Last week, I guest-blogged over at Honeybear Lane about my crafty New Year's Resolution. Apparently, it got some people's feathers in a bunch, so I feel the need to talk about it some more here.
First, my resolution.
In 2012, I am not buying ANY fabric.
Yes, really. And let me tell you why.
I am a "stasher". I'm a super visual person, so when I see a beautiful fabric, my inclination is to snatch it up, even if I don't have a project in mind for it. In addition, my crafty work-in-progress and to-do lists are long, and I already have the fabric I need for ALL of them, and then some. I don't NEED any fabric.
Also, (and I think we probably all do this), I have a stack of "special" fabrics. You know the ones - the $18/yard Echino prints, the hard-to-find Heather Ross goodies. They just sit, folded in my sewing room because I'm afraid to cut into them. Not so in 2012! I'm going to cut into those precious fabrics, and make things with them. What good are they doing just sitting on a shelf?
Also, I'm not going to lie, fabric is EXPENSIVE. It's not in my family's budget to spend money on fabric that I don't need, because I already have SHELVES AND SHELVES of fabric.
In my stash, picture from The Fabric Shoppe
In my stash, leftover from the Grandview bag and Baby-In-The-Hood coat
In my stash from spoonflower
A fabric store owner commented over on Heidi's blog, and I got some additional email suggesting that I was endorsing some sort of boycott of the fabric industry. I'm not. I'm making a PERSONAL choice that is the right one for me and my family. I love fabric, and given unlimited storage space and rooms full of money, I'd continue to buy it in large quantities. But I don't have those things.
What I DO have is a desire for a simpler lifestyle. A desire to downsize the amount of stuff cluttering up my life. A desire to feel organized. And a desire to use what I have.
I think this decision, to save space in my home and money in my budget by not buying fabric this year is the right one for me and my family. And I think it will be an interesting challenge! I'll also be purging some of my fabrics I have that I know I won't use, so keep an eye out for some giveaways.
I made a few preparations to help me succeed at this resolution.
1. I'm unsubscribing from all my fabric-related newsletters. I get 1-3 fabric-related newsletters PER DAY, filled with gorgeous photos of the newest fabric lines, and tempting coupons to buy those fabrics at a discount. It's like taking a person on a diet and sitting them down at the dessert table over and over again, but telling them not to eat. Uh, not the best strategy for success. So, no more newsletters for me.
2. I'm organizing my fabric stash. I bought a pack of these comic book boards
, and have been using them as mini-bolts, to wrap my yardage around. I got the idea here, and so far, it's working great! Organizing my fabrics helps me see how much, and what types, of fabric I already have. As I'm organizing, I'm also attaching little notes to my fabrics with ideas for how I can use them in the upcoming year.
, and have been using them as mini-bolts, to wrap my yardage around. I got the idea here, and so far, it's working great! Organizing my fabrics helps me see how much, and what types, of fabric I already have. As I'm organizing, I'm also attaching little notes to my fabrics with ideas for how I can use them in the upcoming year.
3. I'm stocking up on boring, but necessary fabrics. As you guys know, I make a LOT of hoodies for my three boys. You can see some examples of them here, here, here, here, and here. (What? I'm hoodie-obsessed, and not afraid to admit it.) In advance of my personal fabric embargo, I stocked up on sweatshirt fleece and rib knit. These fabrics are essential to my hoodie-making addiction, and I don't want to run out.
3a. As a corollary to step 3, I'm buying dyeable apparel fabrics. Because I don't know exactly what colors I will want this year, I purchased a bunch of "prepared for dye" rib knit from fabric.com. This way, when design inspiration strikes, I can use some dye to create whatever color rib knit I need without having to buy new (or stock up on a ton of different colors) fabric!
