It was a lean month for finishes for me again in May. Between car club events and family visiting, not much sewing was done. What I did do with the quilt on the frame had to be taken out and restarted which set me back a bit for a finish as well.
I managed to finish and deliver the Quilt of Valor just this week, so I could count out the backing fabric. Because of the size of the quilt, plus the donation of the trimmings, I can count out 6-1/2 yards.
Next, our Area meeting was yesterday, and the agenda included a fabric exchange. This was a golden opportunity! So, I spent some of last weekend going through the closets and shelves, pulling fabrics that I wasn’t that keen on, and preparing for the swap. Much of what I have is in bits, not even full fat quarters, so I put them into bags. I weighed the bags to estimate how much fabric was in the bag. I weighed several one yard pieces, and came up with an average of 6 ounces for a yard, but to make it easy math, I’m going to count one yard as 8 ounces. So, 2 yards per pound. This bag is a 5-1/2-pound bag of Christmas fabrics for the swap! Math: 5.5 x 2 = 11 yards out!
On a roll, I made up three more scrap bags for a total of 8 more pounds of fabric. Math: 8 x 2 = 16 yards out. Add to that, another 6 yards for the fat quarters and yardage that will also be in the swap, and my total yardage for the swap is 33 yards! Now that is headway.
Arriving at the meeting, tables were set up for members to show their offerings. I added to it, and by the time we all had done so, you couldn’t see any white of the table tops. Then we picked over what was there, and a lot of it left with members. I was pretty good, only bringing home one yard of a beige neutral fabric.
I think I’ll clean out some more fabrics for the guild fabric exchange table later this month. The challenge once again will be leaving more than I pick up, LOL!!
So, here are my totals for May.
May Fabric IN = +1
May Fabric OUT = –39-1/2
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -38-1/2 yards
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -87 yards out!!
If you need to remind yourself where you are year to date, click on Stashbusters May and scroll down to the comments to find yours.
Your turn. Copy and paste into the comment box, then fill in your totals.
May Fabric IN = +
May Fabric OUT = –
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) =
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) =
How did you do busting your stash in May?
From My Carolina Home 
Working on mostly small art quilts I can’t imagine reducing 87 yards worth of fabric….in fact, I’m fairly certain I don’t even have 87 yards of fabric.
Hi, Love the stash buster feature every month, but I have a question regarding May’s calculation — If you added 1+, but sent out minus 6 1/2, how does that total minus 38 yards? Did you forget something?
Keep up the stash busting. Thanx Glo
Good catch! I talked about the 33 yards out in the paragraphs above, but forgot to add that to the fabric out total for May. Fixed that.
I’ve managed to stay on track, what came in was generally sewn & completed, ready to go out within the month. I haven’t been measuring, but since the only things leftover have been scraps the net zero plan seems to be working. For June, I am buying some new fabric. It will be a little harder to keep up this month.
I had a lean month also, as the anniversary event at my church took up most of my month. I was able, however, to make several small projects, 3 table runners and one small wall hanging. And most of that sewing happened after the event during the last week of the month! My totals:
May Fabric IN – + 3 yards (all was used, no leftovers!)
May Fabric OUT = –6.25 yards
May Net Total = -3.25 yards out
YTD = -18 yards out
Time if flying by but I didn’t make any real dent in May. I picked up 25 yards of batiks at guild events, freebie table or silent auction. Fortunately I was able o get about the same amount out in a class sample and a couple small donations.
May Fabric IN = +25 yards
May Fabric OUT = –26.5 yards
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -1.5 yards
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = – 88 3/8 yards
May fabric in 13
May Fabric out
Total May 23.5 yards out
Year Total 43.5 yards out
Got to keep moving
I don’t think that I checked in for April. Got involved in a wallpaper
removal project (from both walls & ceiling) that set me back 3 weeks at
a time that I should have been getting ahead of the yardwork. Therefore
I had little time for sewing during both April and May. The good news
is that nothing came in either…
April Fabric IN = + 0
April Fabric OUT = – 0
April Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = 0
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -7
May Fabric IN = + 0
May Fabric OUT = – 0
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = 0
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -7
My stash continues to grow. I am close to finishing a queen size quilt, so maybe I will finally show some fabric out next month. For now:
May fabric in =+ 6.25
May fabric out= 0
May net = +6.25
YTD net = +25.5
May Fabric IN = +11.75
May Fabric OUT = –8.25
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) =÷3.5
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) =÷24.5
I finished Oh My Strippy Stars and 3 other projects this month. I was on a roll. I took a large quilt to my local quilt shop to use her tables to make the quilt sandwich and came home with more fabric. I should be able to finish the one I sandwiched this month, probably not the new one. We have 3 sets of visitors coming in June. Probably won’t leave much quilting time.
I am impressed with how much fabric went out of your stash. I don’t think I have that much in total! Glad you are making progress.
May Fabric IN = +0
May Fabric OUT = –5.75
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -5.75
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -0.50
Carole,
Congratulations! You did not too badly given all you have been up to. I had an amazing month! A couple of long term projects were finally finished, made a couple of dresses for an upcoming vacation and finally have a new granddaughter so whipped up some receiving blankets for her. Woohoo! Thanks for the fun challenge.
