I am brand new to all this, and just bought a bunch of fabric at the sales. How to you store your fabric. And does it get crease marks from the folds over time?

Me too...I have seen some ideas but I do not have a large area for storage or a large book self....I am thinking smaller white containers on wheels. Joanne has them on sale today. My closet is full of fabric and just seems so messy. I organize it...but as soon as I need some fabric it becomes a mess.

I store mine out of direct sunlight and refold every now and again as I do my quilts. Refolding usually happens when I get a whim to clean my sewing room!!

mine are just folded up on a bookshelf. They are in the basement w/ minimal sunlight..

I store my small fabric pieces by color in clear boxes. I've heard that plastic is not good for them but I haven't had a problem. Creases do form over time and I don't refold them..... I have a lot of fabric. I just iron out the creases when I'm ready to use them. Spraying with a little spray sizing helps keep my small pieces firm till they are sewn into a quilt. Don't used starch..... it's made of grain that attracts critters.

I have mine in plastic bins with lids - even though we are told not to do this. I put plenty of natural camphor wood chips in each bin. If i leave the stuff in cardboard or cloth bags, the silverfish and moths get into it and I can't afford that. The creases iron out OK.
When the quilt is finished, I roll it and put it inside a tyvec bag.

I have some of the clear storage bins on rollers. Got them at WalMart for under 10.00 ea. They work great and are very handy :lol:

I store mine organized by color on vinyl shelving in the closet. I keep the closet doors closed except when getting something out or putting it away. I have them folded, but haven't bothered to refold them now and again and haven't had any problems yet with creases. I use spray sizing and that removes the creases.

Why are we not supposed to use storage bins?
JulieM

This is what I do too... if I don't have time to refold, I just rotate the stacks around :D:D:D

I store mine in clear plastic containers in the closet. Have not had a problem with that BUT I haven't even thought about refolding. Good question to bring up. Will be looking for more responses to this.

where doyou get the wood chips?

I refold them according the yardage of the piece and they are neatly stored in cabinets in my "sewing" (family) room. The one's that don't fit into the cabinets (because they are totally full) are neatly put into Large clear Rubbermaid totes and are in the garage, right outside my Sewing room. I do not go back and refold them again and again. I just press out the creases

I have my fabric wrapped onto acid-free boards & stored in bookcases out of direct sunlight. I sort them by size (FQ, 1/2 yd, 1 yd, > 1yd) and then by color.

I do keep my FQ in plastic bins, but they get so much usage I don't worry about mildew or bugs.

I do use starch on my fabrics and haven't had issues with bugs, but then I only starch when I press them for a project, not before.

I started off using a shoe bag storage that hangs in my closet. Didn't have much fabric to start with, I'm a September quilting newbie. Fast forward to date, I have an abundance of fabric in that thing, some in a laundry basket and some in a plastic container. Maybe a good idea to keep the bolts and wrap some fabric around it. I did that with my green fabrics.

I use the clear storage bins stacked in the closet as well. So far, so good - no problems or issues. Mine are sorted by color and occasion (Christmas, animal, sports, etc).

I know alot of people like to organize by color and I keep mine folded and refold when I get a piece out to look at it. SO many ideas so little time!

I went to Ikea and bought some of their cutesy storage boxes. I used the DVD sized ones for stacks of fat quarters and it's also a good size for my regular sewing patterns. Then they had some cardboard containers that are like office boxes, but shorter and longer. I have some in those too. I'm still at a loss with what to do with the larger sections of fabric I have. They're still on the bolt for now though.

Plastic and cotton don't get along; don't ask me why. I store my fat quarters in metal file cabinets under my big table. Then my larger pieces of fabric are in my floor to ceiling closets with bi-fold doors kept closed. I use the ruler fold method so there aren't any sharp creases to deal with, and do refold from time to time. I do have some pieces in plastic bins but they are mostly jelly rolls and charm squares that get used up more frequently. If I got rid of some of the "excess" I wouldn't have to store in plastic bins. :roll: :lol: :roll: :lol:

I have an unused dresser that mine are in - hadn't thought about refolding though. Thanks for the tip

What is the down side if you store in plastic bins? What type of harm does it do to fabric? I currently have about 15 plastic bins for my excess fabric that won't fit in the closets. Guess I'm off to the store for more white foam board.

I store my stash on shelves but hadn't thought to refold them. My quilts, I lay flat on an unused bed and it seems to work for me.

dude

i saw somewhere yesterday to use plastic boards to put big peices of fabric on store on shelf like in fabric shop i wonder if cardboard would work as well i have a lady that saves me the cardboard that her bolts come on. smaller peices could go in plastic bins.