4. I bought fabrics I know I won't be able to resist before January 1. You might think this sounds like cheating, but seriously, have you SEEN the new Anna Maria Horner velveteens? There is no way I would be able to resist those all year, so I purchased some. I like to think of this as setting myself up for success rather than cheating. :)
5. I'm allowing myself to purchase fabric ONLY when given a gift certificate as a gift. My beautiful, lovely mother-in-law gifted me a very generous gift certificate to my favorite local fabric store for Christmas. I'm going to reserve it for "fabric purchase emergencies" throughout the year.
Have I convinced you yet that NO FABRIC PURCHASES (or really, only purchases with a gift card) is a reasonable, attainable goal? It is! Anyone want to join me? I'm hoping it will be a fun challenge, will stretch my creativity, and save me lots of money in 2012.
Did you make any crafty resolutions?
Happy New Year, everyone!!
Did you make any crafty resolutions?
Happy New Year, everyone!!
I applaud your goal to live simply and use what you have. I suffer from the same "ooh, pretty!" syndrome when looking at fabric. I tend to buy only quarters if I see something I like just so I can have it; very rarely do I get a significant amount of anything.
ReplyDeleteI love that someone thinks you have the power to start a boycott. LOL. Do you wield that kind of internet power?
Ha! Nicole, I totally do NOT wield that kind of internet power. :)
ReplyDeleteNot controversial with me since I made the same resolution. ;) I've got too much pretty, usable fabric sitting around and a not very big budget to be spending on it.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be tough, but it certainly sounds like you've prepared well! :)
I'm amazed that people were actually upset by this! To be honest, this is nearly exactly how I've been sewing these past few years, with the only exception being that I do allow myself (on super-rare-must-be-extra-sparkly-special-occasions) to buy fabric when I'm making something and I don't have anything in my stash that will work. Why? Well, I have no money to buy fabric. There is no fabric budget. The vast majority of stuff I have in my stash is about as far from designer as you can get, and much of it (especially the rare designer bit) was given to me. And while I dream of designer fabrics, it's mostly a "someday" for me.
ReplyDeleteI completely applaud your resolution. No more squirreling beautiful fabrics away. Sew with them and be happy that they are being used instead of wasting away on a shelf. :)
I am going to have to hop over and read the controversial remarks! Why in the world would this bother people? FYI - I live in Newark and have never heard of the fabric shop you mentioned until I read your guest post so they will NOT be suffering! I will be visiting soon! :)
ReplyDeleteI just went through my stash of fabric and clothing to upcycle and decided that I might be making a similar resolution! The only exceptions might be if I walked into Hancock like I did last year and found a huge table of CUTE fabrics marked down to $1 a yard!
ReplyDeleteGreat resolution! If only I were as ambitious:) So...how are you going to organize your scraps? Love the comic board idea-getting some! thanks & good luck! Amy
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I'm really shocked that people would have a problem with your resolution. I would love to see how all your fabric looks once its organized. May I suggest some fabric give aways as part of your de-stashing?
ReplyDeleteI am with you! One of my resolutions was to use up my stash.. I am not saying I wont buy any fabric, because I know I will, but I am going to buy less and use more stash. More power to you!!
ReplyDeleteI think I am going to cry :( Even if you don't buy a thing - you still need to come into the shoppe. I admire your will-power though!
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Emily! Sounds like a challenging but worthwhile goal. For awhile I have been limiting my purchases to fabric for specific patterns, I could only buy it if I knew exactly what it was for and how much yardage I needed. Now I have a real big backlog of projects ready to go! Good luck! I can't wait to see what you sew up this year.
ReplyDeleteTHat sounds completely sensible to me, why all the fuss?? I am not making any steadfast rules, but also plan to limit my fabric purchases because I found when I organized my fabric last fall that I had enough fabric for over 10 quilts waiting for my attention, and that doesn't include scrappy ones, etc. I will still buy solids, or backing fabric if needed, but I am also planning to avoid buying, any new collections for the moment (except Flea Market Fancy. come on.). You go, Girl! Besides, my budget also has to have room for all my YARN purchases, right?? Lol!
