Fabric Stash/Scraps
 

I finally after years of wanting and waiting have my own sewing room. I started organizing my my stash and scraps and found I have tons of novelty fabrics from doing projects for my monsters and has anyone ever noticed how many fabrics have dogs and cats on them?? Just curious because I found alot of those too. I have some fabric sets I forgot about of course I didn't buy enough yardage on some to do alot with....what was I thinking??? Then I have some that I love that I forgot I had. What does your stash/scraps look like? Are you surprised? Now I get the task to explain why I need more fabric when DH looks around going why can't you use all this, hahaha .......They just don't get it!!!

I spent 3 weeks solid refolding and organizing my fabric, but I still buy there is always another fabric out there you need or "want". like you I found things I had forgotten about and some "what was I thinking" fabrics. the only thing my husband says is "I don't need to be in here do I" as he looks around. I just grin and say no and he turns around and leaves.

Husbands never "get" it. I just do what I want to do in my sewing room and don't worry about what DH thinks or says. He's sure all of my sewing stuff is just junk anyway. I keep reminding him about his collection of antique tractors and machinery and parts. As for scraps, I have very few as I often make scrap quilts and cut my scraps and box them ready to stitch if the mood hits me. I have a couple of easy scrap patterns that I often make for Community quilts or quick quilt gifts and I always have pieces cut in advance for these. If I am between projects or thinking out a new quilt, I often grab my scrap box and make some blocks while my quilt ideas jell. If I were you, I'd turn some of those novelty scraps into kid's quilts for donation.

OMG! I have some minkee and beautiful flannel & material for baby quilts and blankets. I have a closet full of material, assorted sizes and colors and patterns. I have fleece, cotton, I have bunch of misc. fabric and yet many many times I realize I don't have want I need or want to go with a current project. It has made me realize that a stash is not always complete, mine is still involving.

I am constantly reorganizing in my sewing room...to make more space for more "treasures"! Too much is NEVER enough! Recently, like you, I have been going thru my scrap boxes and organizing into colors (reds, pinks, oranges in one box, blues greens purples in another, etc) I had gotten a wild idea to roll all my scraps and fat quarters and put rubber bands around them and stand them up in the boxes, but that just makes for a wrinkled mess of the fabric, so now I'm having to refold and straighten them all out. I am able to use a few of them for pillow cases for donations and will probably do a couple of donation lap quilts out of some more of it. I have 4 large clear plastic boxes that are over full, so this is going to make room for more treasures when I finish.
As for the DH...he never has said a thing to me about my sewing room and I say nothing to him about his work shop.LOL
Enjoy your space in your new sewing room.....I call mine my "cave".

I am constantly reorganizing in my sewing room...to make more space for more "treasures"! Too much is NEVER enough! Recently, like you, I have been going thru my scrap boxes and organizing into colors (reds, pinks, oranges in one box, blues greens purples in another, etc) I had gotten a wild idea to roll all my scraps and fat quarters and put rubber bands around them and stand them up in the boxes, but that just makes for a wrinkled mess of the fabric, so now I'm having to refold and straighten them all out. I am able to use a few of them for pillow cases for donations and will probably do a couple of donation lap quilts out of some more of it. I have 4 large clear plastic boxes that are over full, so this is going to make room for more treasures when I finish.
As for the DH...he never has said a thing to me about my sewing room and I say nothing to him about his work shop.LOL
Enjoy your space in your new sewing room.....I call mine my "cave".

I love projects that require me to look at every little piece in my stash. It's like going to an art gallery.

Those novelty fabrics are great for "I Spy" quilts for kids. I started using stash and then found myself buying small amounts of lots fabrics like animals, dinosaurs, vehicles, cartoon characters, robots, etc. I do them between bigger projects and they go together quickly and are good practice for FMQ and the kids don't notice the little mistakes.

My husband sees all my fabric but rarely comments. He once commented that I didn't really need all that "stuff" and I answered with - he really didn't need all those power tools! Since then - he sort of accepts that I enjoy what I have.

I have found some real treasures in my stash. Fabric I had forgotten I bought. Also some "what was I thinking" fabric.

Fabric Stash/Scraps
 

Since we moved from a 3-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apt. a little over a year ago, unfortunately I had to get rid of almost half of my fabric collection. Because I quilt and have made 12 or more raffle quilts for my church fair, people give me fabric from their stashes, when my sister passed away I inherited her stash, plus other sources in addition to my fabric shop/quilt shop purchases. It was the hardest thing I have had to do, after leaving our home of 33 years, but I gave the majority to my best friend who passed a lot to a women who belongs to Caring Covers, a group that makes quilts for children in hospitals, etc. My DH wanted me to get rid of all of it, but I finally stood my ground and said "enough is enough", I'm not getting rid of any more fabric. In July I made the family reunion quilt without buying additional fabric - my family members sent fabric (this year's color was navy blue in memory of my sister who passed away 2 years ago - each family has a color so we can tell who belongs to whom), I had th3 background fabric and thanks to my BF who saved a very large piece of fabric, I had the backing fabric as well and my niece donated the batting. She was also the one who won the quilt. Funny how things work out. But in moving I discovered 12 hand pieced blocks that I had forgotten about, plus 2 block of the month quilt, a precut kitty quilt and lots, lots more. Now that my back is better, I hope to be able to do lots more quilting before Christmas. It's always good to know that when I want to make a quilt, I have lots of fabric to choose from without going out. However, I just had a craft fair, so the money I made will go towards my next fabric/quilt shop visit.

I am so happy for you! I'm still dreaming of a sewing/quilting room. Enjoy all your fabric treasures as you find them once again! :-)

My stash is usually organized loosely by color. It is easy then for me to make a mental note to get more red or yellow, or perhaps lighter and darker ranges of blues, greens, and purples. I don't like having mostly medium colors because then it all blends together rather blandly. I don't buy theme fabrics any more as I tire of them quickly. I usually end up donating those to others who appreciate them more.

Thats an awesome idea because I have been wanting to experiment with machine quilting..I will do that along with scrappy quilt I saw. Then i'll donate them, I had premie twins 12 yrs ago so I believe in the NICU programs!!!

Me too, also....to all of the above. I had my stash in cubbies just as I liked it and felt all organized....and then an unexpected move, and I am STILL recovering.....AAARRRGGGGHH!! There...I feel better..... :)

Welcome to the boad, Rachel. You are gonna love it here. My stash looks pretty much like yours. I'm often surprise what I find tucked away and yes, I keep buying new. To me, fabric is sort of like money, you just never have enough. LOL

I have very little stash because I am such a new quilter. I do have a plastic bin of strips that are all roughly 2 1/2 inches wide. I look at the bin and think about what to do with them. I don't have much in the way of a yardage stash. I did indulge the other day though. I purchased 4 1/2 yards (all that was on the bolt) of a fabric because I just loved the colors. It was at a quilt shop and on sale for $4 a yard. I am currently unemployed, so this was a HUGE splurge for me, but I could not help myself. I have no idea what I am going to do with it, but for now, I will just enjoy looking at it in my quilt room.

What a great idea!!! I have scraps of juvenile fabric that I didn't know what to do with .....BUT now I do!!

I think most of us when we go back and look for a fabric we need run across something and say, "what was I thinking?" bit i am sure I had a great idea for it!!