my oldest work in progress

Today's topic for the blog-along is "my oldest work in progress." Mine has to be this Christmas Carpenter's Star:

My mom bought this pattern and fabric for me in August (I think) of 2005. If I remember correctly, Mom took me to the quilt store in Arlington after my boyfriend of almost three years broke up with me to date someone who lived in the same town as he did (oh, college and long-distance-relationships). The quilt was supposed to keep me busy and distracted while I got over him. Sadly, I was 19 and living in a tiny two-bedroom apartment with three other girls. Didn't have much space to work. So it got packed away in this box for a few years...

It looks like I got as far as washing the fabrics and cutting out my fat quarters to make the star. I have the background and border fabric folded up in that box. I also had some Mountain Mist 100% polyester batting in there (ew). Did I mention all the fabrics are flannel? I'm going to set aside that batting for a different project... maybe some pillows or a wall hanging. I think that when I get this thing put together (which will happen eventually I hope) I'll use a low-loft, 100% cotton batting (or no batting at all with two layers of flannel!) so it's not too hot to use. I think it will turn out to be a nice, traditional, shabby-country-ish, Christmasy quilt one day.

Reading Julie's blog-along post gave me an amazing idea. She mentioned keeping a spreadsheet with a start and finish date of all her projects. I've been keeping things "organized" in various piles around my house and files saved on the desktop of my computer. So now I'm going to copy Julie's idea and take it a step further (so Julie, am I more obsessive, or more detailed?)... I started a spreadsheet today to track my WIPs. It not only lists start dates, but also details the fabric I've purchased, including the name, color, amount, price (with shipping), and where I bought it. It's definitely opening my eyes to the cost of a completed project. I'm happy to say that so far in my spreadsheet, I have the materials for three quilt tops, and I'm not horrified when I realize how much I've spent per project. The quilt for my dad's birthday is (rightly) the most expensive, while fun lap quilts for me are cheaper.

Shopping for quilt fabric

It's really easy to get caught up in the thrill of counting the dollars you've saved versus the dollars you've spent when using a coupon or buying something on sale. I am infamous for only thinking about how much I "saved" versus how much I spent. But if you buy a yard of $10/yard fabric for $4 and never use it, have you really saved $4, or have you just lost $6?


And when impulse-buying fabric, it's always a guessing game: "I love this fabric — and it's 40% off — how much should I get?!"

So I'm beginning to find it incredibly helpful to keep a list on my computer of projects on my to-do list, including the yardages I need for them. That way the conversation in my head goes a little more like this: "I love this fabric! I could use it for that project for my mom for Mother's Day. And it's 40% off!" I know exactly how much I need, so I don't wind up with too much or too little. I find online shopping overwhelmingly convenient, since I am a night owl and you can check prices at a plethora of retailers without leaving the couch.

And speaking of great fabric deals, I just discovered the Missouri Star Quilt Co., which offers a "ridiculous brand new quilting deal" every day. Their "daily deal" looks to be somewhat addictive.

And, contrary to everything I said above, I feel I must add that if I find a good deal on something I just can't live without, I would probably impulsively buy it, and then create a project for it. This collection is a great example: 

(Another great example is the Happy Campers quilt I'm currently making for my dad's birthday — I got five more blocks done today AND my backing fabric came in the mail. Thanks, WhipstitchFabrics!)