I loved the question about how much material in your stash and the answers were varied, but I have been quilting for less than a year and am building my stash, Now what I am wondering is what it the best way to organize your stash. I seem sort of scattered. Should it be by color only, size of remnant, what are the best storage containers? I will be interested to see how others do it.Thanks for your help, I am getting lots of help and ideas from this board. Rita

Mine is sorted by the length of the cut and then by color. All the fat quarters are in a dresser. The half yards and yards are in another dresser that's my cutting table. All the two yard cuts are in stacks in a bookcase. Anything longer than that is wound on coroplast boards and on the bookcase and on some open shelves.

Mine is sorted by color mostly. I do have some by category such as florals, animal fabrics, Christmas, Halloween, other holidays, baby, etc. I have my stash in covered opaque totes with labels on the ends even tho I can tell the colors thru the sides. They are stacked in my spare bedroom closet. Sometimes it's a pain to be unstacking and then restacking the totes (I always want the fabric in the bottom tote!), but I figure that's part of my "keep limber so I can continue quilting" exercise program!

I will upload a picture of my storange containers in a little bit for you to see :)

I have my fabric all folded neatly and just organized via color. My sizes of the fabrics all vary so the colors are easier for me to organize.

It basically comes down to what makes you feel the best :)

mine is sorted by length and color

I sort by general size and then by color. I find the hanging shoe bag closet organizers are great for FQ's and I use the hanging sweater organizers for larger pieces of, say, 1-3 yards. If they are larger, I like to keep them on bolts and just stack them on a shelf. I generally buy muslin for background and backing by the bolt when on sale and just cut what I need each time. I also keep all scraps for applique by color in stacking clear plastic boxes. Having said that, I also keep my Xmas fabs together, child prints together (someday hoping to have a grandchild!) and felts together. I also have a section with plastic zip-lock bags of trims-laces etc. I do like my fabric organized so it makes it much easier to see what I have when "shopping" in my stash for a project. I also love looking at it and feeling it each time I dig in!!!

I'm a scrap quilter with literally thousands of remnants. They're sorted by color (and sub-color) and are "displayed" in hanging baskets from the closet rod. I took the bi-fold doors off the closet. Solids are in a separate open tote on the floor of the closet. Squares from swaps (OMG how many!) are filed by color in two filing cabinets with hanging files. Jelly rolls and strips are stored in plastic shoe-box size totes in a bookcase that also serves as a side table for my cutting area. Yardage (very little) is in a separate tote in the other closet in the room.

I sort by color and have them in a tall bookshelf. I have a separate shelf for holiday, Americana, flannel, and juvenile. I keep the fat quarters and scraps separate, but everything else is in the bookshelf.

For a uniform fold, I fold the selvage to the fold and then in however many folds I need to fit the shelf. Does that make sense? Fabric is usually 44", and is 22" as it comes off the bolt. By folding it this way, I end up with all pieces 11" wide and can make the length whatever I need to fit the shelf.

Mine is sorted by length only. I don't do color sorting not yet anyway. I've only been quilting for about a year also :)

I sort differently, what ever works for you :wink:
I have batiks, seasonal, tonal/blenders, prints, juvenile, etc... this system works better for me than just by color :D:D:D

I keep trying to find a way that works for me. The problem with sorting by color is that if there isn't a dominant color I don't know where to put it. This mostly happens with florals for me.
My current way is long yardage together, then batiks, novelty prints, Christmas, and all the rest by color (sort of) I put fat quarters, charms etc in a seperate 6 drawer plastic unit.

Mine is sorted by project. Or, you could think of it as sorted by type. Repro, 30's, modern giant print, modern smaller print, etc.

I try to keep the projects in a near area if bought for one project, then reminants together, scraps and pieces together, solids together...... and sometimes where ever they land :)
Clear as mud :)
Your space do it your way!!

