Organizing my fabric stash...

Three times in the past week or so I have been able to sit down with my fabric stash and sort through it!

I don't have a designer stash, just fabrics from here, there and everywhere it seems.  In an effort to store it more efficiently I decided to "square up" my fabric, and what didn't become square was cut up into small rectangles for my dream quilt. Swoon. I started cutting fabrics before Wyatt arrived. The quilt is no where to be found online, but it is the Now and Then quilt from American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

So here is what my fabric stash looked like before: 

These were pieces that were relatively small.  More for embellishing, not full projects. I have a large basket with big pieces.

Once I "squared" them up, I tucked them  neatly into a basket. ( I ironed them before folding too!)

Any pieces that were not big enough to get a 3 x 5 rectangle ( for a quilt) went in the trash, if it was big enough I trimmed to size. I used an index card to judge if there was enough fabric, then I used a ruler and rotary cutter to cut.  This way I could see quickly if there was enough fabric.

Once the fabric was trimmed down it went into a different basket with the pattern!

It was nice to dig through and visually see everything again. When it was in the bags sorted by color, there were colors I  never looked at. Now I can see what I have and estimate how much, most fabric was just stuffed into the bag.

Another perk of digging through my fabric?  I found a couple fabrics that I can use to for Carter's Halloween costume, which I hope to share next week! If not all of it, some. But I am shooting for finishing his, and starting Wyatt's. Wish my luck. My first year with two costumes to complete!

What's your favorite way to store fabric?