With nothing being made with my vision issues, I've been doing pretty good on not buying fabric. I did buy a couple of backs recently but I'm claiming birthday exemption on that :)

My sewing group supports a number of donation projects. I decided that I could donate some fabric even if I can't help make things. I did end up moving more fabric than I wanted and I since I haven't been sewing, the stacks haven't been going down. I have a few categories I can reduce... is easier on me to work that way than make decisions on every single piece of fabric whether to stay or go.

I've asked one of the group to come help me sort and put options together and have a large tote ready to be filled and bring to group next week or the week after I'll probably have to add some project sheets/patterns to the fabric selection

10 years ago I had a room full of fabric -- my goal is to be happy with a large closet full. Still working on that!

Good for you ICE! Glad that you are finding a way to still be productive even if you are not doing the sewing yourself. Your goal of getting from a fabric room to a fabric closet is daunting but doable. I did not have a room full but I have been slimming down to closet size. Almost there! I need to just get over the long view for using my fabric and use it now. I have donated quilts, pillowcases and just fabric I know I would never put needle to. When we were making masks, donated a tote full of fabric to a student organization in my university department. Donated to make "little dresses for Africa". And of course dog beds.You would be doing that too if you could see better. Now I need a new organization and project where I can use10 to 15 yards per month! OK, I can dream. Right!

Will you vision problem clear up? Just a nosy question, but I recall you have mentioned it for quite a while now.

My vision story -- I have a condition called Keratoconus (KC). Basically I have super pointy eyeballs and have a number of problems related to that like no depth perception and the ability to see double images with just one eye! Glasses are not enough to correct my vision and haven't been for about 20 years, I wear specialty contacts which change the shape of my eyes plus glasses for distance and other corrections. Right now readers only make blurry things larger and not clearer. Bringing up the size on my computer monitor helps somewhat but with the double vision and such, it is still very difficulty for me to read. My apologies for typos and such.

Uncorrected I am legally blind (I can't read the E on the eye chart), corrected I still have a hard time with small print and seeing stitches and things like that I will always have light and dark, and colors, and "large shapes" (like a brown door in a white wall) but basically am largely losing my ability to focus I can't see for miles and miles, but I could see well enough. Last year at this time I was able to drive from Seattle to Peoria, going 80 through states that allow that... About in March of last year I noticed that signs I could read when we first moved here were now harder to read. In May I was having difficulties reading the smaller freeway signs and took myself off first the freeways and then the surface streets. Before leaving Seattle my eye doctor told me that I would be needing cataract surgery probably sooner rather than later, and that some of the issues could come on pretty rapidly. Although it is unusual that at this stage in my KC, that can also result in rapid eye changes. Although my descent has been pretty steady and my last five years have been pretty stable, back in 2008 I had a period of rapid change and had to go contactless for about 3 months.

The cataract surgery won't result in more vision, but what I have will be clearer which will enable a better prescription for my contacts. The issue is that my eyes need to be in their natural state and so I can't wear the contacts for 6-8 weeks before surgery. Then after surgery I will have a longer than usual healing time. We don't want the suction of the contacts pulling out my implanted lenses.

I needed a physical pre-surgery which my doctor would not sign off. Primarily my diabetes was way out of control and there were a couple other more minor areas of concern. I am doing well but haven't rescheduled the surgery yet. I am hoping to have corrected vision by the end of the year but they give me no guarantees of either timing or what I can expect my corrected vision to be... If I am not going to be eligible for surgery this year, I will get new contacts to correct as well as I can for a better quality of existence (like me able to sew and/or maybe actually watch instead of listen to tv) and go through the 2 months of blindness (again), which I am trying to avoid.

Wow, Ice Blossom, how frustrating for you and how this condition impacts your love of sewing and games. Thank you for the explanation and keep us up to date on your progress toward surgery and new contacts as you feel appropriate.
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As fellow quilters, we feel your pain and frustration, Please keep us posted here's hoping any procedure goes well with better-than-expected results!

