2016 Stashbusting Tallies and 2017 Stashbusting Goals

It's the time of year to review how well I did on my 2016 stash busting goals and set some new sights for the upcoming year.

2016 Review

Well, this is pretty easy. I didn't write down my 2016 goals anywhere that I can find. They are probably buried in the Stashbusting Group Feed. I searched a bit, but couldn't find anything concrete. I know, at the very least, I wanted to end up with less stash than I started.

I toyed with using Evernote to track totals in January, but it was a failure. The pictures are nice and all, but tracking numbers was impossible. In February, I added everything to Excel and I love it. A new page for every month with automatic totals at the bottom. Worked perfectly for me. I uploaded a blanked out copy to the Stashbusing Group's Files HERE if you think it might work for you too.

What The Numbers Say

The numbers say I did not achieve my goal. I grew my stash by 11.36 yards in 2016.

Yards at the start of 2016: 294.02 

Yards Acquired in 2016: 119.04

Yards Sewed in 2016: 112.54

Yards at the end of 2016: 305.38

There is an error of 4.86 yards. That comes from some found yardage that didn't get counted originally. 

2017 Goals

2017 is my 3rd year with the Facebook Stashbusting Group. I learned during the first two years that over-specific and restrictive goals do not work for me. It's like a challenge to my inner rebel. This year, I'm going to try a different approach.

Here's the thing. I LIKE having a stash! I think it's a good thing. I don't always have the funds to run out and buy for my next project. Sometimes I want to participate in pattern tests, and it's important to have something on hand. Gazing at my fabric is inspiring, motivating and calming for me. I don't want to eliminate my stash. I want to curate it! My first goal is to refine and upscale my stash by using the poor quality fabric I have for muslins and making selective purchases that fit my love of high end fibers. Linen, wool, silk, quality rayons and non-pilling polyesters.

As my stash is now at 305 yards, it's a little too big for the space I have. I think trimming it down to about 200 yards would be just right. It's unrealistic to think that I will buy nothing and sew 100 stash yards in 2017. My second goal will be to reduce my stash by an over-all 50 yards by December 31st 2017.

I have many beautiful pieces in my stash. My third goal is to sew up some of these bits I've set aside for "someday". The Seasonal Sew Wardrobe challenge that I am hosting in the Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests Facebook group is helping me achieve that this year. The theme is Deep Stash. And while using "stashed" patterns is a requirement, I'm also requiring myself to use as much stashed fabric as I can.

As a bonus, I have 8 UFO projects lingering from various years that I would like to finish. A few are only half sewn, a few others only need small adjustments like a lining fix, or some hand stitching to finish off the buttons and button holes. My fourth goal is to clear out these UnFinished Objects from my sewing room and my head space this year.

One Last Goal

The final thing on my sewing mind for 2017 is not really stash related. It's completely tied to my favorite Indy Pattern Designer, Itch-To-Stitch Patterns. My fifth and final goal for 2017 is going to be the most fun for me: I want to work my way through the Itch-To-Stitch pattern catalog and make at least 1 of each design...current and new releases as they come out. I've already sewn up 14 patterns in the last 15 months or so, which means as of January 2017, I ONLY have 10 to go! At least...10 that are currently published. It will be lots of fun to see how far I get.

What are your sewing goals this year? Come check out the Facebook group Stashbusting Sewalong 2017 to stay motivated to work through your sewing stash this year.

Sew some of those Deep Stash Patterns into a brand new wardrobe... Sew Along in the Facebook group Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests.

Join me in the Itch-To-Stitch Designs Facebook group to see how many patterns I sew up this year!