Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara logo

This is Me!

Yesterday I felt torn . . in turmoil all day! Then last night I was going through pictures on a memory stick and came across this tree and I thought . . that’s how I feel!

I think I took this picture in a conservation area north of here but from the time I got up yesterday morning, til I went to bed, I struggled and I felt like that tree must feel.  All the other trees around have branches and twigs and leaves and this poor tree . . standing all alone being the oddball!

Do you know why I felt like the oddball?  Everyone was out to get me!  The quilt shops kept sending me emails saying “We’re having a sale!” or “We have in this gorgeous new line of fabric!”  The yarn shops send me emails saying “We’ve just gotten in 25 new colors in this special yarn!” or “We’re going to have colors that we’ve been out of for the past six months!”   At least 5 times, I had items in my cart and then I closed out the page without ordering anything.  I’m betting most every other quilter ordered fabric and most every other knitter ordered yarn but not me . . no . . nothing!

And then to top it all off, a fellow knitter sent me a photo of a scarf she had woven using the same Mardi Gras yarn as the socks I showed you and it was gorgeous and now I want a loom.  She even sent me all kinds of info on how to get one and then I started clicking on looms.

Today will be different!  Maybe I won’t even open emails from yarn or quilt shops.  Maybe I will unsubscribe from all of them!  Maybe Not!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. now that loom just might be a good idea!
    if you could use the same yarn as you’re using for socks, then you’ve found another way to reduce your yarn stash.
    Or maybe you could combine different left-over balls of yarn to make a scarf that goes with multiple socks?

    i know what you mean about leaving those exciting, enticing stash enhancement items in the cart. I’ve done that before several times, and all it took was wondering where i would find a place to put the stuff when it came in.

    ps. woodpeckers would think that was a perfect tree for their new home!

    Whether something is seen as being useless or being just perfect, depends only on whether you are looking at the present or at the potential.

    • I think your comment is a great way to live your life….it could keep you optimistic and inspire many creative projects!

  3. January seems to be when the sales appear. I have been spending time at the shops that are closing and offering half price fabric and one in Washington state is selling her remaining fabric .10 per inch – $3.60 per yard. How can you turn down fabric at that price? but it sure does concern me to see these shops are closing and unfortunately is a sign of the times.

    Now if you want to talk about spinning – I feel as if I am on a stationery bike just spinning and not getting anything done – and believe me it is not doing a thing for my waistline.

  4. Woooooe is me… wrapped in misery. I had that feeling after Christmas when all the quilt shops were sending me their ads for stash reduction…. THEIRS!!! My solution was to make a ‘quilt shop’ file in my favorites list for ‘some’ of the shops and unsubscribed from their mailing list. If I need fabric, I’ll notify THEM… LOL!!

    Judy, I was just reading ahead on my guild website and you will be HERE in August!!! Looking forward to it.

  5. I don’t have your will power. I spent way too much money at eQuilter yesterday! Only one piece was on sale. Shame on me!

  7. I’m voting for the loom…I thought your slow down on purchases was focused on not buying supplies-not things that would use up the supplies.

    You can always make a goal….25 yards of fabric out and 4 more completed socks then give yourself the loom.

  8. I’ve felt like that a lot. I didn’t order any fabric yesterday either. But I did today! I feel better now. Is a new craft looming in your future? Sorry, I had to get that in!

  9. It’s a good thing I work during the day and have kddo stuff most evenings, or I’d have too much time to surf the shops. I also created my own email account when I started blogging, so most of the quilt shop adds go to my husbands email, which I don’t read. But even so I do get he Hancock’s emails and postcards from a couple of local shops. I’ve resisted Hancock’s, but one of the shops in Tulsa is having 25% off next weekend. If I go, I’m going with a buying startegy focused on backings for UFOs and maybe some specific stash enhancement for quilts I have planned. Maybe I can convince myself to stay home! So you are not alone in the “I must resist” camp.

  10. I do my best shopping by loading everything I can possibly care for in my cart. I may evem keep the cart for a day or two adding to it. Then for some reason I am able to close it out and feel satisfied. Crazy I know, but it works for me.
    I have always thought a loom would be wonderful. If you have the space for it, you would probably make the most beautiful items. It beats another weed eater!

  11. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It took me awhile to enjoy NO BUY but my totes were BUSTIN’. Since Oct. 2009 till now I’ve bought only 4+ yds. of what I needed and didn’t have and maybe 20 fat quarters of lights as I was out and needed variety. And no thread, rotary blades, notions nothing………….I feel more in control now but the thing is to stay out of the shops and I guess off the computer. Don’t want to take business away from those who sell but hey I’m in the minority of buying too much for too many years and now I’m in a smaller house and something had to give. So I’m ALMOST no buy but in a much better place.

  12. I load up those carts too! Then I hear that little voice on my shoulder (my husband) saying “we dont have any money, we want to retire debt free…” and I shut ‘er down. I also think since I love to travel, I want to spend the money there, and sometimes that includes quilt stores on the road! That is WAY more fun than shopping on line!
    One of the coolest things I have seen, is when we went to Quebec to visit family, in their small town, they had 6-7 different size looms at the commumity center. I thought that was awesome, but it was weird that most of the town was “related” -to ME. I did score a blanket from my aunt. she had a stack, and let me pick one. I Love it, and hope that SOME DAY I can get ahead enough to have a stack that people can pick from of my QUILTS. It was a cool experience. So, looms would have made MY list too, if I would have had the ROOM. My MIL also was a weaver, but has sold her loom, and has alzheimer’s. She also wove awesome baskets-out of everything. Unfortunately, we only have one of those…

  13. I’m going through the same thing. If I can resist and have will power, you can, too. We’ll just stick together and use up fabric and yarn we have. Just think of all the space that will be available once we use up so much of our stashes??

  14. I have a philosophy that my dear hubby taught me…if after sleeping on a major purchase (or minor if the thought nags at you) for three nights and the thought still is hanging in there, it probably will be ok but most of the time after 3 nights, it just isn’t important enough anymore. Works for me a lot and has saved me a lot of money.

  15. My local fabric store, the Cotton Shop, went out of business right before Christmas. I went to the store three times– 25% off, 33% off and 50% off. Now my totes are bursting with fabric. But I’ve told myself no more fabric or quilt shows until I make at least three quilts. I’m almost done machine quilting the first, the 2nd is a wheel of mystery and I’m still piecing, and the third is a baby quilt that I haven’t even designed yet.

  16. I was in the same place over the weekend….a very tempting sale that I visited at least three times debating, but I too managed to hold back….although the sale isn’t over yet…

  19. You are not alone. I fill carts and don’t buy all the time. The little voice in my head saying I’ll never get out of debt and save up for a long-arm wins out over stash enhancement most of the time lately. That and the 2 rooms full of fabric at my mom’s old house/ my guest house that I need to sort and use. No buying stash until I identify what kind/colors are needed to use up what I have!

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