Stash

What do you usually sew?

Quilts, challah covers, chuppahs, scarves.

When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)

1/2 yard - 1 yard, depending on the fabric and price

Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?

I usually go looking for something I need and end up with a few impulse purchases. I’m trying to get better about that, though.

Are you a pre-washer?

Nope. This is one of those sewing rules I break all the time and it has yet to be a problem. I know that it might be a problem one day, but until then, I’ll take the risk.

Do you iron it?

Only when I’m going to use it.

How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)

I am normally an obsessive sorter and organizer. With fabric, however, it’s a little messier due to space constraints. Most of my fabric fits into one large box (above) and within the box there are 3 sections: fat quarters, combinations of fabrics I want to use, and other fabrics sorted by color. I have a separate smaller box for fabric scraps and those are sorted into ziplock bags by color. I wrap long strips around cardboard and place them in the ziplock bags as well.

Do you have any special folding techniques?

Nope.

How do you store your fabric?

In plastic storage bins. In addition to the one shown above, I have another bin filled with flannel and fleece that I use to back most quilts I make. That box is organized by color as well.

What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?

I don’t know that I have a well-rounded stash, but I’ve built a stash by buying a little extra of the fabrics I need and impulse-buying (see above).

What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?

Challah covers: they’re small, can use lots of different fabrics, and are easy to make.

Do you have a current favorite print in your stash?

I have a few:

This might be my absolute favorite. I love the print and the color scheme.

I'm not usually a gray and mustard kind of gal, but this one works for me. I have coordinating green, yellow, and blue fabrics, and I'm looking for just the right project and pattern.

I have just a little bit of this one, and I'm tempted to use it in a scarf, but I'm holding out lest some other project inspire me.

I've gotten really into dark brown lately. It's hard to see the gold sparkle in the picture, but it's there. This is another fabric that I've got some great coordinating fabrics for and I'm just trying to decide how to use them. I'm leaning toward a baby quilt of some sort.

This is a recent acquisition that I want to use to make a quilt for my living room, which has gold, maroon, and deep purple furniture/curtains/trim. I think this print will pull it together and let me get some blue in there as well!

I actually have fabrics I love that aren't “modern” florals.
For example:

Watercolor-y blue/charcoal/yellow

Another stripy, blue-y option

And the brown I'm loving these days.

[Questions from Sew Mama Sew. Link to other people's stashes from there as well.]