KathG Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hi Everyone When I buy fabric, I tend to buy what I like without usually having any set plan on how I am going to use it. I also buy by the yard/ 1/2 yard, fat quarters, and jelly rolls. I plan to try to keep to buying future fabric only by the yard. One of the shops here in the UK often has lovely packs of a complete range with half a metre of each fabric. Now my question is:P If you buy a range of fabric do you keep that together, or do you sort your fabric in colours. At present my stash is sorted in ranges, which I am finding a disadvantage, as when I need a particular colour I can end up sorted through lots of boxes. So how does everyone organize there stash. Looking forward to reading your answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I like to keep mine in ranges too, but other than that I have it sorted with kinds of fabrics, like all my 1930s fabrics are together, my red and whites, black and whites, brights, batiks, childrens prints, flannels etc, but I really need to get a grip on my stash too, and reorganise it a bit better. Get rid of some dead wood too, that i will never ever use as my tastes have changed over the years. Plus all of my stash is scattered all over the house, in my bedroom, in my loft, I have forgotton exactly what I do have !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delld Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 A great question!!! I have no answer, only need HELP myself!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Organize? What's that? Actually, for me it varies. I will sometimes buy a jellyroll and some matching yardage, knowing I will want to make a quilt from that and include some nice borders. I store those together. If I buy a fat quarter pack, I'll keep those together (fabric family), otherwise, things I just buy on a whim, I try to group by color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I'm in more of Linda S. style. If I purchase a grouping planned for a project I keep it together. If it is because it was too pretty to leave for someone else, it gets stored somewhat by color--unless it is just time to shove it somewhere so the flat surface is usable! I don't purchase according to era (CW, or 30's,) but seasonal is grouped when I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 My stash is in a closet on wire shelves and mostly organized by color, but I have some stacks of a line of fabric, or stacks of fabrics that were purchased with the intent of using them all in a single project. Sometimes the single project stacks are raided for other projects, and sometimes the project the fabrics were purchased to use in are never done. I have several baskets and boxes of fat quarters, grouped with others they would blend with. Batiks are stacked together, by color, and I try to keep patriotic fabrics, nature fabrics, etc, together. That makes me sound so organized. :P:P Truth is, when I start pulling fabrics for projects the once neat stacks get messed up, the shelf gets full and one color won't fit on the appropriate stack so it is put someplace where it does fit. I like for my life to be ordered, and I love my fabrics to be stacked in an orderly display, but life happens and I'm always in a hurry. Maybe someone will offer suggestions that will help me keep my ducks in a row, or my fabric stacks neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Love your new avatar Carmen, one of these days you will all know what I look like when I can finally work out how to do it, I tried, but the picture was way too big to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I have large library book shelves, and have been trying to keep them in color ranges, and of course, mess up far too much trying to get out some colors at the bottom of the stack. I ordered the white boards that Ummm... Uhhh... can't remember, she is here on this board, may be Shannon is the one that showed or mentioned it, and it makes the shelves look pretty, just like a super neat store. At least that's my opinion so far.. ROFL, I only have the purples started, and all on one shelf. Fat eights and smaller I keep in very large crates.. This won't be finished for several months, as I will need a lot more boards, small and large, to make it thru the stash. I may change my mind on the small boards, and keep only half yards and one yard pieces on the small boards, and keep the larger pieces fq and smaller and chunks about the same size in one crate, and it would be smaller than I'd need for all the strips I have. Oh, I use the bobby pins and hair clips I have, not used before, to keep the fabric on the boards. I doubt If there is much chance of corroding and marking the fabrics. We plan to add or move a couple of shelves around, so they will hold the small boards and leave the lower shelves where they are for the large boards. Still thinking on that. Good luck on finding a solution that suits you.he fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammi357 Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 large plastic tubs with lids on those chrome shelving units. I have a bright room, so I try to keep them under cover to reduce fading. (it's pretty easy to get them so heavy they're hard to lift, and I'm no wimp!) Recently added several smaller, flat, lidded, plastic totes that are still large enough for one or two projects at a time. (thank you, Target clearance!) these are much easier to negotiate on and off the shelves. WIPS in those, both garment and quilting, totes & bags, and one for just fq's because they fit just right. They're also easy to schlep to and from sewing night. Projects get rotated in and out of these totes as they are finished. DGF and I have a "pact" in case one of us meets an untimely demise...we have to finish each other's quilts that are started. Sew, we then had to determine what's "started?" The rule of thumb is fabric and pattern in a bundle is 'started'! (she's doomed!) lol! She's wayy more productive than I am! lol! (she won't do garments, tho, so I don't know what will become of my garment fabrics.) Fabrics that are purchased as kits, jellies or fq bundles with coordinates, or yardage that matches are all kept in a 'bundle' ....tied with a selvedge strip, folded into the plastic bag from sheets or curtains, stuffed