I love the Iris Scrapbooking totes. They are large enough for 12 inch blocks, the lid is hinged, so they do not wind up in different places. All the fabric for a quilt top will fit in one. I bought a great inexpensive unfinished pine shelving unit at Ikea this summer. I painted it a lovely Robin's egg blue and thought I could fit lots of the Iris totes on it. I even thought I would have to go buy more totes for my fabric that does not have a tote yet.
MM HMM, Turned out I already had 30 Iris totes, but before they were all over the place. They do look good on the shelves and I have them 2 wide and 5 high, so it is not too hard to get at my projects. But where did all those projects come from? And what about the fabric that is not yet in totes? I need more totes, which means I need to buy another shelving unit.
I see a pattern here.
One of the best deals I found for my sewing room were 2 wooden drawer units, they are about 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep. There are three shallow drawers (perfect for scissors and rotary cutters) and three 3 inch deep drawers for other things. I paid $12 each at Value Village. They fit under my counter, have wheels to move around and I love 'em.