Fabric Diet: September 2017

This past month,  I realized that my Etsy store was getting a little thin, so I re-stocked with new gift bags! 

For the past few years my stash was so large, and I had so many pieces of fabric that I had earmarked for gift bags. When I had the need, or opportunity, to make new bags, I was pulling from a selection of fabric that was 5 years old or more. I kept buying fabric for bags, and yet I still had to much to use up.  I couldn't keep up with my own purchasing.  BUT...in the past 9 months I've used up, sold, and given away a ton of fabric (spoiler alert) - 127 yards to be exact.  That meant that this time around, when I went to make new fabric gift bags, I was pulling from newer fabrics - fabrics that I'd purchased in the last year.  It felt great, and I love the new bags.  The bags can be purchased on my Etsy site - click here to see them.

I had a couple other fun projects this month. The first one was another sew of blocks for the "I wish I could go too traveling quilt bee." This time the subject was "Party Animals."  I had fun putting some of the other blocks together (see below), and then I made two purple party hamsters - complete with appliqued party hats. (Hamster pattern is by Sew Fresh Quilts.)  This quilt will be handed off to the next person in the bee at a sewing retreat that some friends and I are holding this month. Expect to see some pics from the get-together in my next Fabric Diet post.

In my quilting life, I am always so pleasantly surprised at the paths that I find myself traveling down. In this part of my life I have so much more freedom to get a whim and totally throw yourself in to following that whim. This month I spent some time cutting scraps in to 2 1/2" squares.

Then while I was investigating tutorials for a Halloween quilt I want to make, I stumbled on some "Many Trips Around the World" quilts that I liked and immediately set about laying out a new quilt on my design wall. This quilt mainly used scraps, but I did use a little navy yardage. It was so fun to immerse myself for half of a day just auditioning colors and fabrics.  I also had help from my son this past weekend.

This month I did purchase some fabric (see below). I had been looking for fabric for commissioned wine bags and found it! Since I was placing an order, I decided to replenish my stash with a few more grays and low-volume prints.  The fabric for the bags has already been cut and is ready to be sewn in to new fabric wine bags.

Fabric Diet Standings
Fabric Purchases: 8.5 yards
Fabric Used in Projects: 21.25
Net for the Month: -12.75
Net for the Year: -127.25

I've got three more months left in my 2017 fabric diet tracking program, and I'm happy where it's gotten me.  The first three quarters of this year have been very productive and I'm happy with what I've made and what I've purchased.  I can't wait to see how the next three months go!