How To…Catalog Your Fabric Stash

If you’re like me, you appreciate a cute fabric, you have lots of ideas, and you have no time to actually complete these projects. The result? An ever-growing fabric stash.

I envision a beautiful, cedar bookshelf with glass-paned doors in my future dream library to showcase my fabrics among my books. Until that day comes, I have some beautiful rubbermaid bins that once upon a time held my Barbie doll collection. While this method saves space and protects the fabrics, it’s not very convenient when you’re trying to find something.

A quick search shows there are quite a few apps that you can download and use, if that’s your thing. For me, organization and productivity apps aren’t set up to work with how my brain wants to process things, and I can’t customize the format. So, I turn to a handy-dandy spreadsheet! The apps market that you would have your fabric collection “at your fingertips.” Well, I can access my files on my phone or my computer, so what are you offering me that I can’t provide for myself?

I have a MacBook, so I use Numbers. You could easily convert to Excel or Google Sheets. Leave a comment or reach out if you want a Free Download.

From left to right, my columns are: snapshot image of the fabric, quick description of the fabric or print, fabric width (in inches), fabric length (in yards), type of fabric, fabric content, if the print is directional, and in what color bin I stashed it.

I also cataloged all of my scraps, just adjusting my width and length accordingly.

I’ve thought about adding a column to mark the color thread, but I’m very tactile with trims and prefer to lay everything on top of the fabric to make those decisions. For now, this serves the purpose of picking a pattern and seeing my options for fabrics.

Next up might be to catalog my pattern collection, but that’s a bit more complex for how I want it. I would catalog each line drawing option, as well as what size I previously made, if it’s a paper pattern. I don’t find my current set up of patterns frustrating, so it’s low on my list of projects. You’re sure to get an update once I eventually get there!

Later this week I’ll share another fun spreadsheet tip on making your own cross-stitch patterns! Stay cool and stay safe until then, ❤️ Petra