Fabric Diet Check In – Week 8!!!

Alleluia! The fabric diet is over! Take a deep breath and a sigh of relief!

Fabric Diet Check In

It’s time to tally up all the weeks that you’ve been naughty or nice and see what Santa will bring you. Oh wait, that’s Christmas. Well, it’s still time to tally up those weeks. 😉

I know that this was either a huge success for some or a laughable attempt at controlling the monster that is a love for fabric. I fell somewhere in between. I think that doing this really helped me evaluate what fabrics I have and what fabrics I want. I’m learning how to spend my dollars more wisely…which is always a good thing. And I’m determining the amounts of fabric that I would like of particular prints. I’m kind of surprising myself with the fabrics that I adore and the ones that I can ignore.

I find it helpful to find the fabric, know that I could buy it, and then make a rational..non impulsive decision about the fabric. I’ve figured out that sometimes it’s worth pursuing the hard to find fabrics and other times you just need to ride the train of gorgeous new fabrics. Because just when I think that i have every print I want, I somehow see a new line in a different way. And then I must have it.

I’ve also learned that it’s okay to love just a few of the prints from a particular line…and I don’t need to have all of them. It’s really just my compulsive nature that makes me want to collect entire lines. But honestly, it’s a pretty silly thing to do because I so rarely make something from just one line. I take great delight in throwing together fabrics from all over the place!

And I’m still organizing fabric! It’s crazy! But the good news is that I will be doing some destashing soon in my Etsy shop and I hope that you will enjoy what I’m letting go of. Plus you know you all get a discount code. 😉

So spill everyone…this is the last check in. You must check in to be eligible for any special prizes… tease tease.

And make sure you come back tomorrow because we are having a fabulous giveaway from the Fat Quarter Shop! (hint: girls, trees, puppy dogs, scooters, scarves and more!)

55 thoughts on “Fabric Diet Check In – Week 8!!!”

  1. I think I had two weeks where I bought stuff that I didn't have know what I was going to with it. So I think I was good about half of the time. All I need to do is look to my right at the piles of fabric that needs to be used.

  2. Pips, Central Park, and Sunkissed – the lines I've been lusting over – I'll definitely be back tomorrow. I didn't buy any fabric this week – only caved for one of the 8 weeks! Thanks so much for hosting this – I think I've learned a lot, too!

  3. I'm checking in to say that I was not a good girl – some link to a link to a link online found me a site that had v.v.v.v.v.v. cheap fabric – in the colours I love (so I had to, just had to). But, I have been restrained in stash building many other times – a good balance maybe, instead of crazy-i-ness every other day??!!

    I am loving the sound of the 'tease tease'!

  4. I joined just after week two (so a six-week diet for me). I was only bad one of those six weeks, so I guess I can claim five weeks of no fabric purchases. After I started quilting last year, I never thought I'd have a fabric addiction, let alone need to put myself on a fabric diet! Thanks for enabling me to do this!

  5. I made it! I didn't buy anything during the 8 weeks and I have challenged myself to make it to Mother's Day. I have discovered lots of fabrics I still love in my stash and several ufos that have been buried for far too long. Plans are to finish them up and then enjoy the space I have made in my stash by buying what I need and a bit of what I can't live without.
    Thanks for the challenge. It has definitely helped to refocus how and why I buy fabric.

  6. Well I bought fabric one time. It was because I needed it for my DQS partner, since her taste is different from mine (solids, brights) and I had none. So I made it 7 of the 8 weeks without buying fabric. Now I have birthday money so I can go shopping soon! YAY

  7. Hooray! I think I only gave in one week, so I think 7 weeks is pretty good going. I will definitely be back if there is a chance to win some Pips though!

  8. huh? it's over? oh my, how do i controll myself in future? 🙂 again, thank you so much for hosting this 'challenge'…it really helped me to stay on track for most of the time (s. b.), i wouldn't have been so good if i tried it just on my own.
    i did well this week – and felt still so guilty for falling off the wagon last week (fabric is not here yet…bummer). 7 w out of 8…you'd say that it is not too bad, but the over-achiever in me is quite mad about this one week 🙂
    can't wait to have a little retail therapy soon…there are some basics to stash…and some gorgeous new fabrics to indulge in…yay!!!

  9. Last weekend I saw a facebook ad for Connecting Threads and got sucked into 6 yards for less than $20! They had this really cute line of winter sweater-themed fabric on clearance, and I had to partake. I think my package should be arriving today or tomorrow. I only broke the diet at the very beginning and the very end, both for fantastic deals! This was fun though. Thanks for hosting, and can't wait for the SP giveaway!

  10. I bought my first yard of fabric for 2011 this past week and it was to finish the binding on a quilt project. My husband has been so proud of me. Thank you again for doing this!

