I have to confess, I’ve already blown my stash reduction resolution made at the beginning of the month – it’s a lot harder than I thought! In my defense, I had good reasons for purchasing the following items (and some of it falls under the rule exceptions).
Adding to my Halloween stash
Here is a bundle of Halloween fabric I purchased at an online quilt shop. This fabric line features “Boo Kitty” and is designed by Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night. There are several good reasons why I needed this much. First, it was on sale for a very good price and there was a 1 yard minimum cut per fabric. Second, this line was released years ago and is VERY hard to find. Third, I have the cutest pattern for a Halloween table topper that uses this fabric and I WILL make it – I promise!
Halloween Celebration by Bonnie Sullivan, All Through the Night
Here is my haul from the thrift store. I usually find nice large pieces of corduroy and denim that I can use for my bags. There is a new pattern in the works and I will need to make a few prototypes. It’s better to use fabric from the thrift store since it is so cheap (about $1 a yard).
Thrift Store Stash
So, as you can see, all these purchases were justifiable. But just to keep things honest, I am going to write down my MONTHLY stash report (it’s apparent these need to be done monthly, in order to have the desired effect of actually reducing the stash):
Back by popular demand – Flea Market Finds! At the end of each month I will post some of my better “finds.” Some months I do really well, other months I don’t have much luck!
This is a cute little house box I found at the local thrift store. It is handpainted and the colors work great with the vintage red,white, and blue color scheme I have in my sewing room. The roof lifts off and you can store treasures inside.
Little House Box
Next up is an antique school desk. This one is in exceptionally good condition – only one piece of gum stuck to the bottom! This particular model (Model 101) was manufactured by the American Seating Co. in the early 1900’s. There is an fascinating history of theater, school, and bus seating on the American Seating Co. website. The frame is made of steel and the seat flips up for easy storage. This may go in the entranceway – the perfect place to sit while you put on or take off shoes.
Antique Schoolhouse Desk
There is a store in downtown Apex called The Rusty Bucket owned by Pam and Mack Thorpe. They carry all types of antique and primitive items and I go there all the time to see what “new” things they have. I was lucky enough to be in town last week when they hosted “The Gathering”, a huge sale that featured all the wonderful antiques that Pam and Mack found when they went “pickin'” in some old barns.
Barnwood Cupboard
The biggest thing I bought was a wooden cupboard made out of old barnwood. I needed something like this for the house to add some height to my living room. I’m not sure how old this is, but it definitely has some authentic distressing and works great with the other primitive things in the house. This thing is very heavy and so once I find a place for it – it won’t move!
Vintage Flag Trunk
The last thing is my most favorite find (sorry Barbara, you can’t have it!). It’s a vintage trunk with an American Flag carved into the top. There are 50 stars on the flag, so I assume it was made in the 1960’s. It is made of a nice heavy dark wood, and there is a tray inside that lifts out. Not sure where this is going yet, but I am sure my decorator (Liberty Rose) can help me figure it out!
In other news, I have a few sewing things I am working. I will also be posting a tutorial next week for a fun Valentine’s project.
In keeping with the theme of reducing and organizing your stash, let’s discuss the “scrap problem”. Right now, my scraps are stored in a single plastic bin. However, when I take the lid off it literally explores from all the fabrics I have stuffed in there. This method also makes it difficult to track what colors and styles of fabric are there.
Scraps gone crazy!
Since the Scrappy House blocks are made from scraps, this bin needs organized so that the blocks can come together more quickly. The first one was finished yesterday and only 18 more are needed in order to be caught up! I plan to work on them this weekend so that things are back on track by Monday.
First Scrappy House Block!
The first one turned out really cute. This uses some of the modern fabrics in my scrap bag – do you see the little bird in the window? My plan is to mix up all the fabric styles. It will look nice and scrappy when completed. In order to give the final piece some unity, the same black and red fabrics will be used to create the border and corner stones that surround each block. The search is still on for these two fabrics.
Anyway, back to to the scrap problem. I purchased 8 clear plastic shoebox bins and will be organizing the scraps by the colors of the rainbow (black/white for the last bin). This seems to be an easy way to get them in order for now. Since I have so many vintage scraps, these will be organized in another set of bins.
