Stash organizing?

[SarahLouWho]

I am in the process of stash building, as I am getting to the point where I want to sew more...

And I want to have a system to organize my stash before it gets too much more out of hand.  Any ideas?  I am still in dorm rooms so space is pretty limited... Under-the-bed bins and a steamer trunk are pretty much it right now.  But I hate not knowing what I have/what to keep or not to keep. 

So how do you do it?

[karent]

Oh, honey, you need to be reading the blogs.  This week they are all about stash.  There is everything from "I'm not organizing" to (forgive me this isn't personal) very bleeeep methods.  You might guess I'm in the former.  Card files, computer indexes, boxes in the barn, we all have our regimes. Best I can tell you is that if you wait twenty five years and try to retrofit a system it will be a great burden and you will throw up your hands and run screaming from the sewing room.  What seems to work for those who start out "de novo" is some sort of card file, index cards or something similar, with a little swatch, fiber type, size of yardage, place of purchase, and some like to keep track of price paid although I find that excruciatingly horrifying.  I believe ruthiek is currently documenting her stash, and nanflan has a well organized system, you might check their posts/blogs.  Something that fits in a card file or notebook seems handy, as it is portable and allows one the luxury of standing in a fabric store and actually remembering what you have at home already.  Some of us, though, are beyond help, and although I am being somewhat tongue in cheek, I would love to help you not land at 50 years old being in my position of having a billion pieces of black wool and black linen.  I'm sure many more will jump in, and although sewsy is probably terrified to send you a pm at this point, she actually has a system she is marketing which seems workable.  Given you are a student, we will assume you want the budget programme, but might get some ideas from her.  Good luck.  I often think going back to those days where I went to the fabric store on Saturday and bought my makings for the project of the week was soooo much
simpler!  K 

Add:  well thank you DL.  You bleeped out a word I used that I really didn't think about, and probably would have brought me major heartache and pain.  Well done. 

[RuthieK]

Yes, there's a thread discussing this which might have a few ideas - people were trying to help me with a similar question.

http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php/topic,6632.0.html

[SarahLouWho]

I found the topic... Thanks Ruthie! 

And thanks Karen... I will start young, and try to remember those names. 

It'll have to wait until I neaten up enough to have space and surfaces to pull things out without the bf calling me crazy, but I will do it to it!

[fzxdoc]

For me, Sarah, the worst thing to do with several cuts of fabric is to store them in a Rubbermaid tub or box under the bed.  Out of sight can be out of mind, and you could end up buying something that is close to something you already have because you've forgotten about it.  That's why Ruthie's topic about cataloguing a stash is a good thing to read and to think about implementing. 

I am unpacking my fabric now, having recently moved, and much of it is going onto flat shelving out in the open grouped by fabric type and color so I can see exactly what I have.  I have to say that I have an embarrassingly large stash, and it is important for me to see all that is there to curb future buying, if nothing else!    No, really, seeing what's there helps my inspiration and creativity process.

So take this advice from someone who has been collecting fabric for many years: start small and keep it organized, visible, and as small as practicable.

Kathryn

[LindaNan]

Where I live in Maui, I have a major problem with sun fading and Maui "Red Dirt".  I need to keep my fabrics and threads covered.  I list my stash, notions and tools on a Quattro Pro spreadsheet with a link to photos of the fabric.

My patterns are listed in an html file with photo, fabric requirements and the storage location.

Linda

[Carole]

I'm not moving, but I am giving my sewing room a makeover one of these days and in a frenzy of cleaning out I will lose most of the old furniture.  I think the best plan is to have some long shelves on one wall   I have several large plastic bags that once were used to sell blankets and other large home dec items; they have zippers and are heavy plastic.  Do you think my fabric would be safe in those?

[nanflan]

Where I live in Maui, I have a major problem with sun fading and Maui "Red Dirt".  I need to keep my fabrics and threads covered.  I list my stash, notions and tools on a Quattro Pro spreadsheet with a link to photos of the fabric.

I've had problems with sun fading too, even though the shades in the sewing room are kept closed 90% of the time. I'm in New Mexico. Much as I like to have fabrics on shelves, I'm moving more to closet storage out of necessity. I'll have to sew up a lot to get in all in there. Hopefully the next house will have a better sewing room in terms of storage space and light exposure.

[fzxdoc]

I plan on making muslin covers for my open shelving to protect the fabric from dust.  It is stored in an inner room of our home, where there are no windows--a true sewing storage area--where my threads will also not be exposed to sunlight.   Some of my fabrics are in closed cupboards in that room but much of it is on the open shelving. 

