Fabric Storage
 

I was shown by a dear friend to fold to desired size for my see thru drawers and set the drawer up on end...stack the fabric in it and then turn drawer back right - put back in storage area and then you can just go thru the fabric like a file cabinet and see everything you have at a glance. It is wonderful. My hubby just finished my whole wall with shelving and I have everything "filed and labeled now. I will send photos after the Christmas and New Year holidays....

I use the ruler method also. It is so easy and keeps everything neat. AND it is free.

I use the foam core boards from the dollar store also. I was getting them at Walmart and they are nicer but more expensive. You get quite a few from each board, depending on the size you cut. I also have the comic book boards too. I love having them all nice and neat and where I can see what I have. I also have tubs full in the closet and in my storage, but I over buy because I have no idea what is in those bins most of the time.

I use empty bolts from JoAnns. I just ask when I am in, and they are happy to give them to me. I cut them in half, and roll away. I realize that acid free is better, but then again, I don't intend my stash to get older than I am! Best of all--they are free.

I, too, had wanted to buy the cardboard inserts for folding, but with the amount of fabric I have it would have cost a fortune. Instead, I did this: first, measure the amount of fabric and write it down on a piece of paper (I used index cards cut in half), then lay the fabric on your table so that the selvage is on the left and the fold is on the right, and the excess is falling off the table toward your feet. Next, lay a wide ruler (6.5 or 7" x 24) across the fabric and flip the fabric and ruler over and over toward you until all the fabric is wound on the ruler. Slide the ruler out, fold the bundle of fabric in half, and staple the piece of paper onto the top front. All your fabrics will stack neatly. I group mine by theme (batiks, Christmas, Halloween, baby, etc. and then by colors). Having the measurement on the top has saved me TONS of time when selecting what I need for a project. It took me several weeks to fold and label everything, but now it's a joy to use my stash...I feel like I am shopping in my own store! (BTW, I don't do this for anything less than 1/2 yard as it's difficult to get the fabric around the ruler. For FQs and small cuts I fold them neatly and stack them by color on the shelves of a CD unit. These shelves are shallow so you are not wasting the space of a deep shelf.) Good luck with your organization!

I use the plastic shoe boxes for the dollar store and the under the bed plastic boxes from WalMart. The under the bed shorage is great for fat quarters and one will hold a lot. Also I found some card board boxes for .99 that are also good for that. I am starting to use plastic hangers to hang larget pieces and they work great. Hang them in your closet and you can see instantly what you have and they really save a lot of space.

I didn't read through all the replies but here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/search.php?searchid=698771
tons of great ideas

I prefer the ruler method, as I think it adds less bulk and I can fit more into my plastic drawers.

This is similar to what I do, except a tag for how much fabric (that is a good idea though.) My fat quarters I just lay in the drawer of one of my plastic carts. I'm putting a link to a site that shows how to use the ruller to fold the fabric.

http://turningturning.com/tutorial-folding-fabric/

I do the same with the long ruler, it looks so neat when you are done and you can see all your fabric at once. Do a little each day, and in no time your task will be completed. Good luck and please post a picture both before and after, we love to see it.