fabric stash – Snuggles Quilts

Are You a Fabric Stash Builder?

When it comes to quilt fabric, there seems to be two types of quilters. There are those that buy just what they need to complete a project and hope they have none left over. Then there are quilters who seem to stock more fabric in their sewing room than a quilt shop!

Then here are quilters like me. I’m a scrap quilter so I like a stash, but I keep it at a manageable size. When I head to a quilt shop, I go through bolts of fabric from new lines and buy some for my collection. Sticking with the new lines hopefully keeps me from making a repeat purchase. Sometimes I only purchase fat quarters and sometimes I’ll get a yard if I really like it.

This week, I’ll talk about building and organizing a stash, storing it and making use of it. Let’s get started!

Building and Organizing the Stash

This is definitely important to do prior to heading to the quilt shop to shop for a project. When I get to working on projects, sometimes my counter next to the cutting mat looks like this:

This is actually pretty tame compared to sometimes in the past. There’s scraps and larger pieces of fabrics in the stack. First thing I do is organize by size. Here is my organization in progress. I sort fabrics by size and color. I found out I had some fat 1/4s and fat 1/8s in the stack. And if smaller than a fat 1/8, I cut those scraps into strips.

If I have a fabric that is over 1 yard, I cut it up into several different sizes. This makes it easier for me to include that fabric in a scrap quilt. It’s also a good way to use up a fabric that you don’t quite like anymore as a large piece, but looks good when you cut it into strips.

Here’s how I cut up a yard:

Out of 1 yard of fabric, I am able to cut a 1/2 yard, a fat 1/4 and two fat 1/8s. If I didn’t want two fat 1/8s (the rolled pieces), I can cut that second one into 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips. Then if there is any left over, I cut that into 2 1/2″ or 1 1/2″ strips.

Stash Storage

Now that you have the collection, what about storage? It’s just as important as the steps above. If I don’t store it so it’s easily found, then I wasted a lot of time. For the larger cuts like 1/2 yards and fat quarters, I use tubs like these:

For the fat 1/8s, I found that rolling them was a better storage choice. They are smaller pieces of fabric, so they didn’t stay as neat as the larger cuts above. Here’s some of my fat 1/8s rolled and stored:

I store these in a shallower tub so they are easier to look through. Just like the larger cuts, I have these separated by colors. The rubber bands securing them are colorless small rubber bands found in the hair care section of your favorite store.

Finally, for strips I use the same shallow tubs I use for the fat 1/8s. I make separators from acid free card board. Here’s how one of those looks:

Storing them this way keeps them from getting tangled and frayed.

What’s the Benefit of a the Stash

Now the fun part! Using that fabric you just organized and stored.

First, the biggest benefit to this organization is you are able to shop your stash for the quilt project you are starting. Pick out the fabrics you need and stack them up. I like to do this and then I can decide what is missing. Then I can take a photo or take the stack of fabrics with me to the quilt shop to fill in the missing link.

What if you don’t have a quilt project planned, but just want to make scrappy blocks? Pull out the tubs of strips and make blocks like these below:

All of these blocks are constructed using a mix of 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips. And the types of blocks made from strips isn’t limited to these. Others that can be made from a mixture of strips and larger pieces cut from fats, like snowball blocks and eight-pointed star blocks. Make enough of a variety of blocks and you can have a sampler quilt before you know it.

Once you make that quilt, either the one you were planning or the sampler from many different blocks, use the stash to create some unique borders.

Finally, if you have a stash of 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips, you have an unlimited source for bindings, including scrappy bindings, for your quilts.

Another way to add a little unique personality to your quilts.

So that’s it for this week. Have fun playing with your fabric!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabric Stash – Essential Tool for Scrap Quilting

Yesterday, I shared my task of the day. Cleaning leftover fabric off my work surfaces. If I work on a lot of different projects over a period of time, sometimes I get a bit lazy and just stack it up. So, because of this, I decided to share my fabric stash tips that will prepare you for jumping into making that next scrap quilt. Time for tips!

Getting Started

The key, at least for me, is to have some organization in my fabrics. That way, it’s easier for me to know what fabrics I have and what I need. Having fabrics flung all over the place doesn’t help! Here’s a little of what I started with yesterday:

And here is my organization in progress. I sorted fabrics by size and color. I found out I had a lot of 1/2 yards, fat 1/4s and fat 1/8s lying around!

Then it was down to the piece of fabric that did not fit into any of the size categories I mentioned above. If a piece did not measure up to at least a fat 1/8, then it’s time to cut those pieces into strips for my collection.

I collect 2 1/2 and 1 1/2″ strips because those are the widths I use the most for blocks, borders and bindings. I press those random pieces of fabric and then cut them into strips instead of tossing them into a tub. They’re ready to use this way.

By the way, I used these strips to create the block from my newest quilt project (heading to the quilter this month):

All the pieces for these blocks in this quilt were cut from 1 1/2 and 2 1/2″ strips!

