How I Stash My Stash

I love when people post photos of their stash no matter how big or small.  I may admire the fabric, like the shelving but most often I wonder if they would share it with me if we were friends.  Heehee.  That said, I thought I'd post a photo of my stash and share how I fold it and how I make my fabric notebook of finished projects.

I store my fabric in a cabinet from my childhood.  I like that I can close the doors and keep everything clean and out of sight but it also makes me feel at home.  I keep saying I'm going to paint it (White maybe?  What do you think?) but I never seem to get around to it.  Top left is cottons, wool and silk are on the middle shelf, blouse weights are bottom left and bottom weights are on the right.  The organizers hold trims and hardware for specific projects.  This doesn't include notions I use everyday, interfacings, linings or patterns (that's a whole other story).  Here's how I fold my stash:

I use an old shirt box top to keep all pieces the same size.

Fold both sides of the fabric in against the box.

Fold the bottom up against the box.

Pull out the box.

Fold again and voila!  It's so pretty and tidy.

I attach a sticker with width and length of the fabric. In this case, I used the Mood sticker that was already on the fabric.  Lots of online fabric stores put a sticker on the fabric with all of this info too.

When I finish any project I cut a 5" square from the scraps and put it in a glass jar.  I do this because I like to have a little piece of fabric from each thing I make because it makes is easier to part with the scraps.  When the squares are piling up in the jar I add them to a notebook.  I know there are prettier ways to make a fabric notebook but this works for me and doesn't take too much time.  Sew Weekly has a free PDF that's really pretty if you want an option.  Although it's designed for storing stash, I'm sure it would work for finished projects.

I use a simple sketchbook with a spiral binding (because is gets pretty fat after you add fabric swatches).

Using a glue stick, I stick the fabric on the page, write where I bought the fabric, the date and what I made out of it.  It's fun to see the book grow and enjoy my hard work.  And I get to see all the stash busting I actually do!  Did you hear me just pat myself on the back?

What do you do with your fabric?  Diane