Friday Finish - In the Bag!

Tumbleweeds. Crickets. It's been a little quiet here lately. With preparing to go back to work and transitioning DT to days without Mamma, there hasn't been a lot of blogging going on! But I have been squeezing in some sewing in the form of some drawstring bags to organize DT's toys.

It all started with this adorable Ann Kelle fox print. I bought it a while back with plans to make shorts for DT, but summer has come (and is almost gone) and they didn't really need more shorts. As much as I hated to use (up) any of my precious Mini Pearl Bracelet hoarde,  it was the perfect match for those green foxes.

For the lining, I decided to go with blue, but didn't have quite enough of any one Kona to get the job done. Then it occurred to me that I was making a bag to store toddler toys. They don't care if the lining is pieced or doesn't match PERFECTLY. In the name of using one's stash, I kept on truckin'!

 A little more Ann Kelle (Oval Remix) for the drawstring and that's that!
The best part about this bag is that it's big enough to store a bunch more Mega Bloks! It's the laundry size from Jeni Baker's fabulous Lined Drawstring Bag pattern.

For the second toy bag (to store their pompoms and accoutrements), I went back to the Ann Kelle stash. This time, alligators and more Oval Remix. Some chunks of Kona Papaya made up the lining. This one is the Project Bag size.

Once I got going, I just couldn't stop! Remember that C+S cat print that Ms. K liked on our South Shore getaway? Well, I grabbbed some C+S Netorious from the stash and got to sewing. A little Kona Emerald for the outside accent rounded out the pull.

Here it is all sewn up and ready to fill with some Back to School goodies. Ms K is so good to DT and I, I can't help but treat her once in a while.

If you'd like to make a bag or two of your own, you can pop over to In Color Order and check out the tutorial. I loved it so much I bought the pattern! 

I'm linking up today with TGIFF @ Quilt Matters as well as Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts (I'm so happy she's back from her social media holiday!)

J

TYOTS! - Use it or lose it!

Crickets. Tumbleweeds. It's been pretty quiet here on the blog with regards to The Year of the Stash. But with the 5th month of the year looming, perhaps we need a little kick start!

I said I was going to do my best to keep you inspired during the journey that is The Year of The Stash. So here we go! My Top Five projects to get a stash busting buzz going! Quick and easy.... what more can one ask for?


5. Pillowcases
They're great for using those 1 metre/yard cuts that you're wondering why you bought in the first place. Novelty prints? Give them to a kiddo you love or donate them to a children's hospital. Leftover yardage from quilts you've made? Make a set and gift them to the person sleeping under that quilt! Pillowcases make great gifts. You can use Easy Peasy Pillowcase Tutorial or one of the seven million others floating around the blogosphere.

4. Zipper Pouches
You can never have too many! Use 'em for swaps, gifts, or keep 'em all for yourself! I love the Open Wide Zippered Pouch from Noodlehead (free tutorial). But there are so many out there! Google away!

3. Infinity Scarves
Got some lovely voile, some Liberty or Art Gallery prints in that stash? Treat yourself (or a friend to an infinity scarf! Here's a tutorial from Cottage Mama

2. Drawstring bags
I'm particularly smitten with the free tutorial for lined drawstring bags by Jeni Baker @ In Color Order. I liked it so much, I bought the multisized pattern. I've made 7 so far, including this one for my mom for Easter. Love me some Lizzy House Natural History!

And my top choice?

1. Charity Baby Quilts
If you pick a simple pattern like 5 inch squares or 2½ inch strips (like my Kona Strip Pop quilt), they come together very quickly.  I donate to my local women's and children's hospital.

Got a quick and easy stash buster? Please share it in the comments. And get to sewing, people. We've got stashes to use up!

J

Stash Love!

Well, we're a month and a half into The Year of the Stash. Here's hoping you've resisted the siren's song of your LQS and gone shopping in your stash. As for me, I've made up two bundles for the Birthday Bonus Club without even a thought of going shopping.
One pile of solids...

 And another of rainbow goodness...

 I also fulfilled my January OMG goal with a drawstring bag for DT's toys.

 And then a few for Christmas presents down the road.

And then there's the mini mini for Q-D. Didn't take a lot of fabric, but it was all from my stash!

 Then there's my Quilter's Planner cover. It makes me happy just to look at it.

 There's something about making every day objects beautiful.

 And I used some of my ribbon stash as well. I always buy it but rarely use it!

Guess I did more than I thought with my hoard stash! How about you?Link up a blog post about your stash-based projects this year. Or if part of your Stash Manifesto was to organize, feel free to link up a post about that process!

An InLinkz Link-up

I've rediscovered the joy of scraps this month, so I'll be selecting a random winner from the blogs linked up to receive a custom scrap pack from my very own stash. The giveaway is open to international participants until Saturday, February 20th at midnight (Atlantic Time).


J

P.S. It's not too late to get in on the fun of the The Year of the Stash. Just write up a Stash Manifesto and link it up here. And then join us on March 14th to show off a project or two made with your treasures!

How you doin'?

You're 21 days into 2016, The Year of The Stash. According to the internet (well, at least this site), 21 days how long it takes to make or break a habit.

If you haven't succumbed to fabric acquisition by now, you're well on your way. And if you have, enjoy your fabric-y goodness and keep soldiering on, comrades. Review your Manifesto if you need to.  And get ready. The first TYOTS link-up is coming! Mark your calendar for February 14th. Yup, show your stash love on Valentine's Day! It's a chance to celebrate the progress you've made to date. It might be a stash based project (or seven) or the improved organization of your fabric hoard stash.

