How to organize and store fabric.

I am in the process of moving my sewing room and trying to find the best way to organize and sote my fabric. I have tryed dressers and bins. tell me how is the best way you have found. I hate digging trying to find what I need.

Reply to
She in PA
Loading thread data ...

If I were using a dresser or bin I would make stacks of fabric organized by color, type or whatever you prefer but then lay it on it's side so you can see the narrow edge of everything. I like using cabinets- it's all out of the sunlight to prevent fading and I can see everything easily.

formatting link
formatting link
Good luck with finding a solution that works well for you!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO,

Reply to
Leslie& The Furbabies in MO.

Do you have a closet in your sewing room? I was able to install shelves in the closet in mine and then sort and store my fabric by color on the shelves. Being able to close the doors helps protect it from sunlight and QIs!

Reply to
Louise in Iowa

x?eTMÜ6 ½ûW°?KÆ?@·ÝiR´¦hýX ?Bcsl%²è?èu_ß'É;YgO3©ÇÇ÷HWÕQÉF?)°qn¡?íÈøöáüÐh¹á?f?z3?HBg¼ýd}·¾?J??óálNÁ65Ñ_=ÞE2tæ?î9,ä/JB¤.i ???èd? µº?¬?É$P6?"³YH?¢  0¤zã»ôÈzÔj?DVà©¿/Ï?Ü?u|¾??ãGæ±eRZÛ@¥º"Êü¶BìS¡?òë;?öêó3EgGA0??UÐ6U£3Qm?îºUÇZÕ?? ?òmÏþ? írV??´Ï?º'áY*³ì Db§Ò!å?f?5®]ü?Í?MtåÔÇ#'×QØyQâÿL£nÙ]Ì?«¢èÙjé

Reply to
Polly Esther

Reply to
Taria

I have a couple of novelty bins for theme or odd ball type fabric Polly. That works pretty ok. The butterflies and the dollar bill print seem to work together there. Taria

Reply to
Taria

Whichever containers you end up with, they should not be too deep. That way, you can fold your fabric "book style" and have a fold of everything in sight. the thickness of the fold will pretty much tell you how big the piece is. My containers hold a FQ folded first in half parallel to the selvedge, then in thirds, to make a rectangle about

11" X 6". For WOF pieces, I fold in fourths parallel to the selvedge, then keep folding until it's about a half yard long, then in thirds. Ideally, you need containers that are just wide enough to hold this size, maybe about 12" wide, and as deep as your shelf. The containers should also be see-through so you can sort by e.g. color or theme and see exactly which one you need.

If I had unlimited closets (daydream>I am in the process of moving my sewing room and trying to find the

Reply to
Roberta

Hello She,

First I had a wooden cupboard that held my fabric in stacks according to colour. I could open the doors to the cupboard and see what I owned, and just go from there.

Sadly, due to building works and space issues, the cupboard is now in storage, and my fabric is in boxes, some cardboard and some clear plastic. I can sort of see into the boxes, but it's not the same as just opening a cupboard door. Also, the boxes are stacked up, so I have to undo the whole stack if I want the fabric at the bottom. So if you go for boxes, think about how you'll store them.

Now I'm getting shelves built in the spare bedroom, and that will be great, but I'll have to protect the fabric from the light, so will have some sort of UV-coated film put over the windows and will have to make curtains to go in front of the shelves as well. Think about how much light will come into your room and how fast you plan to work through your fabric. This room I'll be using faces west so gets a lot of sun throughout the day!

I recommend getting cupboards with doors personally. I didn't have to unstack boxes and remove lids to get to the fabric. I didn't have to worry about light exposure, or cats tipping things over. If you can find an old armoire (is that what they are called?) at a yard sale or a second hand furniture shop, go for that. Something rather upright that you can open the doors to it... I think that's better than a dresser or any other option I have tried.

-- Jo in Scotland

Reply to
Jo Gibson

I agree with what others have said: the ideal is to have shelves in a closet or cabinet. My mom had a big cabinet for her fabrics. I wish I did. Thus far, I'm relyinng on boxes and baskets and lateral file drawers and high closet shelves. I've tried to sort the fabrics according to some kind of system, but I always end up hunting for particiular fabrics anyway. Short lengths go into one box, scraps into bags, large lengths into additional boxes, with an attempt at descriptive labeling on the side. Mercifully, I don't have a very big stash. Yet.

ep

Reply to
Edna Pearl

For around $400, I bought 2 IKEA PAX wardrobes, each 39 wide x 90 high x

13 3/4 deep, added solid doors and 5 shelves each. I fold my fabric over 1/2 yard around an 8 1/2 x 24 ruler, then fold in half again, and stack by color on the shelves. Each shelf can hold 4 stacks. Under 1/2 yard I wrap around a 4x14 ruler, then line them up in bins, which I then put in the shelves. I figure each cabinet can house around 500 yds of fabric. I don't have that much, but I do have room for batting and for whole bolts of backing fabric, too. Also stabilizer and fusibles and other stuff that comes in bolts.

