sharni Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 How do you organize and store your stash fabric. I am becoming overwhelmed by bits and pieces that I know I will use "someday" but it is so disorganized. The big stuff 1 to 3 yards is fine. The pieces of left overs from projects are going to get lost. How do you divide up the fabric?....by color?...by theme... by designs? Help! Pictures of your storage system would be helpful. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Some of these ladies have the most elaborate, beautiful systems in the world. That said, they have more stash than I keep. I tend to use mine up (I have 2 closets full) on T-shirt quilts. I bought banker's boxes and divided mine by color. I folded the fabric and placed them inside. Some fabrics (like black and white) had more than one box. I put them on shelves in the closet without lids so I can go through them and find what I need. I also have many fabrics on a bolt. Mike made me a place to put the bolts so they are easy to see and access. This is nothing to write home about but, for the lesser of us, it works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=22345&page=1#pid276183 this thread has a shot of darlene epp's system...which is amazingly organized. check it out. there have been other great systems posted, i just can't remember who. i'm sure someone will chime in. my stash pales in comparison, but it is alot to me. and i love my stash. i am a big fabric petter. it makes me happy to fondle all those yummy textiles, and it also keeps the fabrics fresh in my mind so i remember to use them. i have a boring system, 2 wire shelving units (bought at sams club) and i fold yardage in 3rds width way and then over as many times as needed to fit on the shelf. these are sorted into 3 groups - batiks, quilters cottons and wide backs. each group is then sorted by color. also, wide backs have a sticky note with the exact size of the piece on it. fat 1/4's go into shoebox size bins again sorted by batik and QC & then color - i put these bins on the shelves with the appropriate yardage fat eighths i hang over hangers sorted by batiks and QC's and hook them onto the shelves with like materials. anything smaller is usually pitched or donated, but i do have a scrap bin for fabrics that i think i can use for applique. any projects that i have already picked fabric for are stored in bins with the pattern on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I'm packing to move 2,500 km - so a massive fabric reorganization was in the cards for me. What my roommate and I did was start off by grouping by project - if I had one that wasn't quite completed, then all that fabric went into a ziplock bag - including whatever parts it needed (ie a backing). Staple the ziplock bags for the same project together. The stuff that's left over gets grouped by size, and I mostly cut it down into manageable, squared up sizes. (for example, a bag of strips that's 1" by whatever length, 2" by whatever length, or 4" squares, 5" squares. If I had a piece that was, say, 5x7", I'd cut it into a 5" square and then a 2x5" strip). There are a lot of 2.5" strips in mine, so I subdivided those further into colour sets (ROYGBIV, for me) and then put those in ziplock bags together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Orr Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I read the previous string of messages. I liked Darlene's system. Does any one utilize the space under your long arms? If so, how? My room is very small and I need to use all the space I can :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Debi, I use the space under my machine for some storage. I have some of the wire baskets similar to Darlene's that came from Ikea. Someone also posted some pictures of their sewing space and had some small chests of drawers from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=alex under their machines that looked pretty neat. I think that it was Kathy and Arlene that posted pictures. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Where ever I can find another nook & cranny!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Orr Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 Thanks for the information and the link. That is very helpful! I am kind of doing things backwards . I have been following the forum and learning a lot. I will/am new to the APQS system. We have ordered the IQ system, I have sold my old long arm system and we are in the process of painting and replacing the flooring in my small Long Arm quilting studio. We will be ordering a Millie for me in September (arrival date needs be after we return from our son’s wedding. I have already ordered a side saddle and I already have numerous rulers from before but, not specific to this type of machine. What other type of items might I need to set up the room properly? If you use an IQ, how much space do you allow around the sides/back of your machine? Any advice you can provide will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmillie2010 Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 debi, you'll need thread! and more thread! the apqs machines LOVE LOVE LOVE So Fine ... and Fil-Tec's Glide with the Delights bobbins ... the thread is almost as touchy-feely as the fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraG Posted July 16, 2011 Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 I recommend DeLoa's book, Scraps Made to Perfection. I