laughingquilter

Maybe this is a stupid question but does anyone "track" their inventory? I'm not talking specific yardage, etc. but I've bought fabric, precuts, yardage, etc. for a specific quilt pattern on a number of occasions and then it gets "stored" away before I get it started and before long I'm buying the fabric for another quilt and the same thing happens. Anyway, I buy and store faster than I sew and finish so I'm finding that I've purchased a pattern twice for two different fabric lines, etc. Is anyone else as bad as I am about doing this? Has anyone come up with any way to track their inventory on hand to prevent you from purchasing something more than once? My husband actually suggested it. He doesn't have a problem with my buying the stuff but he said I should find a way to track it, with pictures, to remind myself what I have rather than possibly buying a pattern twice, etc. Thoughts? Thanks in advance for ANY help you can share in that matter.

Feather3

I buy the large Ziploc bags that are 2-3 gallon or more in size. I put the pattern, fabric, thread, etc for that specific quilt in the bag & close it up. I can pull a bag off the shelf & everything for that quilt is in the bag.

For each quilt you plan to buy for make a print out of the design, list yardage, fabrics, pics, etc. Keep these in a 3 ring binder using plastic sleeves. When you plan to buy take the print out(s) along.

Once you buy store that purchase in a bag. It's now removed from your plan to buy book. Also keep a list of quilts you plan to buy for in the book & cross that one off the list once you bought everything for that quilt.

Gay

I haven't had this particular problem but have purchased fabric or a pattern without realizing I already have it. I have also put a selection of fabrics I like together in a zip-lock bag, no pattern. Perhaps you could make a list with the pattern names and fabric colours you have for when you go shopping.

my-ty

I have had this problem too! I try to use a Project Planner to keep track of my projects. I also use files to track patterns (including pictures, name, where is the pattern, etc.). I have files for Baby, Scrappy, etc. When I want to make a quilt, I check my files first to see which patterns I own. It's not a perfect system but it helps me.

Anniedeb

I used to have that problem, but had to come up with a plan after I found I had bought two each, of 3 different patterns. I bought smaller totes, and now the pattern, fabric, thread etc for each project goes into the tote, and then each tote gets labeled and numbered. I take a pic, and put in a pending folder, with the info and tote number listed. It sure has helped me stop the confusion.

FoggyButFocused

I would suggest you take a picture of the pattern and the fabric with your phone and store it in a quilting "album". I often take a picture of the yardage requirements for patterns so I can be sure to buy the right amount, and type, of fabric. This may be easier since you may not carry the inventory list with you when you shop, but you always have your phone!

Iceblossom

We each have to find what works for us. For me, I'm roughly planned out several years in advance in what I'm going to be making, other than motivation (last couple of years have been hard on me) I don't have much problem in purchasing duplicates.

I do have a friend who is notorious for liking a fabric and forgetting she already bought it and then finding she already has multiple yardage cuts of the same print. I don't think we can ever really help her, is an impulse control and not a quilting issue Part of me says that if you can afford it, isn't much of a big deal to get duplicates of things for (my personal price point) of $20. Other people have higher or lower price points.

I have another friend who is an older woman, I've been helping her with her stash for a few months now. We've mostly been sorting things into groups -- there is a huge pile now of UFOs and PiGS (projects in grocery sacks) and tons of fabric she bought like 20 years ago to make curtains. I bought a package of large (like 5x7) index cards, we will go through the UFOs and write an index card for each one. It will include the name of the project, what stage it is in, and what is required to complete (including an estimate of time), along with the priority/likelihood of actually being completed.

I think she is going to be shocked at the number of how many projects she has (at least 20), but that she can at least hold that many cards in her hands at once. She's pretty much in denial as it is, even when confronted with the items. If she deals with the actual items, she gets distracted and overwhelmed and nothing gets done and nothing gets put back. The idea is that she can prioritize the cards into what does she want to do first. Likewise, any new ideas will need to have a card made for that project and it put in the stack with it's priority.

sewingpup

For the past several years, I have really been trying to limit my visits to Quilt Shops. I have plenty of projects to work on. I really like some of the new fabric, but I like my old fabric too. I find it is so easy to have something catch my eye when in a shop, and I also find, it is just about impossible for me to leave a shop without buying anything as I want to support local shops and also because I have gotten to know most of the shop owners. A few years back, I started to sort stuff out and place like with like. So I do have my scissors in a specific spot, each type of thread has a drawer or at least part of a drawer, and I try and keep the accessories for each machine in their own space and have labeled things like tables and inserts for the various machines. I have my smaller dies for my accuquilt stack on edge in one of those plastic egg crates with the labels up so I can easily see what I already have. I did have my threads checked off on a paper only thread card so I know what colors I have for my embroidery.

berrynice

Actually I do keep track of most of my inventory. I guess I'm weird in that way In listing what I do below, it sounds like I am strange, but I'm really not. I just like to be organized.

For my fabric, I take a picture or if buying online, make a copy of the picture of the fabric and keep it all in one word file, just pasting the picture in word and writing under it the name of the fabric, and where I bought it. I've been very good about keeping the pictures of fabric file up to date as I do it on the day I buy the fabric. It's nice to see what I have without going through all of my cupboards, when I am looking to see if I have a certain fabric/or color of fabric. If the fabric is bought for a planned quilt, then I note it there.

Then on a spreadsheet in excel, I have a file where I list the fabric by name/color and in the line across I list how big each piece is or how much yardage it is. (this list is a little off and on) If I don't mark it right when I use it, I do a scattered inventory check when I'm having a bored day and bring my spreadsheet file up to date. (for example, for one fabric, I might have a 2 yd piece, a 8 yard bolt, and a 1/2 yard piece - and I list it like that separately across the line)

I also keep a listing of the books/patterns I have. I can't tell you how many times I have bought duplicates (mostly in my regular fiction books, but once in a while with a pattern book) I have a file where I list all of the books I have - first by what kind, fiction, quilting, etc. then by author and lastly by name of the book. I do this when ever I buy a book.

I also put together a list of all the quilting rulers I have. Both the cutting rulers and the quilting rulers, so I know what I have (especially the quilting rulers). These are just in a notebook, with a picture of the ruler (quilting rulers) so I know what shapes/designs I have and just a listing of the cutting rulers and sizes of them.

I really need to do this for my tools. I know I buy duplicates (seam rippers, awls, etc)

I don't do this for my thread, but since I only use three basic colors, I usually know how much I have. And I usually wait and buy in a lot of a dozen or so when there is a sale on and I am getting low.

Nor do I do this with my batting - which I buy on a roll, and sometime in packages if they are having a big markdown. I know when I use it if I'm down to the stage I need to reorder.

... I just like to be organized

ETA: when I plan a quilt or buy for a quilt I want to make, I keep all of the fabric together and put a sheet of paper with it, listing what it is for (I have shelves for this) then when I'm ready to start the quilt, I don't need to search to see if I still have all of the fabric. Otherwise, the fabric not on these shelves are free to use as desired.

Murphy224

I don't inventory my fabric (although maybe I should) but I do keep an inventory of accuquilt dies, creative grid rulers, and the Patchability patterns. I made a spreadsheet in Excel for each and put them in Dropbox. Dropbox is an app that I have on my phone so anytime I am contemplating buying one of the categories, I can quickly check Dropbox in my phone and know whether I have that item or not. I was at one point in time buying fabric for a jar quilt....veggies, fruits, breads, nuts, berries, candies, cookies, etc. The "collection" was getting out of control so I did inventory them on a spreadsheet and keep that in Dropbox as well. I HAVE got to make that jar quilt soon!!!