How I Catalogued the Stash

I started sewing in 2004 and since then, I've amassed an insane amount of fabric.  Kyle and Anne can bear witness to the stash running over.  In November 2014, I began the task of sorting, measuring, and recording the details of every piece.  Doing this was daunting and brought up a lot of emotions, but I'm glad I did it.  I now have an accurate record of everything I own and am not so quick to buy fabric - last fabric purchase notwithstanding.  Hah!

Storage

All of the fabric is stored in 18-gallon plastic bins and separated by category:  

Wovens:

• skirt wools
• coat wools
• pant/dress wools
• jacket wools
• bouclés
• bottomweights
• stretch suitings
• non-stretch suitings
• lightweight and stretch cottons
• linen
• silk
• denim
• striped shirtings
• solid shirtings
• printed shirtings

Knits:

• ITY (less than 2 yards)
• ITY (more than 2 yards)
• colored ponte
• black/white/grey ponte
• printed ponte
• double knits
• cotton knits
• solid rayon jersey
• printed rayon jersey
• activewear knits

Linings:  (rayon, silk, polyester, Kasha):

• light colors
• dark colors 

 

There are also three bins marked "miscellaneous" which contain a mixture of fabrics.  Since I've run out of room in the other bins, I had to combine fabrics until I (a) buy more bins or (b) sew more clothes.

 

Cataloguing

 

My system is très old-school.  Aside from the single "here's the fabric I bought" photo, I have no other digital records of my fabric.  Instead, I have index cards with fabric swatches.  Essentially, I have the sewer's version of a card catalogue.  

 

Two plastic shoeboxes are used to hold the index cards on which the measurement (length and width) and a small swatch of each fabric is recorded.

Each of the above categories is grouped on a separate ring with the approximate total yardage recorded on the front.  I try to keep this total updated, but I often forget.

 

If I remember when/where the fabric was purchased or if the fabric has been prewashed, I include that information as well. 

(skirt wool)

Using the Catalogue

 

When I'm ready to sew a fabric, I take the index card from the ring, record the intended pattern to use, and the date I started sewing.

(jacket wool; in progress)

Once the garment is completed, I record the finished date as well. 

(bouclé)

I also record any information related to sizing, fitting, construction, and mishaps on the back. 

I put all of the completed projects on a separate ring and store them in a metal box.

At the end of the year, I have an account of all of the garments I made (successes and failures) and the fabrics used. 

So that's it!  There's my stash in all of its glory.  Hah!

***

How do you catalogue your stash? Do you have a digital or paper system?  

L  

Blog Hop Part II & Why I Always Pre-wash Fabric

As part of the Around the World Blog Hop, participants are to invite two bloggers to join.  I admire so many sewers that blog, it was hard to select only two!  I've been blogging since 2007 and thought about the first few people I met back then:

Michelle of happilycaffeinated.  Although Michelle and I have never met in person, we connect!  She was one of the first people I followed on PR and whose reviews and comments I read frequently.  In addition to being a talented sewer, she is super sweet, helpful, and cheerful.  Perhaps we will meet someday!

Rachelle of Smoking Needles.  I've had the pleasure of connecting with Rachelle a few times when she would drive an hour to meet up with our local sewing group.  She's a real treat to be around and a very talented fitter and sewer.  Have you seen her Barbie collection?  Oh. Em. Gee.

Look for their posts soon!

***

This picture shows why I always pre-wash fabric:

Do you see this foolishness?!  This is from a red stretch cotton poplin found in the stash.  I really wanted a red shirt, but saving the fabric wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with all of the run off.  My hands were stained from handling this wet mess.  I threw it in the trash bag that, of course, had a hole that I didn't know existed.  Imagine my surprise when I walked back into the laundry room. 

Lesson of the day:  pre-wash all fabric and check the water before your wash cycle starts!

L

8 Weeks...

...is how long I went without a fabric purchase.  Well, almost eight weeks.  I bought two yards of quilting cotton to make more napkins and two yards of lining for my wool jacket.  That doesn't count, though.  Those fabrics came in and went right back out into the regular rotation.

These latest purchases on the other hand...the stash that shall not be named has just grown by several yards.

Tell me I'm not the only one watching the wagon ride into the sunset.

