Fabric Moratorium 2025
08-02-2025, 06:35 AM
#312
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 9,461
Ice, oh the dragon fabric reminds me of "How to Train Your Dragon" movie. If any of you haven't seen it, it is a charming feel good, fairy tale style story. Safe for young children and oldsters who want a safer, kinder movie with a good story line. My grandson introduced me to Hiccup and Toothless and I have been enamored ever since. I would love to make my dear grandson a pillow case with the dragons. He would LOVE it!
08-02-2025, 06:44 AM
#313
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Peoria, IL -- Midwest Transplant
Posts: 7,260
I was feeling pretty virtuous with maybe 3-5 yards in from the road trip, but just now I was looking for some fabric and opened the "other" closet and saw the bolts I bought when my favorite store went out of business 
So my year in total is high... year out not so good except for what I've given away. In reality I have given away so much fabric that the bolts don't make it back up, there is a net loss. But it does make the dent in the pile a little bit more shallow. The fat quarters and such I got are in the same black/grey family as the bolts. I am going to keep all my road trip acquisitions in one pile instead of spreading them out into the stash or the unwashed stack or where ever. I'm hoping that will keep me more mindful about other acquisitions.
I have a really strong concept of what I want to do with the dragon fabric, I will be alternating (quick pieced) crazy quilt blocks in glowing orange and "reddish" tones, gold metallic embellishment allowed on the fabric. Some will come from stash. I know I want to find some gold coins or some sort of dragon treasure fabric, that will give me something to look for, as well as maybe some of the companion pieces from the series.
The other thing I can look for on the trips is a new purse tape measurer
I had gotten one years ago on my Alaska cruise, but that one didn't last long. I've found it is a very handy thing to have, some of the dollar store ones last longer than others. But at the first store I saw this squishy snail one that was really cute. Hope I find another one on another day.
So my year in total is high... year out not so good except for what I've given away. In reality I have given away so much fabric that the bolts don't make it back up, there is a net loss. But it does make the dent in the pile a little bit more shallow. The fat quarters and such I got are in the same black/grey family as the bolts. I am going to keep all my road trip acquisitions in one pile instead of spreading them out into the stash or the unwashed stack or where ever. I'm hoping that will keep me more mindful about other acquisitions. I have a really strong concept of what I want to do with the dragon fabric, I will be alternating (quick pieced) crazy quilt blocks in glowing orange and "reddish" tones, gold metallic embellishment allowed on the fabric. Some will come from stash. I know I want to find some gold coins or some sort of dragon treasure fabric, that will give me something to look for, as well as maybe some of the companion pieces from the series.
The other thing I can look for on the trips is a new purse tape measurer
I had gotten one years ago on my Alaska cruise, but that one didn't last long. I've found it is a very handy thing to have, some of the dollar store ones last longer than others. But at the first store I saw this squishy snail one that was really cute. Hope I find another one on another day.
08-05-2025, 02:35 PM
#314
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,146
I enjoy reading about the shop hop adventures. I enjoyed meeting new quilters and seeing new ideas and fabric lines. I stopped going several years ago. I realize I bought fabric just because I like the fabric, with no project in mind. So I save money not going. Now I buy kits I like and I do free mystery QAL’s and use my stash off the internet. This way I only add to my scrap pile and not yardage. Works for me.
08-06-2025, 06:16 AM
#315
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Peoria, IL -- Midwest Transplant
Posts: 7,260
My next FART will be this Saturday. According to the schedule it should be a more reasonable day, meet/leave around 6:30 AM, home by 4:30 PM. For the shop hop map, it is "Central Region" with shops from Nauvoo to Oneida. Again, a part of the state I have never been. I do have many Mormon friends and so Nauvoo will be doubly interesting to me in terms of history.
I won $100 on a scratch off lottery ticket (that I bought from a $35 winner). That will be my shopping budget for this round, including lunch and contribute to gas.
I like this idea of the main goal being a great trip, and that I can support shops by buying some notions and t-shirts and limited fabrics. I am specifically allowing some fat quarters again in black/gray and/or bowling themed, maybe some small yardage of the dragon fabrics. Edit: Also, if there is a a good coin or treasure fabric I would be all happy!!
I have a number of bowling fabrics and a couple of "favorite items" (like green olives) in a collection of husband themed fabrics. I found this pattern for Hawaiian shirts, I really like the dimensional collar, but the shirts are too short, I will be altering that, and maybe the sleeve a tiny bit... some of the shirts will have piecing/inserts. Don't have any plans on the when, but I printed off the pattern and put it with the collection for the what/why
https://www.modafabrics.com/webfiles...c-sunshine.pdf
I won $100 on a scratch off lottery ticket (that I bought from a $35 winner). That will be my shopping budget for this round, including lunch and contribute to gas.
I like this idea of the main goal being a great trip, and that I can support shops by buying some notions and t-shirts and limited fabrics. I am specifically allowing some fat quarters again in black/gray and/or bowling themed, maybe some small yardage of the dragon fabrics. Edit: Also, if there is a a good coin or treasure fabric I would be all happy!!
