Organizing Stash!

Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After
all, without fabric (aka stash) one cannot make a
quilt! I am tidying and organizing the sewing room
and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the
small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip
exchange of a designated color or theme every
month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My
big guild does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I
have a nice stash of those swap squares and
strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store
them so you can readily find them for projects? By
color? By size? With other scraps of similar color
but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA

Howdy!
Yes.

Ragmop/Sandy

"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
news:3zPLd.80067$Tf5.7843@lakeread03...
Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After all, without fabric (aka
stash) one cannot make a quilt! I am tidying and organizing the sewing
room and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip exchange of a designated color
or theme every month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My big guild
does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I have a nice stash of those swap
squares and strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store them so you can readily
find them for projects? By color? By size? With other scraps of similar
color but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA

I keep mine in baggies in the scrap boxes - I have one small scrap box for
each colour which when stacked makes a wonderful rainbow on my window sill

--
Jessamy
www.geocities.com/jess_ayad
In The Netherlands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After
all, without fabric (aka stash) one cannot make a
quilt! I am tidying and organizing the sewing room
and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the
small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip
exchange of a designated color or theme every
month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My
big guild does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I
have a nice stash of those swap squares and
strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store
them so you can readily find them for projects? By
color? By size? With other scraps of similar color
but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA

I read in an old quilt magazine the other night that fabric has moods... and
it was suggested that maybe the stash should be organized by the mood of the
fabric... The author seemed to think she had a lot of cranky fabric and
voiced the opinion that it indicated fabric must be male... what do you
think?

"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
news:3zPLd.80067$Tf5.7843@lakeread03...
Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After
all, without fabric (aka stash) one cannot make a
quilt! I am tidying and organizing the sewing room
and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the
small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip
exchange of a designated color or theme every
month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My
big guild does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I
have a nice stash of those swap squares and
strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store
them so you can readily find them for projects? By
color? By size? With other scraps of similar color
but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA

Well, I am learning new organizational skills also. I always kept my
sewing "scraps" in one large drawstring plastic bag. Then, when my
children wanted to sew, I gave them free reign over anything in the
"scrap" bag.

Now that I have gotten hooked on quilting, I'm finding I feel a bit
stingier about my "scrap" bag. And as you mentioned, I don't want to
dig through the whole bag for certain color scraps that I know are
large enough to use for quilt blocks.

So. as not to hurt my kiddos feelings, during the day the past week or
so, I have been picking through my "scraps" and putting them in Ziploc
bags by color (and some with the size of scraps marked on the outside
of the bag). Then I am putting them in my (already organized by color)
fabric tubs. This way, at least I know I have blue scraps that are
large enough to use for quilting, in my blue fabrics tub, etc.

It's been hard to leave my little one (son/8) scraps big enough for him
to continue making pencil pouches and potpourri sachets for his
teachers........... but I figure if I want my kids to share the
enjoyment of sewing, then I can sacrifice some scraps in the "family"
scrap bag.

Tina

On Tue, 01 Feb 2005 13:06:55 -0500, Pat in Virginia
wrote:

*snip*

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store
them so you can readily find them for projects? By
color? By size? With other scraps of similar color
but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA

I have a bookcase in the corner of the living room - the upper 3
shelves are for patchwork, quilting, and craft books. The lower three
shelves are for quilt blocks and fabric charms. The big quilt blocks
live on the lowest shelf - the 12" and 9" ones for example. They are
stored by type (houses, hearts) or by the swap they came from, and in
big plastic bags. The next shelf up has all of my monochrome
9-patches and coordinating charms, stacked by color. This shelf also
has my Flying Geese collection. The next shelf has all the smaller
charms - 6", 5", 4", 3" and 2.5".
Yes, I really should get some tops made out of all of these blocks
and charms. Perhaps when my sewing machine is working again....



-- Jo in Scotland

I just have a drawer called 'small pieces'. These are larger than
scraps, but not as large as those stored by colour in the other drawers!
If I think there might be something in there suitable for 'somewhere', I
just have to rootle. Not a chore I mind g.
..
In article 3zPLd.80067$Tf5.7843@lakeread03, Pat in Virginia
writes
Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After all, without fabric
(aka stash) one cannot make a quilt! I am tidying and organizing the
sewing room and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip exchange of a designated
color or theme every month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My
big guild does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I have a nice stash of
those swap squares and strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store them so you can
readily find them for projects? By color? By size? With other scraps of
similar color but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Wow!
..
In article , Marigold
writes
I read in an old quilt magazine the other night that fabric has moods... and
it was suggested that maybe the stash should be organized by the mood of the
fabric... The author seemed to think she had a lot of cranky fabric and
voiced the opinion that it indicated fabric must be male... what do you
think?
--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Pat in Virginia wrote:

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store them so you can
readily find them for projects? By color? By size? With other scraps of
similar color but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.



I cut squares from scraps, 1.5", 2.5" amd 3.5". I also cut triangles,
1&7.8", 2&7/8", and 3&7/8". I sort them into baggies and store these in
a basket. I use as necessary...

lisae

Don't have an organization to it yet. Stash fits all in 1 med. size tote (I
know pitiful). I keep my kits with my current projects waiting in zippies
to keep them together, and my scraps are all in a small tote (which fits in
the stash tote).
--
Charlotte

"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
news:3zPLd.80067$Tf5.7843@lakeread03...
Not off topic in my never humble opinion. After all, without fabric (aka
stash) one cannot make a quilt! I am tidying and organizing the sewing
room and stash. I've been pondering how to sort the small bits.

My small quilting group has a fabric strip exchange of a designated color
or theme every month. We bring eight strips, each 6" by 22". My big guild
does swaps of eighteen 6" squares. So I have a nice stash of those swap
squares and strips. Plus, some pieces from RCTQ swaps!

If you collect squares or strips, how do you store them so you can readily
find them for projects? By color? By size? With other scraps of similar
color but odd shape? Thanks for suggestions to organize.

PAT in VA/USA