![\"2016-04-bg-meme_mirror\"](\"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/2016-04-bg-meme_mirror.jpg\")
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It’s been five months since I started my No-New-Fabric-Purchases-For-A-Year challenge.<\/p>\n
The rule is simple; use as much of the 256 pieces of fabric in my stash. To make all those things I intended to make when I bought the fabric or make something else. It’s time to stop consuming and start creating.<\/p>\n
So far, I have made two tops, two skirts, a wristlet purse, some gift bags, a tree skirt, a baby quilt (still needs quilting), baby bibs, a zippered pouch and two fabric baskets. That’s four garments, some crafts and one quilt. Not a whole lot of the stash used up so far. Mostly pieces out of the scrap bin really. I thought I would reduce my stash by half, at least use a third of it by the end of the challenge (the end of October). At this rate, and this is my reality, I might use ten pieces of yardage and reduce my scrap bin contents significantly. Not quite the impact I had hoped for. However, to look on the bright side, the fabric stash hasn’t grown.<\/p>\n
I have had to buy interfacing, thread, some buttons, needles, grosgrain ribbon, and a large embroidery hoop for quilting the baby quilt that isn’t finished. But I have bought no new fabric.<\/p>\n
It’s a mix of emotions, this fabric diet. I feel I’m doing the right thing; for me, for the budget, for an example to my kids of following through with what you say you’re going to do. I admit to feeling a little joy when I cruise by the mob waiting at the cutting table not having to join them. In contrast, though I feel I’m missing out when I delete all the fabric sale emails (I don’t even open them – too much temptation) and I feel disappointed when there is something I want to sew but I don’t have the right fabric or enough yardage of a fabric to make it.<\/p>\n
Honestly though,\u00a0if I had broken that promise to myself to use what I already own\u00a0and bought some gorgeous, great deal of a fabric would it be sewn into something already or would it still be sitting on the shelf with all the other gorgeous good intentions?<\/p>\n
This challenge\u00a0has brought some\u00a0adult reality checks. I’ve realized;<\/p>\n
In the next couple of months I would like to make a twin-size quilt. I have gathered a pile of large scraps and one-yard cuts that I think go together. I also want to sew two tops for my daughter (fabric was bought for these tops last September) and a couple of tops for myself (fabric was bought for my tops ages ago). I would really love to have the tops done in a month but I have a few non-sewing demands on my time as well. Seriously, am I able to sew a top a week including working out fit adjustments? Non, \u00e8 impossibile but I will try. (The word “impossible” is much more fun to say in Italian and so we do in my house)<\/p>\n
What if at the end of the challenge I’ve used only a handful of my fabrics? What if I still have 240 pieces left on my shelf? Will I extend the challenge and continue to only use what I already have? Maybe but probably not. I do believe though that when I start buying fabric again I will be far pickier about what I buy and buy when I’m actually ready to sew the fabric into a garment (or whatever it’s going to be).<\/p>\n
I’m glad I’ve started this challenge. It isn’t always fun but I’m learning from it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s been five months since I started my No-New-Fabric-Purchases-For-A-Year challenge. The rule is simple; use as much of the 256 pieces of fabric in my stash. To make all those things I intended to make when I bought the fabric or make something else. It’s time to stop consuming and start creating. So far, I […] Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[13,218,219],"class_list":["post-2190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sewing-life","tag-fabric","tag-fabric-stash","tag-fabricaholic"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/2016-04-bg-fabric_stash_update_ft.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EZxn-zk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2190"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5128,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190\/revisions\/5128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedailysew.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}