I also found pieces of fabric of over 1 yard that I knew I wasn’t going to use in just one project. I knew I wouldn’t use them for a background or a border on a larger quilt, so what did I do with those? I cut them into smaller pieces, effectively making my own pre-cuts, so I can use that same piece of fabric in several different projects.

Here’s an example:

Out of 1 yard of fabric, I am able to cut a 1/2 yard, a fat 1/4 and two fat 1/8s. If I didn’t want two fat 1/8s (the rolled pieces), I can cut that second one into 1 1/2″ and 2 1/2″ strips.

Organization and Storage

So now that I have all that done, how do I organize and store everything? It’s just as important to organize the fabrics once I’m done with the sorting and cutting, or else all that work was wasted time.

First up, the larger pieces of fabric.

On the left are some of my tubs with the 1/2 yards and 1/4 yards stored by color. On the right is how I store the rolled fat 1/8s. By the way, I like to roll the fat 1/8s because it’s easier to store them this way than folded and tucked into a tub. They’re too small when folded to stay organized in the tub.

Now for the strips, this is how I store them:

I found these shallow tubs to keep the strips from fraying and then I created sections by using some acid free cardboard to partition the bin. There are now some of these shallow bins on the market that are already partitioned. If you can find those, that would make this task easier.

Using Strips

Using the Strips is the really fun part. Like I showed you above in my new quilt, you can play with them to make all different types of blocks. A few of my favorite blocks can be made with strips, like log cabin and stars (these with checkerboards, also made with strips):

Strips also come in handy making unique borders for quilts. One way to use up fabric and make your quilt bigger. These are a few borders I’ve created from strips:

Finally, you can use these strips for binding. I use the 1 1/2″ strips for single-fold binding and the 2 1/2″ strips for double-fold binding.

Last Tip

So what do you do with that fabric that you don’t want? The fabric that you bought and can’t remember why you liked it? We’ve all been there! Here’s my stack accumulated while organizing:

I will be donating this stack to my church group that sews quilts for people in need. Perhaps your church or another area group does this and accepts donations. That way the fabric isn’t collecting dust in your stash and it’s not wasted either.

That’s it for this week. Come back next week for some scrap quilting tips.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Scrap Quilts – Chaotic or Not?

As many of you know, I love scrap quilting. Scrap quilts allow you to use a large variety of fabrics and also put colors together that you wouldn’t otherwise. That’s the fun. However, I like to add some continuity to my scrap quilts so they are not so chaotic. That’s what I will talk about this week along with some tips how I build a stash. If you read my posts in January on color and contrast in fabrics and auditioning fabrics, you will see how all of this fits together in scrap quilting. Let’s get started!

Organizing the Chaos

A scrap quilt can look like a riot of color and very unorganized. I like to tame these quilts by adding one or two elements that calm them down a bit, for lack of a better term. There are several ways to tame these quilts so I will share the tips here.

Tip #1: Use one block design for the whole quilt. I do this in my quilt, Scrappy North Stars.

Here’s a close up of one of the rows:

Same block, but in different color combinations. If this quilt was made up of 30 different blocks in a riot of colors, that would definitely be a lot more chaos. So that’s the key. Pick one block and make them from several different color combos… and you have a scrap quilt that’s a little ordered.

Tip #2: Finish off the quilt with a uniform border to contain the chaos, even frame it. Using Scrappy North Stars from above, see how adding the plain black border strip in between the blocks and the pieced piano key border adds a bit of order?

Here’s another example that’s a little different. My quilt, Seaside Cottage, is made up of a lot of scrappy nine-patch blocks in the center. The pieced star border adds a bit of uniformity. Even thought the star blocks are in various colors, the blocks themselves are a little “quieter” than the scrappy nine-patches.

Tip #3: Add a uniform element within the quilt that also serves to create a secondary design. In my quilt, Follow the Stars, I added some black squares into the blocks that help to create a secondary design.

Here’s the whole quilt to show how the design created by the black parts of the blocks adds another element to this otherwise simple log cabin quilt.

When you have a stabilizing element like the black in these blocks, you can then position those blocks in other directions to create other secondary designs within the quilt. This will calm the quilt by giving the viewer’s eye a pattern to follow.

Here’s a smaller version of adding a stabilizing unit. I added stars in one color to these table runners.

In Loop-d-Loop, the dark stars calm the “chaos” of the multi-colored blocks.

Unplanned Scrappy

The quilts above are in the category of a planned scrap quilt. You’re planning the type of blocks, or choosing a border, or picking a uniform color or element to incorporate. Now lets look at some of what I call “unplanned” scrap quilts. These are quilts where I did not choose the color scheme prior to making the blocks. I just sat in from of a bin of strips and scraps and made each block.

However, I still worked in a stabilizing element by choosing a uniform color to work into each block, even if it was a different fabric print. The result was a riot of color, created by all the different colors n each block, and a secondary design the tones down the quilt.