Iceblossom, thanks for explaining your eye trouble to us! I am hoping for good news by the end of the year!

It's been quiet around here lately and so I thought I'd share a little bit of my recent moratorium struggles and successes.

I had to take a bit of a break from sewing as "real life" suddenly got very busy and stressful. However, things are improving and I have been playing with the same stack of pink, white, yellow and blue flannels I highlighted in a recent post here. I have managed to get another quilt top planned (lots of work still to do - I made hourglasses that need to be trimmed down to a consistent size and then I need to figure out which fabrics I have enough of to make sashing and borders from). The hourglasses happened because I had a bunch of HSTs left over - I don't know that I would choose to use triangles in a flannel quilt again. I plan to piece the back of the quilt with the biggest of the leftovers and hopefully that will be the end of this pile of fabric.

I've got to admit that these flannels have been a stumbling block for me and I think I've learned some important lessons. First, I'm terribly stubborn! I decided I was going to use them up, by hook or by crook, and so I am doing that even though it's been a serious chore. I think in the future I will look more seriously at the fabrics I don't really want to use and consider donating them to the free table or our community quilts committee to avoid the frustration. After all, fabric out the door is fabric out the door, as many people have pointed out here in the past. :-)

On the "whoops" side of the moratorium, I have made some stress-induced fabric acquisitions, but have managed to keep them mostly under control. Once again, the free table at my guild meeting summoned me but I managed to keep 90% of what I picked up in the "neutrals" category (greys and blacks mostly this time). I also went thrifting this month and found a few pieces, but I'm going to call that more of a success than a tumble off the wagon because of all the fabric I saw and DIDN'T buy! :D

I love that thinking!

I can report, I finished a UFO top and that makes about 3 yards gone from my stash! I have been doing really good with using more of my stash this year and more has gone out than what was brought in. But I'm taking a birthday exemption this month ...... my 73rd birthday is tomorrow and I visited my LQS today and came home with fabric (enough for the 90 X 90 quilt pattern I also bought), backing fabric for another UFO top and a couple of fat quarters. This fabric fix should last for a while.

Gemm: I understand about the flannels. Like you, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be easier to pass mine on. I will decide after I make a backing out of the larger pieces.

Sync: Happy Birthday!

Connie

Happy, happy birthday to you, Sync! May your birthday exemption purchases bring you much joy in the coming year. :-)

Fabric motorium
 

Sorry to hear that your eye issues aren’t any better. Remember if you have any fabric or ufo that you don’t need, please keep me in mind. I bought a long arm and a presser, so that pretty much emptied my budget for buying new fabric. As always I will pay shipping. Take care and don’t throw in the towel yet. When there is a will there is a way.

My UFO friends, I don't have a finish yet, but this past week-end I spent nearly the whole of my three days working on my version of the Harrisonburg quilt (Pat Sloan and the Virginia Quilt Museum) that I started a year and a half ago. While preparing for the retreat and rechecking my progress on the quilt, I discovered I needed one color way and that is what stopped me way back in spring of 2023 from finishing it. Went searching for soft that dream-cicle orange and eventually found what I needed. I have all the large blocks finished and on to finish the small border diamond blocks. About 1/3 left of the diamond.

Will keep at it for the next while and hope to have it assembled by the holidays. This one is for me, so I am not as motivated to work as fast as I have on other quilts. I don't have a photo yet but should in a couple of weeks....or so. ;)

Be encouraged and plug along with your UFOs. We will get them done. How about just one between now and the holidays?

@WMUTeach I was just thinking along the same lines. Signed up the holiday exchange and thought, uh oh, I’m past due to start working on my holiday gift makes for the year! I have been trying to eke out one more finish and was wondering if I’m putting myself in a bad spot by not setting it aside and switching gears.

