Friday, May 16, 2014

Stash Reduction Update

So, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned my intention to reduce my stash significantly. Many of you know that I love scrap quilts and if 5 fabrics are called for, I will probably use 25. If it calls for a yard of navy, I will usually use 4 fat quarters or 8 fat eigths, or depending upon the pattern, even little bitty bits.  I've been part of Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's system for about a year, consciously preparing and then using my scraps.

So, that's only part of the background....I have moved 6 times in 10 years...and each time, I have had a couple of boxes that just "lingered" in the sewing room -- they didn't get fully unpacked or they were made up of bits and scraps and pieces.....so, this time, I spent a lot more time prepping the move. I made multiple trips to AmVets, the salvation army and the diocesan closet. I got rid of a bunch of "stuff" both quilty and not. Books that I would never read again, sheets for beds I no longer own. And a million other things that I either didn't use or didn't love.

But fabric -- fabric is not so easy to get rid of. It calls to me, it speaks to me, it asks me to use it. I did get rid of the scraps that aren't quilty related or that I didn't think I would use. I kept some linen and some burlap, that I invision pillows out of..... but I got rid of my old school uniforms (that I had once planned a quilt around), some microsuede, some taffeta scraps from a hideous bridesmaid dress, and a couple of scraps that friends had "gifted".....needless to say, I did get rid of some fabric, but I must admit that most of it stayed.

So, I moved into the new house with 40 WIPs -- each in its own box, neatly organized and most with the fabrics and patterns in the box. That's 40 quilts that I have started in some way. That doesn't count the PIGS (projects in grocery sacks), or the planned quilts, that I haven't actually bought fabric for. So, that's 40 projects that I started in some way and need to either finish as planned, resize based upon what I have already done, or give away. SO, I checked and made sure that I had updated everything onto my quilt spreadsheet (yes, I have one of those), and prioritized them. Time to get to work!!!!

In addition, I have 27 boxes of fabric. The fabrics are divided by color, but not be size...with the exception of the items that have been pushed into the Scrap User's System. Which represents a VERY small segment. Needless to say I have a lot of work to do.....

So this week I did the following :

  • Opened and sorted 3 boxes, removing everything with less than a fat quarter and putting it into the scrap user's pile.
  • I also sorted those same boxes into small, medium and large pieces -- larger than a fat quarter, but smaller than a a yard and a half went into the small pieces pile, anything from 1 1/2 yards to 3 yards into the medium pile, and anything more than 3 into the large pieces pile. 
  • I worked on a couple of the actual WIP boxes. At the moment I have 3 empty ones. Osprey's Nest, Forever Yours and Sunshine. My goal is to empty 5 a month. 
  • Made a couple of pillowcases, and couch cuddle quilts for the family.

So, here's the low down on the usage since the last update :
Osprey's Nest :
9 yards of brights
9 yards of darks
1 yard of binding (already made and in the binding drawer)
Due to the number of seams, I wanted to minimize the seams on the back, so I did buy a 108" back, rather than piece a backing....but I only bought what I needed, so that it a wash!!!

Sunshine
1 yard sashing
2 yards border fabric
16 fat quarters (4 yards) pieced backing
I didn't count the blocks, as they were already made....

Forever Yours
1 yard of background
1 yard of backing 
Again, the blocks were already made, so they didn't get counted.

Miscellaneous sewing
2 yards chevron minkee (Dax)
1.5 yards star wars
.75 black border  fabric
1 yard lips
1 yard minkee

Total Depletion : 34.25 yards

Wow....I guess I got a lot more done than I thought. I hadn't really thought about it until I wrote this post. Maybe I am making progress.....

Now, to keep it up!!!!

And here's a few picks, though not all of them.....a few I have to wait to share....








What are you working on this week???

 


No comments:

Post a Comment