Imitation: The Sincerest Form of Flattery?

Last year, I responded to an online posting by a woman claiming to have a large quantity of vintage fabrics available for sale. When I showed up at her house, she had, literally, HUNDREDS of yards in fabric and trim. She also had a pile of factory folded women's patterns. The deal was $75 with the stipulation that I had to take it all. I didn't bat an eyelash. I handed her the money and had Michael load the car. We filled the entire hatchback of our Prius. 

At home, I had a few cuts of fabric, nothing  remotely resembling a fabric stash (especially compared to the yarn, HELLO!). I spent that whole weekend sorting and burn testing my treasures. To my extreme delight, a large number of pieces were cottons and linens. Even better, there were several yards of each piece. I washed, dried, measured, labeled and neatly folded each cut before stacking it in my cubbies. 

If I had stopped then, there'd be no need to go on. Of course, I didn't. I bought Fabric in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. I took advantage of great online fabric sales. And, I went shopping with Meg. And, on none of these occasions did I use the same care I had previously. I just kept stuffing fabric into storage cubes. 

I've pulled fabric from my stash to make some projects (1, 2, 3, 4), but I  still buy a good deal of project specific fabric; I think that has a lot to do with the fact that there's never been an easy way for me to see what I have. 

I thought my storage system was pretty ace. I had incredible storage cubbies (built by my talented in-laws) equipped with storage cubes to maximize containment capability, but something was missing. I couldn't figure it out. 

Then Gertie, that lovely lark of a sewing angel posted photos of her sewing room organization. It made so much sense. I knew then that I was going to play copycat. The concept is brilliant.  And, it looks really pretty. At least, I think. But, I'm also the sort who think balls of yarn are spectacular home decor.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to get this project started. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd imagined. It did, however, take a good deal of time. No joke, I invested a good 8hrs (+) sorting, measuring and folding. 

Each piece has a tag identifying quantity and fiber content.

In the process of sorting, I was able to clean house a bit. There are a couple pieces of fabric I know I'll never use; they deserve new homes. There were also little bits of left over fabric from projects past that I had to acknowledge, didn't need to be held on to. I pared it down to seven cubes. It's so nice being able to quickly see everything  I have available to work with.  Thanks to Gertie, I think I now have a functional fabric stash. 

Before I wrap up. I wanted to show you some fabrics from that haul last year I never got around to blogging.  There are about a dozen different fabrics labeled Peter Pan Fabrics, Inc that I find particularly interesting. 

From what I can determine, they're cotton. They're also incredibly light weight and semi-sheer. In addition to being printed, they're textured.  The lines, or in some cases, grids are raised. 

I've tried to do some research online to see if I could find more information about them, but there doesn't seem to be a lot available. Based on what I was able to find, Peter Pan Fabrics, Inc. did file a series of copyright infringement suits against several clothing manufacturers, starting in 1960. And, it appears, they may still produce quilting cottons today. 

I've found some listings on Etsy and Ebay selling fabric boasting the same maker's mark, but they're all flat finished, and heavier.  I'm pretty positive these aren't quilting cotton, but I can't say for sure.  Is there a name or classification for textured fabrics like this? Do you have similar fabric in your stash? Do share! I'd love to know more about them.

Organization:
Part 1: Trims
Part 2: Sewing Patterns