The other fun thing about an unplanned scrap quilt is to put colors together that you would not ordinarily pair up. Actually in any scrap quilt I think you can do this. Here’s an example of some unusual combinations in some of my quilts:

Don’t be afraid to pair colors together, like the light blue and the red in the star block on the left. These are colors you may not put together in a three or four color quilt, but in a scrap quilt you can get away with the combination. The viewer’s eye will be busy!

Building a Stash

Something I like to cover when I speak at guilds is how to build a stash to allow you to create scrap quilts. There’s a few ways to build a stash if you haven’t already started one.

Option #1: Every time you are cutting out a quilt project, cut up the leftover fabric instead of just stacking it in a pile on a shelf. If you pre-cut it into smaller pieces or strips, you’ll have fabrics in lots of colors to start a scrap quilt.

Option #2: When you shop for fabric, shop pre-cuts. Most stores have fat quarters, 10″ pre-cuts and 2 1/2″ strips for sale. You can stock up and sort them by color when you get home. Then you’re ready to dive in to make a scrap quilt.

Option #3: Making my own pre-cuts of all sizes and strips cut from a piece of fabric and stored is how I build a stash. I like to shop at the quilt store and buy1 yard cuts of fabric in a variety of color prints and then cut them up into the different sizes. Here’s my mini video on how I do that.

Once everything is cut and sorted by size and color, I store them in tubs like those below. This way when it’s time to make blocks for a scrap quilt, I can pull out the tubs and have a selection of fabrics in the sizes and colors I want.

So that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed some of my processes for making my scrap quilts. I hope you try a scrap quilt if you haven’t already. I bet you’ll love it. Start with a pattern for a quilt that only uses one block design, then make those blocks from several different color combinations. You will be surprised how fun it is!

Leave a comment or ask questions below. I’ll enter you into a drawing for my Scrappy North Stars Pattern. The drawing will be on Monday, March 18th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Kathy Willis!**

Happy Quilting
Deanne

Spring Cleaning Time for the Quilter Too!

Even though spring supposedly started a month ago, it’s still cold and windy here in north Iowa. I am anxiously awaiting temperatures in the 70s with sunny skies. Maybe someday. So since spring is here, that usually means time to clean and organize. In this post I’ll share some tips for spring cleaning your sewing space and quilts, including storage. Let’s get started!

Spring Cleaning Fabrics & Tools

This is a good time to organize and clean the space you sew in. But it’s also a good time to organize your fabric. This will help you to know what you have and what you need so your next trip to the quilt shop is a happy shopping experience.

TIP #1: Organize your fabric stash by size and color. This is key if you are a scrap quilter like me. Here is how I do it. If I find a piece of fabric I really like, I will buy a yard of that fabric. Then I will cut that yard in half and have two half yards. I fold up one of those half yards and store it in a tub with others of the same color:

Next, I take the remaining half yard and cut it in half along the fold to make two fat quarters. I take one of those, fold it up and store in a fat quarter/quarter yard tub.

Then I take the remaining fat quarter and cut that in half (photo below) into two fat eights. I roll the fat eighths instead of folding them for easier storage.

If there is any yardage left, I cut that into strips. I like 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips. Or if you only want one fat eighth in that particular color, you can cut the remaining fat eighth into strips for your stash. So when I am done with a yard of fabric, this is what I can end up with:

I now have that color print in every size in my fabric stash so it’s ready to be used in my next scrap quilt! Here’s my mini video tutorial on this topic:

TIP #2 Put strips and scraps into organized containers. I like to have those organized just like I do with the fabric I cut up in tip #1. I organize my strips by size and color and store them in shallow tubs.

As you can see, these tubs are easy to stack in my storage cupboard. The labeling makes it easier for me to pick out the tub that has the size and color strips I need for my current project.

Now for the random scraps of fabric that are smaller than fat eighths and not the right shape to cut into strips, I also have those stored in tubs sorted by color. I use these scraps for my fabric appliqué and for making test blocks, like the one on the right. A test block is where I audition fabrics to see what colors I want to use for a pattern without cutting into my good fabric.

Doing these things with your fabric scraps will keep your sewing space and cutting table clean so you can work.

TIP #3 Tool Storage. It’s a good idea to store your tools in a way that makes them easy to reach or find when you are needing them. I shared a few tips over the last few weeks, but here’s a few more. This is what I do with important cutting tools and my rulers:

The cutting tool storage is actually a used coffee mug holder I found at a garage sale. The ruler storage is a metal peg board made for tool storage in a garage. It’s hung on the wall by my sewing table. If you do not have a permanent sewing space, you can hang your rulers in a closet using jump rings and a hanger made for hanging ties.

Cleaning and Storing Quilts

Next it’s time to focus on the quilts in your collection and to give them some TLC. If you like to display quilts around your house like I do, you will need to do a few things to keep them clean. Here are some tips on what I do. Please note: these tips are not recommended for antique or family heirloom type quilts. For those types of quilts, it’s best to look for advice from textile preservation professionals.

