tessagin

Oh my wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Jane Quilter

You ladies should count your blessings for having a stash big enough to complain about. Mine is small, but I am growing it by joining the scrap swaps on this QB so I can cut up & ship yardage and get back 1 each of multiple scraps, then I have to buy fabric to fill in, but you cant buy scraps, just yardage. So I pick up a charm pack here and a jelly roll there and that helps. But I love scrap quilts the best, it will just take time to accrue. Wish I had an exploding suitcase (lol).

Jane Quilter

I followed your great idea of following shop closings....I just ordered 40 yds of fabric in assorted fat qtrs to help build my stash.....may be soon I can make a real random scrapquilt. thanks for the tip.

quiltmouse

oksewglad, I'm trying to sew down to de-stash. I made my first quilt at 12, 47 years ago. I've been seriously quilting since quilt magazines were black and white newsprint-early 80's (some of which I still have.) I've been collecting fabric for over 35 years. 12", 1/4y, FQ, 1/2y, onsie-twosie yards of stuff I "liked". Easily 200-300 yards, and the old ones are, of course, mainly calicoes. Late summer, I took a good hard look at it. There wasn't enough of any one piece to do a whole bed quilt (and the calicoes are dated. (I still like them, but I'm not buying them any more.) I took a look at my bucket lists, of pictures and patterns I have been saving. In the spring, I bought an accuquilt set from this QB. Go cutter & 19 or so dies. I've since bought more dies.

Before I purchased the accuquilt go, I started a yellow/pink with contrasting navy/white calico quilt. It is almost pieced. So much for the pinks & yellows.

I set aside the reds (not many) and the blues (lots) and am cutting for a red chisel spinner against a blue calico background.

I made a "cut down plan" list of quilts

I am doing "charm" quilts, 1 fabric each:

Flower Basket of florals on yellow
square in a square
applecore
tumbler
Plus Quilt
Hashtag (need 80) on white

Also in my cut-down plan
Florabunda-Bonnie Hunter (florals)
granny square 5" charms
card trick of striped fabrics

totally scrappy:
striped chisel (light/dark)
Judy 2009 Mystery (Light/Med/Dark)
2" strip Log Cabin dark/light
Chevron - on point bricks, not HST Dark/Light
Divided Square - 2 HST divided by a strip all scrappy color

Undecided-Pineapple

Kite-Planned scrappy colors on a consistent background of kites & borders

I've been working a few years on a stamp quilt 1-1/2" so I'm cutting for that as well.

I figure these quilts will take about 100 yards. There's something like 18 in this list, but I'm really cutting for 22. I have little bins for each quilt, once it gets to full, I will move it to a shoebox, then larger as I need.

THEN, I made a cut down chart for the fabric

The quilts are on the right, and the fabric types are across the top. Bold florals cut first for the basket and Florabunda then kite, then stamp, then square in a square, etc. Then small florals, then red, then stripes, then Dark Blues, then light, then dark, then medium. The fabric column is numbered which quilt I cut for first.

I need 67 9" squares of blue for the red/blue quilt. After I cut the 9" from the blue fabric, it goes into a dishpan. When I have all the 9" cut, then I will set up the to cut the next die, applecore, tumbler, strips for the plus quilt, strips for the log cabin, until each fabric is gone.

I've cut about 15 yards of fabric so far. It is very satisfying.

oksewglad

Wow...quilt mouse...I'm impressed...such organIzation...you are an inspiration.

I made my first quilt for my daughter in the early 70's...red and yellow gingham paired with primary colored calicos in a brick setting...backed in the yellow gingham...60" wide...and tied because I used an old blanket as batting..I gave it to her daughter a couple of years ago...next quilt was a flannel 4 patch crib quilt mostly in blues I made for our son...used old Pj's along with new fabric...he wore it out..when I did have time to quilt I used mostly denim for utilitarian quilts. In the early 80's I started going to craft shows with applique sweatshirts...I made them, too...and applique table toppers..that's when my stash started...after I dropped the craft shows I had fabric so began making some scrap quilts...never letting fabric go to waste...then I started getting serious about quilting and buying fabric, especially fabric I liked...I think you get the drift..love paisleys...now I have many UFO'S that I want to finish and at the same time sew something new.

I love making miniatures, but seldom use yardage and build from my scrap bins...yes I have a basket of 3/4" strips sorted in little zip locks by color..love to make LC blocks from these...and because guild friends know I use the small pieces I get lots of scraps...and I cut down my trimmings to the largest size as I go... I often repay the givers with a little quilt as they will never try to work so small...needless to say the twosies and threesies are waiting to be used...

I, too, hope to reduce by sewing although not as organized as you I have several ongoing projects...got 2 done this summer and a third waiting to be quilted on my sewing machine...I have acquired some of those 70, 80 and 90's fabrics from my use as well as what others have given...someday these will treasured similar to the vintage fabrics of the 30, 40, and 50's and keep them together...in the meantime I have to limit computer use as it's a time suck...

Thanks for enlightening me with your projects...

Leilani43

I,be been doing the same thing to reorganize my space. Found stuff I had no idea I had. Donated to grandsons school for crafting etc. Bins w material I had forgotten. Now going to be in one place. Scarey

oksewglad

My stash of old jeans just got smaller...I made a pillow from 2 sets of well worn work jeans DS left this summer..28x36...I filled it with bits of old fiberfill and small fabric snippets...the pillowcase is an old denim quilt...40x60...folded in half wrong sides together and sewn shut on 2 sides...very utilitarian, but it will go out on the covered porch for our outdoor dog this winter...come next spring it gets tossed into the burn pile...May be able to reuse the 'pillowcase' next year...meanwhile I raided the thread drawer and have emptied 6 partially filled bobbins and at least that many older spools of thread...great way to create empty space....

Purpleprint

I try to organize but it is just a step into a world that I just get frustrated with. Somewhere I realized I just have way too much fabric. I sometimes think I am not a quilter but a fabric collector. My goal is to sell a few quilt tops when I can and then I want to send a huge box of dog quilts to our local shelter. But as usually happens I open a box of fabric that I had not seen in a couple years and I get so excited and try and match things and then away I go on a binge of gathering more fabrics. Is there an end to this?

oksewglad

Oh I understand...Purpleprint...I have found one task leads to another...but I am on a mission to make some progress and feel I am making a good start...yesterday made a couple of large pillows to be used as back rests in our bed...then found 2+ yards of fabric for pillowcases to be sewn this morning...I also went through batting pieces to mate with backing pieces so I can create some donation quilts...and for fun I pulled out 2 small beds that I want to chalk paint and make quilts for...a chunk of thick batting 3 1/2 x 6 1/2" makes the mattress...so scraps will be used for bedding...now what kind of miniatures do I want to make for these hand made doll house beds I found at an antique shop for $3 a piece.

lots2do

Oksewglad...that sounds like the children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie! One thing just leads to the next quilty thought. I suffer from it also.