Saturday, August 05, 2006

Baby Steps



The stash reorganization has begun! And thank you to my many "cheerleaders" ! This will not be a fast and easy project but hopefully I can go through one or two colors a day. I started with my six tubs of reds and pinks. I still don't have the shelving issue resolved so I may have to do some refolding, but I am shooting for roughly 18" widths after folding. One set of shelves is 18" deep but I'm not sure I will like the fabric there. The big tub is full of fabrics I want to strip out or cut into bricks or squares. That'll be a whole 'nother major task LOL. As I went through the fabric, I became more ruthless as to what I wanted in my nicely folded piles so more and more went into the tub. By the end of the reds I was starting to think in terms of donating scraps!!! My guild always has a "free" table set up so I am sure a new home could be found for at least some of it. I have many, many more tubs to deal with: 6 greens, 4 blues, 2 violets, 6 tans/offwhites/whites, 2 browns, 2 orange/gold/yellows, and 2 blacks. These will all be taken out, refolded, scraps set aside, and piles put on a shelf. Also in tubs: 1 brights, 1 theme, 1 novelties, 1 homespun, 4 flannels/brushed cotton, and 1 quilted cottons. These will probably stay right where they are!!! In huge tubs, I have Jo Mortons and batiks/marbles. Yikes---it is a sickness!!! That doesn't even touch various projects sitting around and fabrics purchased with certain projects in mind. Is there a support group for this??? Is there a 12-step program??? It was fun, though, to re-visit the fabrics. So many had been long forgotten--it's like getting a whole new batch of fabric!

20 comments:

Shelina said...

Organizing stash is fun, as you said. Enjoy the process.

Linda C said...

Vera, it looks so much more organized not all jumbled up in the container. Good start and as you said, some of it will probably find a good home at guild.

Block turned out well--goign to be a wonderful quilt! Just three more blocks to go or are you adding to them?

SuBee said...

Have you tried cutting a piece of cardboard the width you want to fold? Worked like a charm - just kind of wrap the fabric around the cardboard then slip it out - Viola! An entire stack all folded exactly the same.

Bonnie said...

Yes, yes, we are all alike. Too much fabric, feeling guilty, and still hopeful of using it up.

just jenn said...

Wowsers Batman! That is quite the stash. I just wish that I had 1/100th of that stash. I am pretty good about buying for a particular project and then just have a little bit left over. In fact I just bought a bag of scraps yesterday so that I could cut them up and make a scrappy quilt.

Patti said...

Hooray for you Vera - well done! It really is fun to revisit those fabrics isn't it! You are making marvelous progress. Su bee has a great suggestion for folding your fabric. I have several friends who've done this and they say it works just great!

Susan said...

I don't think there's a support group, other than your fellow stashers, but maybe there ought to be! Looks like you are well on the way to organizing it, though.

Joyce said...

I am impressed by your stash and even more by your organizing. I have a tiny stash and am suffering from stash envy when I read blogs about other peopel's stashes.

Sweet P said...

I would follow su bee's advice and cut a piece of cardboard to use as a folding tool. Or one of your rulers would work well too. That's how I refolded and organized my stash.

Gail said...

I am definitely suffering from stash envy!

quiltpixie said...

playing with fabric is an important piece of sewing isn't it? by handling and re-organizin git all, you get your fabric fix without spending a dime at the LQS :-)

Eileen said...

I bow down before your stash! But I think Patti still wins. lol
Using the cardboard is a good idea, that way all the fabric is folded the same. Looking forward to seeing the end product when you get it done and on shelves.

Kim West said...

have fun organizing the stash - the block is very pretty too!

The Calico Cat said...

I am getting ready to do the same thing!

MARCIE said...

Holy Moley Rocky, ten tubs of RED! Way to go!I always say you can never have too much red!

Mary Johnson said...

Good luck with the organization. I haven't made any progress on my stash - it might help if I stayed home and worked on it!

Quilts And Pieces said...

Love your folded fabric. I wanted to start pointing and say - "I'll take that one, and that one, ooo and that one!"

Cher said...

well- you are a brave woman! good luck with this task, as you said, baby steps and you will be so happy at the end

Carol said...

The block is wonderful...I think going through stash is so much fun...remembering when you bought some of those pieces...in my case some are very happy memories but now some I look at and think what in the world was I thinking. Must have been right at the time. We just love fabric and it's not bad for us!

Finn said...

It's a hard truth as you face the sorting process, but you know...the reward is soooo worth the pain and the effort! Hang in there!