Spring Cleaning: A Mindful Way to Declutter Your Fabric Stash

Living in a small space, it’s essential for me to keep my fabric stash under control. I don’t have a dedicated room for quilting, just a corner in the living room for my sewing machine and a few plastic totes to store my fabric. In order to maintain a manageable stash, I have learned to declutter my fabric on a regular basis.

The first time I decluttered my stash was the hardest. Before I even started quilting, I had been collecting fabric. It was so hard to look at that fabric and realize I was never going to use it. Reluctantly, I posted it on my local Buy Nothing group’s Facebook page, and I rehomed many yards of fabric to eager recipients. And then something wonderful happened: I felt clearer in my creative direction, every time I looked through my fabrics I felt inspired, and I truly loved every yard and scrap I kept. Clearing out all the excess fabric allowed ideas and inspiration to flow in and quilting became more fun than ever.

Since that first clean out, I stick to a regular decluttering schedule every fall and spring. The changing seasons are a perfect time to let old things go and open space for new fabrics to enter our stashes. Here are my seven steps for mindfully decluttering your fabric stash.

7 Tips for Mindfully Decluttering Your Fabric Stash

1. Clear a space and pull out all of the fabric in your stash. If your stash feels too overwhelming to pull it all out at once, then start with one bin or shelf at a time and proceed through the process with each part of your stash.
2. Organize your fabric into general categories. Depending on your stash, you can sort by color, print type, fabric collection, size, seasonal, novelty, etc. I sort by color and size – bigger pieces of blue fabric, smaller pieces of blue fabric, and so on. As you look at your fabric spread out in front of you, you will notice general categories. Sort until each piece of fabric has a home. Put kits, charm packs, and the like in their own pile.
   
3. Going through each organized pile, pick out the fabrics that you absolutely love and you definitely want to keep. Keep decluttering expert Marie Kondo’s idea of “sparking joy” in mind when you do this. If looking at or holding a piece of fabric immediately makes you happy, then it is sparking joy and you can set it aside into a “to keep” pile.
   
4. Once you’ve picked out all the fabrics you absolutely love, go through your organized piles again and pick out fabric you know you want to let go of. Common options to declutter are fabrics you were gifted but are not your style, items you won in a raffle but don’t really like, or fabrics you used in a specific project many years ago. Anything you know you don’t want to keep, set that aside in a separate “to declutter” pile.
   
5. After picking out your “definitely keep” and “definitely declutter” fabric, you may be left with a lot of fabric that you have neutral or lukewarm feelings about. This is where we have to get more mindful. Look at each piece and determine why you are unsure about what to do with it. Some questions that are helpful for deciding to keep fabric: Is this a versatile fabric that can be used in a variety of projects? Am I reluctant to give up this fabric because I feel guilty that I spent a lot of money on it or someone special gifted it to me? Am I keeping this fabric because I want to meet others’ expectations of how big a stash should be? Be honest with yourself. If guilt or other emotions are preventing you from decluttering a fabric that you will never use, acknowledge that. Then consider these questions: Will I get my money back by keeping this in my stash? Would the person who gifted this to me be happy that this fabric is taking up space in my home because I think decluttering it would be rude? Is there someone else who would enjoy and use this fabric? Will the quilt police come over and judge my fabric stash? Quilting fabrics are meant to be used and enjoyed. If we know for certain that we will never use a specific fabric, then it’s in the best interest of the fabric, ourselves, and others to get it to someone who will enjoy it.
6. Say a loving goodbye to the fabric you decided to part with. In Marie Kondo’s decluttering method, she has her clients thank each item they get rid of. You could also wish it well in its next home. If this step doesn’t resonate with you, at least take a moment to feel some gratitude that you have come across so many different fabrics in your life. Gratitude for what we have can make letting go of unused fabric easier.
7. Clean up and celebrate your refreshed stash. Organizing a healthy quilt stash is a difficult task, so take a moment to enjoy your accomplishment. Then before you lose all your momentum, put away the fabric you are keeping and make a plan to rehome the fabric you are not keeping. Next up I have a few ideas for both.

Ideas for Fabric Organization

Each person will have their own unique way of storing fabric. We all live in different sized homes and have varying amounts of fabric. No matter how you decide to store your stash, keep these principles in mind.

1. Have some organization scheme. You could maintain the piles that you sorted earlier, or organize by color, size, or project plans. I keep fabric that I plan to use soon in a small bin and the rest of my stash is sorted by color and size in clear plastic totes. I keep very small scraps in a scrap bag that I can pull from anytime. Charm packs and kits stay together and are placed in a bin. Whatever you decide, just have a system that makes sense to you or else you will have a hard time finding anything.
2. Be able to see the majority of your stash. If you have open shelves, try to emulate a quilt shop and store your fabric so that you can see a section of each one. If you use bins or totes, opt for clear ones and stack folded fabric in even columns so that you can see each piece.
3. Use labels, keep a journal or electronic database, or take photos of your stash. You can use these to quickly reference what you have.
4. Have a system for dealing with scraps as you generate them. I will keep anything bigger than 2 inches square because I love making scrap quilts. You may have a bigger threshold, just be consistent so that after you finish cutting out fabric you know which pieces you will keep and which you will toss or rehome.

Now that all your amazing fabric is organized, it’s time to find new loving homes for your decluttered pile. I am a huge proponent for recycling, so I encourage you to make the effort to get unwanted fabric to people who will use it. Here are some of my favorite methods:

1. Have a fabric swap or sale with your guild or other sewing friends.
2. Use the internet to sell or give away unwanted fabric. Buy Nothing groups, Nextdoor, Ebay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace are efficient ways to find new owners for old fabrics.
3. Donate the fabric to a school, reuse organization, or other non-profit that collects unused fabric or crafting supplies.
4. If you are not in a quilting guild, reach out to local guilds or shops to see if they know of any quilters who would use your old fabric.
5. If you can’t find any takers for your old fabric, there are many groups or businesses that will recycle cotton. Do a Google search for “fabric recycling” in your area and you should find some options.

Organizing a fabric stash may seem like an insurmountable task, but if you follow these steps, you will get through the process. The end result will be a better organized stash and hopefully more inspiration and time to create projects with all your amazing fabrics.

Works Cited

Book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo