Sewing Pattern and Fabric Stash Register

Who this is for

Know what you can sew from what you already have. One part lists your patterns with the fabric each needs; the other lists every length in the stash with its width, cost and the pattern it is meant for, and totals the metres and what they cost you.

Dressmakers and home sewists with a drawer of patterns and a cupboard of fabric, and anyone trying to sew from the stash before buying more.

What this helps you track

• Every pattern you own, its sizes and the fabric it needs
• Which patterns you have made before and what you plan to use
• Each fabric length with its fibre, width, colour and cost
• What each length cost you, and the stash's total metres and value
• Which fabric is earmarked for which pattern

How to use it

1. Write your name, where the stash is stored and the date you went through it.
2. List each pattern with its company, number, garment type, sizes and the fabric length the envelope asks for.
3. Measure each fabric piece and write its description, fibre, width, length, colour and what you paid per metre.
4. Line values, total metres and stash value are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, multiply length by cost per metre.
5. Match fabric to patterns by writing the intended pattern against each length and the planned fabric against each pattern.
6. Update the register when you buy fabric or finish a project, and cross off lengths once they are cut.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What do I put for cost per metre?

What you actually paid, or your own estimate for gifted or inherited fabric. The register supplies no prices; the stash value is simply the sum of your own figures.

My fabric was bought in yards. Will it still work?

Yes, as long as you use one unit throughout. Write lengths in yards and cost per yard, and the totals will be in yards. Note the unit you chose in the notes area.

How do I record fabric required for a pattern?

Take it from the pattern envelope for your size and fabric width, and write it in the fabric required column. Comparing it with the stash lengths shows which pieces are long enough.

Should I include remnants and scraps?

Include any piece you might sew with. Very small offcuts can go on one line as a bag of scraps with no length, so the count of pieces stays honest without clutter.