TIP#1: Light Cleaning: For wall quilts that can collect dust or cobwebs, use the soft brush attachment (like pictured below) of your vacuum cleaner and, on the lowest suction setting, brush gently across the surface of the quilt. Keep the tool moving constantly and do not to stop to avoid having suction concentrated on an area of your quilt. Never use any type of attachment that has moving parts.

Carefully test on a corner of the quilt on the back to make sure it will not do any damage.

If the wall quilt has picked up a musty smell or another smell from the room it is in, it can be aired out by placing it outside (in a shady area) on a clean sheet. I would cover it with another clean sheet to keep it from getting any dirt, leaves, etc on it. For cleaning a large quilt, lay it out on a flat surface and vacuum with the soft brush attachment, lowest suction setting again. It can also be aired out using the same method as a wall quilt.

Do not shake quilts like you do for rugs since that can weaken seams.

For cat or dog hair, I use the lint rollers made for clothes. Gently rolling these across the surface of the quilt will pick up the stray hairs without damaging seams.

TIP #2: Washing. If you must wash a quilt, be sure to use a gentle soap. I wash on gentle and I throw in a few Shout Color Catcher sheets in case I’m worried about a fabric that might bleed. Be cautious of this if your fabric was not pre-washed. If you do not pre-wash and you are unsure of a fabric in the quilt, I would advise against washing and just stick with tip #1 above.

If you do wash it and need to dry, it’s best to air dry it. You can put it in the dryer for 10 minutes or so on “air fluff” setting to get the dampness out. Then lay the quilt out on a clean sheet on a flat surface to finish. Never hang a quilt on a clothesline which can put stress on the seams. Also, do not wring out a quilt, which can damage and distort seams.

TIP #3 Storage. First, it’s a good idea to learn how to fold a quilt in a way that is the least damaging to the seams and fabric fibers. This is for large quilts. To begin, lay the quilt out flat and make a first fold on the bias:

The next 3 photos show the next 3 folds you need to make to end up with your quilt folded and protected:

Even though the bias option is the best, the other way I fold quilts is in thirds. The following photos will show how that is done. Here are the first 3 folds:

And the final folds:

When you have quilts folded and stored, be sure to refold them periodically. It’s recommended that refolding every 3 to 4 months is a good timeframe. This keeps the fabrics from breaking down in the folds or developing permanent creases. It’s also a good idea to refold large quilts that you have displayed on beds, ladders or draped over sofas or chairs.

For smaller quilts like wall hangings or table toppers, I hang them on skirt or pant hangers to store in a closet when I am not using them.

Here are some random do’s and don’ts for storing quilts:

Do not store them in the basement or attic of your home where the temperature and humidity is not at ideal levels.

Do not stack too many folded quilts on top of one another.

Do not store quilts in plastic containers or bags. Plastic can trap moisture which could develop mold that will stain quilts.

Do use clean white sheets to cover a stack of quilts for protection. You can also store single folded quilts in large pillow cases or make a case for the quilt out of an old white sheet.

Two other ways to store quilts is to roll them or to drape them over extra beds. Rolling large quilts may be difficult for storage since there would need to be a large space to store those rolls. But rolling them is a good way to avoid any creases from folding, so if you have the storage space, consider doing this.

If you drape them over guest beds, be sure they are not in direct sunlight that could fade a quilt. If there is direct sunlight into that room, you can cover the stack of quilts with a clean, white sheet to protect them.

So that’s it for this week. I hope these tips get you started on your spring cleaning in your sewing space and cleaning & storing your quilts. Leave a comment or ask questions below and I will enter you into a drawing for my quilt pattern for Strips & Stars.

The drawing will be on Monday, May 1st. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Pat W.!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

The Essential Quilting Tool – Fabric!

I’ve been cutting out several projects and this is what the edge of my cutting table looks like:

Oops! Looks like it’s time for me to do some sorting and organizing again. Does this happen to you? Since I’ve been looking at this pile all week, I figured I would do a blog post about the essential quilting tool… fabric! Besides the pattern, that’s where it all starts. If you don’t have fabric, you don’t have a quilt. Well, at least not a traditional quilt! Here’s my random musings on fabric stashes, my thoughts on choosing background fabrics and some ideas on color and print contrast.

Fabric Storage

As a scrap quilter, I like to have a stash of fabrics of many different sizes, from strips up to half yards. Of course I do often buy fabrics in 1 and 2 yard cuts for backgrounds, but I have been known to scrap piece my backgrounds too. Here’s how I store my smaller cuts of fabric in one of my cabinets:

Most of them are actually in there when not stacked on my counter. I have the tubs labels with size and color. This makes it easy for me to “shop” my stash. As those of you who are familiar with my quilt patterns know, I collect a stash and chose fabrics for my projects from there instead of shopping specific lines. So, when people ask me “what fabric is that in this quilt?” Sometimes I do not know unless I still have some left and I can refer to the printing on the selvage.