ReplyDeleteI love the feeling of using something that's been in my stash for a long time. I predict a happy year for you!!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you! I seriously admire you and don't think you should listen to any of them. Who knows what their motives may be for what they say or even what "filter" they are hearing you through. You have to do what is right by you, and your family, and beliefs. I have so much piled up in my craft room, and most is already designated for particular projects. I will be trying to come close to this resolution (in my own way), but I always need either backing/borders/binding. Plus, since I buy what I love, I have a serious void in certain colors that I may need for certain projects. I plan not to buy much else. We are feeling a squeeze as the kids get older and want to be involved in more, and something has to give. I can't be so frivolous with all the fabric gimme's anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great resolution - I'm surprised that it was so controversial. I haven't been sewing that long so my stash isn't huge but it's surprising how much I've managed to accumulate already. I'm sure after sewing for a bit longer I'll need to go on a fabric diet too (especially as I got some super gift vouchers to my favorite local store for Christmas).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good on you for taking on a challenge - I look forward to seeing how it pushes your creativity!
Sorry, I had to add that I just read the comments over there, and I think she was just being a bit defensive, worried for her own business. I think the offense probably came from the title "Don’t Buy Fabric in 2012 with The Boy Trifecta" where it sounds as though she is telling all her readers not to buy fabric this year. Like I said though, who knows where she is coming from. Maybe she just had a bad year and is worried, poor thing. We each have to do right by our own priorities/beliefs though, so stay strong!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a totally admirable goal. I also am a stasher and visual person. I have so much fabric I definitely don't need anymore, but still find myself buying fabric every month or so. After which time I'll make the pact not to buy any more for the rest of the year. Clearly it hasn't worked...
ReplyDeleteGood luck sweetie! I'll be watching for updates. I think you can do it - and in turn inspire me to downsize and start using up some of those "special" fabrics.
ReplyDeleteWoah - good luck! That IS extreme. I'm impressed. I considered doing the same thing for just January then I discarded the idea as absolutely impossible.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this resolution. I just ordered a book titled "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess." I can't wait to read it. Basically the author attempts to reduce the excess in her life by only eating 7 foods for one month, only wearing 7 items of clothing for another, etc. The idea is for us to evaluate the areas of our life where we have too much. I hope to be inspired. I'm inspired by you, sista!
ReplyDeleteHaha I love that you made sure to buy the fabric that you couldn't resist after the start date. Good planning Emily!
ReplyDeleteI love that resolution and I can't believe you've had negative feedback about it! Crazy. I did something similar last year and tried to work through my stash rather than buy new fabric. I did buy some fabric but I really tried to use what I had first. I'm planning to continue that with the exception of a few fabric purchases for fun projects I have in mind. Good luck with your resolution!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous post! It's like you are in my head! I didn't state this resolution formally, but I'm giving myself a challenge to not buy any fabric for new projects. i can buy fabric to complete a project and I have one 'free pass' from this challenge when we go out East this summer to Avonport Discount Fabric Centre. I honestly don't know if I can do this challenge, but I'm going to try. Good luck with yours!
ReplyDeleteI started out with a similar goal last September after having to stash all of my fabric away so the guest bed was accessible. I find this goal admirable and attainable. I am looking forward to seeing how this year goes for you.
ReplyDeleteI am so exited to know that someone else is doing what I am! I am moving and was only able to pack half my fabric! It is so much! It's in a giant space saver bag and I can't even lift it! So I am also determined to only see from my stash! So go you!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great goal! I really doubt you are boycotting anything just trying to go through what you already bought ;) I have a similar but smaller goal just because I have a smaller stash! I like the idea of the ready to dye knit.
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea and an element of it is flowing around in the danish blogland. But here people are saying either only for one month or not buying anything but their exceptions list. It is quite inspiring and i love the idea. But not in January.. its the only month I'm not studying and only working few hours. so as you can read I have very good reason not to jump on the wagon ;)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog.
