Polar Notions for fabric storage?
 

Has anyone had any experience with Polar Notions? It's a fabric storage system that has sheets of plastic that you can wrap your fabric around.
Thanks!

Sounds just like the core boards lots of members are using..

Does anyone have any suggestions for fabric storage? What do you girls like? What do I need to stay away from?

Every one is different.. And financial situations chose whats good for them..

You can buy:
polar boards- thin boards with clips
core boards- there's a member here who sells them - again a thin core board
comic boards- can order them online - these are thinner and some use 2-3 at a time for stiffness
Picture mat boards- you can get leftovers and cut to size from the framing stores
Ruler fold- free - and you just wrap your fabric around one of your rulers and fold
Bolt boards- free- joannes, hobby lobby and LQS will give them away as they will be trashed


I ruler fold anything less than 2.5 yards
I keep anything more than 3 yards on the fabric bolts

I use foam board, make minnie bolts, stand them up in my old china hutch and in cupboards, open the door and I can see what I have at a glance.1/2 yard or smaller are sorted by color, kept in baskets and considered Lg scraps, scraps from sewing is trimed into largest usable size, strips and or squares and kept in labeled baskets. When starting a project, after selecting fabric I always check my scrap bins to see if anything will work first before cutting into yardage.

I ruler fold most of my fabrics - all but the little scraps or really long yardages. I don't have to pay for any boards!

After reading Alaskasunshine's thread with great photos showing how she wrapped her fabric on Coroplast boards, I found a local sign shop that would sell me 4' x 8' sheets for $15 each. I ended up needing a lot more boards than expected, and it was a job cutting them up (used old blades in my 60mm rotary cutter), but buying a few at a time over a period of a couple of months, it didn't seem so bad. I also cut up comic boards to fold smaller pieces of fabric around. Shopping my stash for the several projects completed since then has been so different from before. It's just wonderful!

I too followed Alasksunshine thread. I found corollary boards at gone depot, I think they were 3x2 and about $6ish each. Easy way to buy over time.

I started out with Polar Notions. They are nice, but pricey. After that I went with comic book boards. The are acid free and you can get 100 for $10. Overall I have to say I really prefer the comic book boards. They hold the fabric nicely and the big plus - they aren't as thick so you don't lose shelf space. It adds up when you start thinking about it. I thought about buying some of the other ideas mentioned but I just really didn't want to spend the time cutting them to size. This just works for me.

I use foam board that I purchase at Dollar Tree for $1.00 each. Each one is 20X30 inches and I cut each one into 10X6 inch boards so I get 10 to a sheet which is .10 cents each. Can't beat that! I don't usually have sections of fabric over 3 yards each but have a few and have never had a problem wrapping what I need around them. They are acid free so there is no threat of harming the fabric. As you can see below they work beautifully for me. (This is only have of the closet.)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]305028[/ATTACH]

That should read half, not have! Ann

I have been just keeping mine folded on a shelf but after seeing ncredbird's, that's about to change!

Picture of clips used to fasten loose ends of fabric
 

Just a side note here. I started by purchasing one pkg of the polar notions just to see how I liked them and quickly realized what a huge investment they were going to be for the amount of fabric that I had in storage. I also tried some colorplast -- less expensive than the Polar Notions but hard to cut and I managed to slice the webbing between my thumb and index finger pretty bad on the sharp edge of the board so decided if it would cut my hand it would cut the fabric if it rubbed on it. Accidentally came across the foam board at the Dollar Tree and decided to give it a try and haven't looked back. I highly recommend it.
The picture below is what I use to fasten the loose ends of the fabric at the outside of the wrap on the board. I purchase them at WalMart in a small box from the stationary isle.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]305053[/ATTACH]

Everyone has to do what seems right to them... i do fold my fabrics and place on shelves in color groups, but the idea of folding all my fabric (8 shelves, floor to ceiling, 32 ft long) around little boards would make me run screaming from the room... everything over 1/4 yd is on the shelves, smaller than that is cut into 2.5" strips and stored in color sorted pizza boxes.... smaller than that is chopped into confetti and color sorted into baggies for future confetti blocks.... everything that is being used in current projects is in a banker's box on the end of my worktable so that i don't accidently use anything i might need on current project. when top is done, box is sorted into my three areas and done...... i can see all my fabric, and that's all i need...

wow i have to look in to that. they are all
a neat way of storing fabric. thanks for the info.

I have stored fabric on the cardboard bolt boards, and living in humid delaware, my fabric got a musty odor as there is no air conditioning in the walk in closet in the attic ( we now have a vent in there) and the cardboard attracted moisture. I am in the process of removing the bolt boards and using coroplast, it works well. DH cuts them for me in the right size. Hoping that Home Depot or Lowe's will still carry it. It was out of stock the last time we looked.

coroblast supply
 

Greetings, all. Look here, I ordered from there and got them in under a week. http://www.uline.com/BL_1854/Plastic-Corrugated-Pads

Fabric should be stored in wire bins, or on shelves away from sunlight.
Fabric needs to breath so it should never be stored in plastic bins, or wrapped in plastic.

I think I like this idea the most. Foam board seems like it would sturdy. But will it be an issue because it is not acid free?

just do NOT use plain cardboard or the bolts from stores. THey are NOT acid free and will damage your fabric over time!

Basically you just need to make sure that whatever you use, for long term storage it MUST be acid free! Fabric is too costly to end up with faded lines from acid on the card board!

I have used PolarNotions boards exclusively in my quilt room and have hundreds of them. They are terrific and the company ships very quickly. They may be higher priced than some but the quality is consistent and the company is outstanding to do business with.