So now on to how I fill these tubs:

I will often shop the pre-cuts when I am in a quilt shop to stock my tubs but, if I really like a particular color print fabric, I buy a one yard cut. Then it’s time to cut it up into my own “pre-cuts”. I cut that yard piece in half for two half yards.

In the last photo, you will see I have folded up one of the half yards to store away in my tub of red 1/2 yards.

Next, I cut the remaining half yard in half on the fold to make two fat quarters. Like with the half yards, I fold up one of the fat quarters and store it in the fat quarter red bin.

Finally, I cut the remaining fat quarter in half to make two fat eights. Because fat eights are so small when folded and are hard to store that way, I roll those as I show below (photo on right).

Now, if I don’t want two fat eights of that particular color, I will cut that last fat eight into 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips. That’s what I will be doing with that mess on my cutting table… cutting it into strips.

And how do I store strips? In these tubs below that are shallow and divided with acid free cardboard.

I like these shallow tubs because they are easy to stack and store in one of my cabinets. As you can see, they are labeled with the color and size strips inside.

The reason I keep only 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips is because those are the sizes I use the most, especially for scrappy blocks and for bindings. However, you can use these shallow tubs for any size strips you collect. These can even be set up to store charm squares and even layer cakes, if you collect those.

Choosing Fabric for Backgrounds and Playing with Contrast

Something I don’t see covered a lot when people talk about how to choose fabric, is how to choose the fabrics for your background. Whether it’s for sashing, borders or for the background in the blocks themselves, the fabric you choose can make a big difference.

Here’s some things to consider. First, dark background or a light background? Here’s an example of the same quilt pattern made up with the two different backgrounds:

With the lighter background, the whole motif is more subdued and subtle. When you choose a black or dark background, that gives you the opportunity to choose colors for the appliqué motif that are brighter and will “pop” off the background. It makes the quilt more vibrant. Amazing that you can change the look of the same quilt with just the background choice.

Another consideration is the print on the background fabric. If you want the background fabric to fade into the background, you choose a subtle, small print. If you want a bold background, you can choose one with a larger print. However, when choosing prints for your background, you need to consider the prints on the other fabrics in the block.

Here’s an example. I chose these three fabrics for a block:

Now I paired them with 3 different backgrounds of various print size:

The background on the left has a large, bold print that I feel will clash with the prints in the color print fabrics. If you want to use this background, I recommend choosing color prints with less prominent prints. Recognize that the background fabric will be the “star” in your quilt with such a bold print so make sure that is your intention.

The middle photo has background fabric that is a little better with a more subtle and blended print and, finally, the background fabric in the last photo has a smaller print that’s even more subtle so it does not clash with the large prints of the color fabrics. That’s probably the background fabric I would choose for my blocks.

Here’s an example in two blocks that shows how the print sizes on the fabrics play together.

In the photo on the left, the prints on the background fabric and the color prints are about the same size so no particular fabric stands out. To create more contrast, for the block on the right I chose color print fabrics with different size prints. I also made the middle color print darker to create more contrast so the larger print on the purple fabric doesn’t completely overwhelm the block.

How about changing the background within the quilt by having blocks with contrasting backgrounds? Here’s an example:

I alternated between a light background and a dark background for the blocks. And I also changed the star points within the blocks to the opposite of the block’s background. Lots of interesting contrast in my quilt, Marbles & Jacks!

So, that’s some of my random thoughts on fabric as the essential quilting tool. Share your thoughts below in the comments for a chance to win the Marbles & Jacks pattern above. The drawing will be on Monday, November 7th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Debbie!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabric Stash – Yes or No?

I’ve talked to many quilters in my teaching travels and the opinions on keeping a fabric stash vary from “I only buy what I need” to “I stock more fabric in my basement that any fabric store I’ve been in”. Quite a range! I think I fall somewhere in between since I love scrap quilting but I also do not have a lot of storage space. This week, I will talk about creating a stash so you can have a wide variety of fabrics to choose from when you are ready to start a project. Does this keep me from buying more? Of course not!

Building the Fabric Stash

Since I am a scrap quilter, I like to have different sizes of fabric available. Sometimes I need a fat quarter and sometimes I only need a strip. If I really like a certain fabric, I will build it into my stash in all of the sizes I use. Here’s how I do this:

First – If I really like a fabric, like I said above, I will buy at least 1 yard of that fabric. These are generally color prints. I will then cut it in half for two half yard pieces.

As you can see above, I folded up one of the half yards. This will be stashed away in my half yard bins.

Next – With the other half yard, I cut it along the fold as shown in the photo below to create two fat quarters (18 x 22″). I fold up one of those fat quarters and store it in a fat quarter bin.

Finally – I take that remaining fat quarter and cut that into two 9 x 22″ pieces. Then I roll them up as shown in the photo on the right for easy storage.

