Ladies and gentlemen, clean and oil those sewing machines and warm up your sewing muscles - it is time again for the Stash Challenge!
This challenge will run Monday, November 3, through Saturday, January 31, 2009. You can join in at any time!
So, some of you might be wondering, what is "stash"? Well, stash is all that fabric those of us who sew tend to accumulate, intentionally or unintentionally! For some of us, it can be a bit overwhelming (as evidenced here: My fabric problem). That fabric was purchased to be used, and we use this friendly competition to motivate each other to sew at least some of it up! We will add up the number of yards each person sews, and the person with the most yards by the end of the contest wins.
For now, the prize is simply the joy of sewing up all that stash (and of course, bragging rights), but if anyone has an idea for a prize, let me know.
Now for the rules:
1. For the purposes of this contest, stash is considered to be fabric that was in your possession before the start of the contest, Monday, November 3, 2008. Unfinished projects also count toward your stash, if they were unfinished before the start of the contest. If you need new fabric to finish a project, that's ok, but you can only count the stash fabric toward your total. Projects that count toward your yardage must be finished and ready to serve their intended purpose. For garments, they should be hemmed, buttoned, etc. Garments for the purposes of fitting are ok and do not need to be hemmed, lined, etc, as long as they have served that purpose. Quilts should be batted, backed, bound, and quilted (or whatever is necessary for the project to be "finished").
2. What counts toward your yardage? Well, anything that came from your stash. If you need new fabric for linings or to complete a UFO, that's totally ok, just only count the "stash" yardage toward your total.
3. How do you figure out your yardage? If you used a pattern, you can just use the number of yards on the back of the envelope. Or you can actually measure the linear yards of fabric that you cut into. If you're doing quilting or crafts that use small pieces, just give your best guess based on the size of the finished project. For simplicity (since there will probably be a lot of guessing involved!), round your yardage to the nearest 1/4 yard. Round up if you are over the 1/8 yard mark, round down if you are below 1/8 yard. I'll add up the yardage as we go, so you can see your progress and be inspired by your very industrious sewing friends!
Any questions?
Ready to get started? Post your plans, progress, and yardage here: Stash Challenge Yardage and Discussion