See you (and your stash!) on Sunday, February 14th!

J

P.S. Yes, that blog title should be read in the voice of Friends' character, Joey Tribbiani.

S.O.S #1 - ViSiT your stash!

I'm sending out an S.O.S to my quilty comrades who are getting on board with The Year of The Stash. Nope, I'm not drowning in scraps and stacks of stash, I'm offering up some Stash Organization Suggestions!

Part of the reason quilters don't use their stash is that they've forgotten what treasures are in there. There's gold in them there hills! Okay. Maybe not actual gold. But potentially the perfect gold fabric to go with that Hanukah fabric. You know, if you have Hanukah fabric.

Wanna get organized? Well, here's my handy acronym for you - VST. Think ViSiT. Like visit your stash, not your LQS.

Visible
I like to be able to see my fabric. Yes, I know all about the deteriorating horrors of sunlight. The bulk of my stash lives in a closet, but the door is always open. (No, you can't come take some.) But my Konas live on open shelving. They make me happy to look at and I have good history of inventory turnover with Konas, so I don't worry so much about sun fade. The pros outweigh the cons for me.

Sorted
I sort by colour. But also by type. For example, I have folded stacks of the colours of the rainbow (except yellow & orange - they're one stack). But I also have a stack for Christmas prints, for batiks (yes, there are still some in my stash), as well as for neutrals. I have a large stack for fabrics destined to be backings. and Konas live apart from prints.

Tidy
Full disclosure: I used to have a sign rather like this one on the door of my childhood bedroom.

 

But honestly, how can you use your stash if it's a mess?! And if it's spread all over the house? Here's my system. I wash my fabric when I buy it (well, once I get home). And I wash it with clothes. And regular laundry soap. Yup, I'm a pre-washing rebel. It gets stored on the shelf of my ironing board until I can iron it... ASAP. It gets measured, folded, and added to the stacks. For Konas, they get labeled by name. More about my OCD labeling system in the S.O.S. #2!

So there you have it. ViSiT your stash today. Pull it all out of the boxes, bags, Rubbermaid totes and really look at it. You can do it. It's all part of the fun of...

If you've got an S.O.S. to share, give 'er. That means "Go ahead.. leave a comment!" for those of you not familiar with Nova Scotian vernacular!

J

P.S. I've linked up with Tips and Tutorials Tuesdays @ Late Night Quilter now that it's back up and running!

How to Write a Stash Manifesto in Five Easy Steps

Planning a stash revolution and want to ensure its success? Time to draft a manifesto! I can't offer you much direction on how to overthrow a government, but I've been thinking a lot about how to stick to the goal of using one's stash. All joking aside, working from one's stash is a challenge for many quilters and appears in tonnes of annual goal posts. Here's what I came up with for my Manifesto.

 

Are you struggling with your own guidelines for The Year of The Stash? Never fear. Here are some ideas to help you get to the root of your fabric hoarding  collecting and start using that fabric loveliness! Feel free to pick and choose the ideas that suit you best.

Article 1 - Organization & Editing
Is there an organizational reason why you're not using your stash?

• Touch all the fabric. How else will you even know what's in there?
• If you stack your fabric, rotate your the piles - putting top fabrics to the middle or bottom.
• Remove fabric you don't love anymore. Sell it, swap it, donate it.
• Break up FQ bundles or fabric pulls you've made and not used. 
• Consolidate. If your stash is all over the house/neighbourhood, it's tough to know what you've got.
• Keep it visible. While it's not good to store one's fabric in direct sunlight, it's easy to forget about fabric loveliness that's jammed in a box or at the back of a cupboard.

Article 2 - Swaps/Bees/BOMs
If you've taken on the challenge of a swap, bee, or BOM, there might very well be fabric needed that you don't have.

• Check your stash for appropriate fabric before buying.
• Buy only what you need to fulfill requirements. No extra bits.

Article 3 - New Projects
We can't limit ourselves to WIPs all year. It's just too dull for words. New projects are a tricky business.

• Check your stash before starting anything.  
•  Start with the stash in mind. Ask yourself "What can I make with this?"

Article 4 - Adding to the Stash
If we didn't love fabric, we wouldn't be quilters. 

• Buy nothing for a set amount of time (a month, until your birthday, the entire year).
• Give yourself permission to buy something - prints from your favourite designer's new line, treasures found at a quilt shop while on vacation, only items that are on sale
• If finances are part of the reason you're sewing from your stash, set a monthly budget. Fabric allowance, anyone?
• Are you tempted by the shiny new things? If Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/blog posts from fabric shops are a constant source of temptation, it might be time to edit your feed.
• Do you buy fabric when you're sad/happy/bored? Spend time in your stash instead of on-line fabric shopping or visiting your LQS.
• Give yourself 20$ a month (or whatever amount works for you) that carries to the next month if you don't use it. Buy the time the January 2017 sales are upon us, you'll have 240$ to spend!

Article 5 - Celebrating

• Keep a tally of projects made with your stash
• Schedule posts and link-up them up to stash celebrating
• Set a stash goal each month and toot your own horn when you achieve them

Phew! A veritable buffet of suggestions to get excited about stash sewing. Feel free to choose what speaks to you. Only you know what will work best to reach your goal of sewing your stash this year! And when you've polished up your manifesto, don't forget to link up and grab a button from my side bar!

I'm linking up with Tips and Tutorials Tuesdays @ Late Night Quilter. I mean, can't we all use a tip or two on how to get our stash under control?

 J