Today is day one of the quilt along. I’m hoping I can start cutting the pieces tomorrow as I don’t think I’ll have a chance to do it today.

I hung my ribbon rack and started to bring some fabric into the sewing room when I realized that I have a serious issue with buying fabric. Why do I have so much fabric?! It’s insane!

Anyway, as I’m putting together this sewing room and trying to come up with attractive ways to store and display things and keep it practical so that I won’t need to go digging, I’ve come across a problem. The problem is zippers. I can’t think of a practical way to store them that keeps them accessible and neat and sorted. I know this blog doesn’t really get much traffic, at least not yet, so asking anyone out there for advice on organizing and storing zippers is probably pointless but all the same, if you’re out there and you’re reading this and you have some advice, please do share.

I’ve been Googling away trying to find a neat way to store my zippers but all I keep coming up with are sites telling me how to install a zipper or just general craft storage with no practical zipper storage advice to be found. It seems silly to make a fuss about storing zippers but I’d rather not throw them all in a little plastic container if I can help it.

Ah well, back to questioning my sanity as I sort through all this fabric. Sometime this week, once my money comes in, I’m going to buy shelves to install in the closet. I took the door off today and once the shelves are up I’ll start trying to organize all this fabric and hopefully keep it neat and accessible. I’ve seen so many great ideas for fabric storage but the ones I like best would require a bigger room than I’ve got so I’ll stick with stacks on shelves for now. Maybe I should invest in some fabric boards… If they weren’t so expensive I probably would!

I’d mentioned previously that my best friend had moved away. She moved to St. Stephen which is right on the border with the US. On the other side, in Calais, there is a store called Marden’s. Perhaps you know of it if you’re American. Anyway, it is amazing. Here’s why:

Fabric was $2.99 a yard and some of it was $1.99 a yard. As you can see, it’s not just random fabric either! Needless to say, I’m a happy camper.

I was even more happy today when I received my Kona cotton solids chart. I can’t buy Kona fabric locally so I have to order it all online. This chart has tiny pieces of all the solids they have to offer. This will be an immense help when I want to order something! I’d say that chart is pretty much worth its weight in gold. I bought it from Blueberry Buckle.

In more related goodness I also got an order from cottonthreadfabrics full of Patty Young’s Flora and Fauna!

Ok yes, my name is Jen and I am an addict. What can I say? I love fabric!

I buy a lot of my fabric from sellers on Etsy.  While I enjoy visits to the local fabric store, the cool fabrics just aren’t there.  I know some people are really into the whole upcycling thing.  I am not.  Firstly, I can’t go into second hand clothing stores.  Within 5 minutes I’m having an asthma attack.  Secondly, it grosses me out.  I just cannot get passed how disgusting and dirty I feel after being in there.  Chalk that one up to Jew neurosis, I guess.  I don’t want to make things out of clothes strangers wore and I certainly wouldn’t ever want it on my child or make something to sell or give out of something that someone else wore.  My family has been environmental and recycled before most of the world knew the world so you’ll have to forgive me if old worn gross smelly clothes don’t make it into my fabric stash.  (No offense to those who use it, truly, it’s a hangup for me!)

Anyway, these arrived in the mail the other day.  I bought them from one of my favourite Etsy sellers, bytinster.  She’s a doll and ships so fast, her stuff often arrives before stuff being shipped within North America.  Packages of fabric always make my day a little brighter.