I agree that my idea does not work for areas that are exposed to lots of sunlight or dust unless the fabric is curtained off or covered by a cloth.    The important thing, for me, is not to tuck the fabric away somewhere where it can't be easily seen and accessed.  That type of squirreling away made it easy for me in the past to forget what I had, or, when needing a certain type of fabric, to just go out and buy some rather than take the time to hunt for it.

Kathryn

[Gigi Louis]

I need to be able to see what I have.  I took advice from Leslie and rolled all of my fabric which I then organized by color to make it easier to find things.  I do have some overflow right now which I store on hangers in my guest room closets.  For years I have kept an inventory of my stash.  I created forms with space to fill in information about the fabric and attach a small swatch - I think my form has space for five or six pieces per page, I don't recall exactly.  I keep the forms, sorted by fabric type/weight in three-ring binders.  It's easy to maintain and easy to see what I have.  This may seem like a lot of trouble but since I have around 2,000 yards of fabric cataloging it is a necessity!  And, no, I do not feel even a twinge of guilt about my stash. 

Here's a photo of the main closet.

http://behindtheseams.wordpress.com/2006/08/28/my-fabric-stash/

The baskets in the center hold linings, lingerie fabrics and fabric for binding/ribbing.

[zora]

I sort my stash by colour and keep it on open shelves so I can see it all day and maybe pat it when I walk past it 
It looks beautiful sorted like this and it's very inspiring and it motivates me to sew.

[mardel]

I catalog my fabrics too and have done so for years.  It was a lot of work at first but then easier as I just cataloged things as they came in, well except for last year when I did some stress-buying with no cataloging.  I am working on that now.  Since my stash is also in the thousands of yards stage and it is not all in open storage,  cataloging is a must.  The catalog is sorted by color, which somehow works better for me than keeping it by fabric type.  Every fabric is cross-referenced with its storage location so it actually is easy to find things.

When I set up a small fabric closet with part of my stash this year, I started with flat folds and then remembered the photos of Gigi's fabric closet with the rolled fabric.  I switched to rolled fabric and am happy with that.  Since the closet is only a small part of my stash it is not sorted by color but by type of fabric.  I would dearly love to have one room with all the fabric so I could see it.  At least both of the closets with fabric on open shelves are in rooms on the side of our house where there is very little direct light.  They are kept closed and don't get very little light or dust.  In my dream sewing room I would love a fabric storage space like Kathryn describes.

[marciae]

I'm thinking I should roll my fabric.  I try and refold and restack every so often bu you know how that goes.  I have a LOT of wools - I'm guessing it would be ok to foll them??  Would you fold in thirds, rather than half, and then roll?

[fzxdoc]

Boyohboy, if I rolled some of my wool yardage (some of which is in 5 or 6 yard lengths), the roll would be the diameter of a dinnerplate!  And rolls of slippery chiffons might try to jump right out of themselves. 

It sure looks as though more gets packed into the available space when one rolls fabrics, though.  I've heard many sewists rave about that method.

Kathryn

[BeeBee]

I would think you'd be able to (a) see them better rolled and (b) pull out one without disturbing the others more often.  Not that I DO this  .  Mine's just piled where it fits. 

[marciae]

My concern is the creasing when it's 'piled' wherever!!  I have a HUGH stack of woolens!

[karent]

I've considered rolling for the same reason.  Creases. I have no doubt I number into the thousands of yards as well, and there is some minor underlying organization from when I first moved in here, ie. the pieces were organized by color into two closets.  Now there are shelves added along one wall which contain the overflow, and that is less organized.  Some pieces have been folded in the same way for a long time, and I'm concerned about creases and dusty edges along the folds.  Also, often thinner pieces disappear into the depths and are forgotten, and it is very hard to estimate the size of a piece based on it's appearance when folded (unless it's really thin or really huge.)  Rolling, it seems to me, might somewhat remedy a lot of those things.  I've considered it, and if I were going to take it all down and roll then it would make sense to catalog at that point.  Trouble is, I'm sure it would take a week of concentrated effort at this point.  Some day, I may decide I have a week to give to the project, but right now I'm leaving it as is.  Perhaps I should just move?  That is starting to sound like the answer!  K

[Gigi Louis]

I've not had issues with creases - not any worse than when it was folded flat.  I steam press before cutting anyway.  I just fold the yardage across the width to the depth of my shelves and then roll it up.  The nice thing about rolling is that you can fit a lot more into the space (folded stacks tend to fall over if they get too high), you can see it all and you can pull out what you need without disturbing other pieces.  And, yes, Katherine, I do have some rolls as large as a dinner plate!  That's what happens when you tend to buy in 3, 5 or 7 yard lengths.    It took me an entire weekend to roll and catalogue it all.  At the time I had about 1200 yards - quite a bit more now, eek.  It's a project but well worth the time, IMO.