I decided on a little compromise: I switched over my hand sewing project to a holiday gift project today so I’ve started making progress. Hoping I can finish the quilt top on the machine this week, then I might pack it away till after holidays or work it in between gift projects.

I'm working on an Optical Illusion quilt for a couple asking for a red/white checkerboard queen size quilt. This pattern does the trick and gives it a punch. I'm using all from my stash, 5 yds of each reds and whites plus a couple more yards for the 3 sashings, border and binding. I gave what I didn't use of the scraps to my neighbor so no scraps for my bins this time.

Last month I was working on Elizabeth Hartman's Dinosaur quilt pattern using again from my stash. It called for I think 26 fat quarters but after going thru my fat quarters, I had to go thru my yardage to come up with what I needed. To make it a wider quilt and I'm using the large size pattern, I used up most all the excess scraps leftover so very little went into my scrap bins.

A couple months ago I decided my sofa needed new throw pillows so again, went thru my navy blue and dark red fabrics and made up 7 pillows. I pleated 2 of them completely and the rest just had pleats on the outer ends so maybe used 3 yards between the 2 colors. Still hasn't made a dent in my stash but I'm working on it.

Yay for your Snooze! Out the door no matter how much is....out the door. Eventually it will all add up to an empty bin! If you can post photos of your dinosaur quilt and the optical illusion in red. I would love to see them and I bet others would too.

Hi folks...haven't been on in ages and great to see familiar names!
I'm busy sewing tops from stas and usually only buy when I need backing fabric. Mr OK had a bone marrow transplant 2 years ago...doing great now..and I have decided to make quilts for the Gift of Life transplant house where we stayed while he had his transplant. This summer I took 10 quilts to the GOL house. Since then have 2 completed and 2 more flimsies done. Plus have 8 waiting to be quilted paired with backings.
Grand #5 graduated this spring. She saw a piece of fabric in mw stash and thought it'd make a great quilt for her. Score one for me...I even had the flannel in my stash for backing!
Have a quilt on design wall that uses 5 one yard pieces. Should have the flimsy done next week when we gat back home.
Keep up the good work everyone!

OK, please post photos. I/we would love to see your work.

I have not been shopping but for little snips and dabs that are needed to finish something already started. Example I purchased 3 half-yard cuts of a soft orange to complete a quilt. I have increased my stash because of folks giving up quilting or finding free fabric that fills a hole in my color choices. Trying to avoid those give away tables but.... you know how they can call to you. I primarily look for cuts large enough to become a back. That often solves my problem. I did gave away 12 yards this week when I put stash on the give away table which helps decrease my stash. I am quite sure I have sent more out that what I have brought in.

Let's see if I remember how!
First photo made with 6" squares
Second is a flimsy in process 5 yard quilt

First is finished calling it Perfection is Pointless.
Second is on the LA. 99 blocks sewn while we were at the GOL house.

Are you ready for more?
First photo made from 1" scraps. Borders made it 60" square. Now quilted
Second is made from leftover triangles...call it Land of the Misfit triangles. Also finished and bound. My design wall doesn't lay real flat so my photos show ripples!

Wowsa! These are beautiful!

Welcome back, oksewglad! I’m so glad your husband is doing well!

Lovely quilts! Oh the patience for all of those HSTs.

I love making HSTs, but I am not sure I love them that much! Tee-hee-hee. Thank your for all of the photos. You have been busy and using so much of what others would just toss out. Congratulations and stitch on, Oksewglad. Inspiring and encouraging for use all to see what can be made from odds and ends.

Thanks everyone. The quilts made with the smaller pieces go in a pile of quilts called "The 14". I hope to have one special quilt for every Grand that they can fight over after I'm gone. I chuckled when I was showing the little Log cabin to our 15 yo Grand. She asked, "Is this one of the 14?" Gotta love her! BTW. I have 14 plus in various stages from WIP'S to finished waiting for them sometime in the distant future!