Jan
May Fabric IN = +0
May Fabric OUT = –32
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -32
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -90 1/8
May Out – 6
May In – 4
One bag to charity of “why did I buy this in the first place” But the piles haven’t gone down. But the rolls of batting are getting smaller, so something must be going out! Thanks
May – In: +3
May – Out: -9
May Net Total: -6
YTD Total: – 10
Hoping my chronic pain slows down so I can get back to sewing, at least for a short time daily. Getting old is not fun! I think I need to send some stash out so I am making at least some progress somewhere.
May Fabric IN = + 0
May Fabric OUT = –2 1/4
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = 2 1/4
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = 14 3/4 yd
May Fabric IN = +6.5 yds in
May Fabric OUT = –34 yds out
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -27.5 yds out
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out
49 yds in
118 yds out
69 total yards out this year
Finally got some quilts out the door this month! 3 large twin quilts and 2 pillow cases to gift 2 of them in. I can’t believe that much fabric has left the building…I still can’t get any into my fat quarter boxes, my shelves, or my strip bins! 😬. I guess a lot of it has been large yardage for backing. Either way, I’m happy. Something else I’m doing is figuring out how many square inches are in each block when figuring a top. I do a lot of small piecing, and all those seams add up. Take the quilt I’m fixing to start. The blocks unfinished are 4.5”…that’s 20.25 square inches. But, if I figure the fabric in the 8 pieces in that block, it is 34 square inches. With 323 blocks, figuring just the block size is 6540.75 square inches for the quilt verses 10,982 square inches for the pieces. That’s 4.5 yards verses a bit over 7.5 yards. THAT ADDS UP! Especially when you’re making large quilts with small pieces. Just wanted to throw that out there for those of you who might care…🤷♀️
Tammie, good for you to do all that math. I just add a yard or two to the backing requirement for the top. I’m not a math person .
May Fabric IN = +8
May Fabric OUT = –12
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) =-4
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) =-4
Making a collection of orphan blocks into charity tops allowed me to use lots of existing fabric up! I was doing great in reducing stash until the end of the month. A friend that is moving across country put up Kaffe and batik fabrics for sale and I succumbed! Oh well
My May was a bit like yours Carole. I had a couple classes and made quilt tops ready for quilting but none done. I was good at the Quilt show in Greenville, NC with only 1 yd bought. I am vowing to get at least 3 quilts quilted this next month. There are about 9 in the que. My sewing group has free tables and I have picked up some pieces there but none out this month So-o-o-o
May Fabric IN = +3yds
May Fabric OUT = –00
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) =+3
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) =19
fabric added: 9 yards
fabric added year to date: 72 yards
fabric used: 0 yards I am piecing, but, I have had customer quilts hogging the longarm, so, no finishes.
fabric used year to date: 186 1/2 yards
114 1/ 2 yards used more than bought
Well done, Carole!
I finally made it to the negative zone with the last quilt I made. May was a lot of piecing, and 2 quilts, June looks to be as many as 4 tops to quilt, so we will see how the month ends up…even better I hope!
Fabric in this month: 2.0
Fabric out this month: 9.5
Fabric in this year: 38.25
Fabric out this year: 41.25
NET Fabric: -3.0 yards!
A bit more scrap busting for myself. Been busy getting caught-up on some quilting.
May fabric in- 1.50 yds.
May fabric out- 4.0 yds.
May total- 2.50 yds.
YTD total- 9.25 yds.
Not a single inch since early April when we began a home refresh to include, flooring, paint, trim and doors. It was finished up 10d late and I hopped a plane for 19 days of travel and fun with friends who moved to the south.
June needs to be MY month again!
May Fabric IN = + 1/2
May Fabric OUT = – 13.167
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) = -12.667
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) = -41.83
I finally finished the two quilt tops and sandwiched another! Made three shirts for Greg, and covers for the piano bench and G. Necchi. Next month I have at least four pillow cases already selected from stash and may actually start piecing again. I also have some garment plans I hope come to fruition.
2023 STASH TOTALS
Used last week: 6 m 1 quilt softer granny squares
Used year to date: 29 m
Scraps out 0 m
(1 bag=/.5 k=.5m)
Scraps In 2 m chunky box full
Added last week: 2 m
Year to date: 43 m bolt 27m bucket batiks 15m
Net added in 2023 19.5 meter
Will I get to net zero this year ? We shall see!
A late Stash Buster Report, but none the less here ’tis.
May Fabric IN = +7
May Fabric OUT = –13.3
May Net Total ( + In, or – Out) =6.3
Year to Date (net total for the year, + In, or – Out) -53.55
So many starts, lots of progress on several projects so perhaps my June count will indicate more progress and more fabric out.
With four grandkids’ graduations last week I got behind on my stash buster report. May fabric in + 3
May fabric out. – 8
May total – 5 yds
Year total. – 3 1/4 yds
I keep forgetting to post so will quick do it this afternoon when I finally remembered. I didn’t do too good in May. I purchased some backing fabric for some tops that are ready to be quilted so my intake is up (again). Unfortunately, I didn’t get as many quilts completed as I would have liked to so my out was okay but not as much as I was hoping for. Keeping my fingers crossed that June will be a more productive month.
May Fabric IN = +44.75 yards
May Fabric OUT = –26 yards
May Net Total = +18.75 yards
Year to Date = +222.25 yards