Emma
I admire your goal. I have been doing my best to stop buying fabric I don't need. I love my local quilt shops and will continue to stop in for things like backings. But I need to clear out some of my have-to projects so I can work on my want-to projects and I don't need any more fabric cluttering up the list. I appreciate you describing your process. You have some great ideas I'm going to try and adapt.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, I'm doing the same thing and I think a lot of others are as well. It's just that time right now it seems where a lot of us just want to slow down a bit and get better organized and hold our money a little closer. I'm fairly certain that we can all survive quite nicely on the stash we each have and just become more focused on what we actually need and it requires a lot of discipline. We're all in this together... ;o)) Romona
ReplyDeleteBravo! I took that same pledge three years ago - and I am still keeping it. That should tell you how fabric obsessed I was. I also used the mini bolt method (it took over 500 boards)- it works great and makes everything so obtainable and easy to see. I learned early on if you don't go looking (either in person or virtually) at the fabric you don't want it. Best of luck - I know you can do it!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Emily! I think you're making a very wise choice, on many levels. Stashes are for using! I am not sharing your resolution, but I'm pretty tight with money so I don't often buy fabric. For the last year or two it's been my goal to buy second hand or organic whenever possible, and to use more than I buy. It helps that I don't much like to shop!
ReplyDeleteThats a great goal for you!!
ReplyDeleteim not quite there yet AND im pregnant with a baby girl... so I will NEED some cute girly fabric after having a boy last time
I am definately in with you!! I have been doing this for 1 year or so now, so I want to continue. I would like to purchase the comic boards...but I don't own my own house,have very limited space/shelves I would like, or my own sewing room, everything is in plastic bins.
ReplyDeleteStill dreaming of my own organized sewing room in my own house. :)
I do think this is an attainable and very reasonable goal. My husband is constantly hounding me to use my stash instead of buying more. I am recently back to being a stay-at-home mom and my time is precious. I am working on using both my fabric and scraping stash without buying more (unless it's absolutely necessary). Yes it's hard to resist, but when I cleaned out and reorganized I made a list of the projects and the fabrics I have in order to make the process go a little easier.
ReplyDeleteToday I had a playdate with some friends where we crafted with scrapbook paper and a variety of embellishments and ribbons. One lady stated that she felt guilty using my stash, but I encouraged her and let her know that I'm working on eliminating the extra stuff. It was a fun way to get rid of some of my stash, by sharing with friends on a fun project together.
I have a similar resolution, not to buy any more fabric until I've finished the projects for which I already bought the fabric, and I'm grateful for your advice to unsubscribe from fabric store e-mails! That's definitely a temptation I don't need.
ReplyDeleteI'm telling myself that i want to try this... As it is, I have family members dumping their own stashes on me!! I should be able to do SOMETHING with everything I have on hand, but I never seem to be able to cut into any of my "IT'S SO PRETTY I HAVE TO GET IT" fabric - for fear I won't like what i make from it!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!!
Funny thing about that comment from the other site... Does she take into account how much fabric everyone will have to buy NEXT year to REPLACE their stashes??? lol
I totally know where you are coming from. I have an aunt who, since I was little, made things from her stash. None of her fabrics were from fabric stores (and still aren't - unless it was her birthday or Christmas) Everything was made from salvaged fabrics or thrift stores. Each project was completed without buying anything in addition to what she already had.Even zippers would be re-used.
ReplyDeleteI have found myself not being able to finish projects because i cannot find that 'perfect' trim in the 'perfect' shade - when really I should be more creative with what i already have.
My aunt recently admired one of my nearly finished projects - "yeah, get this finished, but don't buy anything to do so!" I haven't bought fabric for months now, (the recession bites, ouch) and I find myself looking at my stash, which is by no means modest, with fresh eyes. So yeah, I totally know where you are coming from!
I was reading your post, and nodding along, thinking "Yeah, she's absolutely right!". And then I saw the first picture, and got jealous of your stash :-D
ReplyDelete