  11. Wow I made it – through the whole 8 Weeks. And I am going to see how much longer I can last – and then only buy fabric if I really need to. You are right sourcing fabric and knowing you could buy it and then thinking about it rationally does help those impulsive purchases. Strangely enough the longer this diet has gone on the easier it's been to look and say no. I am not sure how well I'll fair long term without checking in though…

    (Having to go look at new-to-me cars has made me watch my pennies or the more this week.)

  12. I made it for six weeks, not so bad at all. And I am actually using more of my stash, which is the best of it 🙂 Will continue until Easter though, with the exception of one shopping day I'll allow myself.

  13. I did pretty well. I "slipped" this past week, but honestly I loved this Fabric Diet because – like you, Angela – it made me stop and think about WHAT I was buying and WHY. I loved that your fabric diet overlapped with Jeni's (In Color Order) series on managing your stash. It helped me be more targeted in my buying (and swapping – yay!).

  14. I think there was two weeks…maybe three that I broke the diet. Thanks so much for having this. It really does make you think if you need that fabric when you have to be accountable to someone who cares (as opposed to a hubby whose eyes glaze over).

  15. I made it another week without buying anything! Woohoo!! The diet is over, bring on the doughnuts! (I know, I know, it's a different kind of diet. I'm having a doughnut anyway).

  16. I made it! The whole shebang. I didn't shop or buy any fabric. I did get some fabric as a gift for my birthday and that's all. Boy am I ready to do some shopping, BUT I really learned to use my stash. I think I really turned a corner towards using not hoarding fabric. That's a BIG BIG step. Thanks!

  17. i caved… i made a small purchase for some GREAT fabric finds! well technically, they are not my fabric finds.. someone extremely generous on Flickr shared some FMF finds in her LQS, and i was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time and was one of the first people to FM her for a piece of the loot! i bought 2 FQs from her, at normal retail price!!! it was totally worth it! =D

  18. I made it this week, no purchases. This was a good exercise in self control. I think moving forward I will think more about my fabric purchases instead of being so impulsive. But I may have to make a fabric purchase this weekend just for fun.

  19. Well, Angela, I made it all eight weeks with no purchases! And I have to say, knowing that I needed to check in every Friday made me stop and think about things I just "had" to have! So I sure hope I win those Sherbet Pips tomorrow – because that's the one line that's just killing me not to buy!! The diet has made me look at my stash a different way – more "I know there's something in here that will work" and less "well, I can go to the LQS to find something to go with this"!! Thanks so much!!

  20. Thank you so much for hosting this! It really, really helped knowing I had needed to "check in". I agree with a lot of what you said- it has definitely helped me narrow down my likes to more specific fabrics.

    I didn't cave once but let me just say I feel ready to bust!

  21. Well when I started this diet, I said there would be one week that I would fail!! I failed miserably this week. Needed the green for BAP, I was getting soooo far behind, and I needed backing fabric, didn't find any, (got the green though)but there was a fat quarter blowout sale, so I thought what the heck I will grab 20…………I bought 60!!!!! Guess when I fall off the toadstool, I do it big! But I pat myself on the back for doing good the rest of the month..if you want to see my goodies check em out at 16muddyfeet.blogspot.com

  22. Other than that awesome Odyssea backing fabric I found cheap at the Chinatown market stalls… I have been a really really REALLY good girl… all the way up until Thursday… YEAH!!!!!

    Um, yep, then with one day to go, I kinda logged onto FQS thinking I could just have a look and save things in my cart for a day and go back on Saturday after the diet to buy them. But then they had a fq bundle of Nest for HALF PRICE and I have loved those little birdies and I started to panic thinking "aargh, that won't still be there on Saturday"… *breathe* *finds wallet* *breathe* *enter card number* *breathe* *press submit*… "oh no, what have I done… I've failed AGAIN". And with only ONE DAY to go LOL!!!!

    But, it's been a lot of fun and there's been heaps of stuff I didn't buy, so thank you for making me think more about my purchases 🙂

  23. OK so here's the deal. I will always buy solids and did this week – some chocolate for a bee block as well as miles and miles and miles of solids for my bee month and for my Ruby Star Rising quilt so in that sense I failed on this week of the diet. BUT I have realised that, as much as I totally love fabric, I have enough – is that weird? Too much "stuff" weighs me down mentally and I don't want more, more, more. So in this process I did learn that I will always buy what I need to make a project but hopefully won't buy much fabric just because I want that fabric for no specific purpose. We'll see. That might just last a fortnight! It's been fun though.

