When we had to downsize from a 3 -bedroom home, with 2 sewing spaces, to a 2-bedroom apt. I had great difficulty paring down my stash. Thanks to a dear friend who "inherited" the majority of what I left behind, helping me decided what to keep, what to give away, knowing that if she couldn't use the fabric, that she would find someone else who could, like a mutual friend who makes "Caring Covers" for children who have been hospitalized and need some comfort. I "downsized" my stash by almost 50%, but then told my husband that I refused to give up any more fabric, especially when quilting is my "sanity", and we would be together 24/7. I tried to organize by fabric type, Christmas, children's, fall, etc., but in the end, the majority of it went into clear plastic bins. Besides adding some color, it's easier to see some of what I have with the clear totes. I'm so glad I kept what I did, as I haven't bought much fabric in the last 3 years, only "fill-ins" where I needed a background fabric or a fabric to finish a quilt, but mostly I quilt from my stash. I find it nice to go just a few feet to "shop" in my stash, not quite as much fun as a quilt shop, but it works for now. By the way, we are retired, so I need a hobby and have even made some money from my quilting and crafts.

We have been in Pittsburgh for 25 years and are really looking forward to moving home to TN. Our daughter lives in Knoxville and we will be building a house in Gray, TN near Johnson City. We are being ruthless in purging our house. We have decided not to take some of our furniture so we will either sell it or donate it here. All my lamps are really old so I will be getting rid of them too. They are not worth the extra care it takes to pack them. My craft room and kitchen are going to be the problem areas. My husband is a packrat when it comes to computer stuff so he's on his own with that stuff. I am packing now so hopefully by the first of December everything will be packed except minimal stuff we need everday. Moving makes you realize how much stuff you have.

You will love Tennessee...lots of quilters here

We have lived in the same place for 44 years. We have no plans to move until leave permanently. I have moved from room to room several times. Think I'm about done with that also.
I like the idea to pack all sewing items and fabrics in boxes and marking contents on all sides. You could just stick all boxes in the room where they will go. When you get the main things put away, then concentrate on the sewing things. I think that would work the best. I would not use my fabrics for packing. More logical to keep all together.
I like dejunking before the move.
Good luck and hope all goes well.

I have moved several times with my stash holding up pretty good. I labeled boxes with each type of craft: crochet, embroider, quilting. Since I like to make purses with heavier material, I labeled those boxes also. If you are in the middle of a project and know that you will want to start with that when you get settled, then put a big 1 on the box and label it your craft room. Each box should be labeled first with the name of the room you want the item to go into and then in smaller letters, you list what is in the box. Since I put towels and sheets around my lamp bases or other glass items, then I am sure to list that too: towels/lamps/sheets. I have moved into at least 19 houses since I was 18 years old. And that was a long time ago.

We moved from MN to NV a year and a half ago. We had a 4000 sf house and only had a 26 ft Penske truck to move it all in. I couldn't afford to waste an inch of space. I used my fabric as packing materials in places where I would have used bubble wrap or peanuts to fill void spaces in the boxes. All boxes were packed tightly so that there was no chance of them caving in or their contents moving. The only item that broke was an outdoor table leg which was not boxed and I think that was due to someone tugging on it. I do pre-wash my fabrics but I don't iron and starch until I am ready to use them. I mostly rolled the fabrics up for stuffing into the boxes so I found unpacking to be very easy. The fabric was clean when exiting the boxes. Even though I used a bunch of stash for packing, I still had over 27 boxes of just fabric. I will use my fabric again for moving since I found it to be economical and an environmentally friendly packing material.

I had to move and downsize as well. I bought totes at Walmart. Just don't make the totes too large because fabric is really really heavy when the tote is full. I organized mine into colours and labeled them well. The other quilting items I used packing boxes. I really advise that you label your boxes well. Tell yourself what's inside. It really will make your life much easier. This is my 3 rd move in 7 yrs. I hate moving but I am getting good at it!

While the fabric used for packing material will be heavier you are cutting down on boxes. One box full of fabric weighs a lot and takes up space. You might look at FlyLady. I used her packing hint for a notebook and numbered boxes. We moved in July and things went crazy. DH has been in the hospital 3 times since. My notebook has been a lifesaver.

tartan gave you my idea. I've moved often and use my fabric as packing material...never a breakage.

Brilliant!