Does anybody get overwhelmed by their stash?
03-04-2013, 08:31 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 2,943
A few years ago a quilting friend came over and we laid out my stash all over the place [literally!] Then we organized a lot of it for making charity quilts. We also put groups together for other projects.
Since a stash multiplies so quickly it is time to do it again. Though this time I think I will donate quite a bit of it to one of my quilting groups as well.
There is some fabric that I will just cut into 2 1/2" strips and consider making some 1600 quilts.
Since a stash multiplies so quickly it is time to do it again. Though this time I think I will donate quite a bit of it to one of my quilting groups as well.
There is some fabric that I will just cut into 2 1/2" strips and consider making some 1600 quilts.
03-04-2013, 08:41 AM
#12
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: colorado
Posts: 231
I had to put myself on a fabric diet. I do not allow myself to purchase fabric until I've finished a project. It has turned into a real reward for finishing my 1/2 finished projects. I just jumped right in...grabbed the first UFO I found and finished it. I felt so good when it was done. I'm finding I like using what I have.
03-04-2013, 09:02 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 795
Excess stash
I use to not have a stash. I would buy enough fabric for one quilt and just make it. When I was done, I would buy fabric for another quilt and make it. And so forth. Then I started collecting fabric. Now my spare bedroom lost the bed and nightstand and dresser and I put in bookcases and storage units and rubbermaid tubs and two long tables and a long dresser with a rectangular ironing board on top and 4 irons and the closet is plum full of batting and under the tables is full of fabric and everywhere I look is full of fabric. I have fabric from floor to ceiling.
I am not getting any quilting done. I am overwhelmed. I can't decide what to do. Too many choices. I have quite a few BOMs every month and am behind in every one. I have one from last year that I never even started and have all 12 blocks still in their bags.
What can I do? I go into my sewing room and plan on doing a certain quilt, but get sidelined by all my fabric lines and patterns and end up petting and rearranging my fabric and then shutting the light off and closing the door. I so wish I would have just bought enough fabric for one quilt at a time. I gave away so many kits (probably 30) to help me reduce my load, but I end up finding more fabric I just have to have and my room is plum full again.
Help me figure out how I can start sewing again!!
I am not getting any quilting done. I am overwhelmed. I can't decide what to do. Too many choices. I have quite a few BOMs every month and am behind in every one. I have one from last year that I never even started and have all 12 blocks still in their bags.
What can I do? I go into my sewing room and plan on doing a certain quilt, but get sidelined by all my fabric lines and patterns and end up petting and rearranging my fabric and then shutting the light off and closing the door. I so wish I would have just bought enough fabric for one quilt at a time. I gave away so many kits (probably 30) to help me reduce my load, but I end up finding more fabric I just have to have and my room is plum full again.
Help me figure out how I can start sewing again!!
03-04-2013, 09:07 AM
#15
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,536
I have so much fabric in my stash that my friends and family
have started referring to it as "Louise's Fabric Store".
I am in the process of teaching my oldest daughter (age 31)
how to sew and quilt. She called me up a couple weeks ago
and asked if her friend who is a quilter can come to "my fabric
store".
Yes it DOES overwhelm me at times especially when I KNOW
that I have a certain fabric, I remember buying it, but for the
lie of me I can't remember which bin I put it in.
Most of my fabric is sorted by color group (all reds in one bin
and so on). But when those bins got full I just started putting
ALL the fabric after I did my folding technique on it into a "general"
bin until I could either get more bins or got rid of some of the "older"
stash to make room for the newer stuff.
Right now I am have about 45-50 of the 58qt size bins full of fabric
to which 6 of those bins are nothing but scraps, my goal is to work
on organizing them by size, then get rid of them. Those bins don't
include all the smaller in size or the 1 bigger bin that has fleece in it.
Plus I have 2 58qt bins full of fq's only plus about 3-4 smaller bins of
fq's.
Yeah I have a fabric store all my own. LOL
have started referring to it as "Louise's Fabric Store".
I am in the process of teaching my oldest daughter (age 31)
how to sew and quilt. She called me up a couple weeks ago
and asked if her friend who is a quilter can come to "my fabric
store".
Yes it DOES overwhelm me at times especially when I KNOW
that I have a certain fabric, I remember buying it, but for the
lie of me I can't remember which bin I put it in.
Most of my fabric is sorted by color group (all reds in one bin
and so on). But when those bins got full I just started putting
ALL the fabric after I did my folding technique on it into a "general"
bin until I could either get more bins or got rid of some of the "older"
stash to make room for the newer stuff.
Right now I am have about 45-50 of the 58qt size bins full of fabric
to which 6 of those bins are nothing but scraps, my goal is to work
on organizing them by size, then get rid of them. Those bins don't
include all the smaller in size or the 1 bigger bin that has fleece in it.
Plus I have 2 58qt bins full of fq's only plus about 3-4 smaller bins of
fq's.
Yeah I have a fabric store all my own. LOL
Last edited by Quilty-Louise; 03-04-2013 at 09:11 AM.
03-04-2013, 09:16 AM
#16
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 127
You're not alone! I recently wrapped all my fabric on comic boards and ironed and folded fat quarters to be the same size. The yardage is in a cheap bookcase and the FQ in a beautiful cabinet. All the not so pretty supplies went into totes as well as each UFO. Bottom line, now that the fabrics are organized I'm sewing more than I have in years. I think the chaos had seriously dampened on my creativity. Getting organized is fun once you get into it, just super hard to start. I wish you luck in this challenge.
03-04-2013, 09:18 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Montana
Posts: 414
I had the same problem until I had to pack for my move from ILL to MT.At that time I was into American Girl clothes and gave the fabrics I didn't think I would use to the Senior center as they made quilts. Now the bug to make doll clothes has hit again and I wish I had it. Still have a stash to use for both.
03-04-2013, 09:32 AM
#18
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Reno, Nv
Posts: 16,564
I feel your pain sister! I went though a stage just like yours until I organized my stash and finished a few ufo's. This is the cure for those blues girl. I know it seems daunting, but, get a friend to help you and make a fun day of it. I sew a lot for charity, so I bought some patterns for wheelchair organizers and bibs for the old folks homes, and began to donate finished quilts to the drive for diabetes silent auction. There is also the animal shelter who begs people to make those little quilts to cover the wires in the animal cages for the cats. That did it for me. Helping others drives me on to use up my stash.
I also have finished many christmas presents, and quilts for my family. I was just determined not to let it get me and drove myself to produce something.
I think if you begin by just taking an hour at a time at first to devote to your sewing, you will come out of your funk. Set a timer even if it helps. You will be surprised how this will jump start you back into your love of sewing and quilting.
I also have finished many christmas presents, and quilts for my family. I was just determined not to let it get me and drove myself to produce something.
I think if you begin by just taking an hour at a time at first to devote to your sewing, you will come out of your funk. Set a timer even if it helps. You will be surprised how this will jump start you back into your love of sewing and quilting.
03-04-2013, 09:45 AM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Live Oak, Texas
Posts: 6,133
You sound like me. I have fabric everywhere but when I make a new quilt I go and buy the new fabric for it. When I buy new fabric for a quilt I always buy extra so I will have it if needed, I usually don't need to use it so it goes in my stash. The stash is pushing me out of my sewing room.
03-04-2013, 10:15 AM
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Indiana
Posts: 2,679
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time" Start small, maybe by pulling all of you FQ's together. Get some foamcore boards, and start wrapping the yardage. Can you make up more kits with some of the stash? Hang in there, don't get discouraged and take it easy.
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