L

Damn Wagon

Either the wagon has to be stronger or I have to find another mode of transportation.  Fabric Mart is evil.  EVIL I tell you!  Let's just get to it.

polyester ITY

 

navy cotton pique and floral stretch cotton pique

 

stretch silk/cotton twill

 

 poly-rayon-lycra double knit

navy/cream cotton shirting

Do I have plans for all of these lovelies?  Of course...just as I have plans for all of the other lovelies.  Putting those plans into motion is another thing. 

Moto jacket update:  Still no zippers!!  Arrrrgh.  I ordered them on Sunday.  They're supposed to be here tomorrow. 

L

Fabric Haul for Two Good Causes

I've been in a funk lately and I turned to retail therapy for a temporary cure.  I've mentioned several times that I have "family drama" going on.  Perhaps one day I'll share some of the details.  For now, let's just say eight years of this drama has worn me down and I just can't take it anymore.  This is the first good cause for the fabric haul.

Twice a year, a local non-profit arts and crafts organization, at which I sometimes volunteer, sells donated fabric to raise money.  For a total of $30, I got six pieces of poly-rayon wovens earmarked and tagged for Express, six wools (coatings and suit-weight), four double knits, a bunch of short-length knits perfect for making underwear, a single piece of cotton broadcloth, and a some lace trims and pieces. 100% of the proceeds goes to the non-profit.  So in a sense I did a good thing, right?  Sure I could have just donated the $30 to the organization and walk away with nothing since I really do not need any more fabric.  Then again, see cause number one.

Here are the pieces that were created for Express.  Each piece measures one meter and has a tag and information sheet from the textile manufacturer.  The sheet lists the fiber content, washing instructions, lot number, and fabric name.  The pieces are rayon-polyester-lycra blends with about 10% stretch across the grain.

I got six pieces of wool, but one piece will be given back to the organization.  When I looked at it again, I noticed that it had a lot of short animal hairs.  I tried to take some of it off, but it's a bigger job than I'm willing to undertake.  The purple, black, and green fabrics are perfect for skirts.  The tan fabric is a heavyweight coating, and the fabric on the far right is a knit boucle'.

These are the double knits.  From left to right is rayon-poly-lycra, poly-lycra x 2, and wool-poly lycra.  The middle two fabrics are quite stiff and will probably be used for skirts.

Thee next pieces are short lengths of knit samples, again from a textile manufacturer.  At first I passed on these, but then I thought that these would be great for making underwear.  Jalie 2568 only requires 3/8 yd of fabric and these samples are more than large enough.  Plus, they're all cotton, rayon, modal, or some combination of the three.

Soooooo...yeah.  Retail therapy has its ups and downs.  I don't have any desire to acquire any more fabric for now.  What I need is relief from the family issue.

L

First Fabric Purchase of 2013

I held out until a week ago.  That's progress for me - seriously.  The temptation was definitely there.  Online carts have been filled and emptied and filled again...only to be automatically emptied after timing out.  I've been to fabric stores with bolts in hand, waiting at the cutting counter.  I didn't purchase a single inch until now and I'm happy about what I bought.

The first four fabrics are knits.  I have a bunch of knit dress patterns in queue and I hope to include some of these fabrics in my sewing plans.  Sure I have ITY on hand, but the lengths are too short for some of the dresses I'd like to make.

The last fabric is 1.5 yards of lime green linen and this is for another skirt with pintucks.  I made a skirt from Stitch Magazine (never blogged...bad blogger) that I really liked.  Unfortunately the invisible zipper had a run-in with the lining and the rest is a shredded mess.  The skirt is still wearable, but the inside where the zipper and lining battled looks terrible.  I suppose I could put in a new lining... =)


L

 

Stretch vs. Non-stretch Linings

I have a lot of wool.  A lot.  Wool sews nicely and is very warm in these cold arctic climates.  But, this fabric is very expensive to clean.  So I decided that I needed some more washable clothes and recently bought a whole bunch of rayon-poly-lycra stretch woven suitings from Fabric Mart.

Their website doesn't mention the percentages of rayon, polyester, or Lycra, but it did state that the fabric had 4-way stretch - which brings me to my dilemma.  Since I plan to make jackets, skirts and pants out of this fabric, I'll want to include a lining.  I see three ways to make this happen, but they all have their pros and cons.

Option 1:  use a non-stretch lining sewn with smaller seam allowances

• Pros:  I stock up on lining whenever there's a sale or when I have a coupon, so I have plenty on hand.  Plus, my lining is all rayon and breathes/sews very well. 

• Cons:  It doesn't stretch. I don't know if simply cutting the same pieces and using a smaller seam allowance will help preserve the benefit of the fabric's stretch.

