Iceblossom

I go by the box-full... while I can't really say how much passed through my hands, I can know whether or not everything fits in the existing boxes or if I had to create new ones. No matter what storage size I had, from basically none to a lot, it always has been I've had more fabric than space So what I've learned is determine the amount you feel is reasonable and keep to it.

Some people use weight. In pounds, it is about maybe 4 yards but how much of that is usable depends on the type of scraps.

I've never really wanted to know my yardage or how much is in one box... but it's a lot! lol I still maintain that there is nothing wrong in even a huge stash if you have both the space and the organization.

For a visual, some 10-15 years ago, I had a "fabric storage room" and since then I have taken about 8-10 full black plastic bags worth of things out of there to turn it back into a sewing room (and it will never make it back to shared guest/sewing room)... I'm still going to have a sizable stash but I think I can be happy with a closet full instead of a room full...

DebinLA

I wish I knew how to do a spreadsheet, ha! I just use a printed form I made that has "yardage in" " yardage out" "Precuts in" and "Precuts out" for each month. If scraps in add up to 1/8 yard I count that it that way. If smaller than 1/8 yard it's free fabric and not counted.( Or you could use 1/4 yard as your lower limit, whatever works for you. )
I keep a running total by month, in fact I will calculate January today. I keep this sheet where I can easily see it and update it.
When new fabric goes into the sewing room I immediately write it down. After cutting a piece of fabric is when I write it under "yardage out". When making a quilt using many tiny pieces of fabric this doesn't work so well but I try. If I cut up a FQ and use half, then I write 1/8 yard out. If I cut 30" of yardage that's what I write down - I'll probably cut 6" sometime later that month so these two cuts will equal one yard in my monthly total.

I was surprised at how much fabric i was stashing just buying random FQs and remnants...
Gemm, does this help?

petthefabric

I'm rather primitive about In/Out. I have a running list of + and -. Occasionally I add it up.

For number of yards, I measure the quilt in square inches for front and back and binding. Divide that by 36 x 40 for yards. Because they're pieced I up the amount to the nearest 1/2 yard. When stash is less than 1 bookshelf, I might get more precise....might.

Another practice that has helped emensly is always pay cash. I get real tight when I count how many $20's it takes to pay for it. The dwindling supply of $20's in my purse makes me think more about what I need and want to spend it on.

Gemm

So many great and practical ideas here - and thanks for sharing them so quickly! I'm just tidying up after finishing piecing an I Spy and will see if some of these ideas will work for me. :-)

Notwendy

Gemm - 1 pound of quilting weight cotton fabric = approximately 3 to 4 yards of 45" wide fabric. With scraps that is the only way I've found to really get a ball park figure without driving yourself bonkers measuring all the small pieces. Close enough is good enough. : )

My LQS was doing a sale of scraps for $16/lb. However, they were also running a contest to see how much someone could pack into a jumbo (gallonish?) plastic bag for $25 a bag. I was able to get over 12 lbs into the bag by folding and rolling it all to take up Every. Single. Bit. of that bag.

OOPS! This is the fabric moratorium forum so my feat may not be the direction you want to head. I get competitive and it leads me astray.

polkweed

I've been trying to reduce my stash for a while. Stash shopping has never been a problem for me, but I always find a need for something else to complete or balance a quilt. Current rules are new projects have to come completely from stash, and leftover fabric has to go into the backing. This has lead to a new problem of making overly complicated backs...

retiredteacher09

Gemm: Like petthefabric, I calculate square inches and then divide it by 1440 (36 x 40). I write that total down on lined paper when the top/quilt is finished. Date, amount, quilt name, and where it is going. Most of my fabric has been donated to my church group and I don’t tally up what I bring home. Over the years, I have brought home a lot of scraps! Now I mostly bring home some yardages that will compliment my scraps. I do try to keep a list of fabric purchased Because I give the quilt tops back to my church group to finish, I can complete a lot of quilt tops in a year. It doesn’t seem like my scraps go down, however. 🤷‍♀️

Notwendy: I would have loved watching you get your jumbo bag filled. Way to go!

polkweed: Welcome to the forum. I have seen some great finished backs. Are you piecing your leftovers into blocks like a log cabin or Shoo Fly and then incorporating them or are you using the big pieces and putting them together like a puzzle? Just Get It Done quilts has ideas for both methods.

Gemm

Notwendy - you gave me such a good giggle. I also would love to have been there to see that. I will remember the technique but will try not to use it too often!

Again, thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions!

polkweed

Retired Teach- Typically it's some kind of mandala or one large courthouse steps depending on what I have leftover. Finding ways to use the fabric is less the problem than a personal desire for non-directional layouts combined with significant contrast with the top. It definitely a self-inflicted challenge.

lindaschipper

I told myself I wasn't going to buy any more fabric and to start selling off and donating what is here. But like you, backings cause a problem as in my opinion a backing should be as beautiful as the top and "sing" hey I'm back here to me! Now, I've seen the quilt pattern Pixelated Heart from Robert Kaufman and thought what fun to make one for each of my granddaughters and send them as a surprise. One blue and one purple. Now I need charm squares (70 each color) and background fabric and of course backings. My moratorium has gone to he -double hockey sticks!