Not buying any new fabric !!
02-04-2015, 10:46 AM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,857
If you are looking for things to do with the fabric that you no longer feel attached to (!), if you area has an adult school, a parks and rec program or church programs that teach sewing, you could consider donating some. They often teach younger people how to sew making simple projects or toys and really prefer cottons. If you want to sew small quilts (36 x 36) and do a simple cross hatch quilting, you can make a bunch, fold them and stuff in large plastic bags and donate to the police dept. and fire dept. They carry them in their vehicles to hand out to kids in trauma situations. For my daughter's girl scout troop's silver award, I worked with the girls and we made several dozen of these quilts thru the course of a year and donated them. It was incredibly rewarding and several of these girls have continued to sew.
02-04-2015, 10:52 AM
#32
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Boothbay Maine
Posts: 9,518
I am working on a string quilt in order to use up a few scraps but I'm determined not to buy new fabric (no matter what discounts or free freight is offered) until I use up the layer cakes and 3 jelly rolls I purchased and just had to have in 2014.
02-04-2015, 11:40 AM
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,369
I stopped buying fabric about a year ago when I realized my growing stash was making me anxious. I don't work as fast or as hard as I used to when I made all my own clothes -- retirement has made me lazy! -- and so having all that unused fabric has created an urgency and a demand on me that I don't enjoy. Now I buy what I need at the time I need it -- if it's not in my stash -- and resist -- or try to resist -- buying fabric just because I love it.
02-04-2015, 02:10 PM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: North Fork Ca
Posts: 8,234
No guilt - No Shame. I love my scrap bins, and can always find whatever will work best for applique or a scrappy quilt. Don't beat yourself up, but now that you will have them organized, have fun with them
02-04-2015, 03:11 PM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,225
I've only been quilting since Oct. so I don't have a "real" stash of fabric. I only allow myself to buy enough fabric to do 2 no more than 3 quilts at a time ... and I don't buy more until those quilts are finished.
Also, IMHO, you don't have time to join a 12-step group because you need to be quilting up your stash. LOL
Also, IMHO, you don't have time to join a 12-step group because you need to be quilting up your stash. LOL
Last edited by Sharonquilts; 02-04-2015 at 03:12 PM. Reason: Sorry "12-step group"
02-04-2015, 04:33 PM
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1,666
I too have huge stash & finally realized I cannot use it all up before I die or arthritis prevents me from sewing as much as in the past! Now that I have retired & fabric has gone over the roof in price I thank God I have that stash to work with! Doing very well in not buying anything new this year! I guess I'm now in recovery!! LOL
02-04-2015, 06:00 PM
#37
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 556
I hear you, I heard on a podcast American patch work that some times you have to go through your fabric some times and get rid of what your not using. I also only buy fabric if I'm wanting to do a certain color of quilt and the rest of the time stay away from buying fabric. Lately what I have been doing is making rags to clean with or wash rags for my children to use to bath with. That way the fabric is being used even if its not being quilted with.
02-04-2015, 06:44 PM
#38
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 15,639
Join us in the Fabric Moratorium thread - we really encourage each other to stay on the NO-BUY WAGON. It's hard sometimes. We are also quite good at coming up with rationalizations when one of us falls (or jumps) off the wagon.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/quiltin...m-t259073.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/quiltin...m-t259073.html
02-04-2015, 07:23 PM
#40
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 467
12step program
I have a friend who is a hoarder. I have not understood why she buys and buys and her house is full as well as about 20 storage units. Now I do ! A shelf in my sewing room broke so DH needs to fix it. I have fabric stored in bins on the shelves and they are too heavy. I knew that I had FQ's, yardage and scrapes all mixed together so I figured I would clean the bins out. So far, I have gone through the red, green, brown, yellow and orange and the purple and turquoise fabric bins. I must have 500 FQ, about 50 Fat 8ths and three grocery sacks of scrapes to be cut up. Now that still leaves me the black and white, the patriotic, 2 bins of Christmas, 2 bins of children, 1 bin of mixed, one bin of floral and 2 very large bins of blue. None of these have solids in them, that is another area of the room. I think there is another bin, but I am afraid now to go into that room and check it out. I also have FQ's in the chest in the guest bedroom with all my charm squares. There has to be about 50-75 FQ of my Kaffe Fassett fabric as well as my Liberty of London Fat Sixteenth's. And believe it or not, all this except the chest are in my sewing room which is a small ex-bedroom. So now I am more than a little ashamed of all I have, I will never ever use up all my fabric. I have made a rule now that I will not buy any more fabric -other than the background or borders for my quilts. It comes at a good time as I have made all my family members quilts in their desired designs/fabrics and now I am free to use what I have. I am wondering if there is a 12 step group I can go to ?
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