meanmom

My fabrics were kinda overwhelming me too. I am not really an organized person. My fabrics are organized by my pretty fabrics in one place. The fabrics that were mostly given to me or from yard sales that I call my ugly fabric. I have been trying to shop in my stash at least for the majority of the project. Sometimes I have a project in mind and find the fabric for it, sometimes I find fabric and make it into a project. Most of my ugly fabric ( just not me) ends up in donation quilts.
I piece all of my backs from my stash to use it up. Good luck. There are tons of patterns to make scrappy. I always thought I didn't like scrappy until I made one.

AngeliaNR

This is really pretty. I'm cutting and organizing scraps--I find them a bit overwhelming. I'm then going to reorganize my stash--I have very little storage and sewing space, so it is, for me, self-defense.
I really understand the overwhelmed feeling and have to look often for ways to reduce it.

Billi

It's amazing how much better I like some of my quilts when I don't see them for awhile and once the are sandwiched.

I don't know if you have plans for this quilt but I think you could proudly give this to a fostered child it is a great quilt I love the colors and the pattern.

Wanabee Quiltin

I would cut the fabric into strips or squares for use in a scrap quilt. It's amazing how the prints all look fantastic in a scrap quilt. Good Luck.

MargeD

Shelbie makes great points for managing your stash. I try to keep a good amount of neutrals or tone-on-tone fabrics on hand, then I'll take a focus fabric and pull fabrics out from my stash. Someone gave me a great tip- use the little circles or squares on the selvedge of the quilt, there are all the colors you can use in your quilt because they are in the fabric. I find that has served me well.

justflyingin

I have discovered that too!

To the OP:

If money is no object--just give away or sell what you really don't want to have/keep. It's really that simple.

If money is a concern to you and you really love quilting, decide now to use even that stuff that isn't that pretty. Using ugly fabric to make something pretty is how I started quilting. Someone gave me some stuff I couldn't figure out how to use in home decorating/napkins, etc. that I was making for other people (for ladies here and farther east in Lithuania, or Belarus, etc.). I found websites showing scrappy quilts and thus began my quilting journey.

It really does work--you can use fabrics that don't appeal to you if they are cut up small enough--and used for color placement/color value. But it does take some work and not a little creativity. If that is more work than you want to put into using it, just find a willing recipient and make her/him delighted by passing it along.

justflyingin

I agree. Good decision! And great find at the thrift store!

I can not even imagine not liking someone else's stash---if it is cotton and actual fabric, I am afraid I can't relate.

I was the very, very fortunate recipient of a bunch of fabric last year when we were in Kansas. I was sooo excited to get it (I think 3-16" square boxes that I bought from Walmart--I shipped it to myself.) I added it to my colored totes where I could and my friend and I made some ATW quilts--they turned out gorgeous. Try that (Around the World) with fabrics you aren't thrilled about--using 2.5" squares--not large ones (like 4" or larger) with nice contrast to the colors--the effect is amazing--even if the individual fabrics are less than inspiring.

ligia

sooo true !

qltgrose

I have the same problem, things from Mom that I would like to use up somehow for charity quilts. Most of her pieces are small, not huge amount of yardage. What I have started to do is press and cut into useable squares. I am cutting 5, 3 1/2 and 2 inch squares (learned from "Scraptherapy" book by Joan Ford). I know Bonnie Hunter cuts many more sizes and strips as well, but for now I am sticking with those 3. If I have small bits left after cutting those, then it goes into the waste bin. I know lots of folks would cringe at that, but I have more than enough fabric to last me the rest of my life and I dont need to keep every little thing. Its easy to get them all in one shoebox size drawer and easy to make into something pretty. I try to sort by colors as I am pressing before cutting. I also try to set aside just 30-60 min a time to do this, that way I still have time to work on my other things. Its the clumps and lumps and piles of unsorted get to me, so if they are gone, and organized, its much easier for me to work them with my fabric or not.

cajunowl

Save the fabric that you really like, and give the rest away. Someone else will enjoy it and appreciate the gift