Thursday, January 01, 2009

FINAL Stashbusting Report--Woohoo!

Wow--my closet sure doesn't show it but I busted a net total of........


358.25 YARDS!!


I didn't post a report all of December cuz I was busy!! Sewing lots of purses, sling totes, tote bags, fabric baskets, quilt for in laws, class samples AND vacationing AND had Christmas! LOL But I kept tally all along. Here's the final report:


December in: 0
December out: 17.75 yards
TOTAL YTD in: 39.5 yards
TOTAL OUT: 397.75 Yards (I was really hoping to hit 400, but ran out of time)

TOTAL NET OUT: 358.25 Yards!!

My friends are all amazed at this former Queen of Quilt Shopping!! I really had to use restraint in not buying fabric, just because. I did break down at Paducah and bought a bit of new fabric and my favorite quilt shop in Pawley's Island had a 50% off sale and how can you pass that up? The only thing I don't count is if fabric has been given to me (a friend bought me a jelly roll and hubby surprised me for Christmas and bought me some--I really didnt' think he would). But I count everything else. Oh wait..I don't count it IF I buy it to make a gift and then make it within a month, so it really never hits the stash. I know that in Stashbuster's, you can have 'legal' buys of the 4 "B's"...backing, borders, backgrounds and bindings..but I even count those, unless it's a gift and only had to buy something twice because I had nothing that did not work.
It all really doesn't matter, because I do this for me. I am out of room in my closet and really do have a nice workable stash. I think another year of really sticking to it will be good for me. I love the new fabric, but I have pretty stuff too. My original thought was to get it all way, way down. But the more I think of it....the reason I can make so many quilts without buying a thing is because I do have a nice variety. And I love that I can pretty much make whatever I want without too much effort. Oh, a few times I sure wished I could have gone out and bought something, but it made me be a bit more creative. And I love the challenge of making quilts with what I have. Okay, I have a lot, so it's not too hard. Some of my friends that are newer into quilting don't have that luxury of shopping a stash. I tell them that I couldn't do it either if I hadn't bought so much along the way. AND that they are the ones who need to keep the quilt stores in business. I did my share..now it's someone else's turn! LOL

All in all, I keep track for myself and actually enjoy the challenge. I might think different later when fabric starts getting depleted to the point that it's more work that it's worth. So..for now, I'm going for another Stash bustin' year. At one point I was trying NOT to buy ANY fabric at all, for any reason, but that is just too much. So..keeping it under 40 yards is a real coup. It's actually only 10% of what I busted, so that's good. I wonder if I can hit 500 yards this year? Wow, that's a lot...but who knows? Who thought I would have used almost 400 yards?


Now....here's a picture of me covered in the new fabric hubby got me...and I did not ask for it and he knew what I was trying to do. I asked him about it and he said he just loves the look on my face when I get some new fabric. He said, "I don't get it...but to see your face, it's worth it!" I guess since when you have been a little lean in new fabric, it makes you appreciate it when you do get some! He loves Fat Quarter Shop! heehee..me too!

13 comments:

Melinda said...

Congratulations are your accomplishment - you did a great job.

Vicki W said...

That's amazing but I want to see a closet that doesn't show 350 yards missing! Yo do look so happy with your new fabrics!

Anonymous said...

What a role model you are. 2009 marks my first year of stashbusting and I will think of you when I'm in the "stores". BTW, sounds like you have a great husband!

Carol said...

Great job...that's awesome...I'm going to work on that this year.
Fun new fabrics. Happy New Year!

InfinityQuilter/Knitter said...

Congratulations on a great stashbusting year! That's awesome! Good luck on busting 500 this year!

P.S. I like Fat Quarter Shop too. ;0)

swooze said...

Amazing amount out! So how much did u net from hubby? That picture is adorable!

Randi said...

Wow! That's an amazing finish! Way to go to your hubby!

Katie Z. said...

Wow! Your DH was really sweet to reward you for your amazing self-control.

doni said...

WOW! Amazing stats - we should start baseball type cards on us quilters!! LOL! You've trained your DH well - he's a keeper!

warm winter wishes!

doni @ Oregon coast

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I just love the photo. What a great husband you have. You have done a marvelous job busting your stash. Good luck in 2009 - I'm sure you can do it.

Linda C said...

Now that is a guy who knows how to shop or learned from a good teacher! Karen, from the tally that you busted I would say that you have made some big changes in how you approach buying fabric. It is not just for the "having" sake when you can pull together the better part of a quilt just from shopping your shelves. Good on you, girl!

Mary Johnson said...

Rolling around on the floor with fat quarters looks like fun to me.

Great job on your stashbusting!

Helen in the UK said...

Fantastic stash busting achievements. Well done you!! The new fabrics look great and I bet they feel even better because you weren't buying new stuff all year round :)