Do you have a system for sorting and organizing your quilting stuff? If so, do you set aside time for ongoing maintenance? I have a system that serves me well as long as I periodically cull, sort and reorganize things. It’s the record keeping and inventory side of my system that always seems to get put on the back burner. Improving my stash management system is one of my major quilty goals in 2024. I even purchased a Quilting Life Planner and Workbook from Sherri McConnell to help refine my processes.
Over the past week, I’ve been going through my stash for items to donate to the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum’s semi-annual yard sale on 10/28. I did a big purge over the summer, so I wasn’t sure how much more I’d find. How about one bag for the trash bin and 3 bags of fabric and notions for the SQTM? I thought I’d also be taking a big roll of batting to donate, but after seeing so many quilt tops in the closet, and the two bins full of yardage for quilt backs, I think I’d best get busy finishing those quilts. Same goes for unfinished UFOs sitting in stacked up ArtBin satchels. This will definitely free up space in my studio.
While I have sold off a small portion of my unneeded stash, the majority is donated or given away. I share generously with my sewing kiddos. If I can help out a sewing friend with a specific need, I do that, too! I put stuff on the free table at quilt guild meetings. I’ve used my stash to make many quilt tops to donate to charity. Books are donated to Better World Books, which supports my therapy dog organization. The few magazines that I do have are shared with friends or passed along to teacher friends for classroom activities. In case you’re wondering, the stuff that no one wants or can’t be donated is thrown away.
I actually do have a vision of my personal “optimal” stash level and it’s not an entire house full of fabric! We’ll see how close I am once the current tops are quilted and the WIPs are out of the ArtBin containers.
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