I tend to buy fabrics from a single line or ones that I picked out to go together so I store them together like that. But right now they are folded and stuffed into a cabinet. I bought some of those comic book boards to fold them onto and organize but they seem kinda flimsy. I read about it on several blogs. I know about the plastic sign material but I couldn't find a sign shop that has it around here.

There was somebody on here who either sold them or had a relative that sold the coroplast organizers on ebay but I can't find them now. I have a couple of hundred of them and they make organizing your fabric really easy.

Found it!

http://quiltfabricorganizers.com/

I'll take my chances with the comic book boards. lol. I got 100 for $15 shipped. If I have to I can double up or reinforce them but it seems like the people who have used them haven't needed to.

Still working on it but I use baskets marked with what is in it.By color or by print (dogs, cats, holiday) then handdyes etc are separate. I am sure I will refine as I go along setting up my new room

Those election signs alng the side of the road are usually coroplast. Now that the elections are over most candidates don't mind if you pick thses up, they just chuck them anyway
David

I collect fabrics for a certain quilt and keep them together. (ie: Christmas Log Cabin, Matthew's Florence quilt, Michael's blue quilt, Barby's purple quilt, etc) Some types of fabric, I collect "just because" and I keep those together. (30's repros, Civil War repros, Kansas Troubles, coffee prints, fall, Christmas, etc.)

I keep the wide backings separately, unless I find one that's perfect for one of the projects, in which case it stays with its project. Almost everything is in huge bins and like the other poster, I always want something that's in the bottom bin. :D

I do needleturn landscapes etc quilts. So I sort my stash by color and also by sky,grasses,water, trees etc.

I sort mine by colors and then shelf them. If I have a
particuclar quilt to make or plan to make I put the
materials together. Works for me.

dude

Just cleaned out my stash yesterday...I sorted by yards, then by large pieces, folded and stacked into my cupboard.
Then the cut pieces I sorted by size, 3" cuts, 4"cuts, etc.
These are in separate small boxes. Lengths are all together - from 6" x 4" wide to as long as they are. I have two large pieces I am saving for backing which are at the bottom of the cupboard. I dont have a lot of space, but now that it is all organized, it looks better and it is easier to find what I am looking for.

I use decorative boxes - Joann's and Tuesday Morning sell them as well as other stores. They have lids that lift up. They are on shelves. These hold all the small (1/2 yd or less) pieces. They are sorted by small print then large print. Then by color. I do a lot of applique so this works best for me.

The larger fabrics are larger boxes. I label the boxes too. The only problem is that I can't see in the boxes, but I have learned what holds what - most of the time.

My stash is assorted by color. With a separate section for childrens prints, and solids. And I have a separate section for my tone on tone for background fabrics. I think separating by color is the best for pulling fabrics when you are starting a new project. Strore your fabric away from sunlight and in away so the fabric can breath. :thumbup:

Me too! And I also like to put pieces together that I think look nice together and may use in a project later.

Right now what works for me is sorting by color which can be difficult sometimes. I also have a bin of fabrics that I call my "jungle prints" and one for the "kids prints" and then one for "Early American" and "Country".

Wow So many ideas, my head is spinning. thanks so much I have lots to choose from . Rita

i sort mine by color mostly,tho i try to keep certain fabrics that were bought for specific projects together so i dont use them for something else!:)
i also buy more than enough for projects so i have scraps left over for another quilt later.i recently made a quilt for myself-have quilted for 40 yrs and didnt have one of my own-made out of scraps from many other quilts i have made.didnt have any $ in it at all.in the process of sorting all fabric into a huge cupboard bought especially for my fabric.congrats on being a new quilter! it's a great hobby.....

You can do what works best for your way of thinking/designing. Mine are by color. I like it because I can see at a glance what colors I have too much of, and what colors I'm needing more of. I tend to end up with tons of blue and none of orange. That way when I go into a fabric store with nothing in mind, I know not to buy certain colors and look for the ones I need.

