Organizing Without Plastic
 

I keep all of my fabric in plastic bins, but honestly, I hate the plastic. Every time I start searching for other storage solution, (and not just for my fabric,) I run into more and more plastic...augh! I'd love to hear about the storage solutions that you've found that are more organic and earthy in nature. Wood, ceramic, plant materials, even metal would beat out plastic in my mind. Thanks.

~ C

I'll throw out one idea. I use those 1930s Pyrex refrigerator dishes with covers in the kitchen and I love them. They come in various sizes and are bright and colorful. They also come in clear. These might work in the craft room too. I found mine on Ebay.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/80/9f/a3/8...361876a724.jpg

~C

This canvas bin with pom poms is way cute: https://www.crateandbarrel.com/pehr-...nt-bin/s512183 You could put your own pom poms on something already made and maybe on something larger to hold fabrics.

Or, you could just buy it. Time is money.

~ C

The craft stores sell wooden crates you could use.

Target has some nice canvas storage bins. I have a couple of them to put my craft books in and when I need a book to look at then I can just pull out the bin and get the book I need.

I can't see through wood or cloth containers. Glass is too heavy and a safety issue for me with tile flooring. Clear plastic containers of all sizes are not the most attractive but the most efficient for me.

I buy cardboard "Banker Boxes" from office supply stores. The best are archival quality, but that's usually a budget stretch for me, so I buy heavy duty and line with acid free archival quality tissue paper. The lighter weight lids do not last well, heavy is the way to go.

The boxes are a consistent size, and that size fits prepped fabric very well! That is yardage folded in 4ths across the width. You can stack them easily 4-5 boxes high. While a full box does get heavy, weight isn't too much of an issue. I still have a few pieces of fabric that I bought in the 70s/early 80s, along with vintage fabrics, and light protection is a concern of mine.

I sort by general types or colors, so I have a dark blue box and a light blue box. I have a box just of cat fabrics. I have other color or theme boxes, some 23-26 total... I just write on the outside of the carton "Green" or whatever it may be and make sure to stack with the color name facing out. If I change/reduce my fabric, I write the current contents on a piece of paper and tape it over the old name.

It is very important if you store in cardboard that you have no issues with bugs, and that you never ever store cardboard directly on a cement slab floor. If will wick up trace amounts of moisture and you will get the musty smell and it will attract critters. Even though my sewing room does not have a cement floor, I keep my boxes on rolling racks so they can get air flow.

Check out QVC. They have a current sale on fabric boxes with windows. I don't know what size you are looking for. They have a few different versions. I am planning to order the larger ones to keep my quilts and bedding in. I like the fact they have windows, also metal inserts to hold the shape, and stack.

I use the wire basket systems for fat quarters and charm packs. Embroidery thread and serger cones are stored on dry erase board with golf tees glued onto it.

The baskets come if different sizes including height and width. I have 4 units for storage in the sewing room. The 4 drawer unit rolls right under the cutting table. The 7 drawer unit is under the ironing station. Drawers can be changed according to needs as long as you have the same width on the drawers.

https://www.containerstore.com/s/elf...ccessories/123

Yardage is ruler folded with 6.5 wide ruler, folded in half, and stored on closet shelves. I'm considering a metal storage cabinet and adding casters so they can be moved if needed.

https://www.officedepot.com/a/produc...age-Cabinet-4/

Finally, these are on my wish list for some-day.

https://www.uline.com/BL_3939/Clear-View-Cabinets

I like glass display cabinets. Ikea has affordable ones. The glass allows you to see what’s inside while reducing dust.

You might consider upcycling an old curio cabinet or hutch, or a bookshelf with a curtain to keep out dust and light.

I don't have the pyrex dishes but I did go with the glass type. Didn't care for plastic in my kitchen either. Now any plastic I still have must have lost its lid so went out to my workshop to hold screws, etc. Love my glass storage dishes.

Plastic is one of the cheaper material which is probably why you keep running into more of it. I try not to store any fabric in plastic as sometimes it will absorb the smell of the plastic especially if you live in a warmer climate. All my fabric is stored in a walk-in closet on open shelving for the most part. For organization purposes, I do use a lot of smaller see-through bins from the dollar store, not for fabric unless its short term. I love the canvas bins but you can't see what's in them. What is it you are trying to store or are you just looking to get away from plastic?

