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I Blew It!

The stashbusting effort for 2009 is just plain history!  Since I always have to blame someone besides myself, I would like to blame it on AQS (American Quilter’s Society).  They’re my publisher and since my next book is in their hands, I shouldn’t blame them but I did read this blog post but unfortunately, it was after I’d bought fabric . . lots of fabric.

As honest as I try to be, if ever I weren’t going to be honest, this is that time.  You don’t know how tempted I have been to just pretend it didn’t happen and never report it.  Can’t do it though.  I will report it on Sunday . . every blasted yard of it.

In my own defense, because I know no one else is going to defend me . . I was tired of never having the right white because those Itty Bitty Pretty Ditty or whatever that Lakehouse dot is called . . it isn’t going to last forever.  I’ve made 3 or 4 quilts with it and I’m starting to sweat when I look at the little bit of it that’s left.  So I got plenty of white and I got plenty of ecru.  And, I never have the right shade of purple.  Everything I have is too pink or too blue or too red so I bought enough purple that if I don’t have the right shade, then darn it . . the right shade doesn’t exist!  And, green! You know how much green I have but everything seems to be lime green or olive green.  I had nothing (well . . almost nothing) that’s grass green or Christmas green.  And, all my reds were the wrong shade of red.  No clear red.  No Christmas red.  And blues . . I have lots of light blue and aquaish blue but really no navy or royal.

As of today, I think I have plenty of white on white, ecru on ecru, purples, greens, reds, blues.  Oh, my . . I blew it!  I really blew it.

Please don’t try to distract me because I’ll be in the sewing room til December 31 trying my best to at least end the year with a positive number.

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Comments

  1. OOOOO…show us a picture of the new additions to your stash!!! They sound yummy!!! (And we don’t mind if you bought more fabric…we understand how that is!)

  2. LOL! I’ll defend you Judy, I think it’s GREAT that you found a bunch of fabric you loved! Just think of how inspiring it will be!

    • Pictures will come (if you insist). I have to wash it all. Chad comes home today with his laundry and next week I’ll be gone so .. I’ll get them as fast as I can.

  4. Don’t beat yourself up about buying fabric – I think there are worse things to spend your money on – at least the fabric is useful and it is not as if you do not use it.

  5. Hmmm, why am I envisioning BOLTS and not YARDS? I think if you store them in Chad’s room then you would not have to count them because they wouldn’t technically be “in the stash”. You would only have to count what you bring in the sewing room to cut.

    I’m pretty sure that’s how the rules work.

    • There are a few bolts. White on white or EOE go so quickly, I never mind buying bolts of those. Why didn’t I think of storing fabric in Chad’s room and not having to count it as added to the stash? Probably because he comes home every weekend and still has all his “stuff” in there. He’s a big hunter . . need I say more?

  7. This sounds serious, Judy! I can’t wait to get the details. And pictures! Please post pictures. We will want all the details of where, when and how this amazing downfall transpired. Congratulations!

    • Nothing exciting precipitated this purchase. The next quilt I’m going to make needs greens and I was struggling to get the right shade of green in my stash so I knew I needed grass and Christmas greens. A lot of my quilts take 4 or 5 yards of background fabric and sometimes a scrappy background takes away from the design; sometimes not. So, I found the greens, then I found the purples, then I grabbed a few background fabrics and then . . then I had bought a lot of fabric! 🙂

  8. I think you forgot to add the golds to your purchases. Does the fabric line have the word dimples in it? You can always make some charity quilts to use up the fabric colors that are not the right shades for what you are making now.

    Don’t fret Judy, you’ll use it and you’ll be happy you have just the right shade for your projects.

    I see book number three in your future with all your new fabrics.

    I’m looking forward to book number two being released. Do you have a date yet?

    Quilterbee

    • I think I’m ok on golds for now. Maybe not though. I’m not going shopping today . . that’s for sure. Next book will be out February 1 according to AQS.

