If you have room to stack bins would you have room for a couple of bookcases? They hold gobs of material and instead of folding my material I roll it, I can see everything at a glance.

Try stacking the totes, one on top of each other, no lids, open part facing you. You then have your own shelving unit made from the three bins Then stack your folded fabrics inside each bin, however you want them organized: by color, flannels, batiks, etc. What you'll have is your own home-made shelving unit. You can add separate small bins within the largeer bins for scraps or whatever. If you want to keep the fabric dust free you can throw a pretty sheet or flannel-backed vinyl over the unit. I hope this can work for you. It's so great to have your stash set up so you can look at it!
Angela

Peggi...
I want to give your mushy faced dog a BIG *KISS*. He/she is adorable!!!! I have Boxers.. I love smushy faced dogs...lol

I fold the same way. :-)

You are not Robinson Crusoe...

Beautiful organization. :D :D :D

Me too.

I think I would at least sort by your main colors, then maybe values within those colors. You can wrap the fabric around pieces of cardboard to keep them orderly and maybe get them all back into your original 4 tubs.

Beautiful! I wish I had a shelving system like that

I can see this as a problem when choosing fabric for a project. I have to have organization in my sewing room, as well as throughout my house.
If you have a closet you can install wire bins for your fabric.
They will help you organize your fabric so you can see the fabric, this allows you to pull out the correct piece. They pull out for easy access. Underneath my bins, I have a coardboard box computer paper came in for my scraps. They are pressed, strips and squares are separated.
When this box gets full I make a charity quilt.
I would definitly work out some sort of organization for your fabric stash. :D

I have found a way to organize my fabrics that works for me. I posted about it some time ago. I use file cabinets (I have 2 now, one letter and one legal size). I went out to make a french braid table runner a while back with 12 different fabrics and had them chosen in 30 minutes! And not other fabrics left lying around to put back! I have learned since I posted that it works best if you cut the folded part out of the hanging file and leave a couple of inches on the metal hanger instead of using the entire folder.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-101327-1.htm

Do you have any closet space?

I bought 2 sweater storage units (see below) and they, together, only take 24" of rod space.

the drawers come separately and I use them for patterns, fusible webbing, etc.......

I also bought the shoe storage hanger for FQs, works great.

I had the same problem and then bought two inexpensive book shelves and spent two days "bonding" with my fabric as I wrapped each piece around cardboard and put them in their appropriate color coded space. Love it now as I can look at the shelves and see all that I have without digging in bins.

and here is where I store my scraps for my PPing .

Every little bit helps....one never knows when one will need just a tiny piece of yellow, blue or green.

With these deli containers (Hillshire Farms, Butterball, etc.....) I can now find any color needed.....at a moment's notice.

Works great for me.

I go through my fabric pieces when looking for something specific. I don't really mind the hunt, lol, I find the search so relaxing. Love to go through and think about where the fabric came from and what it was used for originally.

Aside from my shelving (from IKEA) I keep a smaller stash in one of those 3-drawer plastic containers. They are about the size of a small nightstand. I find they are perfect for holding what I need for my WIP which allows me to keep my main stash tidy. My sewing 'nook' is open to my finished basement family room, so I'm 'obligated' to keep it looking neat and organized.

Great advice. I sort and sort and sometimes get it right, but I have 9 large bins of "stuff" including unquilted tops. I dutifully label each tub and most of the time I can find what I am looking for.

Thank you for letting me know I am not alone.

For a long long time I did not any space for fabric, but that has changed so I have lots of space now.
I would suggest to empty your tubs, sort your fabric by color. Fold evenly,set your tub on end and pack your neatly folded fabric in each tub. I think you will amazed what you can get into one tub. And, use one tub for misc. Good luck! :

Really?! THIS is the chaos?! I would LOVE to have my scraps this contained!! Of course, you need o feel comfortable, but believe me, this is not bad at all!!

I go to the fabric stores and ask for the bolts that they throw away and go home take them apart and cut to size I need to roll my stash on Would work great in your tubs as well
good luck to you
God Blessings

If you have a garage, you can buy a large cabinet with doors and store fabrics there. It is kind of like the store - you have to go get it, but it can be organized and easy to find. You can put smaller clear plastic totes on the shelves. Mark the totes with what is in it (Christmas fabrics, childrens) etc. Maybe not the most ideal answer, but it does work.

Dear New Best friend...finally a stash that looks just like mine....

I found that those under the bed shoe storage bins work great. I fold my fabric like I usually do, with my 6x24 ruler, then fold them in half and lay them sideways in each compartment. I can fit about 5-6 pieces of fabric in each section. There are 12 sections. The lid is see through vinyl and the whole thing zips to keep out dust. They are one of those "As Seen on TV" products. I got them at Hancock Fabrics. You can probably get them wherever "As Seen on TV" products are sold.

My husband made me shelves in an extra bedroom. I then sorted some of my fabric by color. I left my silks in a tub , my velvets in a tub and any other fancy fabrics in another tub. I marked my tubs with what the contents are. Since then I have gotton much more so I have a triple dresser and an antique hutch full. Good luck.

