Does anybody get overwhelmed by their 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!!

Okay, so you are a quilter. That's fine to have a lot in your stash. If the economy gets really bad, you can still make quilts.(that's what I tell myself.). Honestly, you sound just like me. I have several of those block of the month projects in varying stages of completion. I have many quilt kits that I can make. I have LOTS of pre cuts like jelly rolls, charm packs, and layer cakes. I also have several Rubbermaid tubs of yardage. This year, I made a short list of four UFO's that I am going to finish right away. I am almost finished with the first one. When I finish these, I will make another short list. Take small steps and enjoy each project. It helped me to put everything away except the project I am working on or maybe one other. I am quilting and enjoying myself more now that I have a plan. Don't feel guilty. Just start somewhere and move forward. Have fun.

Hi Jeanne! Do you feel like your fabrics aren't organized? I lost my quilting mojo when I felt like my fabrics were taking me over. I got them all organized on foam core boards and placed on shelves and then there was peace in my valley! It sounds like you have too many projects that you WANT to do. I have decided that there is no way I will make everything that I want to. I do have all the elements for certain projects together in bags or boxes which keeps me from attempting to use the fabrics for another project. I have given myself permission to not do everything that I want to. The world is not going to end if I don't make a Mariner's Compass quilt, a Lone Star quilt, a Bargello, etc etc. I have a so called "bucket list" but it's really just a list of items that I would like to do but I am in no way obligated to do them! I think we as quilters put to much pressure on ourselves which is silly. It only adds to our frustrations!

As for your fabrics - put yourself on a fabric diet. Make a deal with yourself that you will make at least one project before you will allow yourself to buy more fabric. Some people are really just fabric collectors; it's like art pieces! I know that I have fabrics that I have purchased and I WILL NEVER use them because they are my favorites and I love them. No shame here! You need to figure out what will help you feel better about you and your quilting. Hang in there! We are all here for you!

You can start a notebook with a swatch of each material and where it's at in your stash. Then pick a project and use your notebook to decide the material you're going to use. Go get those particular materials and get started.

Yes, there are times when I am surrounded by my several hundred yards of fabric and I do feel overwhelmed. I sit down on the floor, alongside an enormous pile of fabric that I have pulled out of a bin or off a shelf, and I say to myself, "this is insane. The fabric is lovely but I can't decide what to do with it all."

I do not have a huge stash but what I do have calls me often. I usually buy for a certain pattern but not all at once. Some fabrics are bought over time and at different places. I have given up on some and used it for other newer projects. After a while I am over whelmed like you. At this point I have to make myself a list of what I have started and another of what I want to start. I force myself to finish one or two of those WIP before I start something new. This list helps to remind me of what I have in progress. Sometimes the call is too strong to resist and I end up starting something completely off the lists. The complicated life of a quilter.

I feel the same way and I am not getting anything accomplished. So this year, I promised myself "No new fabric" unless I needed something specific to finish a project. i got carried away with buying all of the pretty fabrics and somewhere along the way, I lost the joy of getting something accomplished. I have moved to 3 different rooms in the house, each one is bigger than the last. I have outgrown them all but when I think back, I got more accomplished in the small room because I wasn't so overwhelmed with fabric and trying to organize it. I have even went as far as apologizing to my husband because I feel like I have wasted so much money on buying fabric and gadgets without a lot to show for it. I am hoping to get a few project finished this year and maybe I can the sense of accomplishment back.
I have started a shelf with projects that are ready for me to start, like BOM's or kits for table toppers or bed runners. I have started putting my fabric on boards so I can see what I have. My sewing room looks like a fabric store has "thrown up" in there but when I am finished, in about a month, I think it will be worth it. But right now, I have to force myself in there and I have to make myself actually work on something. It has just grown to be a problem. I don't have a huge stash but it has gotten out of control and it has taken the joy of creating away from me. So, good luck and keep us informed. Let me know if you have any ideas that work.

I do feel that way occasionally. Sometimes it means that I feel disorganized and I have to spend a week or two trying to organize it all. Sometimes I don't have the desire to get that deep into solving my problem and then I pick 2 or 3 projects or WIP, pick out the fabric for those projects out and put each in a container (so those projects feel organized at least) and then shove everything else in the closet where I can't see it and shut the doors. Instant organization or at least enough to let me get started again until I am ready to really clean up.

And I do try to go through my fabric once a year and get rid of anything I know I will never use. That's always helps too. Good luck.

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.

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.

Excess stash
 

My friend and I sew quilts for Project Linus and are always happy to take donated fabric for that cause. My stash is not large as on a fixed income and unable to buy at today's prices. I use from what I have and save my scraps to teach younger people how to start quilting. Just yesterday, my niece asked if I could show her how to quilt before she invests a lot of money. So there are always people who can use any fabrics you have decided to part with. Quilters are good people at PIF.

