Beverly's Fabric, my go to quilt store is closing. I read it in the newspaper, and they had all their fabrics 30% off. Now, I know that discount will increase, as they clear their stock, but it will be picked over and I will not get the few items I want. Few is a relatively small explanation for what I actually purchased.
However, that is not the problem it caused me. Yes, I did purchase more than a FEW fabrics. The issue became where to put my fabric purchases. I am busting at the seams.
I have alway folded my fabric yardage 8 inches then folded in half to store it. I usually buy at least one yard and often three and that is not the 10 to 30 fabric plus fat quarter lines I purchase. Well, 8 inches actually didn't really work in my storage areas. So yes, I dumped shelf after shelf and refolded it in 6 inches and folded it in half to store.
This it just a tiny bit of the mess I started with. Needless to say on top of everything I had broken up and switched fabric lines around a lot. It was a mess.
As you can see here it just a small bit of the dumping zone to refold fabric, and hopefully organize fabric lines together.
It did take two days of hours and hours to try to make some sense of this mess.
And here is the improved storage system. I did discovered one interesting thing. I have a TON of fabric, these pictures are only about a 10th of what I have in other areas of my quilt studio. I have no idea how I will ever use it all, and what ever was I thinking. Does that bother me, no not one tiny little bit. Does that mean I will no long buy fabric, probably not, but my favorite fabric store going out of business is going to put a cramp in my style. The nearest other quilt store is a half hour drive away, and they don't carry my favorite fabric choices. That said I guess I am doomed to try to make some headway with what I have although on line purchases are always at hand.
Oh what a satisfying feeling to have it all tidied and tucked away - hopefully that will inspire many beautiful projects in the year ahead!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness sakes!!!! I can't believe they are closing...so, so sad! it was such a great option for you....I really loved it too!!
ReplyDeletelove seeing your post...miss you my friend!!!
So tidy and organized. Congrats! Would you care to come to my place for coffee and cakes ... and some folding of fabrics? lol. ;^)
ReplyDeleteso i guess we can shop at your place now eh?
ReplyDeleteYour fabrics are all so organized now. With less shopping, that will leave more time to put it all to good use.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it's time to start shopping your stash, you have a great one !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piles of fabrics! Now it's neat ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, the floor turns into my number one storage location. Thanks for the delightful peek into your stash. I have a serious reorganization looming in my future too.
ReplyDeleteOf course you had to buy those fabrics -you just never know when you may need it....right!!!!!!!Happy sewing with them.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! Our in town quilt shop closed 2 years ago. We now have one that is about 20 minutes away. She is slowly building inventory. Otherwise, the nearest one is 150 miles away. You have a great stash.
ReplyDeleteYour sorted fabrics are a lovely sight. It's like a sweet cool breeze has blown in, so enjoy it. You deserve it. You probably discovered fabrics you had forgotten about. Enjoy using them!
ReplyDeleteI love to see someone trying to organize - it gives me hope:)
ReplyDeleteLooks great.......... More of us need to take the step in organizing our fabric..........
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear your LQS has closed! My nearest decent quilt shop is 45 minutes to an hour away, depending on traffic at different times of the day. Sometimes I fantasize about opening my OWN quilt shop and stocking it with all of MY favorite lines of fabrics and threads... But then I read about all of these quilt shops closing, Quilter's Newsletter going out of business, AQS not publishing anymore quilting books, and quilters making resolutions to "sew from their stash" and not buy any new fabric. If we don't buy fabric, our quilt shops are going to go out of business! But, having said that, if you need to offload any of that wonderful fabric in your stash, feel free to send it my way... ;-)
ReplyDeleteOur Beverly's closed at the end of last year. It is a shame but I do have 2 quilt shops about a half hour away.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stash! It's great to have to sort out the stash every once in a while... I always find things that I completely forgot I bought, so this always sparkle many creative ideas. I look forward to see some amazing projects with all that great fabric!
ReplyDeleteWow, wish I had that kind of room! Our Beverly's closed many years ago, but I still miss it, often went to just browse. Luckily we still have two fabric shops in town, one general, one specialty quilt shop. Happy Sewing!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job getting organized! I did something similar not too long ago, but then I bought a lot more fabric and have nowhere to put it. Guess I'll just have to sew faster. My LQS closed a few years ago and I need to travel about an hour or more to another, so I do most of my shopping online now.
ReplyDeleteSo many LQSs are closing across the country...they just can't compete with online prices. I am blessed to still have my LQS, but they have GREATLY reduced their fabric lines and are venturing more into machines....
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of organizing and setting your goal. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventure into sewing your stash!
Wow!! Those look great now! What a difference. It's so inviting, stacked up neat like that. I've always had to do most of my shopping online (I go to LQS's that sell online almost every time, with a rare stop at Fat Quarter if they don't have what I need), as the nearest quilt shop is 45 minutes away. I just don't have time to drive that much for a shopping trip, unless it's critical that I see the colors in person to match some things from my stash. I have a big stash like you, though, so I can usually find what I need in-house.
ReplyDeleteWould you like to come to my house next and make sense of my mess?
ReplyDeleteOriginally I started by trying to put colors into the cubbies. Then I got cardboards and started wrapping larger pieces around those and standing them up.
I also have a chest of drawers with the drawers marked....oh heck, what I have is a mess and it makes it hard to find what I am really looking for.
Very nice your blog and article. I like this blog thank for sharing.
ReplyDeleteหนังดราม่า