If there is any bit of fabric left because the fabric was a bit longer than a yard, I will then cut strips. Either a 1 1/2 or a 2 1/2″ strip, whatever I can get. I’ve done past blog posts on quilting with strips so it is always a great idea to have a lot of strips on hand, especially for scrap quilting.

Here is a video I did on this fabric cutting process which may show it to you better:

Storing the Fabric

So how do I store my fabric? I used to just stack everything up on shelves or in baskets. I had no rhyme or reason to it. If I wanted to find a piece of fabric, I would soon have a mess on my hands because I didn’t even have it sorted by size or color. That’s why I came up with my storage system. I was wasting so much time looking for fabric or I was actually going to the store and buying the same piece of fabric I already had at home!

For Fat Quarters & Half Yards – My solution? Tubs! I use these for the half yards and the fat quarters. I sort the fabrics by size and then sort them by color and I end up with a tub that looks like this:

I also take photos of the insides of my tubs before I go shopping so I don’t duplicate a fabric I already have…. unless I really like it!

Fat Eights – So you have been wondering why I roll my fat eights? I started to do this because when I folded them like the fat quarters and stored them in the tubs like above, they were so thin that they would not stand up like the fat quarters and half yards and the tub just turned into a jumbled mess. So my solution was to roll them and store them like this:

Storing them this way, I am able to keep them more organized and visible so I know what I have in my stash. Plus rifling through them does not make them unravel or fray while I am looking for a particular fabric.

Strips – Strip storage was a whole other challenge. Like other fabric scraps, I used to just toss them into a large basket. Well after pawing through that basket looking for strips for project after project, I ended up with a jumbled, frayed mess. The more the strips were handled, the more tangled and frayed they got. And of course when you fray a 1 1/2″ or a 2 1/2″ strip… it quickly no longer measure that size and they are useless in your project

My solution was to take the tubs that I use for the fabric cuts above and create a divided container. Now if you can find a ready made divided container, great! But if you can’t, take some acid free cardboard and make dividers out of those for the tub. Now you have separate compartments for each color family of strips!

So that’s how I get a color print I like in all the different sizes I use in scrap quilting. However, I do not cut down all my fabrics like this because I often need larger cuts for backgrounds and backing. But, following this cutting and storage routine with the rest of my fabrics has made my fabric stash more organized and easier to work with.

Although …. I have still managed to find an excuse to make a run to the quilt shop and I have still come home with a duplicate piece of fabric! LOL!

Share your tips and tricks for taming your fabric stash. Or let me know why you don’t like having a stash. I’m interested in your thoughts! Win this nice little stack of fat quarters for commenting.

Good Luck! The drawing will be on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Spring Cleaning for Quilters!

Hi! It’s finally spring! Believe it or not, you should do a little spring cleaning in your sewing area. In this post, I will give you some tips on things you can do. Also, I have included some quilt storage tips for those quilts that you do not have on display all year round. We need to take care of them when we display them and when we store them! So let’s get on with it.

Spring Cleaning Tips

Tip #1: Go through your fabric stash. If you look closely, there are probably pieces of “what was I thinking when I bought this” fabric. You know you’ll never use it, but throw it away? No way! Gather your sewing friends together and do an exchange. Someone in your group will love what you don’t anymore. Another option is to donate fabric to your guild or church for making community comfort quilts. This way, you will know the fabric goes to a good use.

Tip#2: Notions and threads. Organize your notions and threads so they are easier to get to and you know where everything is. Seems like a simple thing to do, but many times I have ended up with a drawer or two that was a jumble of threads, needle packs and extra scissors and rotary cutters. One thing I like to do is use everyday items for organization. Like this $1.00 mug holder found at a garage sale. Perfect for my scissors and cutters!

Once you have those organized, then it’s on to the rulers.

Tip#3: Use a pegboard to hang rulers next to your cutting table! I found this at my local home improvement store.

If you don’t have a dedicated sewing space, you can use hangers to store your rulers in a closet. Here are two different examples below. In the photo below is a hanger that is designed for ties or scarves. You can loop a jump ring or some kind of hook through the ruler hole and then hang them. On the far right is a skirt or pant hanger. You can clip your rulers to these and hang them.

Cleaning and Storing Quilts

Now onto caring for your quilts. If you are like me, you like to display some quilts around the house. But they will get dirty. Here are some tips I have found and have used with good results. The methods you use to clean your quilts will be a personal choice based on how important the quilt it to you. These tips are NOT for antique or family heirloom quilts. It’s best to consult a textile preservation expert for those quilts that are very old with weaker seams and fibers.

The main thing is to be careful with any type of cleaning.

Tip#1: Light cleaning – For wall quilts that can collect dust or cobwebs, use the soft brush attachment (like pictured below) for your vacuum cleaner and, on the low suction setting, brush across the surface of the quilt.

Do not use any kind of attachment that has moving parts like a pet hair attachment. Those moving parts can possibly catch on the fabric or the seams and cause damage. If the wall quilt has picked up a musty smell or another smell from the room it is in, it can be aired out by placing it outside (in a shady area) on a clean sheet. For cleaning large quilts, lay it out on a flat surface and vacuum with the soft brush attachment. They can also be aired out using the same method as a wall quilt.