I am like most who have answered on this--I use plastic storage bins for much of my fabric. I am not convinced that the theory of not using plastic is a fact, as opposed to what somebody just wondered about. Seems ideas can sometimes become facts rather easily and without any factual data behind "the fact". I wonder if this idea might have arisen when plastic containers were new and at that point the "old way" seemed better???? Also I think I remember the early plastics having a lot more chemical smell to them than the ones we get now do, which might have lent credence to the do not use plastic idea?
Maybe one of you is a chemist and can give us a really definitive answer.

Why wood chips? What does plastic do to fabrics?

I store mine in plastic bins. I get them at Wal-mart, they have 3 drawers with wheels easy to roll into the closet. I label the drawers by seasons.. :-)

I also keep mine in an unused dresser. I sort them by color. Though the dresser is getting full.

i KNOW FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES PLASTIC IS NOT ALWAYS IDEAL BUT IF YOU ARE CONCERN USE A LAYER OF TISSUE PAPER (WHITE) TO COVER THE PLASTIC. I STORE ALL OR MOST IN PLASTIC AND HOPEFULLY USE IT IN THIS MILLENIUM, (HA-HA-HA). i NEED A LICENSE PLANT THAT SAYS I BRAKE FOR QUILT STORES, OR MAKE A MAP ON QUILTS STORES I LOVE TO VISIT. TALK ABOUT ADDICTION!!!!!

check out the storage item for fabric on coltide i thought it was a neat idea

Mine is stored in those plastic three-drawer units. I roll them up on my 24 x 6 ruler, pull out the ruler, and then fold them in half. I write on the selvage how much yardage I have (or use a safety pin with a scrap of paper). Yes, they get wrinkled, but I just iron them when I'm ready to use them. So far, no permanent creasing. Just the other day I found some perfect little four drawer units just the right size for my fat quarters. Prior to that I was using those plastic tubs that lettuce comes in. I still use those for holding projects.

With the economy down there is a lot of used business furniture available. I use a credenza I got for free and hang my fabric on the hanging folders. The drawers are organized by color and I can see what I have. The top of the credenza holds lots of other stuff like projects, my printer, and my music system.

I'm lucky to have a walk in closet for my fabric. I saw in a magazine where someone used a 6 inch plastic ruler and wrapped their fabric around it, pulled it out and folded it in half. It looks really nice and very organized. It's a big help when you're looking for something special.

I have lots of yardageon cardboard rolled up like the fabric store - but I now find that this takes up too much room. I am in the process of unwinding the bolts and using the ruler folding method and I can get tons more fabric on each shelf. Smaller than a yard goes into bins by color. Then I also have bins per project as I collect it specially marked. I sat last night and watched a movie and reorganized colors from piles on shelves into plastic bins. I like the 26 or 28 gallon size that are not as high and I can stack two on one shelf. But it took me a long time to find the right size that fits. A never ending process.

i KEPT MY FABRIC FOR YEARS ON BOLTS. nOW i HAVE FOUND THAT AT THE THIN EDGE I GOT WHITE LINES FROM THE CARDBOARD BOLT.
NOW I USE THE PLASTIC FOLDING BOARDS. I GOT THEM AT POLARNOTIONS.COM
THEY ARE A BIT EXPENSIVE BUT THEY LAST FOREVER SO I DECIDED THAT THEY WERE A GOOD INVESTMENT.
I NOW HAVE MY STASH FOLDED ON THESE BOARDS AND HAVE THEM STANDING LIKE BOOKS IN A GLASS FRONT BOOKSHELF.
KJYM KATHY

Large pieces of fabice say 3 yards I ask for empty carboard rolls from Joanne's. Some ones I cut the boards in half and put smaller cuts on them . My fat quarters I roll them and and secure with thin ribbion and place in a basket. I find that this prevents creases in them that are hard to iron out. Hope this helps you with your storage of fabrics.

Before I moved here I used those throwaway plastic pants hangers from clothing and hung it in a closet. I could see it all and it stayed neater than the folds and stacks I use now but I have a smaller closet and got rid if the hangers.

if you have extra closet space hang your large pieces on pants hangers. they work great especially the ones that hold 3 or 4 pair of pants.

I fold mine on a 6 X 24 ruler. Then fold them in half. No matter what size your fabric is, they are all the same size. I have not yet sorted them in to 1/2 yds, yds & over yet but have thought about it. It took a lot of time & patience but has paid off twice over for me. I also keep an air freshener in mine too so they smell so good when they come out!

I had came across some fabric upstairs that had been stored in plastic totes for 10 years or more. I took it out, washed it and there seems to be no problems with it when I sew with it. Am I missing something? Should something be wrong with the fabric?

Love your storage unit. It is so neat. Looks so pretty seing all of the colors. You did a great job.