I've been thinking about my stash lately, not just the fabrics in it, but how it's organized and where it's located. I don't have a sewing studio per se. My sewing space is in the formal living room, smack dab in view of the front door. Not the first impression I really want visitors to have of my home, so it all has to be put out of sight when we have company. Because of that, my sewing stuff is spread all over the house, which is not ideal when I have to find something. Everything is also hidden, which makes it even harder because I tend to forget where I put some things.
My quilt fabrics are mostly in a cabinet in the living room, except flannels which are in a closet. Scraps are in boxes tucked here and there, but mostly on the floor if I have a sewing machine out. Fabrics bought for a specific quilt are in another closet, and fleece and bag fabrics are in boxes under a bed. Clothing fabrics are in a closet, and batting is in a chest in a bedroom. That is one of the main reasons I want to reduce my stash. Out of sight, out of mind becomes more true every year. Then there is the thread stash, the floss stash, the yarn stash, the fabric dye stash, the paint stash, and possibly another stash I've forgotten about.
But back to my fabric stash and the question I have for you. Do you include just quilting fabric in your stash, or every kind of fabric you have? And what about batting? Is that included in your stash report, or do you have a separate stash for that?
I've decided, at least for now, to just include quilting cottons in my fabric stash. That is the stash I most need to eliminate and I think by having it separated from everything else, I can keep myself motivated. My stash total needs to be reworked to show only quilting fabrics, but I hope to have that adjusted by next week.
I didn't buy any fabric this week, so the report looks better this week. How are you doing? I'm linking up to Patchwork Times.
My quilt fabrics are mostly in a cabinet in the living room, except flannels which are in a closet. Scraps are in boxes tucked here and there, but mostly on the floor if I have a sewing machine out. Fabrics bought for a specific quilt are in another closet, and fleece and bag fabrics are in boxes under a bed. Clothing fabrics are in a closet, and batting is in a chest in a bedroom. That is one of the main reasons I want to reduce my stash. Out of sight, out of mind becomes more true every year. Then there is the thread stash, the floss stash, the yarn stash, the fabric dye stash, the paint stash, and possibly another stash I've forgotten about.
But back to my fabric stash and the question I have for you. Do you include just quilting fabric in your stash, or every kind of fabric you have? And what about batting? Is that included in your stash report, or do you have a separate stash for that?
I've decided, at least for now, to just include quilting cottons in my fabric stash. That is the stash I most need to eliminate and I think by having it separated from everything else, I can keep myself motivated. My stash total needs to be reworked to show only quilting fabrics, but I hope to have that adjusted by next week.
I didn't buy any fabric this week, so the report looks better this week. How are you doing? I'm linking up to Patchwork Times.
I never count the batting. But I do count quilting cottons. And yesterday I decided to inventory yarns. what a shock! I have hand knitting yards and machine knitting yarns. Guess what? I had 2 large boxes of hand knitting in with the machine knitting. Had I known that, I would not have gone shopping for more yarn last week. So now I actually have a list of them - at least on paper. Must transfer to computer.
ReplyDeleteIt does help to have them written in a list, doesn't it? I used to have my quilting cottons listed by colors as well, but that turned out too hard to keep up with.
ReplyDeleteI count only my stash of quilting cottons. That's the most out-of-control sewing/hobby item I have, therefore most in need of stash management.
ReplyDeleteI count quilting fabric and that is all. I do not have much yarn to amount to much, but I have plenty of batting. I buy it when it is sale so I don't have to worry about running out while making charity quilts.
ReplyDeleteI only count fabric as I purchase it or use it. I do not try to count what I already have in the closet. I am blessed to have a large closet to store the fabric. Hope this helps.
Terry
I too only keep track of what comes in - either bought or gifted, and what I use. When I started Judy's Stash Reports years ago, I did not go back and count what was already in the house. On Jan 1. everything is reset to zero. I have my stash in various closets, drawers and cabinets in several rooms. The majority is in the sewing room though. As you can probably tell, I have way too much stash to house it all in one place.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had started counting fabric when I first started buying it. But now I count fabric in when I buy it, and out when I cut it. I really need to have no stash at all. I have a lot of batting, but it still seems I don't have what I need when it comes time to sandwich.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started posting on Judy's blog, I didn't keep track of the stash as a whole, just started counting from that day on. But it wasn't helping me remember that my goal is to have no stash, so that's why I went back and counted, and that was a huge task.
ReplyDeleteI count just my quilting cottons on my stash report. I don't have much of any other fabrics anymore.
ReplyDeleteThat would make it easier. I used to sew for the girls and I want to learn to sew clothing for myself so I have quite a bit of other fabrics too.
ReplyDelete