10 inch squares?
 

I am determined to organize my fabric, and just folding and stacking hasn't been workable for me.
I am thinking of cutting mine in 10 inch squares and stacking. I know some cut in 2 1/2 strips, but it seems like I could easily cut most everything I need out of the 10 inch.
Does anyone use this method, and do you find it helpful?
Thanks!

Around Y2K I was in a fabric swapping group before the 10" square was a precut size. We started with a bug fabric swap and decided on the size for a number of reasons -- one of which it was a pretty easy way of cutting fabric. But also because it gave you enough room to work around getting a full design from large prints.

LOL I am STILL using some of the squares and themes. They stored very well for me in boxes I got from work that held packets of coffee. It is easy to find a 12x12" box. They are easy to cut down for scrap or themed quilts.

I tried the 2.5"strip but it always seemed I needed 2" or 3" strips instead, or that I would spend the rest of my life doing nothing but patterns that required 2.5" cuts -- and there are a lot of them! A lot of people like that idea but it sort of scared me.

Using my mantra of "I can cut down but I can't cut up" I have decided to only save 6.5" strips larger than a square. Anything less than that I give away and I am trying to use up my remaining 10" squares :)

Hope you find what works for you!

That would not work for me, but it might work for someone else. It would depend on what kind of quilts you make and what sizes fabric you already have. I prefer to keep yardage on magazine boards, placed upright on shelves. It would be difficult to use it for borders or bindings if I cut it into 10" squares, and I think there would be more waste when I cut the squares up for patterns that weren't designed to use layer cakes.

the biggest question would be do you use a ton of layer cake quilt patterns? that is the only reason I'd cut to 10".
What size blocks do you use the most?

It truly depends on what type of quilts you like to make. I prefer to keep my fabric at its' largest piece and not cut it down. I do like to do a lot of fussy cutting too and you can't really do that if it's too small. I have given away so much fabric lately because if finally occurred to me that I am not going to use it again, or it doesn't have the same appeal it did and someone else should have it. My fabric is stored by color and theme. So Christmas has 2 bin, so does Halloween because it follows me home, there is a black & white, floral. And no matter how organized I try to be - it seems a detour sets in from time to time.

I sort fabric by color in bins. It sure helps to see when I need to use up blues or whatever color. The squares I cut are 5", 2 1/2 ", 2" and 1 1/2". It is an effort to use them up. Maybe 10" would be easier to use.

What size pieces do you usually sew with? I have found layer cakes (10" squares) to be the least useful pre-cut. There's not enough fabric to make a 12" square of just about any pattern. If I need 2.5" strips, the layer cake comes up short, too. I like fat quarters myself. But, like Toverly, I sort my fabric in bins by color.

Why isn't fold and stack working out? Tell us more about the "why" and we can help with options.

How are you folding the fabric? What size yardage or pieces do you have to store? Do you need to store in bins or on a shelf?

I wouldn't cut yardage as it may not work for the next project. Ten inch squares aren't going to be fun to use for binding.

I use a 6.5 inch X 24.5 inch ruler and fold the fabric around it. Then fold that piece of fabric in half. They stack easily on the shelf or storage bins if needed.

Pieces of fabrics less than 1/2 yards are ruler folded on a 5 inch ruler and folded on the 5 inch size. Then stacked in a bin like fat quarters.

Yes, like many, I tried cutting scraps into consistent sizes of 2.5 squares and strips, 3. 5, and 10 inch squares. For me it was a waste of time and quite likely fabric. I ended up not having the size I needed in the colors that played together well. Oh, it looked nice on the shelves but I really did not use them much or well. I now only cut 2.5 strips and if the piece is really small, 2.5 squares.

As many others have said, consider the types of quilts you make, what thrills your heart and creativity and go with that. I also sorted all my stash by color about 5 years ago and that works better for me. I can now determine if I have enough of a particular color to meet the requirement of the quilt I am interested in making without sorting through piles of smaller cuts that may or may not meet the size requirement that I need.

In the end, choose what works best for you. Give one method a try. Doesn't work? Change your plan and go for a new choice.

I don't have a stash as such, just some bolts of black and white which I use a lot, and a few pieces of yardage and a lot of scraps which I like because I do enjoy making scrap quilts. I wouldn't cut anything down because I don't want to be restricted to that size unless I knew that's what I made all the time with a few exceptions. I did get two different fat quarter bundles recently because I loved the fabric. I did make one into a beautiful quilt and have plans for the other one.

I wouldn't like 10" squares. I have my fabric folded similar to fat quarters and stored in plastic boxes by color so that I can take the top off and see what I have. I couldn't do that with 10" squares. I guess you'd have to sort thru them to find what you want.

And what would you do about borders, bindings and sashing?

I fold yardage onto magazine boards. Scraps are difficult to store well for me. I have a plastic tote with pieces larger than my hand, and one for smaller. I did just sort and fold my solids which I placed into ziplock bags by color. I think I'd like to do that with my scraps, but I get bogged down with a blue and red scrap. Do I put it with the blues or the reds?
I would not pre-cut without a destination.

I don't have the space to store my fabrics on shelves and when I put them into bins, I tend to forget I have them. I decided to buy a filing cabinet that matches the furniture in our home office and store my fabrics there. I simply fold the yardage over a hanging file folder. If I have smaller scraps, I put them in the folder. The fabrics don't get dusty, are out of the sun to prevent fading, and no one knows what's in the cabinet. It works for me.

i like the idea of wrapping the fabri around a hanging file folder.

Looks very tidy and accessible

what is the longest length of fabric that " works well" with that storage system?

BonnieJP, that is a great idea. I had an old dresser I used for a while for fat qtrs. I had tons of them given to me. Now I am cutting down on things. Just cleaned out my bedroom closet!!

I have a few 108" x 2 yard pieces of fabric stored on folders in the cabinet. If I buy a full bolt, it goes in a storage bin.

I agree...I wish I had not cut my yardage into strips and smaller blocks. I just started sewing again after many years and if I had to do it over again, I would have bought more yardage vs fat qtrs and I would not have cut up all my yardage. The other thing I would have done is buy more solids and same colors fabrics. (example: brown flowers on brown fabric).

Nooooooooooo !
I avoid cutting a larger piece of fabric into smaller ones until I have a specific purpose for them

I agree with you...cut when you know what you want to make. I agree with cutting scraps into pieces but not yardage, fat qtrs. I have been making a quilt that uses mostly boarders. a quick quilt and disappointed with myself on how many I cut into 2 1/2 strips and I need wider strips. I am determined not to buy more fabric, but now I have to piece a bunch together

I agree with leaving fabric in the largest pieces possible so they are available for the greatest number of options. You can always cut smaller, but making pieces larger is much more difficult. Also, if it is all cut into smaller squares, it is very difficult to know exactly how much of any fabric you actually have on hand. On a personal note, out of all the pre-cut sizes today, I find the greatest amount of waste with 10 x 10" squares so that would be my last choice to cut to. I really like the filing cabinet idea, but be sure to anchor it well. With all that weight in the drawer it could tip easily.