What a lovely plan, Oksewglad. I have family that need a quilt. The grands all have at least one but are now ready for adult sized patchwork snuggles.

I stumbled on a new way to clean out some of my stash. I am part of a group that makes simple quilts and other items for donation. Last Tuesday, I took a layer cake with me and finished a top in just a little over two hours. Yup, just joined the blocks in a 5X6 grid and the other ladies will layer using the birthing method and then tie the quilt. This one will go to a homeless individual in our area. I found a jolly bar in my cupboard when I got home and will do the same with the 5X10" strips making a bright and colorful quilt for a woman or an older child. Just about 5 yards of fabric out of my stash that I did not particularly like but did not have the heart to give away. I think this may help me clear away some of the pieces I have that have been sitting in the shadows for years. Out the door!

That is most certainly a guilt free way of cleaning out some fabric. Some people may beat themselves up for spending money on fabric that they really didn't LOVE. But you were able to bless someone else with the bounty that you have and there is no reason to beat oneself up over that. Bless you!

Thanks, Buckeye. That is much the way I look at it. If I purchased the fabric and did not use it, well move it on and allow someone else to enjoy it or to have a warm snuggle from a quilt. So much of what I have is donated to me. Just this morning I was given a bag of scraps of Fig Tree fabric. Enough for a quilt? Well maybe not but pretty close if I was making a baby sized quilt. I also try to take advantage of bargain tables and give away tables to find what I need or what sparks creativity. In like manner, I donate plenty of my stash to others on those bargain tables so they can partake in my bounty and blessings.

I plan to dig a little deeper and keep making those quick tops to clear out more from my pre-cut stash. I went through a phase where pre-cuts seemed to dominate my purchases but then just sat prettily on the shelf. Now off they go as tops, fingers crossed in the new year.

I am glad to report that all of my Bonnie Hunter mystery for this year will be from stash which is my usual (but not always achieved) goal. I'm going a bit off script from Bonnie's plan but I'm pretty happy with my choices. A few years ago (2019) I made one of my really good buys at the thrift store, but I've been challenged on what to do with the fabric, mostly due to color. A couple of weeks ago I was looking at it thinking it was probably time to re-donate. But when Bonnie called one of the fabric choices as "melon" I knew I had my answer both with what to do with the fabric and what to use for the mystery. Not only will I be using yardage on the top of the quilt, but I also have a back made from a companion fabric. It helped me resist a backing sale knowing that I do have backs for all my un-quilted projects plus a couple more.

My vision has improved greatly after the cataract surgery. I'm still in long term healing before I can be fitted for contacts. I'm really looking forward to be able to sew and use up stash this coming year :)

I am also, for the very first time, able to attempt the BH mystery from all stash!

I seem to have settled in with Bear Creek Quilting Co. for my stash projects. They run continual mysteries, some more complicated and some less. I find that mysteries for me take the worry out of committing to a fabric ensemble, since there's a built-in, 'not my fault -- it was a mystery!' attitude, LOL

I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd been here - sorry for my silence! I've much enjoyed hearing recent stories of stash success and have a couple of my own to share. These are the last two quilts from that pile of baby flannel I wanted to use up. There is still a small stack of fabric left but I will take that to the guild free table and maybe someone can add it to their stash to make up "enough" for a project. The backs are also pieced out of the same fabrics.

I am also trying to clear out some of my Christmas fabric - I don't actually have a ton but I have more than I really want or need. Our guild is making placemats for Meals on Wheels this week and while I take forever to make a single one (I tried - I enjoyed it immensely, but it was slow) I'm planning on trying to pare down some of what I've got for others to use more efficiently. :-)

Oksewglad, your signature is clearly true! I also love working with small pieces but you take it to the next level! I love them all!!! Thanks so much for sharing your photos.

And "out the door" is a major goal accomplished, WMU - way to go!

