Ok, ok. Quilt Sue challenged me to show my stash. Well, I've been looking at the pictures of stashes on Judy L.'s blog, and I think some of them look pretty darn good compared to mine. I've got huge tubs, zip lock bags, and no organization. It's no wonder I've sometimes purchased the exact same fabric several times.
I think I need an intervention.
The worst of it is, I have no idea how to organize this space so that I'll keep it up. I can sort the fabric, but how color? amount? project?I listened to a Get Organized class from the Professional Quilter Magazine. I'm sorry to say it didn't help me much.
Just one little four letter word....IKEA :-)
ReplyDeleteHaving gone through a reorganization of my stash this year, this is what I did.
ReplyDeleteIf the yardage (4-6 yards) is such that it is best for backing - put that in a tub, but write up a list of color & yardage for reference
If there are specialty fabrics such as holiday, florals, plaids, flannels,batiks, fabric families that you don't want to break up, pull those aside - these can go in separate & labeled tubs or they will go on the shelf in a separate area. Chances are you will not mix batiks with plaids in a project.
Scraps - go in another tub - cut up later into basic sizes that you would use, strips, squares, rectangles, etc
That leaves the fabric that reads a particular color. Sort by color, fold in a way that fits your shelving or tub. I put fabric over a yard on the shelf and fat quarters in baskets. Speciality cuts such as jelly rolls and charms could be put in a separate box.
By putting those fabrics that read solid, it is easier to pick up a floral or holiday print and match it up with your solid fabrics.
I put UFOs in plastic bags or smaller boxes - label them! I am also starting to review them every year - if I decide I don't want to finish the project, I can put the completed blocks in an orphan basket, the scraps get tossed in the scrap bin and the uncut fabric is filed back into the stash.
I am planning to go through my ufos and fabrics at least one a year to remind myself what I have, clean it up and get rid of anything that doesn't wow me anymore. I can also write up a list of what I need to complete my stash so I can go to the quilt shows and stores with a plan.
Hope this helps....Liz
Hey, yours is bigger than mine! With that much stuff no-one can expect it to be organized, it'd take too long.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you sneaked into my play room to take pictures! I spend days organizing my room, then mess it all up again in about ten minutes!
ReplyDelete"They" say it's a sign of creativity. It's so easy to make a mess, and so difficult to get it organized again. I try to set aside about 30 minutes a week to spend cleaning up after myself and putting away things I've drug out over the week. Sometimes I've managed to drag out more than 30 minutes worth of stuff! I joined the Show Your Stash challenge, and I'm hoping my end-of-year pictures will look much better than things do now, and that I can make progress during 2010 on getting more of it used up! Good luck -- you can do this!
ReplyDeleteYou know what I've found? I have very organized bins in my garage. I have two shelves on the wall, where I've stacked recently purchased fabric. I LOVE looking at the stacks, and choosing from them. When I think, "I should go in the garage and get the bin of whatever..." I quickly follow that up with, "nah - I'll just use what's here!" So, in my dream room, I'll have a full wall of shelves with all my fabric stacked in plain view. No more bins - I hate getting them out, I hate digging through them, I never put the scraps back in them...they're just not a good solution for me. Shelves all the way!
ReplyDelete