I get free fabric boards from Wal-Mart. After they scan them so they can order more, they trash them. I then give them to the local Thrift Shop for them to use. If I EVER get to the place I need more, off to Wal-Mart for more. You have to ask them to save them for you though. Give me some space and they get recycled.

Shelves are always nice. But..unless you have the kind of
glass in your windows that takes out the bad UV rays, be
sure you cover your fabric in some manner. The sunlight will fade
anything that is exposed to it. I even bought a fat qtr at
a shop one time, unfolded it and it was not useable due to
the fading. It would be a shame to ruin a nice stash.

Let's see if this will work. nope

Nice storage pinecone.

frarose - I wrap them around various kinds of 'boards' and stack them upright. I use foam core - cut into 7 1/2" X 20" from the 30" X 20" sheets. i buy them for $1 at Dollar stores. Others use comic book boards. Makes it very easy to take fabrics out and put them back on the shelf.

fontmomma - the cardboard from Walmart isn't meant for long term storage. It's not acid free, and it can damage your fabric.

I also vote for shelves. I have 2 of the stackable white cabinets that you can get at Wal-mart. I actually bought them at a store called Ames. I have had them so long that they do not even sell that size anymore. I just thought that I would put in my two or three cents worth. :lol: :lol:

Have a blessed day.

debra

PS-Good Luck letting DH know.

I prefer shelves where I can either fold like colors or wrap on fabric boards. This way I can see what I have, how much I have and it's easy to access. Drawers are out of the question. You have to pull everything out to see what you have, put it all back and do all over if you didn't find the right piece....NO WAY!!!

What are "comic book boards"?

Yes, pinecone, nice storage. Love your fabric. I have that same piney one that you have...light background with the pineneedles and cones. I recognized a few of what you have as being in my stash also.

Wow, you all seem sooo organised and I'm very jealous of your fab sewing rooms. I live in a two bedroom flat with five of us living in it. I am confined to the end of the hallway. I'm not looking for sympathy just some fabulous storage ideas. You all seem to be very good at this :thumbup:

I'll have to disagree with most of you as I like the wire basket drawers. The air can flow through and they don't get musty smelling. I have the fabric rolled on boards so it's easy to see what I have. Here's some pictures.

I have more variations of pinecone fabric, I'm always on the lookout when shopping. I didn't show you the flannel closet or the wire cubes that I have added from a store that went out of business. I have also added another shoe cubby for FQs but I still fold the fabric the same.

piney

Definitely shelves, they are much more efficient!
About 3 sq ft of floor space will give 15 to 18 linear feet of storage space. Multiply that by 3 units to equal the floor space occupied by Dresser drawers - can't even come close, plus it is much easier to find and compare colors

I love my drawers for the under one yard pieces, I have two sets of drawers sorted by color and theme(xmas, brights)and on top is my cutting mats. Shelves for the larger pieces.I will try and add a picture

This is how I have my fabric. Excuse the unfolded fabric, this was taken before I folded it and put it away.

Thank you to everyone for their great ideas and photos. My son has a sign business so he is going to make some boards for me.

No drawers, you cannot see all you have. I look to look at my fabric.

I have both drawers and boxes and I found that you cannot put a lot of fabric in them so you can see what they are as if I had shelves. I do not have the space for them so opted for the boxes and not buy too much fabric at one time.(NOT)
I recommend shelves if you can, tell your DH you need shelves.

Does anyone hang their fabric stash on hangers in a closet?

For years, my wife has always tended to buy at least 3 yards of any fabric that she added to her stash. Sometimes she would get 5-7 yards. To store her typically large pieces, she has enjoyed a walk-in closet with a seven-foot long hanging rod for her main fabric stash storage for a long time now. I added an additional support attached to the ceiling joists midway along the rod to hold the weight. She figured out a way to fold the fabrics on the hangers to use the space below the rod to the best advantage, and also could be folded one more time to cut off a piece when she needed it, sometimes without even removing the fabric from the hanger. She loved it.

There was one interruption to her system when we moved to another town for 5 years and she had to store all of her fabric in plastic tubs during that time. She hated it.

Now we’re back in the original house and her fabric is once again on hangers in the walk-in closet. The problem now is that we’re having my Mother come live with us in the next few months, and that closet is in the room we’ve decided to set up for Grandma (for several reasons to accommodate Grandma’s needs). The fabric stash will have to be moved.

We have another room with a walk-in closet that has only a five-foot long hanging rod, so we’re going to have to come up with something else to make up the difference. We’re thinking that a portable clothes hanging rack next to the closet may be an option. (The rest of the room is being used for storing our other junk.) She still sticks to her old ways of acquiring fabric in 3-7 yard pieces, even since fat quarters have become common. I don’t know if she even has a FQ in her stash at all, so her storage consists of pretty much large pieces only. She cuts her scraps up into useable-size blocks or strips shortly after completing each project, and those are stored in clear plastic tubs by size.

CD in Oklahoma

Once a top is made I sometimes hang it in the closet along with the backing, kit form. That way the backing doesn't get used for something else. I also have the leftover fabrics on the hanger too if I want to make a dresser scarf or a runner for the cedar chest.

piney

I have a few lengths on hangers.

WOW! That doesn't look messy to me. When you have fabric on shelves in your sewing room, how do you keep the light from fading the fabric?

Judy