This is all so great, Iceblossom, and I'm thrilled for your improved vision. I will, as you know, be watching the BHMQ thread with great interest - love that you're able to keep to stash and use up a great find!

Joe'smom, this is such a great way to take the risk/guilt/worry out of "using up!" I think I might have to borrow that idea. :-) I've never done a mystery quilt but I think that when you're working with stash, there is mystery in every opened box or bag - "Oh, that's where that was!" or "When did I buy that?" or even "Is that even mine? I have no recollection..."

Took three UFO's and some fabric for the give away table at my quilting group tonight. Came home with two of the UFOs and about a yard and a half of fabric that will be used in the birthday swap next year. I also came home with about 18 spools of thread! All Gutterman and most in lovely colors that I can use in quilting or piecing. Those will be gone by spring for sure.

Oh and I also took in two dog beds filled with scraps and snippets that are too small, in my estimation, to keep. More out the door with just a little that sneaked in.

I just received some nice fabric actually alot of it so I won't be running out anytime soon.

The end of the year is fast approaching and I'm realizing that I've not been keeping this thread as active as I would like to see it. If there is someone out there who would like to take it on and guide us into 2025, please let me know!

I managed to get about a yard and a half of fabric plus some batting bits out of the house by making a few placemats for Meals on Wheels and I'm now trying to continue using up fabric by making blocks for a block-of-the-month challenge at our guild. This is my first block - I have fabric pulled from my stash for several more but life has been busy enough that I've not even managed to start cutting for a second block yet. Maybe soon!

Hope you're all managing to get your last minute projects/shopping/baking/connecting done without too much stress! Happy pre-holiday chaos time!

I would like to take this on, but I already host the 2.5 Birthday Swap and participate in the Boom swap. I will encourage and comment more frequently in '25 for whoever leads it, but.... well, wisdom must prevail for me. Gemm, can you do one more year? I will be with you all the way!

I am in another group not on the Quilt Board that keeps track of fabric in and fabric out. To date, I have used about 80 yards of fabric this year. Yeah! I have one quilt that needs to be layered and quilted and that should get me closer to 85 yards. My goal was 100 yards out the door. Won't make it this year, but 85 is pretty close. It will due.

Hint to help clear your abundance of stash, if you are gifting to another quilter or at your quilt guild or group. Don't Shop!! Give from your stash. Last evening my quilting group did a Christmas exchange and played a variation of BINGO. When you get a bingo you choose a package from the table, but later some one can choose a package or steal from you. Lots of fun and the items most often taken were charm pack and jelly rolls. I got rid of some, 2.5" squares that I cut from my stash along with some thread and a Christmas fabric ornament. Woops, I forgot to add that fabric to my yearly total.

Just reporting. This year has been better than some. Bought fabrics for a couple projects that “just couldn’t pass up” only to find months later, they’re still sitting on the shelf. Solution, 1)don’t go on group trips and 2) wait a couple days.

on the other hand;
1) made market bags using maybe 40 yards. Using them for gifts and fund raisers. Used fabrics that loved but never found use for them
2) used 2 fabrics that loved but couldn’t use. Made medallions. Inspired to make more
3) finished twin quilts using wide backs
4) finished quilt for daughter that’s been ufo for 3 years

shelves look just as full as beginning of year, oh well, had fun

Just to be clear, I'm not dropping out! I was just thinking I would make room if there was someone who felt the call and the offer is still open. If I don't hear anything, I'll get it started up closer to the new year. :-) I love this thread even when I'm not managing to get much out of my stash - there are so many great ideas and pictures and shares and I just like everyone here so much. :-)

Lead on, Gemm. I just might put a recurring note in my calendar once or twice a month to check up and provide an update on the thread. Not a huge MUST DO, but a reminder.

I just want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, joyous Yule, happy Hanukkah and good times with friends, family and fabric. See you in 2025 for another year of playing with stash fabrics! Thanks for the fun this year. :-)