  24. Tammara, Jess and Cory

    I am so laughing I just read this to my husband and he asked why I was not part of it? I had to explain I did not find you until a couple of weeks ago. He is all for the fabric Diet for me:) I did manage to oraganize my fabric and I am so surprised by how much I have. I am determined to use a good portion of it up. I have made a list of items to make and am working on it each weekend. I will be posting a monthly picture of all I accomplished that month. I love your blog. Have a wonderful week.

  25. Ending on a good note! Nothing in this week (nothing out either, sadly) so I think that makes five weeks for me. I really appreciate you putting this on – it has really helped me to think about my fabric stash in a new light and be more aware of my purchases. It's too easy to just buy. Especially when you do a lot of your purchaseing with a *click*.

  26. Yay I managed to make it and avoid buying fabric for the whole 8 wks! I avoided sunkissed temptation last week 🙂
    Thanks for hosting this challenge, its really made me think and as you said stop impulse buying!

  27. Did you say Sherbet Pips?! Of course you did! That is on top of my shopping list! Picked a couple of scrap bags when I went to buy a Clover marker! SO I survived another week! Thanks for making us more aware of our purchases and I even managed to clear out a bit too!

  28. Just discovered this fabric diet in Febrary and though hmmm I NEED to diet but do I WANT to diet…my inner self convinced me. Apparently I was already half there because in January I was a good girl:

    January – No fabric (except for gift card fabric, does that count?)
    February – No fabric…until…had to order for a swap (this was getting shipped so I thought that was "legal" but somehow 2 Fat 1/8 Bundles jumped into virtal cart. Man I was doing so well.

    All into perspective. In two months I only "ate two candy bars". Not too bad. If you compare I only gained about 1/2 pound. hehehehe

  29. I only bought fabric once…and it was less than $1 a yard (hooray, vintage sheet sets, except there were 4 flat sheets and 2 bigger than I've ever seen pillowcases!) and will be used for backings. So 7/8 weeks isn't bad! I'd love for some Sherbert Pips…I have a little boy quilt to make after I finish my current WIP and the little doggie just has me drooling!

  30. I failed last week. I caved. A close friend asked if we could go back to the shop that was closing its doors. And Hubby said please try not to spend what I spent on you for Valentines. My Valentines gift was a shopping spree. I bought, but didn't spend as much. I still bought. There 2 things I was looking for and they had neither. 🙁

    Oh well. Congrats to everyone that survived another week.

    Congrats to those that fessed up to spending this week.

    It has been fun.

    Thanks Angela for the awesome chance to contain the beast.

  31. Wow 8 weeks no cheating this week but there was one week that I bought fabric, only one though. Thanks so much for the motivation I realized I don't have to buy everything I see just because I like it. I need to be more selective and buy only things I really love, I have had to stay away from shopping because I seem to loose control so I still have to work on limiting myself when I am around fabric but if I buy with something that I have a plan for and stick to that I should be good. I love sherbet pips that is one line I have truly been drooling over thanks for diet I really needed it and I am going to try to continue at least until the paducah international quilt show then I have a feeling all control might be out the window but if I am good until then it will be 4 months that is ny new goal. Thanks so much for helping me reach it.

  32. I was successful 7 of 8 weeks. Sadly, my "fail" week wasn't even anything fun – just batting and plain black backing fabric. If you are giving any extra credit points, I didn't buy fabric the 3 weeks before the challenge. This challenge did save me some $…but maybe not in the long run…I've been keeping a list of things to buy when the challenge was over.

  33. I certainly fell somewhere in between. I had good weeks and bad weeks. I think this was actually a great exercise for me, forcing me to be more thoughtful about what I purchased and why. It also made me take a long, hard look at my stash. I've sorted, reorganized, cut up, and donated what I know I won't use. If nothing else, I have a cleaner studio, and a more critical eye when I'm shopping! Thanks so much for hosting this, Angela. It's really been fun seeing how we all do, and I enjoyed the challenge!

  34. didn't buy any fabric this week…which brings my tally to 6 good weeks out of 8..

    WHOA! done..you mean I can go binge on fabric now??…but wait, do I really need it?…hmm..maybe not…arrrgghh…what have you done to me Angela!!! 🙂

  35. I made it this week! Yay!
    So over the entire 8 weeks, I only bought once! Plus now I have a newfound attitude toward buying so much fabric all the time. I don't always need it!

  36. Yay! No fabric this week – so I've managed 6 weeks in total – amazing for me 🙂

    I only bought what I really needed for 3 swaps (2 of my partners were way out of my stash zone!) and I have really really learned to only buy what I absolutely need – no more impulse buying for me

    I am doubly motivated because I stashed what I would normally spend on fabric and it has bought me a budget air ticket to Berlin for two days in April, so yay to you Angela … and Yay to me 🙂

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