Declutter Challenge 2026 - Day 20 - Fabric

Karen
28 minutes ago
3 min read

If this is your first year or sixth doing the challenge, this past week has been a tough one. And the last step is the toughest of all. Your fabric.

STEP 1

Start by setting your timer. For most of us, it will be impossible to declutter your fabric in one day. With all the hard work we have done in the past 20 days, we have been making space...and some of that space can be claimed by your fabric. Today is all about putting your fabrics back into your stash.

STEP 2

Define your Capacity. We are limited by the size and shape of our fabrics. So it’s unlikely that you can store all your fabric the same way and the same spot.

So today’s question’s is:

Given your limited space, do you WANT to make something with this fabric?

Does this fabric excite you? When you bundle it with other fabrics does it inspire new ideas and designs?

STEP 3

Declutter.

If your fabric does not fit in your space, start with the unwanted.
If you have had fabric dropped off to your home, because another person was decluttering their home, you are not obligated to keep it.
If it’s not your colours or the type of fabric you like to use, get it out.
Next is the stained, the faded and the musty. Accidents happen. We leave fabric in the sun, some pets might love it too much. Or it was stored in a damp location.
Then take a look at the types of fabric.
- quilting cottons
- batiks
- wovens
- other kinds?
- Are you using all of them?

As you become more experienced as a quilter, not only will you discover your favourite colours, designers and techniques, you will often realize some of those fabric purchases that you made in the beginning no longer fit with the type of quilting that you like to do.

How about the designer? Are there collections you have purchased because everyone else was, or you thought you liked the style but now realize that isn’t what you like to work with?
How about by theme? Do you have fabric for holidays you don’t celebrate or you don’t decorate for?
How about baby prints? How many baby quilts do you make now?
How about panels?

And lastly if you didn’t yesterday, take a look at your bolts. The cardboard inserts take up a huge amount of space. If you only have 1 or 2 yards, it will take up less space off the bolt than on.

I have worked hard the past couple of years on finding a system to manage my fabric. And I think I have it just about right for how I like to consume my fabric now. And I made a video on fabric storage. I also counted all my fabric. Then, I realized that I have joined the SABLE club. Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy. And, this year, I discovered that when my fabric consumption slows down, fabric builds up.

STEP 4

Declutter. Make sure you get the items that you do not want out of your space to your guild, a new quilter, or a charity shop.

It is a good exercise to go through your fabrics at least once every year. Touching, refolding and re-sorting them if necessary, will give you an opportunity to look at how much you actually have, and maybe find missing items between the folds. It took me two years to find a missing lens cap for my camera sandwiched between two fabric

STEP 5

Now it’s time for you to share. Folding and refolding fabric is one of my favourite things to do. I hope you enjoy it too. So please take a moment and leave a comment about your day. And be sure to show your piles online with this year’s hashtag #declutterchallenge2026. Take care I’ll see you tomorrow for the very last day, day 21.

Here are two videos I recommend today:

Take Care