My fabrics started out years ago in a single three-drawer chest. Over time, however, additions to my stash migrated ... to the master bedroom closet, to bins under the master bed, to the nightstands in the guest room. Earlier this fall, I decided things had reached a breaking point: It wasn’t fun to root through a stash that was squirreled away in so many disparate locations. I didn’t even have a good grasp of what fabrics I had anymore. A stash reorganization was in order!
The process was not pleasant and took longer than I anticipated, but now that it’s done, my stash and I are better for it. If you’re considering a comparable overhaul of your own (perhaps as a new year’s resolution?), here is my advice ...
1. Get everything in one place.
At my husband’s suggestion, I consolidated everything in our finished basement, where my organized stash would live. This created a new kind of mess, which was frustrating because I was aiming to create order, but it was unavoidable: I needed to get a handle of how much fabric I had.
I knew I would need to invest in some new furniture. Originally, I was set on buying cabinets—I wanted to be able to open doors and see all my fabric options at once—but decided they would look odd in my basement. I ended up buying two of the popular and versatile Kallax cubby units from Ikea. These units come in different configurations and are customizable with everything from doors to shelves. I settled on buying drawer inserts for eight of my cubbies. (Disclaimer: I did not assemble a thing. My husband and older son took on the task and did not enjoy it.)
2. Get rid of what you don’t want, won’t use, or no longer love.
I touched every piece of fabric I own during this process, so I made the most of that time by pruning what I could. Because you know what’s easier than organizing a huge amount of fabric? Organizing a slightly smaller amount of fabric.
I recycled weird bits that I knew I wouldn’t use. I gave away some scraps that felt more burdensome than inspiring and set aside some yardage that I will donate to my guild’s annual yard sale in January.
In the past I’ve sold bundles and yardage on Instagram and on FeelGood Fibers. Instagram isn’t an easy place to sell anything anymore, due to algorithm changes over the years. FeelGood Fibers, however, is a marketplace I would take advantage of now if the guild yard sale weren’t on the horizon.
3. Pull fabric for a project or two.
Again, wanting to make the most of the quality time with my stash, I pulled scraps and fat quarters for a scrappy pixelated project as I sorted and pruned from the piles of fabric.
4. Forget about perfection.
I watched more than one YouTube video about folding fat quarters and other cuts in neat little squares, but I had to recalibrate my expectations. This project wasn’t about perfection; it was about getting my stash in a usable state. That meant folding everything so it could be stored and easily viewed, not so that everything could be uniform and perfect.
5. Organize in a way that make sense to you.
At first I balked at the idea of having to open a bunch of drawers to see my stash. (My husband accompanied me to Ikea and advocated for the drawer inserts.) Once I grouped like fabrics together, though, the cubbies and drawers were easy to navigate.
I used these categories for my drawers (almost all of which required more than one):
- Collections
- Solids
- Low volumes
- Novelties
- Jelly rolls and charm packs
The remaining fabrics were sorted by color and stored together in other drawers. Larger cuts of yardage were folded and placed in open cubbies. Works in progress were stored in plastic bags and put in the bins that occupy other cubbies. Scraps were sorted by color and placed in a flat bin on top of the Kallax units.
During this process, my husband kept checking in with me and asking whether all the fabric would fit into the furniture and drawers we had purchased. I explained that wasn’t really my objective. I have a little more than what I can fit in this furniture, but I wasn’t interested in buying a third Kallax unit. I think, moving forward, my ideal stash size is what fits here. That will encourage me to stop purchasing fabric and whittle away at what I already have. After a few months, everything should fit just right.
Is you stash in a state of chaos or order right now? What insight can you add to the list I’ve compiled here?
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