I agree on the fabric folding around the 6 1/2 ruler and then folding in half to get a piece of fabric that is about 22 inches deep.

The other thing I would suggest is to then get a way to make the shelves less tall as well.

In the kitchen section at Walmart they have shelf dividers for plates and cups and things. I have used those with much success.

This way, you can stack the fabric up high but taking out the bottom one doesn't tumble them all over!

Here is a picture from my old studio in the last house.

I used plastic boxes that were about 16 x 10x 7 inches. I put them on their sides on the shelves which made it easy to pull a box off without having to dig it out from under something. Also the boxes are not truly clear, but you can see what colors are in the box without taking the lid off.
Here is the link that shows a picture of what I'm talking about.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-33984-1.htm

If this is interesting to you, PM me--I've since change my method and have a bunch of empty boxes you might be interested in.

This is so uplifting. I am not alone. This looks like a pic from my sewing room.

We "Janets" must think alike (my name too!). I folded all of my fabrics according to this tutorial, and have them neatly folded on shelves. And leaving them at the 6 x 22 inch width makes perfect sense. You could have your fat quarters at the full 18" width. I like having the fabric on the shelf rather than in bins, because I can see it so much more easily. I used to store mine in bins, and got tired of lugging the heavy bins of fabric in and out of the closet. C9P

How about tubs and stack the fabric on end front to back by color families and then you can pull the tubs out to look at the stash. The tubs can be about 6 inches tall. I guess the fabric would have to be rolled on carboard to make it stand up. Take care.
Linda

I am thinking using the tubs like drawers without the tops on them. I hope this makes sense.
Linda

No worry. I just did this. First I went to Joann's and got the cardboard from the bolts of fabric. Took about 25 that cuts up to 7x11 pieces. wrap your fabric around it and organize by color. Put back row vertical with a horizontal row laying in front so you can view both rows at a glance. I love it and it has been so helpful when I need to match fabric.

My shelves are just like the ones pictured. I am very happy with the plastic bins. This tutorial was very helpful to make my storage even easier. Thanks for posting this concern.

Great ideas all over the place. I have the same problem. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

I just did this with my stash and it worked out just wonderfully! The only thing I did differently was to cut a stack of index cards in half, then MEASURE the fabric, write down the measurement on one of the index card pieces, then staple it to the folded fabric. No more guessing if a piece will work in a given pattern.
The other thing you can do is keep your projects in plastic bags, but put a certain number of them into a plastic bin, and put a LABEL on the front of the bin indicating what is in those plastic bags (ie: pattern name, or book, and what is needed). The only problem I have with bags and bins is that stuff gets "lost" and a year or two later you're saying "I didn't know I had that!" So label, label, label! Invest in a label maker...they are fairly inexpensive and it makes it fun to get organized.