You mean I'm suppose to be organized???!!!!!

Since the very beginning (1983) I have stored in folded stacks (approx. 12"x12") with folded edges to the front, by color, behind closed doors. Some of those stacks are too danged high by now, but most of this fabric is less than 2 yard lengths. I store flannels and obvious theme fabrics -- children's/holiday/patriotic/etc. -- separately. Backings, because of their yardage, are also stored separately.

I don't always have to pull out an entire stack to see if I have what I need since those folded edges face forward; that helps. As I really enjoy the 'auditioning' process, I also straighten up and restack whenever I have to pull out a piece or a stack.

A stash is a wonderful thing!! I have hundreds and hundreds of different fabrics even though many of them are only half a yard. Because of this I make quilt after quilt from just my stash and probably buy less than 6-7 yards of fabric a year now; a good thing as I couldn't afford it!!

Jan in VA

Jan, do you use the "ruler fold" method to keep things a similar size?

I probably have "hundreds and hundreds" myself, but since they're all in totes, bags, boxes, bins, and drawers, I don't really know WHAT I have.

MaryB, that really made me laugh!! I CAN be organized - but it usually doesn't look that way to others. I can put my hands on pretty much any tool I have - hopefully, I can get to a similar state with my stash.

I know I wouldn't be able to cope with a stash I couldn't see, so my stash is limited in size by the shelving I have available. I fold my fabric as I do when cutting it, and then fold it down one more time, and then fold that narrow piece in half or thirds or quarters (depending on its length), and then stack them on shelves by color with the fold facing out. Fat quarter bundles I keep together on a separate shelving unit in the hallway. Pieces larger than 2 yards I keep together on a bottom shelf. My stash is mostly in half yards and yards.

Scraps are another matter. I don't really have a working system for scraps. While piecing a quilt, I throw scraps in a dresser drawer. When the drawer is full, I empty it into garbage bags, which I keep on my bedroom closet floor. When I'm looking for something in particular, I dump the garbage bag out on my bed. Not an efficient system to say the least, lol.

A couple of years ago I made a serious effort at organizing my stash--with moderate success. My first separation was fat quarters apart from yardage (1/2 yard cuts and larger). FQ are folded into squares and sorted by color on shelves. I bought several packages of cardboard comic boards for folding the yardage. My yardage is separated first by type---solids, black/whites, batiks, neutrals and lastly prints. Each of these major types is then sorted by color on shelves like comic board 'books'. The last grouping is for scraps smaller than FQ size and is the least organized. I don't precut scraps and leave them intact until I pull them out for a project. They are loosely folded and sorted by color and darks/lights, and are stacked in clear plastic tubs. My whole stash fits in a walk-in closet that I added bookcase shelves to, so it is not as large as others have, but is still too large for my taste. Lastly, I do NOT save those cut off corners, etc that are smaller than 2" square, as I would just never use them---they just go in the trash as I go. Good luck in your efforts! It takes a few days of continuous effort at first, but once you make some progress taming your stash it feels really good!

I keep my fabric in bins. My batiks are sorted by color blue/purples/green in one oranges/yellows/reds in another and so forth. I keep anything around 6 x 8 or larger in the color bins. Once it gets down smaller or if I just don't like it, I cut it into 2.5, 2, 1.5 squares and put them in 2 gallon plastic bags (jumbled colors) in a laundry basket for scrap quilts. Prints are sorted into their own totes, Christmas, 30's and solids. Ect. and so forth. Every once and a while, I sort the lot and get rid of things I will never use.

My fabrics are sorted by color in bins. Fat quarters are in separate flat bins. I keep Christmas fabrics in another bin and baby fabric is also segregated. My stash is way to large but I love it. Wide backing fabric is kept together but I sometimes use regular fabric as backing and always use any large pieces of leftovers from the top on the backs. I have a large tub of small scraps and I make strips and turn them into donation quilts. I occasionally get rid of fabric I don't really think I will use and I donate that to a church group.

Nah, too much trouble.
I just fold yardage in half (as it came on the bolt) then in half again with the first fold up to the selvage.
Then I fold that in layers left to right (or right to left, LOL!) until it measures approx. the same size as the first folds. I guess the stacks really are approx. 11" square. It looks sort of like the way the shop folds your fabric into the bag when you make a purchase. I stack flat/horizontally, not upright.

Jan in VA

I will just discuss the scrap problem. I have a huge stash of beautiful fabric and get more donated to our charity group. I have a good friend that belongs to the same group. She spends hours sorting, cutting, etc scraps. She makes quilts out of them also. It takes a long time to make a top with itty bitty pieces.

I save only a couple of sizes I know I will actually use. 2 1/2 inch strips and 5 inch charms. I made 3 times as many quilts as her last year. I also work part time. She does not, I want to make quilts and not spend all this time processing scraps. Plus it is a big mess.

My sewing room is small and I just don't have room for all those different systems. I often gift a box of scraps to whoever wants them.

When I moved I finally reorganized my sewing fabric as follows:
1. The garment sewing phase of my life is pretty much a closed chapter. I donated the fabrics not suitable to quilting to a local refugee group and Goodwill.
2. I purchased stacking plastic drawers next.
3. I squared off the ends of my fabric pieces and cut up those scraps in 2" pieces and larger, whatever seemed to make the best use out of the scraps and put those in mini stacking drawers by size for future scrappy quilts. That took the most time, so I worked on it a little at a time. It works very well to fold the remaining fabric you are storing around a cutting ruler. Slip it off, fold it in half for a neat look.
4. I put all my backing sized pieces in a trunk I own.
5. I have a drawer dedicated to future projects or orphan squares. It also works well to separate projects in cardboard containers with short sides (like soda cans are sold in).
6. I separated all my plain or almost plain fabrics and stored them together.
7. I have a lot of batiks which I stored together.
8. I separated plaids, checks and large prints.
9. I stored the remaining prints by color families.
10. I have a scrap bin on my cutting table and when it is full I force myself to cut it up into usable pieces.
This has worked well for me. I hope it helps you too.