Do not shake quilts like you do for rugs since that can weaken seams.

For cat or dog hair, I use the lint rollers made for clothes. Gently rolling these across the surface of the quilt will pick up the stray hairs without damaging seams.

Tip #2: Washing – If you must wash a quilt, be sure to use a gentle soap. Wash on gentle and I throw in a few Shout Color Catcher sheets in case I’m worried about a fabric that might bleed. Be cautious of this if you are not a pre-washer of fabric. If you do not pre-wash and you are unsure of a fabric in the quilt, I would advise against washing.

Tip #3: Storage – First, it’s a good idea to learn how to fold a quilt in a way that is the least damaging to the seams and fabric fibers. This is for large quilts. To begin, lay the quilt out flat and make a first fold on the bias:

The next 3 photos show the next 3 folds to make to end up with your quilt folded and protected:

Even though the bias option is the best, the other way I fold quilts is in thirds. The following photos will show how that is done. The first two folds:

And here are the remaining folds:

For smaller quilts, I like to hang them from clip hangers in an unused closet.

Some final thoughts on storing quilts

Do not store them in the basement or attic of your home where the temperature and humidity is not at ideal levels.

Do not stack too many folded quilts on top of one another.

Do not store quilts in plastic containers or bags. Plastic can trap moisture which could develop mold that will stain quilts.

Do use clean white sheets to cover a stack of quilts for protection.

Finally, when I have quilts that have been stored for longer than 6 months, I like to pull them out and refold them or switch them out with ones that are displayed.

I hope these tips have been helpful. I’ve shared these tips throughout the years, but I find it’s a good thing to do some reminder posts on this. We all want our quilts to look as good as the day we made them, don’t we?

Until next time….

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Scrap Quilting: Building a Stash and a Scrap Quilt!

Scrap quilting is so much fun. It’s even more fun when you have a stash to work from. It’s not hard to build one, especially if you quilt a lot. Scrap quilts are my favorite because since they use so many different fabrics, I don’t have to have a lot of one particular fabric. I can even make my background fabrics scrappy! Let’s talk about building a stash and a scrap quilt so you can get started.

Building a Fabric Stash

One of the keys to successful scrap quilting is to have a stash of a lot of smaller pieces of fabric to choose from when making these quilts. I often buy fat quarters at the quilt shop for this purpose. But I also achieve this by cutting down larger pieces of fabric into assorted smaller pieces, so that color print I like so much is represented in every size in my stash. There have been fabric pieces I have had in my stash for a while and haven’t used until I cut it up into smaller yardage!

So here is my mini tutorial on cutting up a yard of fabric:

Below are the tubs I store the different cuts of fabric in. I like to keep them separated by size and color so I can just grab a tub and find the colors I want.

And this is how I store the fat eighths:

See how easy it is to move around the fat eighths without any getting lost?

Finally, strips! I like to save lots and lots of strips. I will cut and keep 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips any time I have less than an 1/8 of a yard of fabric left when cutting pieces from a larger piece of fabric. Here’s how I store those:

I cut pieces of acid free cardboard to make separators between stack of strips. This is a lot better than the way I used to store them:

LOL! It was pretty hard to find the strips I wanted in this mess. Also, they would get tangled and frayed this way.

Building a Scrap Quilt

You can actually turn any quilt pattern into a scrap quilt with a little thought. I’ll use a simple 3 color quilt as an example. To make it easy, let’s say this quilt takes a yard of each color fabric (not including the background) and has 12 blocks. Here’s the 3 colors:

These fabrics would certainly make a pretty quilt:

However, you can turn this into a scrappier quilt by substituting three 1/3 yard cuts for each yard of fabric from above. I’ve done that here:

The red, blue and yellow fabrics served as a jumping off point to add in 6 more colors. So here’s how that quilt from above looks now:

It really does make a difference! And like I said earlier, you can also make the background fabrics scrappy by using different tan prints with each color.

Another way to “scrap it up” is to use several colors in one block.

You can alternate which colors you use in the center and for the star points and end up with a really fun scrap quilt! This was just a simple example of how to make a quilt scrappy. Use your imagination, plus a little math, and you can make any pattern scrappy!

Leave a comment below on scrap quilting and be entered in the drawing for my pattern, Twinkle, Twinkle.

The drawing will be on Monday, August 3rd. **We have a winner … Congrats, Eileen!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Use it All Up!

Hi everyone! Many of you know I was at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo this past weekend. Wow, was that fun! I really enjoyed meeting every quilter that found my booth. It was fun chatting with you and I am glad you find the time to read my humble blog. For those of you that were not there, here’s a few photos of my booth:

So now onto the topic of the day. In speaking with many of my fellow quilters at the show, I found that most of us like to use all of our fabric. I’ve done posts about storing and saving strips for future blocks. Since fabric is so expensive, we quilters are usually looking for ways to use every bit. Here I will be sharing two “use it all up” tips.

