Now that you’ve organized your yardage, we need to tackle the leftover fabric . I started storing my own ‘scraps’ in plastic bags by color. This worked well at first. I had a ready supply of fabric pieces anytime I wanted – especially for hand applique. Unfortunately the scrap stash got out of hand.

So I decided to take a class in Scrap Therapy with Joan Ford. That was a great beginning! In Joan’s class, we cut the scraps into 3 different sizes. These can be combined into an almost infinite number of patterns to make some very beautiful and interesting quilts.

Then I came across the idea of cutting the leftovers into other sizes of usable squares and strips The key to organizing these scraps is to determine the sizes you will use the most. I find that many of the quilts I make call for 2-1/2″ and 3″ squares.  For the strips I  most often use 2-1/4″ strips for binding and 1-1/2″ and 3″ strips for Seminole Patchwork.  Fat quarters are stored by color also.

Now I have a number of shoe boxes with strips and squares sorted by color and sized to use in any quilt. As I finish up a project I cut the leftovers into various sizes and stash them away.

On the same note Fons and Porter ran a short survey online on stash storage. Almost all of those who responded store their stash in plastic bins or shelves. Goes to show you we quilters really are an organized group of people.   It certainly helps when to trying to find the perfect to make or finish a quilt!

There's always time to quilt!

It’s very easy for storage of our quilting stash to become over-whelming. No matter how much fabric we have, every time we go to a quilt store the fabric just begs us to take some home.   There has to be an easy way to organize all this fabric!

Storing full yardage  and fabric that  is a half yard or less requires different methods.  What is the smallest cut I should keep?  And how do I store all these different sizes?

Since I began quilting 10 years ago, I’ve used Nancy Johnson-Srebro’s storage method  for storing yardage (from her book Rotary Magic). It’s actually pretty easy: just fold the fabric selvage to salvage; fold the cut edge into a tube (about 6-inches width. Use your 6×24-inch ruler as a guide).

Continue folding until all yardage is rolled into a tube.

Then fold tube in half.

All yardage can then be stored neatly in plastic bins or stacked on a shelf.  I like to organize my stash by color in plastic bins. These bins are placed on shelves stacked no more than two high so I never move more than one bin to get the fabric I need.

I have recently found drawer type bins that I really like. No moving bins around at all.  Just pull open the drawer.

With either stack-able bins or drawer bins, I can easily pick out the fabric I need or bring the bins to my sewing area and design wall as needed.

This method also makes for easy strip cutting:  just unroll the amount needed for cutting.  The rest stays together for easy storage.How easy is that?

(Next post: Those pesky scraps.  How to store leftovers smaller than 1/2 yd.)

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There's always time to quilt!

I’m constantly running into people who complain about our long Central New York winters. True, by about beginning of March I too am looking forward to Spring flowers and green grass. But as I look out my living room window, with the sun shinning on newly fallen snow, I can’t help but be in awe of the beauty of Winter.

Now that we’re back home from our holiday visit to North Carolina, I can get back to some serious quilting.   Yesterday was our monthly quilting day at the library.I was able to finish a kid comfort quilt and get started on a new applique project. And, of course, I had to initiate my new Sew-Ezi table I love it!

Spending time quilting is one of the best ways I know to spend a cold wintry day.

There's always time to quilt!