Sewing time has been limited the last several weeks due to life's ups and downs, so the fabric usage hasn't really been up to par. But I did manage to sew lots of scraps into potholders, and made a mini for the latest Curated Quilts mini challenge - which happened to make the cut for future publication - so there's that.
And then things were finally settling down when I started getting questions about my fabric choice for the Pantone Color of the Year, so I broke down and bought my first fabric of the year - some options for Very Peri. Of course they arrived pronto, so they're included in March's stats. I'll post more about them soon!
Meanwhile, I'll share March's stats, followed by a bit of a dilemma.
March Fabric Usage
Used up: 7.09 yards
Brought in: 4.25 yards
Net: -2.84 yards
Net Year to date: -17.315 yards
So keeping an eye on the 'year to date' figure always reminds me that I AM making progress. But here's my dilemma.... As a retirement present, my co-workers gifted me with a very generous gift certificate to my favorite online fabric shop! And honestly, part of my original goal with keeping track of fabric usage was to use what I had on hand, definitely; but also, to eventually transform my stash to one of primarily solids rather than primarily prints, as it has been for years. So I anticipate I will use the gift to stock up on solids, as well as curate a small collection of prints and substrates that I currently really enjoy. Soooo. That will obviously affect my stats! So rather than discard my fabric usage record entirely, I think I'll also add the Total Yardage Out figure, which is currently 32.065 yards. OR I could spend the gift certificate and then start fresh. Any thoughts? What a good quandary to have, right?
What a lovely and generous things for your co-workers to gift you! I would add a total yardage out and see how that feels. And I look forward to learning what you've learned about color matching to Very Peri. :)
ReplyDeleteHow would total yardage out differ from "used"? And this is your record, so if you want to call the retirement gift (which is awesome!!) a freebee, then go for it!
ReplyDeletewhat a delightful gift! I don't think you should count it at all, just enjoy it. But you do what feels right to you
ReplyDeleteI think Yvonne, Cheryl and Ellyn have really good ideas and I agree with them.
ReplyDeleteA generous gift indeed, how kind!
It's "FREE FABRIC"- doesn't count in my book!
ReplyDeleteI get that too! ;-)
DeleteWhat a lovely and thoughtful gift! I count everything into stash - bought, gifts, repurposed - and everything out - used, given away or repurposed. So clothes I will no longer wear, but plan to cut up for patchwork are counted coming in, and lengths of muslin given to the kids for drop cloths and dress ups count as out. If this means my total is in the red for the month or the year, it's OK. My keeping tally is for my own visibility of what I have, not because I will be punished if I don't hit some arbitrary target :-). I often make a bit of a push at the end of the year to come out in the "black", but in the end it doesn't really matter one way or another as long as my stash is turning over and I am using it.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm on the same track as you, just counting it for what it is. Thanks for sharing what you do!
DeleteFeels a lot like my big purchase in January. I guess with such a big purchase in one go, you will most likely place smaller or less additional orders during the rest of the year. And I think it also depends on what you want to track - and that of course can change. It is your tracking. So do you want to know what you have? Controll your own spending (then it wouldn't count) ... As it is in the middle of the year, I would probably add it as intendet. Adding an total out count is just a way to see the number (summed up) and if that helps. Sure! Give it to us and yourself ;) xo
ReplyDeleteOh hoa! A fabric gift certificate as a retirement gift. Who would have guessed?! :-) But as you said, it's a lovely dilemma. Personally, I wouldn't begin counting anew. Rather, the influx of fabric is a milestone in your life's journey, to be recorded and remembered. Yes, you'll have more stash to work from, so now let's see how long it takes to use-it-up in retirement. I expect the total will continue to decline, probably even faster than before.
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