I can get overwhemed at my stash. When I get the "urge" to go shopping either in person or on line... I just go and spend 5 minutes reviewing my stash and all of the intended projects... urge gone.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

What helped me was sorting the fabric and putting aside the fabric that I did not really like. Don't think while you're sorting that you will be giving it away as those thoughts will limit you. Put that stash in a seperate room. When you're ready to let it go you just have to pick up the boxes and pass them along. (this would be the third time that I have passed along the unloved fabric, I do it everytime I move) In the meantime, you can concentrate on the fabric that you have kept for projects which is still probably more than you will ever use..... I know mine is :o)
You can always go to the unloved stash if you decide that there is something in there that you remembered that you need.
Good luck!

I think many of us have been overwhelmed by our stashes at one time or another. There are some really good suggestions on here. When "the stuff" starts taking over the room and I can't get anything done, I clean the room. I've sold fabric and patterns on here that I decided I would never use. I make lots of charity quilts for our church and guild. Just getting things organized might be a big help to you. Set aside some specific time you're going to work on nothing but sorting and organizing. After you get that done, decide if you would like to get rid of some pattersn/fabric. Do you want to sell them/donate to guild/do a pay-it-forward? Then start quilting something simple and small just to get back into it. Good luck! :)

I don't get overwhelmed by my yardage, which I store, organized by color, in wire bins purchased from The Container Store. My biggest challenge is what to do with all the little "odd bits & chunks" and since I actually do sew quite a bit with pieces as small as 1.5 inch square, I'm very reluctant to just throw them out!

One idea I've found quite helpful is the "Fab Four," where I list the top 4 projects I want to focus on. Frequently these are the projects with an approaching deadline. I'm trying to stick by the rule that I must finish 2 projects from my Fab 4 before I can start a new project. And when I *do* start a new project, I alternate -- one time I will allow myself to start something totally new, the next time it's something from my UFO list. This was I can start at least a couple totally new projects a year, while still dealing with things I've started but not finished. And since most of what I make are queen-sized or better, and I piece the backings, I can go through quite a bit of stash and actually USE it.

I love fabric and I buy it every week so yes, I have tons of it. I am in the process of sewing "making fabric" blocks to use up scraps. This is fun and so far I have 80 blocks made. I feel like the lady that made the comment about the ecomony, she'll have things to work with. This kind of thinking keeps me buying fabric for once I retire I won't have money for fabric if groceries go up and up

I had to organize my stash and that helped. Yes, getting overwhelmed by stash can easily happen. You have to take control. Pull out only what you are going to work on and ignore the rest. You can do it! I know you can!

I feel your pain. I get that way too. What helps me is reorganizing my fabrics. I Put together all my started projects(I don't have to work on them right away, but they are there and ready to go for when I do want to). I have my daughter help organize all my fabrics by category(lines stay together and I let her pick where everything else goes). And, the main thing is to have fun. If you get to distracted by your fabrics, make sure your have them covered so you can't see them or have them be behind you. I hope you start feeling better about sewing soon. Is there anyway you can put some of the bins of fabric in another room? Once you get to them again, it will be like shopping for new fabrics.

Mine got out of control when our basement flooded. There was already lots of extra stuff there because our boat had just sank. Everything needed to be washed. There was so much that I didn't get it all ironed or sorted. Then I couldn't climb stairs. It's still not all done.

So, sit down, take a deep breath. Sit there for no more than 15 minutes and decide how you want it organized. Maybe yardage pieces (2 yd & up), wide backs, smaller pieces (1 yard or less) by color and/or by category (I had Christmas, Cats, Music, and I recently separated out kids quilts (suitable for kids under 10 or so). Then go away, and decide how much time you want to spend on organizing. I would suggest 10-15 minutes at a time. Then once or twice a day spend that much time organizing. And while you're organizing, separate out those fabrics which you really don't want, and give them away. It can be done if you look at it a little at a time. And agree with yourself not to buy any more until you've made something entirely from stash.

My stash is still not really well organized. But I just pulled out enough blue fabric (and lights) to make a quilt for a wedding in a few months.