into a Wal-Mart bag with the handles tied shut is a "quilt bundle!" The rest is sorted into the tubs by color. I'm NOT telling how many tubs there are..... Those chrome shelving units are EVERYWHERE in our house! Hubby's room, my sewing areas, the garage... they're priceless, portable, flexible storage. Here's the trick (presuming you have the space): (And two people...it's hard to do by yourself!) Buy two, four foot sections. They each come with 6 shelves. Set them up with a space in between the two units, and stagger the shelves between them so that you have four shelves on the first unit, four in the 'space', and four on the second unit. It will create 12 feet of storage shelving this way. s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 carmen - i also like your new pic. kath - my studio is in basement so not much light to fade fabrics. my fabric is stored in the open on wire shelves. i love looking at and petting them. somedays if i am feeling blue - i just go down there and refold. weird, huh? i do not have an enormous stash, but this is how i sort it. first - i fold my yardage in thirds WOF. i then fold into approx 12-14". FQ's are folded as they come from most manufacturers. 1. separate batiks and quilters cottons and wide backs 2. separate by color 3. separate by value within the colors 4. any multi-colored potential focus fabrics have their own shelf and are also color and value sorted. the only things i keep separate are wide backs, orientals, 30's, black and whites and fat quarters. orientals i keep sorted by color since i do occasionally use these with batiks and QC's. 30's are just folded and kept together on the same shelf - i am still collecting enough of these to make something fabulous. black & white have their own shelf. i am always rifling through them so it would be impossible to keep them sorted so i just settle for neatly folded. fat quarters are stored in bins by color and value and kept on the same shelf as matching yardage. wide backs - i measure length & width and pin the dimensions on them. they are stored on the bottom shelf of the racks. this Christmas, dh bought me some large FQ packs and i have those by themselves sitting on a shelf - they are so pretty i can't bear to take them apart. plus, i think they will be used in the same projects so why confuse myself. :cool: 1 more thing.... have FQ - fat eighths size hanging from the shelves on hangers. there are 4 hangers. 2 batiks - darks and lights 2 QC's - darks and lights anything smaller than a fat eighth is a scrap and gets put into the scrap bins - one for batiks and one for QC's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Originally posted by KathG When I buy fabric, I tend to buy what I like without usually having any set plan on how I am going to use it. I also buy by the yard/ 1/2 yard, fat quarters, and jelly rolls. I plan to try to keep to buying future fabric only by the yard. I have no answers for you except to tell you I am just like you with the purchases... In fact, I was at my LQS yesterday and bought 10 yards on a bolt of paisley fabric that was on sale just cuz it was in the bargain bin. Not sure what I'll do with all the paisly yardage but maybe a backer? Lord help me!!! PS: I try to organize my fabrics by colors but it looks like a quilt shop threw up in my sewing room... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I have three walls of shelves, but fabric on only two walls so I probably sort a little more than the average person. I like keeping them somewhat separate: Batiks, Backs, Orientals, Holidays, Blacks, Whites and Creams, Colors (in groups), Animals, Baby and children, Florals, Multi-print (lots because I used to make my scrub tops), Flannels, Speciality fabric, etc. I have plastic containers that I put potential quilts in. Especially if I've purchased coordinating fabric. This way I don't use the fabric for something else. And if I get in the mood to make a quilt, but I don't want to think about it I can just grab one off the shelf and start. I'll try to post a couple of pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I have not sorted by color. I have my stash sorted by size. Strings, 2-1/2" strips, FQs, 10" squares, 1/2 yards, 1-2 yards, more than 2 yards, etc. I use plastic see thru containers that stack. I keep projects together that I am working on along with the pattern. Fabric purchased in groups...stays in groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Since I have my pics in a folder on my computer instead of on the web I think I have to post one pic at a time. So I won't do more than a couple. These are my holidays, animals and misc prints. I could turn out some awesome I Spy quilts. The stacks look like this when you get busy pulling fabrics then don't go back to straighten the stack. I'm sooo guilty of that at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I love these containers. I bet I have at least 20 full of just quilting stuff. I keep my longarm stuff (DVDs, pre-wound bobbins, some of my rulers, etc) in them. Each of my sewing machines has it's own box which keeps the owner's manual and various attachments and feet in them (properly labeled of course). I should have bought stock in the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I have shelves from Ikea and organize like Oma does, only I added baskets that fit 2 per shelf and have them organized by color, or seasonal, batiks, 30's...I now have way too many fabrics to fit so have added baskets on the floor of repros, projects, etc...it seems to be growing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Believe it or not I do know exactly what fabrics I have. Ok...I posted pics so I want to see some of yours too. I'm in the middle of trying to get a photo quilt done for daughter's graduation from UNLV next month and another one done for grandson graduating from high school in June. I want to get them both done before I start tearing my room apart to add new flooring, paint, lights, cutting table and new sewing tables. I've been looking at the cost of sewing tables and it's stupid compared to what they do. $5000 for a Koala table??? I think not. I own a Koala table and basically one of my machines sits on it and I sew on a folding table I bought at Costco. That's a whole new topic