State of the Stash

Since we are in the middle of finishing my new cutting table, I thought it made sense to do a State of the Stash/Sewing Room. It also dovetails nicely into the Moda Bake Shop “Show Off Your Stash” linky. So, after taking in 20 yards, giving away 34 yards, and using up another 17 yards from that last yardage intake, where do I stand?
This is the bulk of my stash - my tonals or fabrics that have a primary color that are half yard or more in size.  This is a hutch top that sits on top of some filing cabinets since my sewing room is also my home office.  See what I mean about having a lot of greens, but not so much pinks?
Moving slightly to the right is a plastic drawer unit that contains  “specialty” fabric. My batiks, both yardage and FQs are in the top.  I’ve got a drawer of novelty fabric - some kid friendly prints in cuts not quite big enough to turn into pillowcases.  Then there is the “holiday” drawer, which is mostly Christmas but also some Halloween.  On the top there is the leftover fabric from our guild’s Habitat fabric challenge from Free Spirit - we haven’t quite figured out what to do with the leftovers, so it keeps shuffling around my sewing room.
And then another step to the right we have fat quarters, charm packs, and my 4-patches from leaders and enders.

The fat quarters used to fit inside that wood shelf at the top, but they grew and grew and now they have to live in that basket.

That basket which used to hold my batting scraps, which now live inside a small trunk that used to hold the kids’ Thomas the Tank Engine wooden track, which we just sold at a consignment sale.

Prepare yourself to turn around. It’s not pretty.

This is my current cutting table - the kind you get from Jo-Ann’s where the sides fold down. The cutting table itself is fine, but the way the legs are mean that storage underneath is a disaster.

We’re in the middle of building a new cutting table for me using some pre-made kitchen cabinets and some other specialty bits we’re constructing, but I wanted to show a “before” picture so you can appreciate the “after” picture when it’s done.

Also, those princess mats are foam mats meant for a game of Hopscotch I picked up at the consignment sale for $2.  They really help alleviate leg fatigue if you’re standing a long time, and $2 for barely used ones is much better than paying for regular foam mats, and gives my daughter something fun to play with if she’s hanging out with me while I sew.

4 thoughts on “State of the Stash

  1. I’ve got the same table from Joann, and I’ve been plotting to find a way to get the top off of the legs, and pop it on top of a couple of IKEA bookshelves. My lack of motivation to crawl underneath there is reason numero uno why this hasn’t happened. LOL!

  2. I remember what I wanted to comment about: Holiday fabric. Several words: MAKE GIFT BAGS! Sorry, I just had to yell it. Here are the reasons:
    1. no more stinky paper that ends up wrapped around you and taped to your hair
    2. no more paying for stinky gift wrap
    3. no more ripping off gift wrap, because the tag fell off and the box is the same size as 20 others (though, Pam, I know you would have a spreadsheet and a little number sharpied to the bottom of each package)
    4. You get to see your holiday fabric year after year
    5. good for the environment
    6. Reuse ribbon from other gifts (more environmental goodness)
    7. saves wrapping time!
    8. Don’t have to use quilt fabric. Any kind works
    9. You don’t have to plan yet another Christmas project.

    See a post about it here: http://artquiltmaker.com/blog/2010/05/lush-gift-bags/ (shameless self promotion, I know.) I am evangelist in the gift bags department.

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