Think about how you are going to use it. Will you be using a group of fabric together? I see some autumn fabrics. Then store it as a group. What are your categories? I see a "to be quilted" and a "batting" and a lot of "to be sorted." For that last category, unless you have something else in mind, I'd sort and store by color. Wind the bigger pieces around your ruler or use mini bolts of cardboard. Did you ever think of using the smaller pieces for a string quilt? It's quick and easy and all the colors go together. If so, you could put all the smaller pieces one container despite color and just pull from that for string or scrap quilts.
I feel for you. I have a 10x12 storage space and did have everything sorted in boxes and on shelves, easily accessible, according to color. Then DH dumped a whole lot of stuff in the middle of the room and now I have a mess. To be fair, I am disabled and couldn't do it myself, but now I have a much bigger mess to clean up than you do. The breezeway is also a mess. A friend and I have given it a lot of thought (I make a lot of quilts for homeless families) to a course of action. What we have decided, since I know I'll be getting a big donation soon, is a threefold approach: 1) sort out and give away locally what we can't use, which I do every autumn; 2) Ruler fold the bigger backing pieces and see if that will make more room in the boxes; and 3) buy a Accuquilt GO with these strip cutters: 2.5, 4.5, and 5". Cut up all the scraps and small yardage. These three sizes will allow any jell roll quilts, and Nickel quilts, and quite a few others. If there is money, also get a 6.5 strip for strip quilts. We figure that if we have the pieces all cut and waiting, a lot more sewing will get done. I am a good rotary cutter and she is a very frustrated rotary cutter, so even though I don't want the expense, as she points out, it will make a bigger impact than any other sewing-related purchase could. But the last time I cut pieces for a quilt, it took 40 hours for just one quilt, and I think that time could be put to better use sewing and quilting.
What do you think of my plan?
Last edited by cricket_iscute; 09-14-2013 at 08:48 AM.