How do you organize your stash??

[Margo]

I have two cupboards I got at Ikea (with doors to keep out the sun!). One cupboard has batiks organized by color, and the other cottons by color and by theme (holiday, floral, kids etc).
My problem- I have more batiks than room in my cupboard!!

Time to SEW!!!!

[djane]

I have two cupboards I got at Ikea (with doors to keep out the sun!). One cupboard has batiks organized by color, and the other cottons by color and by theme (holiday, floral, kids etc).
My problem- I have more batiks than room in my cupboard!!

Time to SEW!!!!

My thoughts exactly!

[djane]

I have white open shelving that was actually designed as closet organizers. I bought them at Lowe's. They are nice and deep, which is great because most book cases are not deep enough.
I fold my fabric using a 6 x 24 inch omnigrid ruler. Fold your piece of fabric in half, with selveges meeting. Now your fabric is about 22 inches wide, and however long the piece is.
Place it on a table and then put the ruler on the fabric and start rolling the ruler and fabric along the length of the piece.
When you have the entire length of fabric around the ruler pull the ruler out and then fold the fabric in half.
The folded edge of the fabric is now just over 6 inches wide, and the length is 10-11 inches.
The folded edge looks great when you start stacking your fabric. And it's a big enough fold that you get a good idea of what the fabric looks like later!
I found this tip in a magazine and can't remember which one!

[Margo]

You can see photos of quilter51's technique in my Webshots album here: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563306368ujRyrP

[Margo]

So many of you like to use open shelving so you can enjoy the eye candy. Keep in mind, that though it makes a wonderful display, just the exposure to light, whether natural or via electricity, can "fade" that lovely exposed edge. I hang curtains for that reason on the front of my shelving that I can easily push open when I need to enjoy the eye candy or decide on fabrics for a project.

[Lorchen]

Agnes, I stick a strip of velcro to the top of open shelving units, then sew the other part of the velcro to the top of a quilt and 'stick them' together. No faded fabrics!

[Lorchen]

Lorchen--Velcro would work just fine. The way my unit is constructed it was not an option but I could mount a cafe curtain rod and did a loose casing on my"curtain that I pieced from orphan blocks.

[Lorchen]

Mine is sorted by color, with a few extra "special" categories like batiks, repros, etc. The fabrics, regardless of size (unless very big) are folded to about 5x8" rectangles. I stand these rectangles, folded edge up, in plastic Rubbermaid-type storage boxes. The boxes are labeled and stored on bookshelves. I like this method because:
1. The fabrics stay clean and dust-free
2. I can pull out a box of a particular color without disarranging stacks of fabric
3. I can see at a glance what I have, and can riffle through the selections without removing them from the box.

Large pieces of fabric (multiple yards, backings, etc.) are folded, labeled with yardage, put into clear plastic bags, and stored flat on shelves. *REALLY* large pieces are folded lengthwise and wound around cardboard bolts from the fabric store. I try to label these with yardage also, and update the quantity when I cut a piece off.

Scraps (really small pieces) are, when I have time, pressed and cut into 2-1/2" squares, 1-1/2" strips (future log cabin quilt), and 3-1/2"-wide rectangles. I just finished a queen-size quilt top made only of 2-1/2" scrap squares...they do add up over time. If I can't cut one of these sizes, I pass the scrap along to a friend who uses even *smaller* sizes, or throw it away with a clear conscience. The cut pieces can be stored in shoeboxes or similar containers until you're ready to use them.

If you really get going on stash accumulation, I hope you have more wall space than I do!

[EditorAnne]

My fabrics are sorted by colour and stored in a custom-made cabinet behind sliding doors that have my design wall on them.

Anything at least as large as a fat eighth gets fan-folded into an 9- by 11-inch rectangle. (For half yards and full yards, I fold in half twice, lengthwise, before fan-folding. For fat quarters, I fold in half once. For fat eighths, I don't fold in half at all before fan-folding.) All I have to do is count the fan folds to know how big a piece is.

Anything smaller than a fat eighth goes into a plastic bin, again sorted by colour.

You can see pics of my stash on my profile page. Nothing goes into my cabinet until it's been washed and pressed.

[EditorAnne]

well i have fabric that is 3 yrds and more folded on the cardboard that i get for free at the fabric store. fat qt are in a 6 foot tall cabinet. it is full, they are sorted by color and anything from 1/2 yr up to 2 1/2 yrs in in another cabinet. fabric that i have put together for a quilt is in a project bag with the pattern and on shelves in the closet. i just downsized form a 2000 sq ft home (just me and my fur babies) to a house next to my daughter that is only 900 sq ft. i discovered i had 99 'bolts of fabric when i had to move them. i have a big grace frame that i had to take out a 2 ft section to get it to fit into the biggest bedroom, (which isn't all that big. 12 x 12. i took the smallest bedroom since all i do is sleep in there and the 3rd bedroom is setup with tables 3 sides. i am sewing as fast as i can , i know if i don't get it used up my oldest son will toss it in the trash instead of calling my friend at the LQS to help get rid of it. :-) of course i can't go over a month without buying more fab or batting or something. i am addicted.
Barb

[EditorAnne]

I will be moving in to a bigger room put I have mine in bens by color

[quilting00]

Barb--I so relate to your story! And, Happy, How I would love to move to a larger space; but I already have the master bedroom and DH said no to putting a LA in the living room. . .I guess this princess can't have EVERYTHING. . .big sigh!

[quilting00]

As wait for my hired organizer to visit, I need a goal for my quilt space. what works and what doesn't. sorting by color is the easy part but What do you do with the novelty prints. You need to see them to decide the color, they can't just be put in a bin. It is focus Fabrics that are giving me trouble. And the block of the month too many this year. help Alex and Ricky what are some good ideas? what a great show that would be TRICKS FROM REAL QUILTERS _ solutions from fabric to tool storage. we could all give our best ideas. if you are out there with ideas, please pass them to me. :!: Robin

[anne1]

Margo ,
How do I access Webshots? do you have to sign up for it?
Anne