started using her method and love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmoore Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Originally posted by Debi Orr Does any one utilize the space under your long arms? If so, how? My room is very small and I need to use all the space I can :-) I have a Millenium & a 12' table in a 700 square foot apartment, that I share with a roommate. We use *every inch* around here. Right now, under the table are the boxes for the machine, all but the boxes the rails & rollers came in because we couldn't get them up the stairs. (It figures. I get the machine and within 3 weeks am told I have to move from Toronto, to Texas, by October.) We've also got the aforementioned fabric bins for both of our stashes stored there, but this size of rubbermaid container also fits on IKEA's billy bookshelves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Orr Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Originally posted by newmillie2010 debi, you'll need thread! and more thread! the apqs machines LOVE LOVE LOVE So Fine ... and Fil-Tec's Glide with the Delights bobbins ... the thread is almost as touchy-feely as the fabric. Thanks for all the suggestions and help! I have quite a bit of thread in stock already (Glide and So Fine). I recently read a string of post that also mentioned Metro thread so I placed an large order through them. I have never tried pre-wound bobbins before but I will check out the Fil-Tec's glide with Delights bobbins. Are any better than others? About how many bobbins does it take, on average, for a queen size quilt. The previous long arm I owned had the larger bobbin size. I am figuring it will take twice the amount of bobbin. Is this a good guess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 The problem with the Ikea systems such as Darlene's is that many of us don't have access to an Ikea store and they don't ship much of what is offered on line or in their catalogue. Cool stuff but I've given up even trying since everything I try to order is only avail in the stores. My stash in folded on bookshelves and smaller pieces like strips etc are in the $!.00 plastic shoe boxes. That way I can see what I have,. Some of the larger pieces are on drapery hangers in a closet. UFOs are in clear plastic rubbermaid containers. Thread is on 2 other bookcases--All the book cases are 6 feet tall and white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestuart Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 Just as a side note for the "smaller" stash, I use those clear plastic tubs that salad greens and spinnach come in. You can get quite a bit in the larger ones and slap a label on them and they're a lot easier to stack that the big "rubbermaid" tubs. VBG Of course there are also wire shelves and every other space covered with insulating fabric. Have a great day. Marion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharni Posted July 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 Originally posted by mestuart Just as a side note for the "smaller" stash, I use those clear plastic tubs that salad greens and spinnach come in. You can get quite a bit in the larger ones and slap a label on them and they're a lot easier to stack that the big "rubbermaid" tubs. VBG Of course there are also wire shelves and every other space covered with insulating fabric. Have a great day. Marion I like that idea. A lot less heavy to heft around when sorting through. I could keep the little clear plastic tubs in a bigger tub. Always looking for ways to recycle. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francine Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 I don't have any stash that's all Carmen's and Charlene's fabric so they don't get yelled at by thier husbands...:P:P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharni Posted July 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Oh, Penelope, I need a friend like you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Since I have just spent the last three days organizing mine I will share what I did. I went and bought some of the underbed plastic storage totes. I was able to use 6, but would rather have had 9. I put all my blues in one. All my greens in one. All my orange and purple are in one (at opposite ends). All my black and brown are in one. All my red and pink are in one. And all my yellows are in one. I had a few large deep totes. I used those for Christmas fabrics and backing pieces.These are all under my machine table. I got 12 shoebox size containers and sorted all the specialty stuff. All the marbles and tone on tones are in one (in rainbow order). All the fishing and hunting prints are in one. All the western prints are in one. Florals in another. Critters and creatures in another. Vehicles in one, animal prints in another, country themed in another. You get the idea. Then I stacked all these on closet shelves. Today I've gone through all the books and magazines. Decided I bought most of those books for one or two patterns, so copied those patterns on color copier (hey I bought the book first). The books can now go to the library our town is building. Magazines- I just ripped out the patterns I liked and tossed the rest. I'll put the patterns in clear plastic sleeves in a three ring binder. Hopefully I'll get it all cleaned and arranged by end of day today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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