Judy L's UFO Challenge

Thursday, September 03, 2020

Stash Room

Over 3 years ago my daughter moved out into her own place.  I remember her asking me to sit down (so that she could break the news to me) and told me of her plans.  I think I might have asked if I could help her pack.  Not the response she expected!  I quickly moved in and her room became my stash repository.  It was never really organized but helped contain the mess behind closed doors in addition to allowing me more elbow room in my sewing room.

And is the case all good things must come to an end.  Some months later she was back and with almost no notice.  Let’s say that in her absence I may have grown into that room a little.  I was forced to empty that room on short notice.  It was not going to fit into my sewing room although some did go back in there.  The majority of it moved into my living room and has been strategically placed behind my recliners in totes.  Stacks and stacks.  It has been a big source of struggle and I’ve drawn plenty of criticism over the mess.  I happily pointed out to my grown children that they could move out at any time and I’d have plenty of space!  People quiet down when you challenge them.  All this to say that my daughter is moving out again.  I told her she can’t come back.  At least not on a whim.  She needs to really figure out how to launch and stay launched.  To grow up for real! 

So I’ll be reclaiming my stash room.  I’m trying to plan it better so that I don’t have a mess.  I’ve started sorting through some of my treasure to get ideas of how best to sort and store.  I do know I have to sew faster and buy little else!  I have things I’ve kitted up.  Those make sense to go to my sewing room.  I haven’t gotten much further than that.  I have a wire rack in the room already.  I bought three more, one of which will remain in my sewing room.  The other two will need to move to my stash room.  A friend moved last year.  She gave me several totes that are perfect to hold quilt tops and backings.  I’m thinking about doing just that and storing under my long arm.

What else?  Help me think through this please.  I’ll be trying to work through this all with a gimpy leg.   One help if you want!

4 comments:

Chantal said...

I believe it is every quilters problem; storage space! I like the idea of buy less and sew faster but ... we know that only works for a while, lol. I got some second hand office cabinets for my sewing room. I love them. They hide so much stuff and they look so good. Good luck with the move. ;^)

Quiltdivajulie said...

I need my things out in the open on shelves or in CLEAR storage boxes. If I don't see things I tend to forget about them. I use four main box sizes and each is labeled if it is a project box. Stash fabric is sorted by color and all folded the same way (around a 6" ruler). I sort batiks and reproductions and solids in with cotton prints - separate groups really don't work well for me (I do keep my Kaffe collective separate at this point). The other thing I did when I moved between rooms was to sort the fabric into keep and donate piles. There was some I really didn't like that did not survive the move. It went to two different groups to use in comfort quilts (perfectly good cotton fabric, just not something that I loved). GOOD LUCK (to you and to your launching out on her own for good daughter).

patty a. said...

I keep most of my stash on open shelves. They are old metal shelving units that I picked up at garage sales. I have five of them and they line the walls. One I keep for projects on the top shelves and labeled bins go at the bottom. On three of the shelving units I keep my stash by color and just stacked on the shelves. I have bins, quilts, and other supplies in the closet. I made a decision to stop buying storage bins over 10 years ago. I needed to use what I had rather than just keep storing stuff away. If I need a bin I have to empty one out! Good luck with your organizing.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I hang my quilt tops and backs on hangers and since I don't have a closet in my sewing studio I have a garment rack on wheels that holds them (heavy duty from Target).
I like fabric out on open shelves and if you do that you can organize as you stack. A shelf for each different color or different type of fabric.