The 2013 fabric stash challenge (and other crafty goals)

Happy New Year, friends and visitors!  There's something unique in the air that only happens at this time of year, isn't there?  An aura of expectation, of hopes and plans and dreams.  We set lofty goals for ourselves, and who's to say we won't achieve them!

Two years ago, I set myself goals to spend less on my craft supplies and more time actually using them!  If you've become a follower sometime since then through one of the Scrapbooking challenges I frequent, you could easily assume that this meant only papercraft supplies.  But the truth is, my craft stash actually encompasses fabric, wool, and beading supplies and more!

Lengths of fabric and half-finished sewing projects that weren't exactly new to begin with have now been sitting in their boxes for another two years!

Two lengths of fur and giraffe pattern

   Last month I decided it was time to pull down some of those boxes and remind myself what they held.  As I shared with you here, it was so overwhelming it started the biggest creative block I've had since I started this blog, and for a while I didn't see a way past it.  Although I did give away a couple of lengths of fabric and cull a lot of scrappy end-pieces, there was still a lot I wasn't willing to part with.  All that fabric, those unfinished projects, seemed insurmountable.

Five of the lengths of the fabric I can't bear to part with

But two skirts (here's the other one)and one mini-quilt on, I'm ready to commit to the revised Spend Less, Craft More goals for 2013:

• increased budget to $8 per week, plus an additional $50 "splurge" at the start of January and again in July, (equivalent to approx $10 per week in total).  
• I've reduced my free "staples" to basic adhesives only.  Everything else I defined as a "staple" last year (page protectors, albums and replacement blades) will now come out of the budget at 50%.  ALL sewing notions and other items required to finish sewing projects will come out of the budget.
• Create an average of one scrapbook page per week
• Start a 2013 "Project Life" style album, although I expect to do a double-layout (or perhaps two) per month, rather than one per week.
• Complete at least one sewing project per month, from my list of fabric lengths and unfinished projects.
• Not start any other sewing projects, unless the majority of the supplies comes from the stash,.

Two mini quilts, both ridiculously close to being finished

The central panel of a wall quilt