Am I the only one missing the pertinent point. DO something with that stash! What is the point of storing it, building shelves to see it. When you bought it you thought it was great. Just "DO It!" Do something with it.

I know some of you have a quilt store.

I'm asking "regular" quilters why build up stash?

I hear ya, sister!!!!

This is how mine is organized and I love it.

if you have closet space , try getting the hanging shoe or sweater organizer , they hold cubby bins or just fabric, doesnt really take that much space away from you either.

My who house is CHAOS--Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome!

Here's what I use. I cut these for members on this board only. I love the idea of the file cabinets, but in the end I think they take up as much room as a bookcase would. Also, I know the green hangers are not acid free. That concerns me a lot.
Don't know if something like this would work for you, but you can check my feedback and see that several of us here use this method. Just please whatever you do, be careful of using anything that can hurt your fabrics.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-160745-1.htm

[quote=QuiltingKrazy]

I use acid free comic book boards then they are on shelves, that has made my quilting life so much more efficient. Comic book boards would work inside totes too.

I personally can't afford foam core boards so I read a suggestion to use acid free comic book boards, which you can purchase at a comic book dealer or online like at Amazon. 100 for about $10.00 .

I will admit they are not as substantial or as wonderful as the foam boards that another member here offers. I do wish I could afford hers. I went through nearly 300 comic book boards, so for me acid free comic book boards was the most economical for the amount of fabric I had.

I will try posting pictures, please don't look at the messiness of the rest of the room :0) ....the pictures will show some fabric leaning but that is because I taken some fabric out for projects. I use book ends if the shelf isn't completely full, which is nearly never... My DH took out hanging bars and built shelves across an entire closet, floor to ceiling that is in the sewing room, which holds most all of the full bolts of fabric that are 8-15 yards, plus other assundry quilting/craft items...On the comic boards I've easily been able to get up to 8 yards.

Again, I now can see what fabric I have at a glance it's been wonderful...plus it was fun to go through every piece of fabric I had, some had been buried in piles I'd completely forgotten I had. A lot was donated...boy have my tastes changed! Anytime I can handle fabric it's a good day!

May The Lord Bless and Keep You Safe

I could sew with you! I could bring mine to the sew in and we both will have to open about everything to find a fabric that works, ot in my case find too many that works so I have trouble deciding which to use.
I seem to work better in chaos/clutter/ and time crunch.

You could use Clear Tubs they come in all sizes from Shoe box Size and larger... and you can stack them, you could organize by color...

Sounds like your stash is just like mine was until about a month ago when I ran across a site that gave suggestions about how to cut stash into usable-width strips for storage. Since your pieces are on the smaller size (like mine), the wrapping- around- the cardboard thing probably isn't what you need. Here's her advice:

Cut strips in the following sizes: 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3.5" (or whatever width you seem to use the most).
From 1/2 yd of fabric, you can cut the following: three 1.5" strips, three 2" strips, and three 2.5" strips.
Anything 6" or wider, store with fat quarters.

Then, when you are ready for a scrappy project, all those strips are ready to be cut into the size squares (or whatever) that you need.

Of course, this takes TIME, but I accomplished a little each day, and I'm retired, which certainly helps! I then put my strips into labeled zip-lock bags by color and stored these bags in some of those cheap plastic stacking drawer units that you can get at WalMart, Target, etc. I am so HAPPY when I walk by my scrap stash now, and I'm motivated to get busy on some super-scrappy quilts, which I love.

Sounds like your stash is just like mine was until about a month ago when I ran across a site that gave suggestions about how to cut stash into usable-width strips for storage. Since your pieces are on the smaller size (like mine), the wrapping- around- the cardboard thing probably isn't what you need. Here's her advice:

Cut strips in the following sizes: 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3.5" (or whatever width you seem to use the most).
From 1/2 yd of fabric, you can cut the following: three 1.5" strips, three 2" strips, and three 2.5" strips.
Anything 6" or wider, store with fat quarters.

Then, when you are ready for a scrappy project, all those strips are ready to be cut into the size squares (or whatever) that you need.

Of course, this takes TIME, but I accomplished a little each day, and I'm retired, which certainly helps! I then put my strips into labeled zip-lock bags by color and stored these bags in some of those cheap plastic stacking drawer units that you can get at WalMart, Target, etc. I am so HAPPY when I walk by my scrap stash now, and I'm motivated to get busy on some super-scrappy quilts, which I love.

Joanns will give you the card boards that had fabric I just cut them in half so they fit my stack boxes

Keep showing it. It's an inspiration to organize for those of us who cannot afford to purchase shelving/furniture for fabric storage.

:thumbup:

I've tried tubs, baskets, boxes which all work to a degree. If I want to remain tidy and organized, I need to never go into the sewing room and what fun is that. Once I start planning and rooting around, all organization goes right out the window.

I would fold them and keep colors together. Put your tubs ln there sides it is like a shelf. Thats what I dfo with mine.