Wednesday, August 22, 2007

A post of purpose!

I have been doing pretty good lately about not buying a lot of stash. I say pretty good, that means I have only bought a small amount of stuff in the past month or so. I have plans to do better about not buying so much. I have been cleaning house, and in doing that realized how much I really have. I know that I can go through my stash and be happy for a long long time with things to do, and never have to buy more :P I know a lot of you out there are the same as me too! I saw awhile back the challenges to use up stash before you could buy anything else. I have decided I am going to do this. I have also thought ahead and will say I’ll buy items I need to finish something, like if I need a thread color or button, I can get that. I have enough charts to do any kind of exchange under the sun, so I don’t even need to buy a chart for exchanges either LOL! :D So, I am going to do a big challenge for myself, one list will be for quilting, and the other for cross stitching.

Finish 20 cross stitch projects before I can buy any more stash! I can’t believe I just typed that. These are projects for me, not exchanges or round robins.

Projects I’d like to finish (and believe me, I have everything to finish all of these):

1. The Four Seasons (currently WIP)
2. Mermaids of the Deep Blue – Mirabilia *done 10-10-07*
3. Old McMary’s Farm: The Workbasket (currently WIP)
4. Forest Snowfall: Little House Needleworks
5. Plum Threadpack: LHN
6. Berries Threadpack: LHN *done 10-6-07*
7. Pineapple Threadpack: LHN
8. Acorns Threadpack: LHN
9. Christmas Mosaic Ornament: M Designs
10. Bent Creek Snappers (currently WIP)
11. Shepherds Bush: Sail
12. Shepherd’s Bush: Christmas Ornament *done 9-7-07*
13. Shepherd’s Bush: Christmas Ornament *done 9-23-07*
14. Shepherd’s Bush: Christmas Ornament
15. Birds of a Feather: Bloom Where You are Planted
16. Shepherd’s Bush: Americana Needleroll
17. Shepherd’s Bush: A Mother’s Heart
18. Hinzeit: Dash Away All
19. Hillside Samplings: Bittersweet Farm (currently WIP)
20. Valentine Stitchery: The Cape (currently WIP)

Who knows, some of these may change, but for now this list looks pretty accurate for what I want to do soon. All of the big ones are pretty close to being completed too, so that is great! The current WIP must be completed for sure, no exceptions. Yes, I am trying to be hard on myself.

Finish 6 quilting projects before I can buy more fabrics. I will say right now, I will have one exception, and that is for the upcoming seasonal projects I will participate in with my church group. I will allow for that! Since I have no clue what we are even up to. My stash will have to be looked through first though :)

1. Grandma S. Log Cabin quilt (current WIP)
2. Grandma W. Carpenter’s Star Quilt *finished!!! 8-25-07*
3. My blue/yellow log cabin quilt (current WIP)
4. Cowboy Carpenter’s Star quilt
5. Aunt Phyllis Carpenter’s Star quilt
6. Thimbleberries Pumpkin Quilt (currently WIP)

Two of these are almost done, just have to tie them and bind them up!

I am so bad about being an impulse buyer. The internet has made it 300 times worse for me too! You just click and buy, you don’t even have to leave the house. I know I am not that bad either, some of you are worse than me LOL! And I am not trying to make anyone feel bad because most of the time when I see others get their lovely charts and fabrics, I want to do that too! :D Anyway, is anybody else doing this at all? If so, I’d like some good advice on how you do it, and how you stay motivated to do it. Other than saving enough money for retirement!

Thanks for your comments on my sunflowers! And my mom coming, you are all too sweet :) I don’t know what I ever did to earn such nice friends through this blogging world. My mom made it safe and sound and is home with the kids being a grandma! I talked to her today (I am at work) and she said the neighbor kids have been over playing and she is having fun with them all.

I was asked what kind of camera I have, it is a Kodak Z740. I’ve had it for over 3 years now and am still in love with it. It has been the best camera, it can take really nice photos, and long video too. I have been trying harder lately to take nice photographs of my work, and of the flowers in my yard. I have fun experimenting with the close up feature. I don’t know much about lighting and all of that, but I just kind of wing it you know? Photoshop helps me lighten photos too :P So sometimes I cheat a bit.

Well if you actually read all of that, kudos to you! I was in a writing mood today! LOL! I just had it in my mind to start this task of getting things completed.

12 comments:

Dawn T. said...

Great list of projects! I can't wait to see them:)

Sue said...

I hope you can finish up these 20 without buying more :). I sort of have myself on the stash wagon. I have so much stuff I could almost open a store ;)

Unknown said...

I was wondering if the Mermaids were still in rotation! You're so close to finishing that one and once you really get beading it's fun and flies right by.

Wendy said...

Great list, Heather! You might want to give yourself a small incentive, like a small new treat for yourself after every 5 finishes. That might help keep you on track. I too am on a stash diet...at least until my birthday. Then I always treat myself to something :-D

Chiloe said...

I am like you: trying not to buy any new stash as I have a lot of nice projets I want to stitch ... Did you see my stash in my photo album? (my gallery) But I am also weak and designers always have new stuffs ;-) And have you got any hand dye fabrics? :-) I know, I am not helping here :-D

I hope you will be strong : we'll be checking you ;-)

Stitch Wizard said...

Hi Heather:

I commend you for wanting to finish before buying anymore stash. I am a stashaholic I think. I just can't seem to resist the new things I see. Little House Needleworks has a new one coming out, Acorn Hill that I just love. I have lots of stash too that I should do. Thank you for your comments in my blog!! I am excited that you have my Round Robin and know anything you do will be just beautiful!! I need to stitch on my project as I haven't this week and need to. I hope to put up a new post soon too!

Debby :)

Judith said...

I am that same impulsive buyer and am also doing my best to not buy anymore stash till in two months.

Colleen said...

I have been pretty weak in the area of buying MORE projects to do while I still have mega projects to do at home. It was very inspiring to feel your resolve in your challenge to yourself. Maybe I can be strong, too. (I'm so glad you made the exception for your church project coming up :) )

Michelle said...

I love a woman with a plan! Good for you. Those sound do-able. Maybe when you are needing to get re-inspired, you should just re-organize your stash, that seemed to work to motivate you in the first place!

Anonymous said...

Trust me, you're not alone! I collect knitting and quilting stuff, and now I am getting the itch to get back into cross stitch again. Trust me, I have tons of projects each of my stashes that I could work on for many months to come! I put myself on a yarn/quilting/cross stitch diet too, and told myself I can only purchase things to complete projects.

Julie said...

I hear you on the stash buying! I am actually doing this right now too, only I am doing 10 projects before I can buy any stash. I have no idea how I will manage that one.... But you have some great projects on your list. Can't wait to see them all done!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! I'm doing that too :) I'm doing 50 projects ... inclues knitting, stitching and quilting though :) We can do it!!
I agree with the little incentives ... every 5 done should be a new pattern or sock yarn or something? hmmm I'll have to think that one through for myself *grin*
Good luck!