Tuesday, June 22, 2010

procrastinaiton

Instead of packing, as I should be, I decided to spend my time yesterday organizing my fabric. For some unknown reason to me, I have always kept my stash organized by cut. I almost always stash in half yards (mainly so I can afford to buy more, not because I prefer the cut), but also have a small collection of fat quarters and a few cuts of several yards (stashed either for sashing or backing).
This system has never worked out well, so I thought I would try the color approach on organization.


I have to be honest in saying that I think that I need to increase my stash of quilting cottons!! Doesn't it look a bit needing? Now this does not include my piles of "planned projects" to be:



All of these piles have quilts planned for them and are just waiting for me to get started on them!

Then there are my japanese prints, that I can't seem to blend in with all the others....so they stay piled separately.



I have also been collecting a stash for Isabella. Hopefully these will be cute little dresses, blouses and skirts for her, before the year is up.



Then lastly, the pride of my small stash, which I always keep in its own place for me to fondle and admire whenever I want...enchino.



 Through this process, I also created a "I don't think I will ever use" pile. Sadly, because I do most of my shopping online...I have quite a few newer fabrics in here that I didn't really like once I received them. Then some of my older fabric stashes that I would not choose if I were shopping now.
What do y'all do with your de-stash?



I have always kept my fabric on a shelf by my sewing table, but with the move, I will be loosing space. I have been thinking of easy ways to store it all in a closet. The first solution that comes to mind is plastic bins. Which is why I thought separating by color might be better. Any suggestions?

20 comments:

  1. I have no room for my stash either, and the solution is two under bed storage bins! I have ones that fit all those little squares you have folded on their side so when I pull out the bins I see everything perfectly lined up on their sides! LOVE IT! But I will admit I am overflowing now.. I need to do some reorganizing too!

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  2. You have some really lovely fabrics in there!
    You should sell your "never use pile" then you can buy more!!!
    (If you do want to sell I would be interested in all those Wonderland by Momo that I can see in that right hand pile!

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  3. Hey at least you're organized! There is a reason I never show my stash room to the public. It's really embarassing, but somehow I seem to know where it all is. I haven't gone the color route yet, but I'm thinking I'll try it out but still keep my collections and japanese separate too. Oh by the way I'm in LOVE with your Echino stack!

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  4. Your stash is way bigger then mine! :) My whole stash (or most of it) fits in the two little shelves in my pottery barn desk. One of the fabrics in your de-stash I just bought at Michael Levine this weekend :). I sort by color too, it's easiest for me. My little munki munki stash is separate, so is a pile of Christmas fabric, but mostly it's all by color.

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  5. mmm... piles of fabric! love it! I use plastic storage bins and sort mine by color. Like Emily said, the fabrics fit in perfectly in one layer so you can see them all. Surprisingly enough, I've managed to keep them pretty nicely organized for quite some time now! (although I need to figure out some better storage method for solids - that's a total disaster!)

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  6. I short by color with all my Japanese prints on their own special little shelf too! maybe I. Your new place you can think about going UP. As in cover the wall over your machine?

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  7. I think a book case works well. That is what I use. I love your entire stash...the destash also! great fabrics! Japanese collection makes me swoon!
    I try to keep them seperated by color, but that never really works for me...as long as i have neat piles, im happy! now scraps is another issue! what a mess!

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  8. YOU are too funny!! i just left a message for you on your phone! ;) mine stash is by color... most of the time! haha... but all my rare goodies are seperate and in safty bags ( gotta protect the goods from the boys! )...

    ;)

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  9. For what to do with your destash, you could sell it. Whatever doesn't sell, check in with a local quilt guild or Project Linus chapter--they're often very happy to accept donations.

    Happy sorting!

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  10. I have my stash on book shelves, mostly sorted by color (one shelf for smaller than yard cuts, another for yard+ cuts). For collections that I have several pieces of, those are grouped and piled separately. Then I have my solids in another pile. Then some other little piles BESIDE my bookshelf because I'm running out of room on my two shelves!

    If you need any help getting rid of those fabrics in the "will not use" pile, I am more than happy to help! I see some Wonderland, Hey Sugar (the red-ish orange, pink and ivory and orange diagonal stripe), Nicey Jane and some Oz that I could invite over to play with my stash. I wish my "will not use" pile from my stash was as lovely as yours!

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  11. what beautiful tidy stacks of fabric

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  12. Just chiming in to give that Echino some more LOVE! I too separate out my "next projects" fabrics. They're so inviting!

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  13. Looking at your stash I am questioning my 'buy for projects only'!

    I de-stash on etsy x

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  14. I store mine in plastic bins, but I don't like that I can't see what I have until I get it all out. Someday shelves would be nice.

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  15. I use under the bed plastic bins. You have tons of fabric! One of these days I am going to get a piece of Japanese fabric...I can't believe how much of that you have. And your de-stash...you can send here...is that freebird and oz in there...honestly you should try sell it.

    Once I told you thank you for getting me hexing...I cut hundreds of hexes over the weekend getting ready for my long move to Korea. I cut lots of yellow, brown, mustard, tan...to make a pillow that will look like a beehive...I am so excited!

    Good luck with your move!!!

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  16. Another way to destash is to trade them on a site, flickr or other swap sites, for fabrics you are interested in. Especially if you don't like them, you might be willing to give more of it in exchange for fabrics that might be harder to find. People could be swayed by the amount of the trade! There are lots of options. Or have some give aways on your blog. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean that others don't. You could even let people pick the ones they want from your collection.

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  17. I don't have much room either so I bought a cheapo shelving unit that is a yard high and all the stash is according to color... right by my sewing machine for easy access and it becomes its own art piece. I did that at my old house too... I think it looks beautiful, and other people loved it.

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  18. I've sold some of my unwanted fabrics on Etsy. I don't know anyone that would use them and don't know of a place to donate locally.
    I store my fabrics in plastic under-bed bins. Easy to slide out and hide away!

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  19. you don't know what to do with your destash? surely you jest! this calls for a giveaway. (isn't it kind of me to suggest that you give away your belongings? especially when i want you to give them to me!)

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  20. I think you should have contest and give the fabric away!!!

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