I have a number of bowling fabrics and a couple of "favorite items" (like green olives) in a collection of husband themed fabrics. I found this pattern for Hawaiian shirts, I really like the dimensional collar, but the shirts are too short, I will be altering that, and maybe the sleeve a tiny bit... some of the shirts will have piecing/inserts. Don't have any plans on the when, but I printed off the pattern and put it with the collection for the what/why
https://www.modafabrics.com/webfiles...c-sunshine.pdf
Last edited by Iceblossom; 08-06-2025 at 06:28 AM.
08-06-2025, 08:16 AM
#316
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 9,461
Ice, I saved that pattern last year to use for one of my grand-twins who wears Hawaiian shirts often. I will use it as his graduation quilt. Great minds and all that.
It is now August and I did not post my success using stash and limiting shopping to what was needed. In the month of July: I used 24.25 yards of fabric. Whoo Hoo! I finished two UFO's, one quilt that used some of my 2.5 stash and made and donated a top to a local organization. That is all to the good, but I also brought in 21 yards to finish projects and cuts from the sale of a shop that was closing. That put me a little bit in the hole for July but I am still ahead for the year. I still have 5 months to reach MY goal. In the end it is all about more out of the sewing closet than in to the closet. (Finishing UFO's sure does help! )
It is now August and I did not post my success using stash and limiting shopping to what was needed. In the month of July: I used 24.25 yards of fabric. Whoo Hoo! I finished two UFO's, one quilt that used some of my 2.5 stash and made and donated a top to a local organization. That is all to the good, but I also brought in 21 yards to finish projects and cuts from the sale of a shop that was closing. That put me a little bit in the hole for July but I am still ahead for the year. I still have 5 months to reach MY goal. In the end it is all about more out of the sewing closet than in to the closet. (Finishing UFO's sure does help! )
Last edited by WMUTeach; 08-06-2025 at 08:19 AM.
08-08-2025, 07:10 AM
#317
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 926
Great stories about fabric out, friends, even if there are little chapters in the narrative arc of fabric in as well! :-)
The mitered borders have been finished but I'm not happy with the backing idea I had so I think this one will be left as a flimsy until I can figure out a solution that works. I'd like to say I will use stash but at this point it's unlikely just because I don't have that many larger stash pieces and I already know most of them won't work for a backing (for my level of expectations :-)).
Two stacks of "play nicely together" fabrics have been returned to boxes - neither of them got me excited enough to commit, although I do have them put away together so maybe they will be revisited in the future. I might need to take a bit of a break - another attempt to find "fabric friends" from a couple of boxes of smaller scraps led to a huge mess and a decent dose of overwhelm/frustration. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy playing with the fabric, though! Tee hee!
The mitered borders have been finished but I'm not happy with the backing idea I had so I think this one will be left as a flimsy until I can figure out a solution that works. I'd like to say I will use stash but at this point it's unlikely just because I don't have that many larger stash pieces and I already know most of them won't work for a backing (for my level of expectations :-)).
Two stacks of "play nicely together" fabrics have been returned to boxes - neither of them got me excited enough to commit, although I do have them put away together so maybe they will be revisited in the future. I might need to take a bit of a break - another attempt to find "fabric friends" from a couple of boxes of smaller scraps led to a huge mess and a decent dose of overwhelm/frustration. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy playing with the fabric, though! Tee hee!
08-15-2025, 09:42 AM
#319
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Peoria, IL -- Midwest Transplant
Posts: 7,260
Another road trip this weekend! Should be the last for me even though shop hop goes on for another month. The 3 main ladies spent Wednesday and Thursday night in Chicago, will drive back down to Peoria today, to be set to go out again (with me!) on Saturday. Next week is the local big guild show.
I was thinking that as a vacation, the main gal is extending days off into shop hopping pretty darn well. Days and hours of entertainment and not even that much investment since most of the trips were/are day trips. Next year she is going on an Alaskan quilting cruise -- I bet that costs more than her two months of shopping.
But for me and my stash, I will still be playing it conservative. I hope! Again, I have a few set items/themes I will be looking for, but mostly I'm going for the trip and companionship.
I was thinking that as a vacation, the main gal is extending days off into shop hopping pretty darn well. Days and hours of entertainment and not even that much investment since most of the trips were/are day trips. Next year she is going on an Alaskan quilting cruise -- I bet that costs more than her two months of shopping.
But for me and my stash, I will still be playing it conservative. I hope! Again, I have a few set items/themes I will be looking for, but mostly I'm going for the trip and companionship.
08-15-2025, 12:58 PM
#320
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 9,461
I am on the hunt for a backing for one of my quilts. I expect to search for a 106 wide back and will need 2.5 yards. Fingers crossed that I can find a soft creamsicle color, solid or a small print. When double checking my spelling I saw that yesterday, August 14, was Creamsicle Day. What a coincidence!