I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathG Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Thank you everyone, I love hearing how you store and sort your stash. Oma love these photos thankyou. You are very organized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Originally posted by quiltmonkey Originally posted by KathG When I buy fabric, I tend to buy what I like without usually having any set plan on how I am going to use it. I also buy by the yard/ 1/2 yard, fat quarters, and jelly rolls. I plan to try to keep to buying future fabric only by the yard. I have no answers for you except to tell you I am just like you with the purchases... In fact, I was at my LQS yesterday and bought 10 yards on a bolt of paisley fabric that was on sale just cuz it was in the bargain bin. Not sure what I'll do with all the paisly yardage but maybe a backer? Lord help me!!! PS: I try to organize my fabrics by colors but it looks like a quilt shop threw up in my sewing room... I had to laugh because last month I bought 13 yards of a fabric because I got it for $4 a yard if I bought the whole thing. I thought it would make a great back if nothing else. Then I HAD (empasis here) to go find some other fabric to go with it because there would be enough of it left over for another quilt and dang if I didn't find a whole other quilt I wanted to make so I bought fabric for that one too. There's no end to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Originally posted by KathG Thank you everyone, I love hearing how you store and sort your stash. Oma love these photos thankyou. You are very organized. Thank you Kath. My husband thought I should put on cabinet doors so I could close them and you wouldn't see the fabric and I gasped! I love sitting in the room and looking at all of it. It inspires me. Sometimes it's a little straighter than it is today and sometimes it's a lot worse. I've never had a problem with fading or dust. I must be rotating the fabric through on a fairly regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyT Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Love hearing how others organize and I guess I organize like a little bit of everyone here so does that count as organization? I do have backings, Batiks, black & white and red, polka dots, dog prints, butterfly prints and daisy prints separate. Then if I bought things to go together, they stay together for a project. The rest is fat quarter and bigger separated in bins by color and anything smaller is separated into bags of color (that need to be cut into strips, squares, etc. someday). I have plastic bins I mostly store in to keep the spiders out (but I do have to open them periodically to make sure the fabric knows it is still loved ). Most of them are neatly stored on the "Wal-Mart store closing" jeans racks on rollers I bought that DH put two together and screwed down a 4' x 8' MDF board on top for my cutting table. Thrifty nifty. WIP are in larger plastic bins rolled under the shelf we built at the bottom of the Millie table from pre-Bliss old table parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinneaMarie Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I TRY to organize by color. I also try to "kit" fabrics together. If I see a pattern somewhere, I pull fabric for it and keep it together with the pattern in separate see-thru bins or plastic totes. I don't ALWAYS use all the fabrics I've kitted for that quilt; but it gives me a starting place. I think I have about 15 sorted that way. I also keep all my Civil War together (which is growing), and all my 30's together!! AND, I actually met Judie Rothermel this weekend! She is very sweet!! When I buy I buy 3 yards if I really like it and 5 yards if I LOVE it! I used to buy fat quarters, but found there is not a lot I can do with them; unless you are making scrap quilts or small quilts. I tend to make BED quilts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitomi Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I started out being organized. I sorted it by colors, my orientals in one stack, my batiks in another, black in one stack. I got all my fat quater bundles and jelly rolls in one section, but as the time goes by, I started to just throw more on top of each other where ever there was room. Now look!! It's a big mess. And yes, I have that problem of buying MORE too. It really is endless isn't it? I have gotten addicted to quilting. Don't know if that's a good thing, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 don't you think they are pretty messes, though? and feel lucky to have such a cool mess? i know i do. all that fabric...just waiting to be petted and cut. i wish all my messes were as pleasant as my studio mess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy2018 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Dear All: I started organizing my stash about 10 years ago in an effort to stay in one med. size bedroom, I used bookshelves and paper boxes tipped up on end , open to the room. This worked for awhile, but about 3 years ago, I found I had a few of those paper boxes in quite a lot of other rooms, because I needed more room for quilt books?? Then I began to have fears of being a hoarder ( before the tv show !!) I didn't want to be the old lady with too much stuff and cats..... I bought the chrome shelving systems (5) and some plastic bins (large size) for the bottom shelf on each unit. I fold fabric to the size it goes to when you fold a 1/2 yard in half, once, then again, once more, then fold over, the fold goes out to be seen in the stack, these fit 7 across and 2 deep on the shelves nicely. The color and other types I do like Oma. Since that time I have been working hard to keep everything quilty to the units in my ground floor bedroom, and the 5 units in the bonus room over the garage. If I buy something and there isn 't room for it on the shelf, then I have to donate/and/or help a friend . I have an easier time to find things and can keep up with cleaning it all. I'm also working diligently to clear up old UFOs. Best of all, I don't worry so much about growing older with my stash taking more of my energy, and I'm not going to be that crazy old lady with too much stuff (although I still have the cats:P:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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