{Net Zero Fabric} January look ahead

 

It's so easy for me to get carried away with big, lofty goals, and I often find myself trying to make everything grand. In a Quilt Your Life group chat, we got to talking about having a goal to not purchase fabric in the coming year and how hard that could be. I posed the idea of net-zero fabric - using up as much fabric as you bring in - and that got my idea machine flowing. Bigger, better, grand, AMAZING! But then I found myself researching newsletter options and website companies and looking at pricing and schedules, and... quickly, things were getting beyond sustainable.

So, I stopped. I remembered that my goal this year is to create SPACE. I remembered that I already have a blog to capture my thoughts and ideas. I remembered that the best way to build community is to keep showing up in the space I want to create (thanks, Forest Club). So, I'm starting here. 

Welcome to Net Zero Fabric - everyone is welcome, make space and do what works for you.

My three goals for this month are:

1. Add fabrics to destash
2. Clean up fabric that is out
3. Check-in with community

{Destash}

At the end of 2023, we really started to get serious about getting control back over our little house. With four of us in less than 1000 square feet, the STUFF quickly gets out of hand. We are working towards better organization and storage solutions, but a big part of getting control back is having less stuff in the first place. I've been quilting since 2009, and while my fabric stash ,is small, it exceeds the space I have. When things don't have a place to go, it makes cleaning up hard, and fabric is spilling over into household spaces. This makes me dred sewing because it'll 'just make a mess.' So, it's time to part with fabrics that are taking up space - DESTASH! 

This month, I'd like to list the pile of fabrics I've already set aside, and I'd like to add more to the 'to destash' pile.

{Clean up}

That spilled over fabric? It needs to be put away. Part of that will be sorting it into piles - (1) put away, (2) destash, (3) give away. Also, not every tiny scrap needs to be saved. It's time to stop saving trash. Creating space will allow cleaning up to be easier. 

{Check-in}

I plan to show up! I'm posting here, and I'm sharing to Instagram, and I'm hoping that as I show up, others will join too. Already, there was a great response to the Net Zero Fabric challenge. Realistic goals that allow for customization resonate with people. Working in a community brings encouragement, accountability, and fun! I'm here for all those things.

I'll try to post weekly on IG to share my progress and help keep myself accountable. Regularly touching base with my goals will keep me on track. This blog post is my first "newsletter" for the month and it lays out my goals. I'll follow-up at the end of the month to see how I've done. Here, I'm allowing for ease and judgment-free space - keep it fun, Megan! And fun... creating reels that are great for boosting connection and let me get creative. When I get creative, tackling the to-do list is more fun. Did I say fun? 

Bring it on, 2024! I'm here to take small steps and make SPACE. 

Links from this post:

• Quilt Your Life - using quilts to document life's moments - big, small, and everything in between - hosted by Kitty Wilken
• Little Hill Forest Club - weekly hiking group for little kids and their grownups based in El Cerrito, CA
• Net Zero Fabric Challenge - Instagram highlight with all the details
• Fabric Tracking - all about fabric tracking from Jeni Baker at In Color Order - including a link to her fabric tracking spreadsheet I updated for this challenge
• #2024QuitingPlanningParty - I've linked up this post with the community space to share 2024 quilting goals - hosted by Yvonne Fuchs