Option 2:  use a stretch polyester charmeuse or satin as lining

• Pros:  It stretches and is readily available.

• Cons:  It's polyester.  What can I say?  I'm a fabric snob when it comes to linings. 

Option 3:   use a non-stretch lining cut on the bias

•  Pros:   I'll have comparable stretch.

• Cons:  I'm not sure how the bias will behave in the long run.  Will it hang correctly with the rest of the garment?

What are your thoughts?  Have you lined stretch wovens before?  The fact that this fabric has both crosswise and lengthwise stretch is a bit of a concern.  Though it appears to have good recovery, I wonder how the knee and seat area will look after a full day of wear.  Hmm...

L

Notions Store, Fabric Score, and a New Machine

My Go-to Notions Store:  Cleaner's Supply
I first learned about Cleaner's Supply from fellow PR member nancy2001.  The store primarily sells items for dry cleaning businesses, but they offer a nice selection of tailoring supplies:  zippers, buttons, chalk, machine and hand needles, seam rippers, Maxi-Lock and Gutermann thread, scissors, etc.  Pretty much any basic notion can be found at the store and at prices that simply can't be beat.  For example, a 9-inch invisible zipper at JoAnn's costs $2.49.  At Cleaner's Supply, a 9" YKK invisible zipper is $0.44 and $0.39 if you buy 10 or more.  Shipping is highly reasonable at a flat rate of $3.83 for orders under $100 and free for orders above $100.

The staff has always been courteous and willing to help.  On my last order, I needed to purchase some Hug Snug rayon seam binding to finish my brown floral silk charmeuse top.  When I called to inquire about shipping times, the young man took my order over the phone, had the order pulled and ready to ship upon receipt of my check.  How cool is that? Also, I've never had a problem with an incorrect order or missing items. 

I was not asked to write a review of the store nor am I getting any reward for doing so.  I am just very pleased with their products and service and wanted to share it with you.

Major Fabric Score
It's bad enough that sewing friends are enablers.  But non-sewing friends too?  This can't be good!  My friend alerted me to a huge fabric sale going on at a local non-profit organization.  The non-profit uses recycled materials from many industries to help make art projects for children and adults.  Donations are used to help run the program and sponsor other local activities.  The suggested donation for this event was nominal and totally worth it.  Here's what I got:

blue-cream wool houndstooth, 1.5 yds
multi-colour wool tweed, 1.5 yds

off-white wool tweed, 1.25 yds
purple with pink highlights wool boucle, 1 yd

cobalt blue wool flannel, 2.5 yds
purple wool herringbone, 3 yds

wool (and possibly silk) tweed, 2.875 yds

camel wool flannel, 1.75 yds

cotton blend boucle, 3.375 yds

I got AAAALLLL of this for under $20.  I really do not need any more fabric and certainly no more wool.  But, I couldn't pass it up.

New Machine:  Singer 99k

 

I do not have the desire to collect multiple sewing machines.  I have two machines, a serger, and a coverstitch machine and this small group of machines satisfies all of my sewing needs.  The acquisition of the Singer 99k was totally on impulse.

I was at a recycling center emptying my car of recyclables when I saw this little table conveniently resting right next to my car.  I knew it was a sewing machine before evening opening the lid.  The recycling center's manager said the machine had been there for over a month and that he hadn't the chance to take it to their affiliated resale store.  I suggested that he cut out the middle man and just sell it to me today.  =)  That way, he wouldn't have to deal with the fuss of moving the machine, researching a fair price, and marketing it for sale.  I offered him $50 and he agreed.  I thought it was fair based on my limited knowledge of vintage machines and its current condition.

I had the machine serviced at my local dealer and was happy to learn that it didn't need much work.  It sews a great straight stitch and came with several extra attachments (of which I have no idea how to use).  I think the machine will be quite useful when sewing lightweight fabric.  In my pattern review of the silk charmeuse top, I didn't mention the difficulty I experienced in sewing it.  Trust me, it was a royal PITA.  While handling the slippery fabric wasn't much of a problem, preventing the fabric from getting caught below the plate was difficult.  A straight-stitch plate and foot would have been immensely helpful.  For my next project of this sort, I will use the new Singer.  I'll have to figure out to thread it first, though. =)

That's it for now.  I've joined Faye's Carnival of Skirts sew along and hope to get three skirts completed during this time.  We shall see. =)

Thank you for your support on winning the contest.  I am still over the moon about it!  Until next time, be well!

L