My State of the Stash

I belong to Stashbusters - a Yahoo quilting group.  We're a feisty bunch and the messages can be very entertaining.  During your birthday month you write a "State of the Stash" message.  I'm a Leo!!

My DH is 5 weeks younger than me - and we've been married 47 years.  And I listened to the same bad ‘older woman’ jokes for decades!! So, a few years back, I decided if I celebrate until his birthday I don't mind the jokes!!!  It's great fun!!

I've been quilting for 46+ years!  I figured out I've never gone two weeks without quilting!  And includes cross-country moves; vacations (I used to be able to do handwork in the car!) or busy times.

I don’t buy much fabric or books anymore.  (I refuse to define “much”!!)  But I am always on the lookout for reds and blues for Quilts of Valor.  I’m chair of our group and usually make 2-3 QOVs a year.  It's not so much buying more - it's replenishing the fabric.  But it does look like I bought a bunch this year!!

Otherwise, my stash was doing so-o well, I discovered Color Block method by Stash-Lab so even the scraps were kind-of-sorta under control!  But then a friend and I joined Jen Kingwell's BOM Marshal.  We don't have JK fabric out here.  We were going to stick to stash but ... a July trip to NE for a wedding.  My favorite NE store - Quilted Moose, a Gretna NE store, carries Jen's whole line.  Oh my!!!  Let’s just say I had a “Lollie-good-time”!!

I bought a bunch, enough that the owner gave me a hug when I left the store!!!  But she usually does that, it just felt longer!!!   I did split every piece with my friend.

THEN a NE friend was having a de-stashing fabric sale on  Instagram ... Gretna is her favorite store too!  And she had a giant bundle of JK fabric.  So, we bought and split that too! Friday, I brought out the JK fabric for show and tell at my small group.  Oh my!!

Meanwhile, the sewing space has exploded!  My DH has about 3" x 6" space on the single bed to sit and tie his shoes before walks!!! And not always that much!!  Our DGS was just here - it was perfectly clean then!!!  I guess it all started when I had to "find" something!

This is just one pile of a dozen(?) on the bed!

I finally gave up on fixing my DD's wedding quilt.  15 years and it's shattered!  The bad dog ate a giant hole in it 2 years back.  Discussing it with DD and offering 3 choices, she decided she'd like a redo of the pattern using the original quilt inside for the batting.  That should make future quilt historians scratch their heads!!  Tee-hee! 

I love this pattern from the Simple Joys of Quilting.  I want to try to make a QOV with blue patchwork inside and red patchwork borders!  Or is this more madness?

Each 3 1/2" square pile is 100 squares!  I'm using all the same neutral which I am in the process of cutting.  Soon I'll be ready to sew like the wind.  

I’ve discovered several things:  Most of the blues I cut for it yesterday were the same fabrics!!

Positives

I’m a good conservator – my fabric from 90’s still viable!

I’m fairly consistent in taste!  Not buying willy-nilly!

Boy, can I pack it into the space!!

The IG (Instant gratification) monkeys are alive and well in Oregon!!

Negatives

Boy, can I pack it into the space!

Squirrel Syndrome rules!!

Small condo – what space??

Am I growing in my craft or just stagnate?

Am I a hoarder??

Only one way to help this - Must Quilt Faster!!  Please don't let Marie Condo anywhere near here!!

Moving in Slow motion!

I felt so out of it this weekend - everything seems to be taking twice the time I thought it would. I had some cuddle quilt tops from guild. In the last week I tied two of them and sewed the binding on. I tied the third this weekend and I hand-bound all 3 cuddle quilts to turn in tomorrow night at Guild. It seemed to take forever. I really thought I would get more than that done ... but no.

Miss P is at the top of the page - in her Halloween costume - I couldn't resist, since that's how I've been feeling - like a turtle!

C, a good friend, sent me her stash! She's cleaning out and consolidating an apartment and her home - and we both like the same types of fabrics ... I pulled 3 grocery bags of the fabrics to share - but it's really hard not to add ALL of it to my sewing room! I only kept less than 1/2???? Isn't that ridiculous ... I need to clean out; I went on "no-buy" and I'm keeping 2 grocery bags of C's stash ... I guess, I'd have kept it all before! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Stash Management - ha - it's managing me!!!

Okay - I read the digests from Stashbusters. I'm attracted to all the magazine articles about arranging your space. I even have the book ... so why am I wallowing in stash!!!

Last week I admitted that my sewing space looked like a tornado went thru it - twice. It's not better! I'm working with my nickel squares - making disappearing 9patch college graduation quilts for next May. [FIVE family members need quilts!]My nickels take up most of 2 office paper boxes. Well, they've exploded as I thumb thru them finding pinks and greens. The stash is falling out of the closet ... so I started sorting thru my least favorite color groups. Using the "I don't like you anymore" method of sorting - I've gone thru 3 milk crates. [ 1/4 paper box gleaned] I think I'll keep a 5" strip from each one before I pass it on.

I start "no buy" next month and I need it bad! Meanwhile - what a mess and Christmas is looming ... my sewing space hardly ever gets "better" this time of year.

Send help!

A little piece of heaven!

Okay - maybe most people wouldn't call it that! LOL! My DH among them! And I'll have to admit that it MAY HAVE gotten a LITTLE out of control! Not at it's cleanest or most organized - but it looks like this more often than not.

That's my main stash in the closet - but backings and the kid's "I spy" prints are in the cedar closet. The table is the main cutting station - and the bins underneath it are ufos, pigs and supplies. Two of the bins are denim - ready for jeans quilts; my usual HS graduation present. One bin is reproductions ready for the Lori Smith project I'm working on (and off) - Remininsce. Another bin is 4 1/2" 9 patches from an internet exchange that kept going - I hosted it for years and then started up one with our guild's evening workshop. Seriously, these little cuties mate in the dark - there's more of them now than I started with!! And that's a good thing!

One stack of bins is strips. I cut 1 1/2" thru 6" and keep them in their own bins. There's also plastic shoe boxes full of squares the same size. That's a good project for nights in front of the tv. New season starts next week - you know! A box of scraps, a tv tray with cutting mat on it, a ruler and rotary cutter.

The book shelves is pretty much ALL my books and magazines. There is one stack of old Quilter's Newsletters in the guest room - something for my overnight friends to read! I do make it a point not to let that overflow. Small comfort!

So, my assignment, should I chose to accept it ... [dating myself here! :>] is to fit all this stuff back into a working sewing room. To work on ufos and pigs and stay away from dangerous environments - local quilt stores!!! And enjoy this rather than feel guilty. Any suggestions are welcome!!!