Holiday triumph!

Well, I've had a week's holiday on the beautiful West Coast of Scotland, and I managed to not go to the craft shop in Oban twice! This means that I have not bought any new fabric for over a week. I feel guilty that I did not contribute to the local economy though...

However, we spent money on other things so I guess that is OK. Also, I got my reward for good behaviour, as today Karol-Ann's parcel arrived with lovely fabrics (only 1 duplicate of something I have) to swap. I am going to have a lovely evening choosing things to send her in return.

I have been sewing hard today - I am off on a tour of family next week, and want to finish some cushions and a matching throw for my m-i-law, for her new flat. So I'm quilting away, and using up fabric for the backs - hooray!

One step forward, two steps back

Well, two days into this experiment, and I have spent £6 on charity shop purchases for patchwork purposes, and bought 3 sewing magazines, despite having no shortage of published ideas for me to work from!

However, I have also made 2 new quilty/bloggy friends, Kate N and Karol Ann - I would like to add links to their blogs, but don't know if you can do that, or whether they want me to! Maybe someone can let me know.

In reducing my stash, I have a promise of a swap - not really a reduction, just a stir! In the general spirit of compacting though (which is apparently what not buying things is called), I have spent an enjoyable hour fusing together plastic bags (the rustly type) with an iron and craft paper as a surface and iron protector. I found the instructions on another craft list somewhere (craftster?), and they seem to work fairly well. I got clever and applique fused some flowers (ever the quilter...) cut from coloured bags.

My first effort is pretty ropey, but it has definite possibilities and would be good for making waterproof bags. The finished fabric is quite robust in feel, and should be stitchable. Photo to follow eventually! Everyone else in the house was completely underwhelmed by it though.

My first Q-blog entry

Not quite my first blog, but pretty close to it! I'm going to keep this one just for blogging about quiltmaking. I'm pretty much an amateur at this, although I've been doing it for 20 years, and have my City and Guilds. However, I'm not really that talented, just love fabric, and stitching, and making things. Especially making things out of nothing. And this blog is going to be about trying not to buy fabric.

In all the books and magazines and the quilt fora that I belong to quilters are both apologetic and defiant about the size of our fabric stash. So I'm probably not alone in admitting to owning a gargantuan amount of fabric. Some that I have had for 20 years. I still know where I got the early stuff, although I am more hazy about some of the more recent purchases, as my shopping habit has got out of hand.

I know I can't use this stuff. I know that a consumer attitude to my hobby is bad for me financially and psychologically and bad for the environment. Worse still almost is the paralysing effect all these materials have on my creativity. I have so many possibilities, I cannot choose, and I have more UFOs than I can remember. I find things everywhere. The mess upsets my other half and my step daughter. Thankfully my sons don't care about it all.

It's got to stop. This blog is a companion to my blog on MySpace (www.myspace.com/notfortaming) where I shall report occasionally on my efforts not to buy new stuff. Here I am undertaking to use up my stash! I am going on a stash diet (please nobody publish that book title before me). I will post pictures of my finished objects - if I run out of pristine fabric, I shall make do, learn to dye, or paint, or embellish (using my stocks of other craft materials bought just in case). I will rediscover my creativity and I shall have fun. I will no longer be burdened by the environmental damage done by indulging my hobby, which used to be all about thrift, make do and mend. Anyone want to join me?