2010 Quilting Goals Revisited – Part 1

I had thought that I would give an update on my goals and how I was progressing periodically through the year. My first thought was a quarterly update, but I sort of missed that at the end of March so I am going to do a few posts now to give an update and my feelings about this exercise so far. I have 14 goals, but I think that 14 posts on the subject would be overkill so I am going to start writing and break it up into posts when it feels right. My original post of the goals can be found here.

Goal 1 – Use 100 yards of fabric more than what I bring in. I want to show that I actually busted some stash in 2010!

This is possibly my biggest goal this year! Last year, I ended at -178.21 yards used. I did use 205.44 yards during the year, but I had way more come in that I should have. And actually, this didn’t include a lot of the fabric that was in the 33 pound box of fabric that I won at the quilt retreat because that fabric sat in the stash room in the original box collecting dust waiting to be organized and added to the stash. As terrible as this number is, I would hate to think what the number should have been.

‘Turn it around!’ I told myself when I was thinking about my goals for this year. As much fabric as I used last year, 100 Net Yards for 2010 will be a cake walk. I had a plan… Stay out of quilt shops and fabric stores!!

In looking at my stash reports, I can tell that I have been making a really good effort in using my stash. As of the last stash report, I have used just over 76 yards so far and it’s only May.

In looking a little further back, I can see where things started to go wrong. I agreed to join in the Super Secret Quilt Challenge with some co-workers at the quilt shop where I used to work. Joining wasn’t the issue. The issue came about when I agreed to make the quilt for Barb while she made her quilt for me. If I was making the quilt for Regina, a scrap quilter, all would be well. But Barb is …. Well, Barb is Barb and I have to make the quilt matchy matchy for Barb. This meant buying fabric. (Yes, Barb, I am blaming you for falling off the wagon here! Just want to be clear! Hee hee hee! Hollaa!!) The quilt does need to be finished in December so it will all get used in 2010 and it made the purchase easier knowing that it wouldn’t be sitting on the stash report forever and ever.

I quickly overcame this purchase and got just over 2 weeks of no buying under my belt before Barb struck again I went shopping with Barb. I did need fabric for the 2 not so secret anymore quilts, but did I need to go over board and buy 35 yards? Probably not! Do I regret the acquisitions? Not really. I got some great deals from Joann’s! Did I need to then go to a sale at Best Friends Quilt Shop and buy 22 more yards? Well, it WAS a sale and I needed to get the accent fabrics for my Judy Martin quilt and the backing for the Super Secret Quilt, so I am going to go with a YES!

Where does this leave me? Quite a bit below the 100 Net Yards for the year.

I need a plan! A course of action! Someone (ahem, Barb!!) to stop asking me to shop with them! Or to tell me that I can only push the cart or hold bolts of fabric!

Right now, I have figured out that I need to use roughly 14 yards of fabric each month between June and December. Strike that – I need to have a NET usage of 14+ yards of fabric each month between June and December.

I am definitely going to be monitoring this situation very closely in the coming months! I don’t want to get down to December and have to cut a plethora of kits to use 50 yards of fabric rapidly. I still think that this is an attainable goal.

Maisy says...

"I have a stash to bust, too...."