I’m passionate about almost every aspect of quilting and this is obvious if you visit my website: www.chrisquilts.net. But I love teaching and sharing what I”ve learned almost as much as actually stitching. That’s why I’ve decided to try my hand at a blog. I hope this will be a place where we can exchange ideas and tips for making all the steps in the quilting process enjoyable. I’ll also share techniques I’ve discovered to simplify the road blocks, overcome mental blocks and just make the quilting process more fun!
Here’s the plan (I’m posting it here to keep me on task): Each Monday I plan to pick a topic of the week and ask you for your thoughts, input or questions. I’ll watch anxiously for your comments and happily respond if necessary. On Thursday I’ll post my “lesson” for the week and hopefully you’ll find it helpful and want to return!
So – my first topic is:
The Stash! How do you store your fabric? What is your system for sorting? By color? Value? Manufacturer? Or do you just throw it in a pile and dig when needed? Please let me know if this is a topic of frustration for you. I can’t wait to show you how I’ve handled this often tricky subject.
Blessings, Chris
PS Even though this has nothing to do with my topic, I can’t resist sharing one of my recent quilts. This silhouette was made from a photo taken when Hanna was 2. I created this little quilt using my Repliqué technique. I’ve written 2 books on Repliqué and share it through lectures and workshops too. All the information is available on my website:
Annie Tank says
Nice silhouette quilt!
I stash my leftover fabrics by colors and use as I need them.
Kathy Fab says
I organize my stash by color or project, depending on which area the fabric was purchased for. I have floor to ceiling cabinets from IKEA that have shelves and drawers. Love the way it stays organized.
Now Books and Magazines on the other hand are harder for me to manage.
Di says
Congratulations on your new blog. This is one I’ll be coming to often!
As for your stash question: I do a lot of throwing into various plastic bags. I’ve started to sort by color and arrange on shelves. It looks pretty, but I still have a lot of bags to sort through.
I need help!
Cheryl says
I have a highly complex but understandable (to me only!) way of storing my stash. Asian fabrics are all stored together by color, same with Batiks, and then all other prints are sorted by primary color in the print. I store all my Kaffe fabrics together, and keep my fat quarters in baskets by color. I have two big Iris carts with 5 drawers each where my scraps go. My crazy quilt fabrics are stored in 4 large under the bed type plastic containers sorted by color. Ha…I know..this is way to much information!
Congratulations on your new blog. I put a post on mine announcing your entry into blogland!
Leta says
I thought I had mine sorted, Kind of. Then I had to pack most of it away to make room for my sister. She found her own place after a year,last November,and I’m slowly trying to bring some order to it. This is a 20 + years of stash. Plus what has been passed on to me. Very little new fabric! I can always use help as most of it was quickly packed away in crates.
clkquilt says
Leta, Congratulations on getting your space back. Older fabrics and other people’s hand me downs can be fun to look through, but if you don’t like it any more and you need the space, don’t be afraid to donate it to groups that make charity quilts. They will appreciate it and you can be more creative if you’re not weighed down by non-inspiring stuff.
Sue says
I organize by color and holiday fabric. Also,
put all prints for children’s quilts in one area
on my shelves.
Sue says
I organize by color and holiday fabric. Also,
put all prints for children’s quilts in one area
on my shelves.
Jeri S. says
Congratulations, Chris!
Can’t wait for my Monday and Thursday “fixes”!
I sort my fabrics mostly by prints, plain or those that can read plain, children’s prints are separate, scraps in plastic bags. It definitely is a work in progress!
Jacquie says
Congrats on your blog, I’ve never done this before, another next adventure. I’m lucky to have 2 storage units with 5 drawers each which holds my stash by color, the rest is under the bed.
Gail Frasier says
Thanks, Chris, and to all who commented. I am moving my sewing from a sun room to what had been my husband’s study, and can put to use all these various suggestions. Great timing for me!!
Laura Krasinski says
Welcome to blogland Chris… I am sooooo excited for you with all your endeavors. Thanks for all your help with all my quilting problems…
Laurel says
I have two ways of storing my stash. Many times I’ll buy 4 or 5 fabrics that all go together with a specific quilt pattern in mind. So I keep all of those together so that when I have time, I can just pull them out. I guess its like an unofficial kit. The second way I store my stash is just by color.
kathleen says
I came to visit you via Art and Life with Laura; I’ll enjoy receiving the feed to your new blog. I’m a traditional (mostly) appliquer and a liberated patchworker. My fabrics are mostly tonals so they are stored by color (in a small dresser, plastic bins and plastic drawers-I recommend drawers). Multi colored prints are separate, as are batiks and solids. Sky fabrics are kept separate because I make small appliqued landscapes.
It’s harder to come up with a convenient way to store tiny scraps, though now they are in plastic shoe boxes by color. If I were more liberated I’d dump them all in one big box for random use!
Rosie Ulmer says
Hi Kris……….I really enjoy reading your blog. I look forward to the Mondays. I don’t always get to read it all, but very informative. Keep up the good work. This is a 1st for me too.
Rosie U.
Char Z., says
Hi Chris, love your blog! I plan on practicing some of the wonderful ideas I learned at your class in Ky in April. So far, no time. Yard work has taken over my life for now. I do have a comment though, I have a little problem reading the tiny print in your blog and am wondering if you could or would mind making the type size a bit larger? Thanks so much and keep up the great work. Char
Claire Machinist says
Chris, thanks for posing the question of cataloging quilt books. I hate to go through all of them to just find one!! Looking forward to next weeks answers. Claire
Joyce egle says
Would you believe my stash began with hand me owns from my mom. They went into boxes that came from Schusters, Gimbels, Boston Store. T.A. Chapman, etc. I put a little mail tag on each box indicating color. I still use the boxes and my stash hasGROWN. Some have found their way into plastic bins. Scraps get tossed into a basket and is ripe for making strip (or string) quilts. Tiny scraps are saved for a future project I don’t feel ready for at this time.