My stash is rather small. A couple of years ago I gave away probably 50 yards of fabric to each of 3 ladies who were new quilters. It was fabric that I no longer liked and when I sorted it out I kept thinking "what was I thinking". I sold probably 30 yards at a garage sale for maybe 50 cents a yard to 2 elderly ladies who donate to their church to make charity quilts. I wish I had given it to them!! I think it's a good idea to assemble "kits" and maybe I will do that. I just finished a labor intensive quilt "Ohmigosh" and think I need a break and need to work on something simple. I'm thinking that I will make a couple of baby quilts to store away for future gifts. Purses are always something easy to take your mind off of things. I am in a slump right now, and am taking a break. I am looking at patterns, and something will strike my fancy and I will be off and running again.
Sue

Fabric tends to multiply - based on impulse purchases, purchases for the "soon Quilt" and other reasons... I have been working on only stash based quilts for the past year.... guess what... IT DIDN'T MAKE A DENT!!!! I have now boxed quite a bit up that I am going to take over to the St. Vincent close to here. Owning a bunch of fabric that isn't going to become something - doesn't do it for me.

Enjoy your fabric, or sell it, or give it away if it is really making you miserable. Remember, this is our hobby and hobbies are supposed to fill our spare time with fun, creative and fulfilling activities.

I hate to say it, but you guys scare me.. I'm not at that point.. I'm the opposite. I would love to start other projects, and I can't, as I know I have to finish what I started.. Please convince me that it's okay because I am a quilter..

Of course, it's okay. Everyone has their own styles and habits.

I have quite a large stash and decided to organize it...ended up with about 12 large tubs. It did help with the organization with colors ect but one thing that really helped was keeping the "holiday" fabric seperate. I won't use Christmas in July...
The other thing I have done is to take fabric to our local church thrift store...great for them and I like to think someone less fortunate can have some fabric at a cheaper cost.
The bad thing about doing that is I now have about two tubs of ties that I have collected. All are washed, the inside taken out and just need pressing. I will be going through those and probably tossing a bunch unless someone is willing to take them for the shipping cost..

Yes, I am a bit overwhelmed, so I will do some sorting out and will give some to my friend. Also, reorganizing and just trying to use up some, yet I am happy to have it available, as we live rural and nice to have it when I need it.

Lori, I absolutely must take your suggestion :) I don't know why I didn't come up with it. My stash and ufo's are out of control. Thanks :)

I guess a lot of us have the same opportunity! My stash can be overwhelming but then I pick out a fabric and then decide what to make with it, pulling out over fabrics to go with it. Now I have several quilt tops and have started working on my FMQ so that I can get those tops finished. A girlfriend ties her quilts and sells them at craft shows. I've thought about it but I'd rather improve my skills and donate later. I do donate some to dog rescue group, but that's it for now. My stash just keeps growing ... and I like it!

One of our fabric shops is having a contest - we had to list all of the projects that are unfinished or that we have purchased the fabric for and never started. My list had 140 projects. Each month we take our finished projects to show, - so far I have finished 16 projects from my list. I give myself permission to work on 5 projects at a time. They are in various stages so I can sit at the machine or do hand work at night when watching tv. Before I had my projects listed I didn't know what I wanted to work on next so would spend hours in my room just looking.

I love the idea of a list, and sticking to it.. it sounds like it really is working.. I am working on four of the same quilts for my office staff, and had to do a baby mat, and then got involved with three swaps, and am rotating through all.. It feels like it is taking forever to complete all, but I won't start anything new until I finish these..

My sewing room has definitely been taken over by fabric including 6 bookcases, a floor to ceiling cabinet, a walk in closet with shelves from floor to ceiling, comic book boxes (with fabric on acid free comic boards) and totes under the two tables, a dresser and a 6 foot set of shelves over one of the tables. I keep giving fabric to a good cause and I am not buying any more fabric but it is overwhelming. I am ashamed of myself. A picture of my walk in closet. It is getting a lot more organized but still have a long way to go.

I had to take a hard look at my buying habits and decide to change them. For a while, I couldn't find the time to quilt (which of course makes me most happy) so I think I got this attitude that fabric shopping kept me in the game so to speak. But if you're not using it up, it sure can pile up. And those fabric designers sure do their job...tempting us all the time. I've bought 2fat quarters since Dec. 28th. I haven't been able to sew much lately but will find the time soon. I already own my fair share and now I am satisfied with it.

I am making a big effort to use my stash this year. I buy a panel or a yard of so of a border stripe fabric to use as a panel, but not any coordinates. Then I go through my stash and pick some fabric out that I think works well with the panel. These are usually very simple quilts, but they are also my own design. (I'm sure that most of my designs are not unique to the world of quilting, but that's ok.) Most of these quilts are charity quilts for kids; I really enjoy making them up - they are bright, fast, and I enjoy thinking about the smile on a childs face when he or she picks one of them out. The best part of that is that occasionally I get to see a child pick one out because I volunteer at an outreach program for foster children.

Ladies and Gentlemen, those quilts you donate are appreciated!