Sunday Stash Report, Week 52 - Last report of 2013

Christmas has come and gone, and it was a wonderful time.  We seem to have established some new traditions, as well as enjoying some old!

 

Miss Sassy (Zoey 2 1/2) and Alex (5)

 

When I was a child, we always got to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and it always had pyjamas in it.  I carried on the tradition by making pyjamas for my daughters most years, and now I'm making them for my grandchildren.  They were pleased as punch to have matching jammies.

 

Newish tradition: A few years back, we got in the habit of driving around to look at the Christmas lights on Christmas eve, now with the little ones we wait until they get in their jammies, bundle them into the van and off we go!  By the time we get home, they have fallen asleep and we carry them into my house, and play games for the rest of the evening.  It sure helps make the evening pass quickly for the kids.

 

 Christmas was also great for busting out some fabric! 


Used since last report: 10 metres

 

Used Year-to-Date:   97 metres

Added since my last report: 10.5 metres

Added Year-to-Date: 216.75 metres

  

Net used/Added for 2013: 119.75 metres

(For more stash reports, visit Judy's blog at Patchwork Times)

On Christmas Eve, I decided to make another 2 pillowcases to use for wrapping towels and a bath mat set for my younger daughter and her husband.  That was good for another 2 metres out.  Of course, I was too rushed to take pictures!

This quilt also got gifted:

 

I got it bound 5 days before Christmas!  It was so large it took a full metre of fabric to bind it.  My daughter didn't waste any time getting it on her bed and posted on Facebook (where I shamelessly stole this photo from!) The other daughter will get a quilt for Christmas 2014.

 

I also made and gifted 6 of these:

 

 

I found these cute miniature composition books in the dollar store, and designed the crayon holder to fit them perfectly with 8 crayons. 

 

 

 

 Perfect for the little ones in church, the doctor's office or anywhere they need to be quietly occupied. (I also bought the triangular crayons, so they don't roll away).  That's another metre out (approximately, because I used a fat quarter and scraps!)

 

I also made a set of placemats for my co-worker, but again, no picture (I resolve to do better with that).  Another 1.5 metres outta here!

 

While I was busy doing all the Christmas sewing, I used my first "Bonnie Hunter" scrappy quilt as my leader and ender project.  Today, I focused on getting it finished and I'm happy to say it is done!  4.5 metres of 2" squares dating back to the 1970's (from my mother's stash and my first sewing projects), and includes scraps from clothes I sewed my kids all the way through to pieces from my recent finishes, including Easy Street! There are almost 40 years of memories in this quilt, and now I can get rid of those fabrics I will never use again (mostly the poly-cottons that I used in this memory quilt, but won't quilt with again).

 

 

 

Of course all this fabric busting would have been great for reducing my numbers if it hadn't have been for this:

 

 

A trip to IKEA - I bought 6 metres of this wonderful large-text print (at only $3.98/metre) for backing some quilts this coming year.  I also had to get some solids for an upcoming project, which will be done by May.

 

 

And I couldn't resist the text print on gray on top! So in, a total of 10.5 metres, including the IKEA fabric.

 

Also at IKEA, I got these great decorations for my sewing room (AKA my Happy Place):

 

 

Don't they look great?  They're metal, with large nylon laces and make me smile every time I see them!

 

I had started off the year with the intentions of trying not add to my stash this year, but between being gifted so much fabric, finding some great bargain websites, and not getting much down due to working so much overtime, I ended up in the very RED side this year.  I am seriously going to go on a fabric diet this coming year, and also finish up some major UFOs and hopefully break even in 2014.  Until I get my UFO list down to a manageable level, I resolve to no longer to shop online and will only go to my LQS when I need fabric for a specific project, and restrict random purchases during those trips to a fat quarter or fat eighth.  Hold me to it, will you?