I do want to mention that I do not roll fabrics which are easily marred like velvet or beaded/sequined fabrics.  Those I clip onto hangers by the selvage.

[karent]

Hmmm, perhaps this old dog might pick up a new trick.  Could be a good project for one of these nasty weekends, there seems to be an endless supply of them this year!  K

[marciae]

Trust me - IF I roll the fabric - that's my cataloging!!   I'll be able to see all the colors and determine from the size of the roll how much is there!!

[SarahLouWho]

WOW!  So much to think about....

As I move lots right now and have very little wallspace, tubs are the only option, but I think I WILL begin a card/sample system... and start being picky now instead of later! 

This is SUCH a wonderful community, and I am SO glad and bessed to learn from all of your experiences... I am in the home stretch of a major project right now, but I will definately be thinking about this as a no-sew way to revamp. 

[tailor]

Kathryn, is your sewing room located near the fabric room (or part of it)? 

Tailor

[fzxdoc]

Tailor, my sewing storage room is adjacent my sewing room with a connecting door. There are other doors from each room that open onto a hallway as well. It's a wonderful arrangement, and I am really delighted to have it set up that way.

Kathryn

[tailor]

Ummmm, your arrangement sounds wonderful Katherine.  I'm in the process of finishing the building of our walkout basement (of which the sewing area is part) but  have put a fabric closet "room" (about 7'x16) with lots of shelving against the exterior wall that has no windows.  It is full of boxes and other unpacked things as of yet but will be wonderful when it is just fabric and sewing related storage.  The actual sewing room is at the other end of the house to take advantage of the full windows but I don't think I'll mind the walk at all!  It took 40+ years but finally the dream space is coming together.  Mind you, I also have 40+ years of accumulation to organize now!  Your idea of the muslin covering is a good one, particularly for the silks & wools to keep not only the dust from them but any light from fading them.  Maybe a muslin/sheet flat drape, run on an I-beam suspended from the ceiling that just sits in front of the shelves would work? the ibeam can bend to go around the ends of the shelving so that eveything is enclosed but the runners will also allow one to "open" the drape easily to see the whole wall.  Hmmm, this thread is beginning to fire the grey cells

Tailor

[BeeBee]

combine this with a wine cellar and you'll have something! 

[tailor]

LOL,  love it - DH might become suspicious though and start wondering why more time spent downstairs is actually decreasing production!

[fzxdoc]

Tailor, you're in the same place I was--after a sewing lifetime to date of having a too-small sewing room with too little sewing storage, I designed a "sewing suite" when we built our new home.  It's one of the last areas of that home to be unpacked, but when it is done, I will enjoy the space and layout immensely. 

I like your idea of sort of a drapery enclosure around your fabric.  That will certainly work, since it will be all along one wall. I can just imagine you saying "Ta-daa" as you whip open that drape! I don't think you'll mind the short walk from sewing area to sewing storage, either--just think of the anticipation at seeing your lovely fabric and notion collection when you get there!

BeeBee, the wine storage area is just across the hall from my sewing room.  I figure it will come in handy whenever I get frustrated with a wadder and need to chill. 

Kathryn

[jodiwell]

You all are making me laugh... I am officially dropping out of the Swap... It's too much pressure right now LOL as I continue working massive overtime.  So instead of stessing out with planning and doing no sewing, I'm just picking something up and sewing whether it fits the "plan" or not.

I switched gears to stash organization.  I'm using this template.   I stick a scan of the pattern I plan to use in the sleeve with the fabric swatch.  I also keep pattern front/back with no purchased fabric in the notebook so I know what I have and what I'm looking for.  Not there yet, but it's the plan

My sewing room is in a daylight basement and was designed to be a guest suite (sleeping and sitting area) with a walk in closet.  There are shelves on one side and a hanging rod on the other.  Some day it will be organized but right now it's a combination of stacking and finer fabrics in see through bags.  I need to get them out of there and into acid free storage, but haven't decided what to do as I want to protect them but still be able to see them. 

