2021 Maker Stash-Down ~ January

Welcome to the 2021 Maker Stash-Down! I’m aiming to cut my maker stash in half as it has grown to ginormous proportions. The best way to do this is by making, making, making! We made it through the first month of the year and now it’s time to set goals for February.

I did a Maker Finish-Along in 2019 with monthly challenges and for the Maker Stash-Down last year I shared monthly goals & what I did. Well, kinda monthly goals because things really fell off about September. Ahem.

This year I’m going to sorta, kinda combine those two things. I’m going to do a monthly post with goals for the month and what I actually achieved the month before. Plus I want to throw out some challenges in the Facebook group each month. Here’s a little bullet point list for what’s gonna happen {hopefully!}:

• Monthly blog posts with my goals & makes – Last Friday of the month {that means 2 blog posts for January}
• 2 to 3 challenges in the Facebook group each month – These will be simple and fun and hopefully help you keep your maker mojo going!
• Monthly live in the Facebook group – I plan on doing this on the last Friday as well at about 7 p.m. EST. Just want to hang out with my maker friends!

So, that’s basically what’s happening each month. What do y’all need to do to participate? Just share your goals and makes each month in the Facebook group – it’s really that simple! Share with the group and let us all see how you’re stashing down this year. Then you’ll be put in the drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card each month. Pretty awesome, right? : D

Now, let’s take a look at what I did in January and my goals for February!

January Things

In January I was really just trying to get my maker space back in order. I had a short list of what I wanted to accomplish:

• Match fabric and yarn to patterns – I’ve worked on this a bit, but more to do.
• Finish or clear out WIPs – Sorted out what I want to keep and it may change as the year goes on.
• Make a plan of action – I wanted to be sure to set aside time each week to work on personal projects. This is something I’m continuing to work on to find the balance between work and play.

I also managed to clear some things out to go to other makers or charity. The space that changed the most was this corner…

It’s much easier to find things in this area now! I finally found something to help organize my WIP bags as well. This is a multi-hook, heavy duty, over-the-door hanger I found on Amazon.

Only a portion of them as I couldn’t fit the two larger ones and the ones I’m working from are in a basket by the couch. I did manage to finish a couple of sewing projects that were hanging around like this cocoon wrap. I also finished another top, but I forgot to take a picture – oops!

Most of my making in January went towards the shop and a king size t-shirt quilt. The quilt had a fleece backing making it very heavy and a bit of a pain to work with, that’s why I’m calling it “the beast”! It was also all black t-shirts with a black backing….

I think I did fairly well for my January goals. Although keeping on track with my blog post schedule does need some work still! : )

February Goals

This month is the real beginning of the making! My plan is to finish some small projects each month and put some work into larger projects each month.

• Complete a garment each month – I want to move towards a more handmade wardrobe this year. There may be more than one garment on my list for the month, but as long as I finish one I’ll be happy!
• Complete blocks for QALs each month – I have two new ones I want to stay on top of, plus I’d like to finish up one from the past each month.
• 3 crocheted/knit hats per month – One for Hat not Hate, one for the Phoebe Cancer Center, and one for other donations.
• One pair of socks each month – This can be crocheted or knit
• One dishcloth/washcloth each week – these will keep me up on my Christmas gifts and lighten my cotton yarn stash
• One to two blocks for Warm Up America each month – This helps me use stash and learn new stitches.

These are goals for smaller things, then I’ll pull some other things as I finish to work on each month. Here’s what I’ve pulled to work on this month…

Sewing

This shirt is almost finished. Just need to re-cut borders for the sleeves because they were too short!

I’ve pulled five patterns to at least cut out this month. I want to have at least one complete by the end of the month.

• Style Arc Patterns – Brooklyn Knit Top, Carlson Sweater, & Joni Knit Track Pant {floral and star fabrics from Girl Charlee, salmon knit from Fabric Mart}
• DG Patterns – Sofia Top
• Tanit-Isis Sews – Grecian Goddess Sundress {free pattern, fabric from stash}

These are the two current QALs plus a small old one I want to finish this month.

• Cotton Cuts Puzzle Mystery Quilt – This is the Fall PMQ in the Candyland colorway. No longer available, but they have a new one every season!
• Nebula Block of the Month – I’m getting this through the Fat Quarter Shop. You can still get the pattern, but not the fabric with the pattern.
• Love blocks from various places

For those that have been around awhile, yes, I still haven’t sewn together the love blocks! It will be a banner for my mantel when I finish it. : )

I have several embroidery kits and items traced out I want to work on. This month I’ll be working on this Falling Leaves kit I got from Leasure Arts. I did a video about this kit when I received it, but I have yet to actually make it!

Yarny Stuff

I have a start on some of my smaller yarny goals this month, but I need to get caught up on others.

• One dishcloth in Side Dish by Lion Brand {no longer available}; one washcloth in progress using I Love This Cotton in Plum, pattern is Jazz Age Crochet Washcloth from Knit Picks
• Warm Up America blocks finished, need to do 2 for this month
• Sock pick for the month, Darn Good Yarn socks

I have a bag filled with yarn just for hats, but I didn’t think to get a picture of that! These are some bigger projects I would like to finish this month…

And this is a project I started last month with a scrap cake of Homespun. I will be adding the four new cakes of Homespun Stripes I got in – 2 in Nursery and 2 in Beach Umbrella. Then I’ll finish it off with another blue scrap cake. The plan is to try to get one cake in each month.

February Wrap Up

These posts are always so much fuller than I expect! I will be adding a DIY section next month as I have been working on things in that area as well. Keep forgetting to take photos, which seems to be a theme in this blog post! I did do a video of me making candles if you’d like to take a look…

You can look forward to these DIY style videos coming up in February:

• Watercolor pencils from Arteza
• Quilling kit from Amazon
• Paint Pouring set from Arteza

These are all things in my maker stash I’ve wanted to try out and I think it’s fun to film it while I do. Hopefully y’all enjoy it too!

I’m looking forward to lightening the load and really getting some making done this year. I hope y’all will join the Maker Stash-Down and have fun connecting with other makers in the group. It’s really fun to see what everyone’s making and you never know what you might see. All makers are welcome so, if you know a maker, invite them to join in the fun!