    • Without you to make me look good, I’d really be kicking my butt about this. I was doing so good. In fact, every Sunday when I look at your stash report, I say . . she needs some self control when it comes to buying fabric. I’ll never say that again! 🙂

  12. Wow! I went back to check your last stashbusting report and if you are now in the positive – you must have bought out the store! Buying bolts is a good idea is the fabric is a basic and it sounds like you bought a lot of the good basic stuff.

    Part of the reason for having a stash is to have the right stuff to make quilts and our tastes in what is “right” changes over time. That’s why there is a bunch of stuff in our stash that we all say “why the heck did I buy that?”

    Liz

    • I think everything I bought was tone on tone and you know I’ll use that. I have pretty much used all that “why did I buy that?” fabric. It’s just getting the right shade of some of the colors that was causing problems for me.

  13. Sounds like a fun afternoon – either at the quilt shop or tickeling the keyboard!!

  14. Oh, my. Sounds like your weakness turned into great fun! Enjoy it, though – don’t feel guilty. The pictures are going to be delicious.

  15. You don’t have to wash it for us….just show us the fabric LOL. The
    other day I purchased way too much fabric (not bolts like you).
    My plan is to make a quilt with Kaffe’s fabrics, something
    nice and bright to chase away the winter.

    • It’s not coming in til it’s time to wash it. Chad comes home today with his laundry and that HAS to be done before Monday. Fabric doesn’t have to be washed before Monday. I couldn’t stand to have that pile of fabric sitting in my laundry room. Going to wash the greens now though!

  16. So, Judy, did you find a new quilt shop? I guess *I* don’t get the blame for sniffin’ out this one! You’ll have to take me to it so I can put it on my list of great shops. Is there a bridge to get across to get to it? You know how trustworthy I am to get you over them, right? HaHa!

  17. Judy, I haven’t been following your blog long enough to know about the 2009 Stash busting effort. I take it you’re keeping track of all used and bought? I should try for that, too. The good news is I just found enough in my stash to make two twin-sized quilts for a niece and nephew, including the backings! I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. So I’ll be doing laundry today, too. I don’t wash before it goes into the stash…

    You’re so prolific I am sure you will remedy the imbalance caused by your new stuff very quickly! And all your rationalizations are completely convincing, but then you’re preaching to the choir, right?

  18. I’m proud of you Judy! You are helping keep LQS in business 🙂 As a matter of fact, I helped two LQS yesterday. I’m only trying to do my part.

  19. I did the same thing this last month with embroidery patterns. 🙁 I do love redwork but it will take a lifetime to make all these quilts…and I don’t have a lifetime left! blessings, marlene

  20. Chin up, lady! Those are things you need and will use – if all you ever did was bust your stash, you wouldn’t be satisfied with the results all the time, as your perfect whites and other solids diminished.

    I’m not certain stashbusting is a game we can win. 😉

  21. The thing that the stashbusting reports and tracking have taught me is how long it does or doesn’t take to use up fabric. While I do want to have less stash, just the fact that it isn’t growing is a huge achievement! I always figure that ass long as I am honest with myself about what I bought, it isn’t something to be ashamed of.

    My sister works with an agency that helps women addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. One of the things she talks about when giving presentations about their facility is for anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight to think about how many tries it took. Can you imagine how much harder it is when you are actually chemically addicted to something? I think about that often when I’m trying to change a habit: no matter what the habit is, it can take a lot of tries to break it when it becomes so ingrained, and I have a huge new appreciation for anyone who can permanently make that kind of change! As for me, as long as I don’t give up and keep tracking, I figure I’m doing ok.

  22. Which white on white did you get? And you’re happy with it? And how on earth do you wash a whole bolt of fabric.

    My mind boggles!

    • The white on white I got was Dimples and I haven’t used it yet. It will be real hard to beat that Lakehouse dot. I love that fabric a lot.

  23. Wait – tell me you did NOT buy that whole line of whatever that was you were lusting after?

    The line that if you owned them all you would never have to buy fabric again?

    I think I’m having a heart attack.

