Fabric Storage

I tried tracking down the source for this photo from Pinterest with no luck. If you know, please share with me so I can credit the photographer.

This summer I had a goal of stopping in one quilt shop in each state that we visited.  Well, that was not as easy as I thought it would be.  The one I had picked for Colorado closed its doors.  Utah and Arizona I was so busy enjoying  the great outdoors I completely, (GASP!) forgot.  California, we hit on the one day the shop was closed.  By the time we got to Oregon I was feeling pretty desperate.  My dear, sweet, supportive, husband must have felt particulary keen to my plight for he let me make not one, but two trips to the Fabric Depot in Porltand.  He didn't flinch at all when I came over with a shopping cart over-flowing with beautiful bolts of fabric.  I love that man!  I imagine him feeling like the man on the bicycle as he wheeled my cart up to the checkout area.

This photo only captures about half of the quilting section.  Everything was arranged by designer and then in subcategories of their collections.  I felt like I was walking among old friends.  Ken pointed out to me that I had been in the store before-this was the place I had purchased the fabric for the second quilt I ever made as I began my journey as a quiltmaker-a baby quilt for our firstbborn.  

A combination of two favorites: Cross-Stitch and Patchwork. -Completed in 1988.

Waiting for my order of fusible to come so I could finish my wildflower quilt meant I have time to do some much needed housekeeping in the quilt studio.  For most quilts I prewash my fabric.  I admit, sometimes I am tempted to become one of the "no-prewashing" camp; ironing is not my favorite chore.  After a wash with mild detergent into the dryer it on the damp dry setting.  

Now I have a laundry basket full of fabrics ready to be pressed.  One of the keys for achieving straight cuts is to make sure that your fabric is folded correctly.  I place the two selvage edges together, hold the fabric up and slide the selvages until it lays smoothly.  That is a little hard to explain so I will try to show in pictures how to "true-up" your fabric.

See that wrinkling? The selvages need to be slide back and forth against each other until that goes away.

Slid too far the other direction.

Can you see how the fabric has smoothed out along the bottom?

Once the fabric lays smoothly I fold in half again, making sure that the fabric continues to lay smoothly and roll it onto my little bolts.  I use comic book boards for this.  They are non-acidic and best of all I can get a pack of 100 for around $12.00 on Amazon.  Much cheaper than the plastic ones that are sold in some quilt stores.  Cut in half they work great for fat quarters too.  Clicking on the photo will take you to the link on Amazon for hte boards I buy.

I find it helpful to know how much fabric is on each bolt.  After I haev "rolled" the fabric onto the bolt I put a pin in to hold the edge in place along with a slip of paper with the yardage I haev of that piece.  When I use some of it I subtract the amount from that number and jot down the new yardage.  

Here I have the fabric all ready to add to my stash.  I shopped with baby quilts in mind while I was in Portland, trying to fill in some of the gaps in my stash.  Still need more purples.

Here is a peak at my closet.  It used to be such a jumbled mess before I started storing my fabric this way.  Now I can see exactly what I have and easily pull fabric out to audition it for a quilt.  I have the main section arranged by color, another section that has batiks, solids, and childrens, and another section with fat quarters arranged by color. Orgainizing my fabric this way has helped me to see what to look for when I stop at quilt shop-I still may just fall in love with a fabric and get it, but I also have a plan for filling in my stash with more color.

Taking life a stitch at a time,
Deb