Oh, man, this isn’t the start that I envisioned, but how was I to know Fabric Town was having a big sale???

So I’m starting the year in the negative, but I don’t regret it one bit.  25 FQ’s for a buck apiece (some for an Asian quilt I have in mind, some for my brown/gold/cream/red stash), three pieces of Fusions (yum) at half price, and a bit of white with pink flowers for a girly baby quilt.  So here are the hard facts:

Fabric In YTD:   16 yards

Fabric Out YTD: 0 yards

2009 Goal:         75 yards OUT

YTD Net:           -16 yards

Well, I need to get something of my own on the Gammill so I can at least subtract a backing for next week!  I’m currently back to  piecing blocks for Judy L’s last Quilt for an Hour (started it months ago, so can’t count anything out of stash).  I love the quilt, and I’m doing it in Civil War fabrics.  Oh, and I’m doing two of them, so I am currently working on 60 blocks!  I’m not much of a resolution maker, because I would make the same ones every year so obviously they don’t “take”.  But I should probably work on moderation in 2009!  And this week I plan to get my version of Judy L’s Labor Day Challenge Quilt onto the longarm.

– Those of you who wondered if there was a picture of me, regarding the previous post?  Think about it.  Do you think my husband would have noticed anything different about me?  I reference this post. 

– Seven of us from our Wednesday stitchin’ group went to the local NBC affiliate last night and presented our baby dolls with hand-made quilts to Toys for Tots, and made a brief appearance on the 6:00 news.  We all had a lot of fun.  We donated 15 dolls with quilts.

– I am in Full Apron-Assembly-Line Mode.  After completing the first Church Ladies Apron, I decided I would cut out the next nine, and do all the pockets at the same time, ties, facings, etc., and it should be a more efficient use of time.  More boring, but more efficient.  I am really excited about some of the fabrics I’m using (photos on a future day).  And I wish it was after the 1st of January so I could count these 20 yards as part of Stash Busting (two yards per apron, and 18 of the 20 yards out of stash)!!!  They are for gifts, so I will keep plugging away.

– Friday is our Christmas outing for the four of us “buds” that used to work together, and we keep in touch by meeting for breakfast most Saturdays.  We are doing an overnight at a local casino (free rooms), and will have fun opening our gifts, enjoying a fun dinner, and perhaps doing some donating  at the machines – at least until the smoke gets too bad.  I always bring knitting along…

– I got a new Keurig coffee brewer.  What a fun toy!  A toy that makes coffee/hot cocoa/tea, how good is that?

– Had my annual mammo today, and since I was close to the Mall of America, thought I would spend some time shopping.  I AM EXHAUSTED.  I guess it’s a sign of the times, but the mall was pretty low key for being two weeks before Christmas.

Well,  that’s all for now.  Pictures next time!

Sue

And just in time!  (Sorry, but I love puns and stupid word things.  I could get so much more done in a day if I gave up the daily crossword.)  It was 24 degrees when I got up this morning, and it’s only about 28 degrees right now at 1:30 pm.  Brrr.  So I have completed my very first pair of socks!  They feel wonderful.  I wasn’t sure I would like wool on my feet, as I always have to wear something between me and a wool sweater, but we’ll see how it goes with socks.  Right now I’m loving them!

I’ve been mulling over stash yardages in my mind, as I want to Join Judy Laquidara’s Stash Busting for 2009.  I like how she’s set up.  You don’t have to try to do an inventory ahead of time; just keep track of what comes in and what goes out and report the difference on a weekly basis, keeping a running total.  Then you post a Stash Busting Report on your blog each Sunday, and provide a link to that post to Judy’s blog. 

My sticking point is — how much should I set for a goal (# of yards to reduce by the end of 2009)?  I want it to be a realistic number that I can likely achieve, with some discipline.  But I don’t want it to be too easy.  It should take some effort.  I’m not going to say, no new fabric, cuz that ain’t gonna happen.  But I need to be proactive on reducing stash.  I have three sons that would probably send all my stuff to the Good Will and use the unquilted tops for oil rags, should I be sent prematurely to the Big Quilting Bee in the Sky. 

I also have to consider the fact that I don’t have a HUGE stash, but I have some yardage I’ve bought for backing pieces that just aren’t going anywhere, and I would like to make a point to get some of those moved out.  I also have some kits that aren’t getting any *fresher* and should also get made up and moved out.  Then there’s my batiks that I never seem to use; I just pull them out from time to time and admire.  Sooooo, after much deliberation, my Stash Reduction Goal for 2009 is…

75 Yards

That sounds like so much fabric, and it is, but I think I can do it (and it’s a drop in the bucket compared to some quiters’ stash-busting goals).  I’ll need to:  Shop my stash first.  Keep doing Judy L’s BOM and Quilt for an Hour Projects, as I’ve been making them (for the most part) out of stash.  I might have to do a quilt or two STARTING with one of these oddball fabrics that don’t seem to go with anything, or else I should give them away. 

I’m ready, 2009!  Bring it on!

Sue