There's a guest bed (which is usually covered with pattern tissue and fabrics and magazines) and TONS of floor space for my stitching center, cutting table and ironing board, etc.  The "guest" kitchen is in the next room and that's where my husband brews.  There is a nice assortment of beer on tap.  Pretty much perfect...

jodi

[SarahLouWho]

Jodi, I like that template... I may have to use it too!  But the index card system sounds good too....

AHH!  Options, options...

I know I am a L-O-N-G way from being able to have a sewing area like the ones y'all talk about... I am looking forward to the idea of it though...

A garbage bag of old fabric was just dropped off by my boyfriend, and I need to add it to the "to catalog" stack, but I might end up getting rid of some of it... How do y'all make those calls when someone says, oh, she'll be able to use that...

[jodiwell]

Sarah, I have been in a situation somewhat like yours when it comes to the practical side of 'stashing'.  In my case, I had two toddlers and my sewing area was a small table behind the couch with rubbermaid bins underneath.  I had several friends who always gave me fabric they didn't want.  If I did not know what a piece of fabric was going to be, it had to pass a few criteria before I would keep it.  Since I primarily stitched for the children, bottom and top weights had to be at least a yard.  Dress cuts had to be at least 3 yards.  Anything else was rejected.  If it was a cotton quilting weight, it went to a friend who made "rescue" quilts.  If it was anything else, I'd offer it to the local high school for thier home ec department or the Senior center.  I'd always ask my friends if this was okay.  Once the rubbermaids were full, I'd either have to sew, toss or quit taking donations.  I don't have any kind of discipline like that now, but it saved me in the early days   And I do still have pieces of fabric that were intended to be dresses for my own Sarah (who is just a bit younger than you and also living in a dorm).  I tell myself they will make wonderful smocked dresses for my future grandbabies!

I like the notebook idea because it slips into my tote bag when I go to the fabric store.  I still have a long way to go with the fabric catalog, but it really helps when I go to my favorite fabric wharehouse since they don't have a full line of patterns and I never know what fabric they are going to have. 

Now I just need to get to sewing some of that stash down again!

jodi

[fzxdoc]

Jodi, your sewing suite sounds wonderful, with lots of room and lots of daylight.  What a pleasure it must be to sew there!

Kathryn

[andib]

I had to bring this to the top to get this off my chest...
I just finished cataloging a few pieces of fabric that I bought over the last year, that I did not take time to catalogue(I have a very extensive cataloging system.  After the 10th box, I thought I was done and I found 3 more boxes!  I am very thankful that I have been able to stick to my fabric fast, and I have only bought 5 yards of fabric since 1/1/09.  OMG, I have way too much , but this exercise has given me the freedom to work with all the fun stuff I bought last summer!

Thanks for listening, I feel better

[fzxdoc]

Andi, I'm in the same position that you are.  After discovering how much fabric I truly have (we moved, and I had to pack/unpack it all), it has been much easier to remain on a fabric diet--unless I walk into a nice fabric shop, that is.  Hancock's or JoAnn's (national fabric stores) don't tempt me, but small indy shops with beautiful fabrics are still my downfall.  I haven't bought fabric online in 8 months or more, I think, and I intend on keeping it that way for as long as possible.

Congrats on your reorganization and on your resolve to sew more and buy less!

Kathryn

[DebbieY]

After not sewing for years I have just started uncovering my stash. I didn't know if I had any fabrics left or if I'd given it all away, but no here it is years later in various boxes and containers in the garage. I intend to clear off at least one shelf in the hall linen cupboard (it's pretty big) and keep my stash together there. It will be easily seen and used instead of being forgotten. I don't have that much fabric, most is in relatively small pieces (1m to 2m), so it will be easy to store, grouped together by type (knits, wovens, kids drill fabric etc). I think the best bit will be seeing it there every time I open the cupboard and adding to it when I can, that's always fun.

[Hen]

After all those comments, why would you want to build a stash?

I think it is more something that overcomes you, because temptation and ambition is big in the fabric shop but there is not enough time or motivation for sewing when coming home. Only for a few years, I practised "buy two, sew one", and now I have five boxes of fabric on the attic. And then you have to try to find ways to deal with it.

And there is never the fabric in it which I need for the next project!

Concerning organization, I have a list of the fabrics I own, the plans I have with it, and the things I made. I try to make the first collumn shorter and the last one longer. So far I only managed to slow down the growth of the first collumn, but it still grows faster than the last one!