SandraJennings

Ok Ladies. I have been spending the last few hours trying to start ordering my sewing room,(soon to be) and as I have gone through the stash I now have...another thought came to me... I apparently packed the stuff up by color...mostly...but as I am re-arranging things, I find myself altering the way they are stocked. It is giving me a whole new look at the stuff and creating new possibilities.... ok...to the question....do you ever just rearrange your stashes just to open the door to new options ? Or....how do you stash yours?

patricej

most of mine is arranged by color. over time it gets rearranged by potential projects. right now i'm rearranging it again - primarily in color groups again - because it ate half my house. i'm making quilts in my head as i go, so some of it will be re-rearranged by all new project ideas.

i don't dare keep my PIGS in the poke. i have to keep them where i can see them or they never get to graduate to UFOs.

Country Quilter

I guess mine is mostly organized by size.....scrap bins here, fat quarters there, then there are pieces big enuf for a binding or backing.... not by color at all...the last time I tried that I couldn't find anything I was looking for... I still have to go thru each box each time I am looking for something I KNOW I have but I only have 6 or 7 bins for larger pieces....1 for fat quarters and then 3 scrap bins. OH....and 3 polyester bins.....I need to get busy!


PS....and a newly started bin for pre-cut squares!

Suz

Mine is pretty much by color, however, I keep the following separate:

Christmas, kids/whimsical, plains, batiks, homespuns and 30's.

There is a box under my table where I toss scraps (too big for the trash but could be used for paperpiecing) which my 4Hers think is "pure gold". They love to dig and take home.

Suzanne

Extreme Quilter

I'm pretty much like Suz. I organize by large categories first; i.e., batiks, Christmas, Halloween, Easter, religious, flowers, trees, water, skies, animals, geometrics, stars, children's, wilderness, patriotic, etc. Then within each category, I subdivide into smaller groups if necessary; i.e., children's are divided into sports, toys, cars, etc. Each group and/or subgroup are organized by color.

I cut my scraps into 2" or 2-1/2" squares and segregate them in three bags: light, medium or dark. My 1-1/2" or 2" strips are stored in a bin

I can usually find everything as long as I don't let my stash get out of control and I put everything back after finishing a project. It also helps to keep my quilt room neat if I cut my squares and strips as soon as possible before my scrap pile becomes the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

mimisharon

Well, the last time I organized (about 6 months ago?? maybe, definitely before broken wrist.) I did the sorting by type, ie, flannel, cotton solid, cotton print, then I did the sub sort by color, my scraps and FQs are by size and color, but with the fun and wonderful BOMs, and swaps.............well, :roll: I have to re reorganize. What IS wrong with me, why can't I just KEEP it organized?? Oh, no, I need to find another set of colors for the baby quilt, here I am off to save the block!!

:oops:

vicki reno

Mine has already become an ape. I work 45-50 hrs a week and try to stay organized but its a struggle. I inherited a large chest of drawers from my grandmother, and started out with things organized by colors. Ran out of room in that so up on the closet shelf it went--ran out ofroom there, so on hangers it went in the closet. I have amesh shoe bags for scraps and one of those hanging canvas shelf things full too--so you see my gorilla is big and pretty much out of control. It might get organized when I have to pack it up in 2009 to move, but I wouldn't guarantee that either :!: :lol:

SandraJennings

After having moved to Oregon and just now getting the chance to organize.....I would encourage you to presort as you pack. Then the beast is a little more manageable. Key word....Little! :lol: Glad to know that I am in there with the rest of the gang....though I still have 4 trunks and 4 large 50gallon garbage cans to go through yet. I should have taken the downstairs room. :? Most of it will still have to be stowed for searches and with my stash....that can be fun too.

quiltmaker101

I think most of us organize our stash the same - by color. I wish my favorite fabric store would do that - its so much easier to find what I am looking for. But they claim that most of their customers are looking for lines: Moda, RJR, etc, so they keep them that way.

My stash, and I know I am very lucky to have a large closet with coated wire racks for shelving, is organized mostly by color. But I have large rubbermaid storage boxes with future projects set aside, Christmas prints, Halloween fabrics, kiddie prints, patriotic fabrics, and the bin for my only client's projects. Since my kids are grown I took all the solid oranges and yellows out of the Halloween fabrics and put them back into the stash piles.

I have one shoe box for scraps, and one for all the log cabin strips leftover from my Leaving California quilt. (These are new to my sorting habits. I spent most of a Saturday in April reorganizing the sewing closet.) I throw leftover strips in there so I can make a Log Cabin from those someday. I don't hardly ever buy quarters, but when I do it's for an immediate need. Anything left over is in the stash pile of that color.

Anyone who visits and sees this closet asks when I am opening my own fabric store. LOL :wink:

isnthatodd

My stash looks like someone's worst nightmare most of the time. I decided that my summer project is to get most of it organized, but haven't been able to figure out how to start. I'm afraid I will have to completely empty the area, put in new shelves (my old ones broke) and then organize. I did get some clear drawers and started trying to put stuff by groups, but can't figure out what those are! I did put backings together, along with whimsicals and the fabric for my butterfly quilt(I now have enough to make 3 or 4 at least). I have discovered stuff I have had for at least 15years that I had totally forgotten about. Some of that is going into lap robes (pictures later), and some to my sister who does other stuff than quilts.
I feel better knowing I'm not the only one :mrgreen: