Friday, January 27, 2012

Scrap Potential

Don't you love the potential of a pile of scraps?
This is going on the back for a quilt top I just finished. I think I'm going to like the back as much as the front!
I cleaned and organized the studio for a full weekend of sewing.  I did something a little different this time.  I sorted all my prints by color and by value.
 Sorting by value didn't take that long and it's not really scientific or exact.  I simply made three stacks, light, medium and dark and put each fabric in a stack based on a quick glance.

 It was interesting to find out that I buy pretty evenly between values.  I thought there would be an abundance of medium value fabrics.
 The advantage to sorting this way is when pulling fabrics for a project.  It's much easier to "think" about value when choosing fabrics.  I'm going to sort my solids this way as well, but that's a task for another day.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'm going to try to get all those backs made so I can baste and quilt this weekend.

44 comments:

Esch House Quilts said...

What a great idea! I sort by color, but sorting by value too gives you such a complete picture of what you have and what you might need to buy more of.

Love your storage system too. It must be great to have it all right where you can see it :)

Michele said...

Pretty!

RedSparrow said...

I love scraps! And your fabric stash is seriously impressive! I hope someday I can be that organized.

Suburban Stitcher said...

wow! love the piece that you've made for the back...and LOVING your storage!

Kelli said...

I love this post. The scraps, quilt top and I love how you sorted your fabrics. I wish I could say my stash looked that pretty or organized, but... oh well, one day!

Cheryl Arkison said...

That is a very neat stash!
I too find it interesting that you had a good mix of values. Most people do buy in the medium range.

~Niki~ said...

wow, much more organized than my stash LOL. mine are just in bins. not color coordinated like yours. happy friday!

Melissa Corry said...

Your fabric looks so beautiful all stacked in rows!!!

Annie said...

Ahhh.....a fabric collection to die for! It looks wonderful! I'm sitting here waiting to help you choose. LOL

Karen said...

The fabrics look wonderful on the shelves. So neat. You must have pieces that are larger than a fat quarter. I have mine sorted by color but not by value. Doing that presents such an organized look. Like something you would see in a magazine photo.

Debbie said...

oh how I love the way you sorted your fabrics. I always get stuck halfway through and end up with piles on the floor. the bins look like a great system, too! Thanks for sharing this..

Terri said...

I think I have "stash envy"! I too color co-ordinate my fabric, but mine is not nearly as pretty as yours!

heartsofhampshire said...

Sorry, but I am totally GREEN with envy at your stash and the organisation of it. I love that strippy quilt in those lovely turquoises- thanks for sharing
Heather x

Cascade Quilts said...

your stash is AMAZING! WOW, would love that stash myself!

em's scrapbag said...

I'm currently making a quilt using the colors in your scrap pile. I think they are lovely. Your beautifully organized fabric is inspirint.

Richard Healey said...

That is an amazing pile of material.

http://richardquilts.blogspot.com

FlourishingPalms said...

Love your sorting idea. It's just so danged pretty! I've got to get some of that shelving too. Thanks for sharing.

Shanna said...

LOVING your fabrics!! They all look so nice to just dive in and create! I really like your cubbies :o)

Rustic Barnyard said...

Such beautiful fabric. I look forward to having more time and money to invest in a stash. One day.... the kids are only little for so long. ;)

Annie said...

Love seeing all that fabric rganisation and colors -love scrap potential too

Mandalin said...

scraps make me happy!

Bry said...

Your storage looks so pretty and organized! Would you mind sharing what your storage furniture is?

Nicole said...

The back of that quilt is gorgeous! And what an inspiring set of fabrics!

SusieDW said...

Very nice. Thanks for this, Jacquie. I sort by color and tend to overlook "value" often. Bad on me! I've got to learn to consider it more in my quilts. Looking back at finished pieces I can see the 'overlook' causes some issues. Value adds "pop" and guides the eye.

Millie and Walter said...

Oh dear, I think I drooled on my keyboard. I sort my fabrics the same way, but I don't have nearly as much as you do and most people that have seen my stash think I have a lot!

Cindy

Patty said...

Your stash looks like a fabric store. I love it!

Angela Nash said...

I love the idea of sorting by value as well as color.

Donna said...

Sorting by value? Who would have thunk it? Love it!

Mariel said...

I'm sure I've heard the word value........ But darn if it doesn't seem like I have. True beginner here. Thanks for the insight.

Margaret said...

Wow, that's a lot of fabric! I love seeing it all sorted and organized. Maybe I'll do the same with my small stash this weekend.

Lynn said...

I always love a peek into someones fabric organization, thanks! Love what the scraps have become!

Emily said...

Your fabric stash is inspiring! I definitely wouldn't have an even amount of different values of each color. I tend to buy very saturated fabrics - too many "darks" I need a good lesson in balance. :)

Unknown said...

Oh how I wish I had the space to show/store my fabrics like this - simply not possible in a 7'x9' box room - and what an amazing range of fabrics you have

goletagirlwendy said...

Love your stash and the scrap back is very cute. Have a great weekend of quilting.

Anonymous said...

Could you tell us the name of your modular system? I have seen them with wire grid panels but never with solid panels like yours.

Arita said...

Thanks for sharing your storage ideas. It's an amazing stash.

lindsey said...

That is a great bit of sorting you have done there...the colours look lovely in the shelving unit.
I love your quilt back too...will look forward to seeing the finished product

Marcia W. said...

Wow! regarding your serious stash of yardage
I really like the pieced backing - looks like a quilt front - seriously pretty combination of colors

Valerie said...

I want to come live in your stash! beautiful!! How do you get your fabric folded so evenly?!

Pauline said...

wow, looks great Jacquie, love the new top..and I have heaps of scraps, but sadly no imagination..lol..cant wait to see what you do... cheers

Unknown said...

Love the scraps! I recently decided to sort fabric by color as well, and I'm really glad I did. I'm finding it much easier to sew from my stash bc I see prints individually, rather than as part of a collection.

Unrelated, I made my college roomie a quilt 2 years ago (http://thegirlwhoquilts.blogspot.com/2010/11/big-blocks.html). Last fall she had the quilt in her car, and her car was stolen. The quilt was never found, although her car was recovered. She was so upset and worried about telling me. I wanted to recreate the quilt for her, but that fabric line is very hard to find. I traveled from Seattle to Chicago to visit my mom this week and decided to stop by the shop where I originally purchased the fabric. Luckily, they still had a ton of it, and I stocked up a bit. When I was checking out, I noticed your name on their email list at the register! I started gushing to the employee about your blog. Small world! (Even smaller world, I know Katie from the SMQG, which I just joined when I moved to Seattle last year!) I feel like I *know* you now. :)

Deb said...

I need to sort my fabric as well. We just did a complete remodel of my sewing room (flooring, painting, furniture) so I haven't gotten to that part of it yet, but I'm sure that most of it will appear as greens!

Kersten said...

I've tried posting a comment on this post a couple times but my phone is being stubborn on this particular post. So I'll try once again...

I wanted to say how much I LOVE your fabric stash! So many colors and prints to drool over. And look at all those FMF prints you have! I missed out when they first came around. I look forward to the reprint!! Unfortunately it won't be all the prints but even still, I am quite excited.

I look forward to seeing your bridges and red/white quilts finished!!

The Calico Cat said...

My take on value - you have a lot of medium dark & medium light...
Put black next to any of those medium stacks & they will lighten, ditto white...

(I took a class with Katie PM (Sorry can't be bothered to look up the spelling of either of her names) & she sorts into several piles - very dark, dark, medium dark, madium, medium light, light & very light...