Organizing My Fabric
#11

My fabric is folded and stored on comic boards, which seems to be working out. I place them into 2 tall bookshelves. One shelf for wide backing, one shelf has 1 yard or less pieces, one shelf for stripes (I'm collecting them), the rest of the shelves hold the majority of fabrics. I do put collections together. My stash is not huge.
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,165

I mostly go by color but if I have most of a collection, I'll put them together. Plus my batiks are together mostly by color and anything on a bolt is by color. Scraps are by size, fat qtrs and jelly rolls are near their color or where ever I can stuff them.
This photo is only some of my fabrics since last 2020 as I haven't bought any since 11/2018 when I put myself on a "FREEZE". Photo doesn't show all the partial bolts stashed under the pressing station, along the back side of the cutting table or under my quilt frame in the next room. Plus the batiks are in the next room too.
This photo is only some of my fabrics since last 2020 as I haven't bought any since 11/2018 when I put myself on a "FREEZE". Photo doesn't show all the partial bolts stashed under the pressing station, along the back side of the cutting table or under my quilt frame in the next room. Plus the batiks are in the next room too.
#13
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,058

I mostly go by color but if I have most of a collection, I'll put them together. Plus my batiks are together mostly by color and anything on a bolt is by color. Scraps are by size, fat qtrs and jelly rolls are near their color or where ever I can stuff them.
This photo is only some of my fabrics since last 2020 as I haven't bought any since 11/2018 when I put myself on a "FREEZE". Photo doesn't show all the partial bolts stashed under the pressing station, along the back side of the cutting table or under my quilt frame in the next room. Plus the batiks are in the next room too.
This photo is only some of my fabrics since last 2020 as I haven't bought any since 11/2018 when I put myself on a "FREEZE". Photo doesn't show all the partial bolts stashed under the pressing station, along the back side of the cutting table or under my quilt frame in the next room. Plus the batiks are in the next room too.
#16

I keep my fabric in clear bins (sneeze to much if I don't from the dust). I keep all the solids in one bin, batiks in another. Then I have bins organized by usage. Jelly roll rugs, pillows, bags, ect.. in their own bins. It works for me, and I only have to pull that particular bin out when I'm working on particular projects.
I cannot put up shelves. My sewing machine sits on my dining room table and all my laundry also is in my dining room along with my washer. I'm to the point of begging God for a house. I need one of my own as I was given 9 rose bushes for free because they did not know if you cut off the dead blooms (dead heading) the roses will put out fresh buds and you can enjoy your roses all summer long And I need to get them in the ground so they will do better than just sitting there -- these are a ground cover rose and they are needing extra space.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2022
Location: New England
Posts: 389

I store my fabric by the quilt project. Which is how I usually buy. I keep a cupboard of orphan fabric, and pull that fabric into other projects as the new projects come along. Since I like the autumn, and civil war colors mostly, I have a lot of fabric that works for many of my quilts. Every once in a while, I'll do more of the summer/spring colors, but more of the deeper, darker values. So they work with many of my quilts as well.
#19
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 293

Hats off to Snooze!!!
It does depend on the size of your stash. Mine is large as I want to "shop" from my stash!
In my stash:
1. anything over 1/2 yard can be wound onto comic book boards, and is. Those mini bolts are stored on shelves by colour family. Solids have their own section!
2. Anything under 1/2 yard is in a wire cube bin, sorted by colour (I think I have yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black and white)
3. I cut a 1 1/2" strip and a 1" strip from every fabric I buy, those strips go into separate strip bins by width...great for making either strip sets or 9 patches or 16 patches
It does depend on the size of your stash. Mine is large as I want to "shop" from my stash!
In my stash:
1. anything over 1/2 yard can be wound onto comic book boards, and is. Those mini bolts are stored on shelves by colour family. Solids have their own section!
2. Anything under 1/2 yard is in a wire cube bin, sorted by colour (I think I have yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, black and white)
3. I cut a 1 1/2" strip and a 1" strip from every fabric I buy, those strips go into separate strip bins by width...great for making either strip sets or 9 patches or 16 patches
Last edited by WesternWilson; 07-06-2022 at 04:14 PM.
#20

I'm thinking about sewing the strips together and making dolly quilts for my church's Christmas Shoppe and adding the quilt to the bag of dolly clothes that I make. Still in the thinking stage, tho'.