my friends at JoAnn's again! 😭😭😭😭 Oh WAIT!! I'll need to go get thread!! 😇😇😇

well I am guilty I just bought some fabric on line

Only way I can can succeed is make store contact as minimal as possible. I worked in fabric store-totally empathize.

Just checking in. I have only purchased 3 fat quarters since January to finish a quilt that was sitting on my Works In Progress list. I will need to purchase a backing for a Pladish quilt that will be going to a child. Nothing appropriate for a kiddo of age three that will look good with the blue plaid of the top. Off to Shipshewana, Indiana on Monday and will roam the quilt shops for my little boy Pladish quilt.

No purchases here - but WMU remember purchases to finish a project are allowed. Just can't buy fabric "just because"

Currently working with my for border print ...ever. and I picked it out for a 3 yard charity quilt. So I cut the borders (I hope) lengthwise first and am working on the blocks . There's a certain amount of fudging happening since I can't follow Fabric Cafe's directions exactly.

It's just such a a pretty blue floral stripe. Cutting WOF was going to lose that...

Oh, I know fabric to finish is "allowed", but I try to not buy anything if possible. I have been pressing myself to use my stash first. Not that my stash has disappeared by any means in the past few years, but it had diminished to the point that I am finding I need to do a little shopping. My personal goal is to keep the shopping small....really, really small. ;)

Yep! I've been very good about this moratorium and NOT buying fabric, esp. for those PHDs... Sooooo the PHDs remain unfinished within a stack of PHDs... which now are "Piled Higher and Deeper" PHDs.
If I buy those needed FQs or couple yards for finishing, much less backings!!!!!!! , I'll be a poor woman. Time to make a decision in my overcrowded sewing room. Poor or drowning in cotton?

Yes I bought some fabric - but I promise, I didn't have anything else appropriate in stock. I bought some blades.of a Lonestar at a destash ($20!) And I couldn't find the right background. The fabrics are incredibly old.fashioned. fortunately I found some Ruby Star at my LQS...and payed full price (!?)

On the other side - I've been charity sewing 3 yard quilts like A BOSS. I'm really seeing progress in the quilt room clutter.

SPAM reported Plisse_ . . . with various suffixes listed on stopforumspam.com

Need advice - send suggestions
I had some Alexander Miller fabric with Chinese characters - just begging for fussy cuts...so I did.
My question is what to do with the leftover. I cut out the remaining characters but they're all pieces between 3-4" . My idea is either surround (courthouse steps style) on on-point and then cut down to specific size - thinking 8" but open...
End product will be super wonky and scrappy - which I am NOT comfortable with - but I'm too thrifty to toss that much fabric.
Has anyone ever done a project like this and do you have suggestions?
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