I agree. That is why the comic book boards are good. They are acid free.

I have been following this quilt board for awhile. I read lots of ways others store fabric. I had been storing fabric in tupperware plastic containers. Then I read, that's not the way to go. I then put my folded fabric in drawers. Then there were some who said no good. I went back to the tubs. I go through them time to time, and I do not see anything wrong with my fabric, some of it I have had a good 3-5 years. I also keep these tubs in a closet away from light. I live in AZ with very little humidity.

I am using comic boards...I think they come in two sizes and I have the bigger size. I wish I would have doubled them up to make them a tab bit stiffer, but they work pretty good. I'm using the big metal paper clips right now, not concerned with moisture in my closet, so don't have to worry about rust. I do have some fabrics stored in plastic bins though...like 30's, batiks, projects, kits. I'm thinking about drilling several holes in these bins to provide air circulation.....what do you think about that....would that help? I like the bins because they stack so nicely.

I use Polar Notions' products:both sizes work for me. They are pricier, but it's been worth it for me personally. They are a quality product, hold up well (I've been using the same ones for at least 5 years and change out fabric often on them), and their customer service is outstanding.

I just finished a re-do of my sewing room/nest. I purchased myself a new desk for Christmas and decided to do-over everything and FINISH the organizing that I have started several times. I will be posting pictures later.

But my basic is - I ruler fold anything 1yd17" and smaller. Larger is ruler folded and hung-up with pants hangers in the closet. Where the fabrics touch the clips, I have acid-free tissue paper just in case. DH added the extra hanging rods for me. FAB-U-LOUS!!!!! I also have my various 'things' in bin boxes on shelves that I made for the closet.

Now that I am organized I don't want to pull anything out and mess it up. Oh well, that will end soon enough - probably when my hand is down healing. Hopefully the leeches will quit visiting soon. [wink]

I have been tempted to show DH some of the stashes that are displayed here. He always says that I have enough fabric to open my own store - but not really. Actually, I think my stash is pretty small.

I like to cut white foam board into pieces (11-3/4" by 7-1/4" and 6-1/2" by 4") and use that instead. One sheet of foamboard costs $3.00 at Michaels and I get at least 10 pieces from each sheet. Alot less expensive than Polar Notions.

Use Polar Notions storage cards
 

I have used the polar notions boards and I love them. I like then alot better than the core boards. I have tried the core boards and I didn't like them because they can bend.
The Polar boards are pieces of plastic and are indistructiable.
I have so far used the regular size and have used so far 250 of the sheets and clips. she also has a smaller size for fat quarters. You can roll anywhere from a half yard to 10 yards of fabric with out any problem. What I do is wash and hang dry my new fabric then Iron it and fold it in quarter length wise and measure and roll on the board. Then I put the measurement on a post a note under the clip.
That way I know the exact amount of fabric of each piece.
Hope this is a help. kjym Kathy
PS Thanks for you question It reminded me to order more.

that closet is beautiful :thumbup: I have way to much fabric to make my look that neat. But your closet may inspire me to try to make mine look like yours. Want to come help? LOL

Polar Notions/comic book boards
 

What are Polar Boards and Comic book Boards?

Polar Notions plastic storage sheets: www.polarnotions.com/Buy_Now_.html

A thread in the For Sale area for easy core storage: http://www.quiltingboard.com/items-s...g-t176075.html

Looks like for similar size, the Polar Notions brand is only $2.50 more, but then add another $12.50 shipping... :\

I hadn't seen this thread before, and just yesterday ordered the easy core boards from MILate. Of course, I now need to buy a bookcase or two...

I have put my fabric on File Folders from Office Depot. I fold down the tab and tape the beginning of the fabric onto the folder. Then I put it on my shelf. It's a really inexpensive way to store my fabric.

I use comic book boards in the 9x12 size. There's a collector's supply store here in town so they're easy to get. Acid free is extremely important. My favorite quilt shop uses the Bolt Buddies but they're pretty costly so I'm going to check out the blue pieces that 'ncredbird' illustrated while I'm out tomorrow.

What exactly is a comic book board? And where did you purchase them? Can they be ordered online? Thanks in advance for any info. Kitsy

That's the only thing I use for my fabric storage. At least for the big yardage. I love them. On the spendy side, but well worth it. The bolt buddies are also great for fastening the material.

Yes, I heard about polar notions. It is durable and made with solid acid free plastic. It provide The 11 3/4" height which keeps stored many stuffs easily and You getting surprised to hear that it will be wrap and unwrap at least 400 times in a single day. The fabric will keep as safe as well managed in polar notions.

They are expensive! Go to the dollar store and buy yourself a sheet of foam core board. It is 20X30 inches.
Cut once horizontally and 5 times vertically. You can get 10 boards to wrap around for the $1.00-$1.50 that you will spend and they will last you forever. I have made enough of them to do a 10 ft wall of display of fabric 5 feet high. I purchase mine at Dollar Tree and it is in the area where poster board is sold. Save the big bucks for fabric purchases. Ann in TN

I just finished about 1/2 of my fabric using this idea. I haven't 'worked' with it yet, but so far I LOVE it. I bought 10 of the core boards, cut them up as ncredbird suggested and they fit perfectly on the shelves of a bookcase I have in my sewing room closet. Incredibly, I'm out of core boards and have to go back and buy ten more! May have to purchase another bookcase too! I did wrap most of the boards with acid free scrapbooking paper before I put the fabric on them to protect the fabric as best I can. I think this is a wonderful idea, the fabrics look so pretty lined up straight and much easier to make selections when getting ready to start a new quilt project (can't WAIT for school to go back so I can get started again!).