How do you organize your scraps? Please post your suggestions in the comments section.
What goes through your mind when someone says the words “Stash Reduction”? Do you get a sheepish look on your face and nod knowingly? Do you cringe at the idea of actually using your beautiful fabrics? Does it mean nothing since you don’t have a stash or even know what one is?
My Fabric Stash - January 2011
For some reason, whenever I think about my stash, I get a twinge of guilt. It does seem a bit … indulgent…to have more fabric in my possession than I can ever use in a lifetime. When people come over to my house I am a bit shy about showing them my stash closet for fear I will be judged harshly. However, most people obsessed with sewing understand where I am coming from and don’t judge me :). In order to alleviate some of these guilty feelings, I sort through my stash once or twice a year and either sell or donate the fabric. My goal is to not outgrow the current stash closet, because once that happens I will have TOO MUCH FABRIC.
Fat Quarter and Miscellaneous Stash - January 2011
There are many reasons that it’s hard to use the fabrics in your stash. One, you never know if you will see that same bolt of fabric again, so you need to get a yard “just in case”. Two, once you have the fabric in your stash, you have to find the perfect perfect project for it. Three, when you start a new project, you need to buy more fabric because you don’t have anything in your stash you can use (this is similar to looking at a closet full of clothes and not having anything to wear).
This year, I am making a concerted effort at Stash Reduction with a two-pronged approach: first, I don’t plan to buy any new fabric in 2012* (gifts are fine), and second, I will get rid of at least 300 yards of my stash by using it, donating it, or selling it. I have some projects in mind and I think I can do it – but it will be a challenge.
Judy Laquidara at Patchwork Times created a Stashbuster Pledge in 2009. While I’m not ready sign a formal pledge, I think this is a great idea. Judy’s blog is very inspirational for people like me who hope to reduce their stash. She does a weekly stash report that I plan to adopt (although my reports will be posted every 2 months – first one post at the end of February):
Used the last two months:
Used Year to Date:
Added in the last two Months:
Added Year to Date:
Net Used for 2012:
Do you think I am crazy for doing this? Anyone want to jump on the band wagon and join me? Any ideas for stashbuster projects? If so, please email me or post in the comments!
Finally, I am pleased to announce the debut of “The Straight Stitch”, an advice column for those to love to sew, embroider, craft, etc. Please email me your questions and they will be answered! Feel free to ask me anything, I’m here to help you Keep it Thimble!
*Exceptions: it is from the thrift store, on sale for $4 a yard or less, needed for binding or backing, or it is the only non-stash fabric needed to complete a project.
Happy New Year! I look forward to all the fun we are going to have at Keep It Thimble this year. Last year, I posted my 2011 Goals for KIT and accomplished about 25% of them. So instead of writing up another list of goals for 2012, I will actually do them, and you’ll just have to be surprised!
Here are the results of the poll I conducted just before the holidays. Thanks to everyone who participated. This information will be used to make Keep It Thimble a more useful resource for you.
What content interests you?
Flea Market Finds 23%
Tutorials 21%
Book Reviews 17%
Recipes 15%
Tool Reviews 9%
Giveaways 8%
Guest Bloggers 4%
What styles interest you?
Vintage 33%
Classic 25%
Modern 19%
Prim 11%
What projects interest you?
Quilts 26%
Home Decor 15%
Totes 13%
Holiday Decor 13%
Toys 11%
Accessories 11%
Clothing 9%
Crafts 2%
What activities interest you?
Quilting 26%
Wool Applique 24%
Embroidery 21%
General Sewing 19%
Making Clothes 7%
Machine Embroidery 2%
I was surprised that Flea Market Finds was so popular! That’s good information to know and you can be sure there will be more finds posted in the future.
Building Houses from Scraps
Finally, here’s a fun new project to start for the new year – building houses from scraps. Jeanneke is a quilter from the Netherlands who has organized a virtual quilting group. The goals is to create one 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ house block each day. The fun part is that you will use your scraps! Thus, the name of group is “Building Houses from Scraps“. Check out the link for more information on how to participate. It is free to join, and has been so popular that she has extended “official” registration until Jan 16th. I don’t know if I can make 365 of these blocks this year, but it sure will be fun to try.
Keep it Thimble 