Tip#1

What do you do when you are making flying geese (the traditional way) and have to trim off the seam allowance? That’s fabric waste and I don’t like it any more than you do.

Inspiration strikes! How about making half-square triangle (HST) square units from the trimmed off seam allowance as you go? Eventually, you will have a batch of these squares and you can make something fun, like a wall hanging or a table runner!

This tip works best if your flying geese units are larger ones, for example 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ geese. But if you are a quilter who likes working with mini pieces, you can go as small as you’re comfortable with.

Start out with the rectangle that is 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ and two squares that are 3 1/2″ square. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the squares. Once you have the square placed face down on the rectangle, sew along the drawn line and then sew another seam 1/2″ away from the first seam. If you want to mark that line too, feel free.

Then, cut the unit between the sewn lines:

Press open the units:

Once you repeat this step on the other side and press the units open, you will have a flying geese unit and two HST squares. You can use the HST squares in the project you are making the geese for, or save them for another purpose!

A geese unit that measures 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″ will yield two HST squares that can be trimmed to measure 2 1/2″ square. A geese unit that measures 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ yields two HST squares that can be trimmed to measure 1 1/2″ square.

What can you do with these HST squares? Make a pinwheel block with four of them or sew them together in a chain for an interesting pieced border. Or, just toss them in a container just for those HSTs. Then you can pull them out and whip up a small project with them. A candle mat, a small table runner or anything you can think of!

So now that I have shared this tip, you won’t feel so guilty about making flying geese units the “old-fashioned” way. You will now be accumulating half-square triangle squares that you can put to use in another quilt!

Tip#2

If you have followed my fabric saving tips in the fast, but end up with odd pieces that you can not cut into strips, what can you do? Well, if you use applique on your quilts, by all means save these piece! I have tubs of scraps that I use to make flowers, leaves and other applique motifs. Here’s one of the tubs:

I have tubs for other colors too. I like having these scraps because I don’t have to cut into a new piece of fabric just for a small applique.

So, those are a few of my “use it all up” tips. Do you have any to share? let me know in the comments!

Happy Quilting
Deanne

Building a Fabric Stash for Scrap Quilts

Hi everyone! Before we get into our topic for the week, I wanted to do a wrap-up of the show I just attended. I was a vendor at the Omaha Quilter’s Guild quilt show. It was really fun partaking in this show and the quilt guild members were fun to work with! Here’s how my booth looked:

Did I see you at the show? Also, this guild has some really cool quilt racks for displaying the quilts. They are very tall and made of wood. Large quilts can be hung without hitting the floor!

Now on to the topic of the week. The reason I picked it this week is because the question I was asked most often at the show was “how do you mix all those colors to make great scrap quilts?” This week I’ll talk about building the stash and next week I’ll cover pulling fabrics for a project.

The first key to successful scrap quilts is to have a stash of a lot of smaller pieces of fabric to choose from when making these quilts. How I achieve that is by cutting down larger pieces of fabric into assorted smaller pieces so I have that color and print in about every size of fabric. There have been fabric pieces I have had in my stash for a while but did not use until I cut it up into smaller yardage!

So here is what I do: I take a yard of fabric and cut it in half to make 2 half-yard pieces.

I fold up one of the 1/2 yards for storage and then take the other 1/2 yard and cut it in half on the fold to make 2 fat quarters that measure 18″ x approximately 22″.

I fold up one of those fat quarters up for storage, then take the other fat quarter and cut it into 2 fat eighths that measure 9 x 22″.

fat 1/4 on left and 1/2 yard on right folded for storage

Now, I fold my fat eights in a unique way. I found if I just flat folded them like the 1/2 yard and fat quarters that they didn’t stand up well in my storage bin. So, I roll them!

This is how I store the rolled fat eighths:

Much more convenient! Now as for the 1/2 yards and fat quarters, I store them in labeled tubs. Here’s a photo of one of my fat quarter/1/4 yard tubs:

I also include pieces of fabric that are less than a 1/2 yard like 1/3 yard cuts.

Finally, if I am cutting out a project and I have a piece of fabric left that is smaller than 1/8 yard or a fat eighth, I cut that into strips. I use 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ strips the most so that is what I cut. Here is how I store those:

Easy to see and ready for that scrap quilt! Next week I will cover how I pull fabrics together for a scrap quilt. You’d be surprised that colors you think will not look good together actually do once they are pieced together in a quilt.

Share with me your fabric storage ideas and be entered in a drawing for a free pattern for my newest scrap quilt: Follow the Stars.

Drawing will be on July 8th so you have plenty of time to enter!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Are You a Fabric Stash Builder?

Fabric Stash – Essential Tool for Scrap Quilting

Scrap Quilts – Chaotic or Not?

Spring Cleaning Time for the Quilter Too!

The Essential Quilting Tool – Fabric!

Fabric Stash – Yes or No?