Hello friends!
Are you sewing today? I finally took time to cut out two Everyday Skirts I’ve been meaning to make for–I’m not kidding–several years. Maybe I’ll actually sew them before summer!
Since we’re all home sewing or cleaning or cooking or organizing or staring out the window, tell us: how do you store your sewing stash?
My own stash lives on shelves in my tiny bedroom. It’s the only space I have for it at present, and it’s the only thing besides my bed that fits into my bedroom. It needs to be re-folded and organized and weeded sometime soon (maybe during the lockdown?). And I should keep better track of it, too. Maybe with our free printable swatch cards?
What about you?
Hi my fabric is all store in plastic bins in black plastic as light is very fierce here and ruins colour very quickly. I am very envious of those sewing room pictures that have fabric neatly folded in the cube shelves. I have the fabric I plan to work with for the season in drawers folded Marie Kondo style so when you pull the draw out it is easy to see it all.
Well, since I’ve been sewing for over sixty years and moved several times, I have a system that works for me. I sort notions by type – buttons, elastic, velcor, interfacings, laces and trims, etc. are all placed in clear, plastic containers arranged neatly in cabinets. Patterns are in a filing cabinet. Fashion fabric (washed and folded) resides in an old dresser that belonged to my grandmother who taught me to sew, and is well built. My quilting cottons are stored in metal baskets that fit in tall towers and reside in a closet. My machines and ironing board have their own spot. Lucky for me during this horrible time of isolation, I have lots of supplies to keep me occupied and my hubby who is a great cook keeps me well fed. I pray that all keep well.
I wish I had a better system. For all my quilting cottons (although I don’t quilt) and wovens under 2 yards in length, I wrap them around pieces of acid-free cardboard that are sold as comic books supports (for collectors). Then I can stack them like books on a shelf—looks colorful and happy—and I can see all my choices at once. For everything more than 2 yards, I keep them folded in plastic “drawers”. This stackable drawer system was clearly not designed for storing fabric—it is barely holding up to the weight. I have a wool drawer, knits drawer, silks and “fancy fabrics” drawer, upholstery and heavy weight wovens drawer, etc. But, I can never see to the bottom of each drawer unless I pull everything out. Then I have bags and bags of those “vacuum storage bags” and giant “Ziplock” storage bags for small scraps and clothes that I hope to upcycle. These bags do not stack well!
Organizing my stash has actually become my quarantine project. Last year I bought plastic bins and numbered them, and put the fabric into the bins in the closet, but it was difficult to find what I wanted. Now I have started pulling out one bin at a time and entering each piece of fabric into trello.com. Over the last couple of years I had put in all my newer patterns, and having the fabric in virtual “cards” will allow me to try matching patterns with pieces of fabric. I am also using swatch cards that I made myself a couple of years ago, but I actually like the digital version better; you can include a picture! But I’m not telling anyone (particularly my husband) just how many bins there are 😉
I would love to have a dedicated sewing cupboard. At the moment, my fabric is stashed in fabric boxes / plastic bags and loose on shelves where I can find some free space. They are mostly stored in the kids’ cupboards as they don’t need all that space. My son’s bed has two storage drawers, one of those is crammed full of fabrics… Notions / threads etc I keep in a sewing storage box I purchased a couple of years ago. At least I always know where to find thread and needle for those pesky trouser hems that come undone. I also have two large enviro bags with clothes that need altering … Patterns are kept in their envelopes and stored in plastic tubs on the shelf. I am one those people who copies the patterns so that I always have the original intact. It’s something my mother (a seamstress) taught me as a young child. I am doing my best not to keep too many scraps, to use up what scraps I have and not to buy any more fabric unless I have a project in mind and can find the time to make it.