It's great because all I have to do is open the doors and I can see my entire stash. No rooting, and the solid doors protect everything from fading.

Reply to
Valerie in FL

I store some of mine hung on pants hangers that are hanging on rolling clothes racks. I have 3 of these and I've been trying to further sort them according to fabric type, I have half of one filled with flannel and corduroy. I also have some of the (clear in my case) organizer things made for storing shoes and sweaters (I think) and have some of the smaller miscellaneous pieces in those little compartments. I have a section to hang ribbing, interfacing, and some of the patterns I've traced that are in fairly large pieces. Those are mostly hung with smaller clip hangers I've collected from buying baby/children's clothing. I almost always ask if I can keep the hanger and most of the stores are perfectly happy to say yes. As an added bonus I can keep rolls of batting on the top of the racks since my racks have a wire shelf on top.

I do have some under the bed roll out storage bins and keep some of my smaller things there but I'm slowly turning those bins into seasonal storage.

I really like being able to see what I have as I do a lot of baby and clothing sewing besides quilting. In fact I haven't actually made a quilt so far this year.

Almost all of my storage equipment was either free of from a yard sale so it wasn't a huge investment. Before I had the racks most of my fabric was either under the bed in the storage bins or in my bedroom closet or in a storage bin in the basement. Now that it's more or less all in one spot it makes it so much easier to find what I want. And to keep track of what I have on hand.

Judie

Reply to
Judie in Penfield NY

I sort by color, by batiks, and by novelty. More or less . . . .

Donna in SW Idaho

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5023 (20100412) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

formatting link

Reply to
Donna in Idaho

Roberta, We finally figured out what you just said for handling our Project Linus fabrics. We used to use really deep totes and spent way too much time digging through them (besides when we got the deep ones full, I could hardly lift them). Now, when we attend a quilt show or event where we take blocks and strips for volunteers to work with, we always use shallow totes. Sure has made life easier.

Donna in SW Idaho

__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5023 (20100412) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

formatting link

Reply to
Donna in Idaho

I've got a big double door closet in my spare bedroom sewing room. We put open shelves in it and I have my fabric stacked by color. I love this arrangement. It's easy to see everything and I can close the doors. For little pieces like charms, fat quarters, and scraps, I have a tall stacking plastic drawer unit on wheels. Each drawer has it's own category, scraps in one, patterns in another, charms in another, and so on. The only problem so far is that the scrap drawer is full and I'm working on filling another one. It's time for a scrap quilt to thin out the stash. Donna

Reply to
dealer83

That's kind of what I've tried to do too, Donna; I have boxes and plastic tubs. Categories are; Drab colors (fall colors); bright colors; Laurel burch fabric; Baby quilt fabric, current project, and white, and Things I Don't Like Anymore. Does that happen to you all? Do you ever outgrow fabri? You buy it six years ago, and loved it so much you hoarded it from several stores, and lo and behold, six years later you don't even like it anymore. Go figure.

Sherry

Reply to
Sherry

Yes, Sherry. We change. I collected solids for years and was so happy to give them to our DDIL who needed just anything to use to line purses. OTOH when I was making a quilt for my own bed I realized that it needed some quiet places and used the dull boring fabrics that never seemed good anywhere else. Ahhh. Yes. Polly

That's kind of what I've tried to do too, Donna; I have boxes and plastic tubs. Categories are; Drab colors (fall colors); bright colors; Laurel burch fabric; Baby quilt fabric, current project, and white, and Things I Don't Like Anymore. Does that happen to you all? Do you ever outgrow fabri? You buy it six years ago, and loved it so much you hoarded it from several stores, and lo and behold, six years later you don't even like it anymore. Go figure.

Sherry

Reply to
Polly Esther

Reply to
Roberta

Sherry

In fact maybe you (I) hoarded it in *great quantities* from several stores! Then it ends up as backing for wall quilts, never to be seen again.

Ahh, the story of my life!

Iris

Reply to
IEZ

Don't worry your pretty little head about this, She! Just send it South to my Palace in Virginia and I will store it! Pat in Virginia

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

the best way I have used is to remove the closet doors from a guest bedroom, stop inviting overnight guests, and fill the closet with shelves, each about a foot tall and a foot and a half wide, then stack your fabs according to color. Some large spaced shelves could be on one side for large backings, battings, kits.

Musicmaker

Reply to
Musicmaker

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.