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Published On: Feb 06, 2009 05:55 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 06, 2009 05:55 PM
The Stash
It's Fat Quarter Month at
Sew, Mama, Sew and I
thought I'd participate.
Check out my stash!
It's not ALWAYS this neat and tidy - I re-organized and folded everything into these re-purposed metal cubbies a week or two ago - it's nice to have everything in one place - I had a lot of my fabric stored in the baby's room which led to stealth fabric recovery missions during late night sewing projects. I still keep completed pieces and my batting in the baby's room though.
• What do you usually sew?
Quilts, and the occasional stuffed animal or kids clothes... I'm slowly learning how to read and use clothing patterns - it's a bit of a painful process :)
• When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)
I buy larger pieces, since I like to use wide expanses of the same fabric, and like to know I won't run out. I tend to buy at least 1/2 a yard, often two or more if it's something I adore. I like to buy charm packs of a favorite collection when it first comes out (in a perfect world with an unlimited budget I'd buy a layer cake of each collection instead) , then buy yardage of my favorite prints once I've made something with a little bit of everything.
• Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?
I try to only go fabric shopping when I actually need something, but I'm certainly not immune to impulse purchases once I'm there. On vacation I make sure to stop at every local fabric shop we pass by though! Who says fabric can't be a souvenir?!
• Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?
Dark fabrics make me worry about bleeding, so i always wash them, batiks too. I like to buy Ikea fabric, but it bleeds and shrinks a bit, so I always wash that. With everything else, it depends on how patient I'm feeling.
• Do you iron it?
I iron my fabrics before I cut them and before I sew different blocks, etc. together. Thank goodness for irons with automatic shut offs - otherwise I would have burned the house down by now!
• How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)
I try to keep it all relatively neatly folded, in roundabout groups of small, medium, and large pieces. My scarps are color coded and in clear big ziploc bags, tucked into the drawers under my sewing table.
• Do you have any special folding techniques?
I fiddle with the ruler or cardboard technique when I can but often just fold it however and stash it away when I am running around after the kids.
• How do you store your fabric?
It’s all stacked next to my sewing machine now, and the scraps are bagged and in drawers. Fabric I'm currently using to make a quilt top I keep out on the quilt rack with the top in progress.
• What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?
I often find myself without enough solids - I should stock up on solid Kona cottons and solid linens, but never remember too when I'm out fabric shopping. I usually buy 108" wide quilt backing fabric as I need it for larger quilts that I'm going to put on the long-arm so I don't need to fuss with seams. Also, I have often gotten annoyed at myself for not buying enough of a specific fabric, but only once have I ever felt like I bought too much yardage of something, and even with that one, I still love it - just burnt out on using it for a while. Maybe I'll pull it out next fall.
• When do you say enough is enough?
When I have more fabric then ideas! I think going on a fabric buying hiatus once in a while is good for my creativity as well as my budget - makes me stretch my mind a bit more.
• What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?
A coin quilt is always nice, but I've been loving the string blocks I'm making with my etsy team...I've been using my pink scraps to make the first of a 4 quilt set made with monochromatic string blocks and linen.
• Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it!
I can't WAIT to use this - but other projects have been patiently waiting their turn. I'm a Tula Pink junkie, and just about squealed when I finally found some owl paisley from her first collection.
• What’s your definition of the perfect stash?
A nice collection of charm packs/layer cakes from my favorite designers, yardage of all the colors I use most in a nice coordinating solid, and yards of my "perfect" brown - this changes every few months, but I use a LOT of brown fabric, so am pretty picky. If it all could be pre-washed, riooned, and folded by someone other then me that would be a plus. :)
Check out my stash!
It's not ALWAYS this neat and tidy - I re-organized and folded everything into these re-purposed metal cubbies a week or two ago - it's nice to have everything in one place - I had a lot of my fabric stored in the baby's room which led to stealth fabric recovery missions during late night sewing projects. I still keep completed pieces and my batting in the baby's room though.
• What do you usually sew?
Quilts, and the occasional stuffed animal or kids clothes... I'm slowly learning how to read and use clothing patterns - it's a bit of a painful process :)
• When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)
I buy larger pieces, since I like to use wide expanses of the same fabric, and like to know I won't run out. I tend to buy at least 1/2 a yard, often two or more if it's something I adore. I like to buy charm packs of a favorite collection when it first comes out (in a perfect world with an unlimited budget I'd buy a layer cake of each collection instead) , then buy yardage of my favorite prints once I've made something with a little bit of everything.
• Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?
I try to only go fabric shopping when I actually need something, but I'm certainly not immune to impulse purchases once I'm there. On vacation I make sure to stop at every local fabric shop we pass by though! Who says fabric can't be a souvenir?!
• Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?
Dark fabrics make me worry about bleeding, so i always wash them, batiks too. I like to buy Ikea fabric, but it bleeds and shrinks a bit, so I always wash that. With everything else, it depends on how patient I'm feeling.
• Do you iron it?
I iron my fabrics before I cut them and before I sew different blocks, etc. together. Thank goodness for irons with automatic shut offs - otherwise I would have burned the house down by now!
• How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)
I try to keep it all relatively neatly folded, in roundabout groups of small, medium, and large pieces. My scarps are color coded and in clear big ziploc bags, tucked into the drawers under my sewing table.
• Do you have any special folding techniques?
I fiddle with the ruler or cardboard technique when I can but often just fold it however and stash it away when I am running around after the kids.
• How do you store your fabric?
It’s all stacked next to my sewing machine now, and the scraps are bagged and in drawers. Fabric I'm currently using to make a quilt top I keep out on the quilt rack with the top in progress.
• What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?
I often find myself without enough solids - I should stock up on solid Kona cottons and solid linens, but never remember too when I'm out fabric shopping. I usually buy 108" wide quilt backing fabric as I need it for larger quilts that I'm going to put on the long-arm so I don't need to fuss with seams. Also, I have often gotten annoyed at myself for not buying enough of a specific fabric, but only once have I ever felt like I bought too much yardage of something, and even with that one, I still love it - just burnt out on using it for a while. Maybe I'll pull it out next fall.
• When do you say enough is enough?
When I have more fabric then ideas! I think going on a fabric buying hiatus once in a while is good for my creativity as well as my budget - makes me stretch my mind a bit more.
• What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?
A coin quilt is always nice, but I've been loving the string blocks I'm making with my etsy team...I've been using my pink scraps to make the first of a 4 quilt set made with monochromatic string blocks and linen.
• Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it!
I can't WAIT to use this - but other projects have been patiently waiting their turn. I'm a Tula Pink junkie, and just about squealed when I finally found some owl paisley from her first collection.
• What’s your definition of the perfect stash?
A nice collection of charm packs/layer cakes from my favorite designers, yardage of all the colors I use most in a nice coordinating solid, and yards of my "perfect" brown - this changes every few months, but I use a LOT of brown fabric, so am pretty picky. If it all could be pre-washed, riooned, and folded by someone other then me that would be a plus. :)
.
Posted: Fri - February 6, 2009 at 05:53 PM