About once a year I dig into my studio and get all the fabrics and supplies organized. I should do it more often than that, but once a year is about what I can stand. A couple years ago I instituted the "dishpan method" of fabric management. It still works better than any other scheme I've ever come up with, but they do get scrambled after awhile and I seem to keep buying more dishpans and separating the colors into ever more subtle variations. Browns and blacks used to occupy one dishpan. Now there are two and now I have not blues, but blue-blues and green-blues. I haven't gotten to the greens yet, but I know they are not all going to fit into one dishpan and will no doubt find themselves segregated into dark and light or some other possibility.
This is slow work, but important, not only for tidying the place up, but it reminds me what I have. The bottom photo is my collection of solids. I use them a lot and have been collecting for years. I do not want to resort to dying my own fabric, so it is good to have lots of color variation. This does not include the stack I have pulled as potential fodder for my next 12 x 12 piece.The two crates are large pieces, the dishpans are smaller pieces.
I have discovered the TV show called "Hoarders". I have a sick fascination with it. People who cannot throw anything away, until their houses are waist-deep in clutter. It motivates me to keep things under control, but also frightens me. I think I can almost understand how it could just get so far ahead of you that you would give up on any idea of dealing with it. It really does feel good to get it all squared away though. Wish me luck.
All the pretty colors!
ReplyDeleteAt least you won't get dishpan hands from this cleaning process.
I'm always grateful when an episode of "Hoarders" is on when I'm about to do a major clean-up. If that's not incentive I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a mess when I'm working on something that a once a year clean-up is more like a once a month one around here. Chaos reigns.
I love organizing and categorizing. Sometimes I think that would have been the perfect job for me. I can see you are good at it and you have a lot of fabric. My whole stash of fabric still fits in about 20 large plastic containers. There is always the question of what to do when the lid refuses to close any longer.
ReplyDeleteWell Good Luck, however I think it isn't needed...you are always so judicious when it comes to my cast off cottons....I am seriously thinking of moving it all out...but then I fantasize about making a good old fashioned quilt for my bed....yeah, like it is gonna happen...
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! I doubt you'd ever be a hoarder, but a good tidy does feel good every now and then. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove seeing how you've arranged your fabrics in the tubs or dishpans. Maybe I need a new method of storage. Mine are in zip clear plastic bags but many pieces seem to disappear among the others and I forget I have them since I don't see them at a glance. Thanks for the food for thought.
ReplyDeleteAhhh! the Big Tidy. I'm doing it now too. Not just that but rearranging everything and reorganizing (and tossing quite a bit) as well. Holy moly, what a chore. I like your dishpan idea and will have to incorporate that. I'm excited to be ordering a new cutting table - made for my height, joy of joys. Can't wait 'til it's done.
ReplyDelete