The corrugated plastic signboard is available in 4'X 8' sheets at the big hardware stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Rona etc. I can get 48 out of one sheet for about $20 Can.
That works out pretty good in my book.
Now if I would just spend the time to get all my fabrics ONTO them. :)

Not at my home depot. I checked 3 different stores in town along with the sign shops. Nothing. :(

Mine is sorted by which pile I can add it to without the whole thing falling over. I still have some boxes of fabric I moved here with hriu'gihf years ago cause the movers put them in the closet. I am planning to move my sewing room to my bedroom and my bedroom to what is now my sewing room cause it takes much less room to sleep than it does to quilt. I have molted into my dining room and living room so maybe I should just find another house to live in.

Some of mine is sorted that way too. It's like a game. A twisted one.

Gale I use Ploar Notions plastic organizing boards to try to get my stash together. They are a nice hard plastic so you don't have the flimzy problem.
I got them at polarnotions.com
I tried the other coragated oranizing boards but wasn't as impressed with them.
What I like is that you can stack ou fabric on end like they do on bolts in the fabric stores so you can see what you have like books on shelves.
Hope this is a help .
Merry Christmas kjym Kathy

I use the polar notion plastic boards to fold my stash on and think they are great. you can buy them at polarnotions.com .
That way you can put your fabric on end like they do at the fabric shops on the bolts. I have a cabinet with glass doors that I got at the Ikea store so they all stay nice and dust free and it looks like alot of colorful books on the shelves.
Before using these and the cabinets I had all my fabric sorted in plastic bins. but it always seemed that the one I wanted was at the bottom of the pile and those bins get very heavy to pile and unpile.
I love the cabinet /Bookshelf idea it sure saves the back from lifting and bending.
Also the one cabinet I have has drawers on the lower half so I have my Fat Quarters sorted standing on end so I can see the edges so that is really great also.
Have a Merry Christmas kjym Kathy

My stash is, for the most part, by color. But also divide them out by fabrics from one line stored in a bin drawer labeled "sets." Another drawer for "Children." Another labeled, "Themes," which holds animal prints, beach, food, etc..." Another bin drawer holds aunt grace type fabric. Another hold flannel. But the bulk is sorted by color on not-tall-enough bookcase with glass doors. I also have a basket that holds charms.

I have managed to sort my fabric in several sections;

Future quilts; I keep a pile of fabric for future quilts because I don't always have all the fabric at once, so I buy as I have money and eventually end up with enough to make that particular quilt. I have at least 7 future quilts.

Kids prints in one pile, with smaller pieces on top. All folded neatly. All my fabric is piled vertically since I never got to make those cards to store them horizontally.

Whites, creams, beiges
Dark prints
Light prints
Florals
Plaids
baskets for scraps; reds/oranges, blues/purples, blacks, whites/beige, greens, browns.

And it is all stacked neatly on my 4'x7' wooden bookcase my husband made specifically for my fabric. I don't know exactly how I came to this sorting, but it works for me. I know every fabric I have because I ironed, folded, stacked and sorted all of it. At one time, I even reorganized it because something just didn't look right. I also have a whole other shelf for blends. That's a must since I won't put any of those in my quilts. I usually reserve that fabric for making new doggie beds or something the kids want. And I keep all my clippings and stuff it into a plastic bag so I can save for a new doggie bed. Why throw it out if I can use it there.

I really don't know if there is any one system that suits every quilter out there. We each have our own needs and what works for me may seem completely unorganized to someone else.

Best way I found, is hiding it from my husband - however 6 large totes in the middle of the room, is sometimes hard to explain

I do it three ways. I go by color, and then theme such as Oriental, Christmas, kid fabric, Batiks, etc, and then a basket of scraps. Jan

I can't seem to get a system working for me. I started out by color and size, now its all a jumble again after auditioning fabrics for quilts. Go figure