    • I did not buy the whole line . . not even a small chunk of it. I bought several Dimples by Andover. There are 135 – 140 pieces in the line and I would love to have them all . . some day maybe.

  24. I think a Christmas Quilt is in your near future. I want to know how you wash a whole bolt too… Then you get to press it and re-fold it, or do you put it back on the bolt? Enjoy those fabrics. You just did a bit of retail therapy!
    Mary C – who brought home half the Hancock store when it closed here 2 years ago…

    • I don’t always wash a whole bolt. Depends on where the fabric comes from. If it is fabric I’m going to wash, I take it off the bolt, cut it into 5 or 6 yard chunks, wash it, dry it, press it, fold it and it goes onto the shelves. If it’s on a bolt and I’m not going to wash it right away, I still cut off 5 or 6 yards, wash that and it goes into my stash. The rest of the bolt gets stuck with the other bolts. The fabric will be washed as needed from those bolts.

  25. Ummmm…..well…..I went to three new shops on the way back to Monroe yesterday. I found some really great asian prints. Went outside the plan here and there….and umm there…. Will be telling all along with you on Sunday.

  26. Hmm…. I am going to be traveling again and I am taking my quilter’s travel book with me. Maybe I can sprinkle some of my personal stimulus money along the way….. oh wait – I already did that this week at a guild meeting…. You still di good Judy with all of your purchases….

  27. Sometimes you just got to do what the spirit moves you to do! Besides, since I have not bought anything in about 6 months, long dry spell, you are only doing my part! 😉

  28. Judy, this really is not a problem.*S*
    all you have to do is just figure out how much yardage you have comming in, and then donate that much from your stash on hand to a local guild for their charity quilts.

    think of it as trading in a used car on a brand new one, only this is old fabric for new fabric.

    just begin with the largest color group that you have on the shelves and start pulling.

  29. Judy,
    When I need inspiration I know to go to your blog. You are so funny, even with your guilt. Now remember how many fellow bloggers you told “it is OK to replace the fabric used, add to areas of the stash needing help etc.” Well you just did that!

    I am making a trip next week to Branson, Springfield, MO and Fort Smith AK. I hope to add to my stash. I am so far behind in my reports maybe I need to update my blog also.

  30. We love you anyway…addiction or not! You provide so much inspiration. We understand that it is very difficult to encourage us with quilt for an hour if you don’t have the right color fabric. Keep up the good work!

  31. Did you have fun buyin’ it all?? And do you love what you bought?? That’s what matters. I have never regretted what I’ve bought, only the things I talked myself out of and then couldn’t find later. And you could have done worse. You could have gambled away your life savings or drank yourself silly. The fabric is useful and you’ll enjoy it every time you use some of it. You go girl!!! 🙂

  32. Just think, you are keeping the economy going, and making yourself have a selection to your hearts desire. Saving gas running out to get what you need when you need it. I say
    GOOD FOR YOU. If I could buy those if bolts I sure would!
    and seems with the next 50% off coupon at JoAnns, I just might-lol

    Well done Judy

  33. My husband just shakes his head when I buy fabric. He’s realized that my hobby isn’t so bad after watching other couples we know disintegrate over “wine, women and song”. He never has to worry about where I’m at or what I’m doing 🙂

  34. Lol Judy-you go for it. Buy some yardage in my name. DH got laid off earlier this year and is going to school right now so we can’t afford a FQ much less a fabric splurge and I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed that my fellow quilter’s would keep my favorite shop in the black while I was trying to stay out of the red. 🙂

  35. Whew. I feel so much better. Now I know that my fabric and quilting book purchases have been helping to supporting the fabric industry and my local quilt shops. Now I can spend more time sewing than berating myself for “going off the wagon”.
    Judy you inspire us so much with your creativity and generosity. We can’t expect you to be perfect and you shouldn’t either. And, if you need to blame someone, you can always blame Elaine! LOL.

  36. Oh, how funny!! I missed this post until I was working on my “Sunday Confession”. Judy, I think there will be quite a few of us working on those “end of year” totals!

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