When I had the sewing studio designed I had drawers installed in my cabinets so I could maximize the use. I use one side of 5 drawers for notions and tools and the other side for fabrics. I took only a single picture. It has turned out to be very useful.

Antique items can be used for odd items, like an old fly fishing rod case for gift wrap and ribbon, suitcase covered with travel stickers for travel books, "puzzle boxes" for modern day sewing attachments, artist boxes for small sewing stuff, decorative tins for clips. You never know what you'll find when snooping around thrifts, CL, Ebay and antique stores.

~C

These are nice boxes to make. It looks like the instructions are very thorough. I'd make them longer and flatter, so it would be easy to see my folded stash of fabrics.

https://sew4home.com/fabric-storage-...ather-handles/

~ C

Is this for storage in your new She Shed?
How be those handy men folk complete the job and make exactly what you want? :)


Wicker baskets/boxes?
I have some that came complete with attached lids, and handle holds on the ends.

Make your own quilted bins?
Of course, it all somewhat depends on how much you are wanting to store in each.
Lots of options to "customize" them, shape and size wise and for handling.
Like your Crate and Barrel pom-pom one?
Could even make them somewhat solid and stable, using the super-heavy stabilizer (pellon brand?).

Cover boxes with fabric?
Could be fun picking some fabric you absolutely love!

While I love your pyrex boxes, I would be nervous for them in any numbers.
Could be a fun touch for storing smaller things on a shelf ... pins? needles?
smaller notions? rotary cutters and scissors?

I'd like to pretty up my fabric storage, though for me I have stayed with plastic.
Somewhat rugged for moving around. Easy to stack.
Painters tape on the ends for labeling is easily changed or removed.
Plus should there ever be a flood, there is built in protection!

Ha ha!, Yeah...I wish. No, I'm probably going to have to stay in my cramped space for a while. I might as well adorn it with beauty and space saving storage.

~ C

I have a lot of wicker baskets, some with fabric liners, that I like to use. They can be a bit pricey in the stores, but I've purchased most of mine at garage and estate sales for very reasonable prices.

Make sure that all that beautiful and space saving storage is totally movable
to your She Shed when the time comes! :)

I love this practicle and attractive. Move over efficient.

I used to be a book collector...now that I have donated most of my books and prefer to download them from the local library both for listening and reading, I found I had a bunch of unused book shelves...some with glass doors....so yeppers….I am using them for my quilting. Ok, some still have my books on them but they are quilting books. I have some old lead glass doors covering bookshelves on either side of the fireplace...and yep...two of those shelves hold all my long arm thread. I have a large deep shelved lawyers bookcase with glass doors that hold a lot of my stash neatly folded and stacked on the top three shelves. On the bottom shelve, I have a stack of backings and a couple of fabric bins for odds and ends. My dad had made a bookcase around the stairs for the attic and I am also using them for fabric storage too in shoe box sized plastic containers which hold various sized scrap fabrics I have cut like strips and squares, strings, and selvages. I also have a row of assorted book shelfs along one wall and have fabric stacked on them. I do cover these shelves with an old sheet to keep dust and sun off...thought about making curtains but as the attic is just used for storage including my rolls of batting, the sheets work just fine for now. Hoping to downsize my stash someday so it all can fit lawyers bookcase downstairs...will be a while...

Something like this appeals to me.https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/billy-o...ass-s89017832/

since the plastic you keep finding has already been manufactured you won't help or harm the environment by getting it or passing it by.

if it fits your needs and budget you might as well use it.
it will last "forever" so that's something, at least.

if it saves you enough money you can always make a donation to your favorite enviro-cause. :-)

I upcycled a pie safe for fabric. Perfect depth. A bolt of fabric lies flat, FQs and jelly rolls stack two deep.

I also watch for sales and coupons for these decorative storage boxes from Joann Fabrics. They come in all sizes. One size is perfect for a 12.5” block. Also a way I keep in progress. BOM fabric and blocks all in one place. Perfect to stack on the metal shelf I confiscated from DH’s workshop.

https://www.joann.com/large-decorati...torage&start=1

Yes, but there's something to be said for esthetics.

~ C

I had opaque plastic shoe boxes for fabric storage that were about 20 years old. Some started to smell oddly. Maybe the plastic was deteriorating. I thought about making some fabric bins in different colors - I had seen some on various website. But I finally opted to replace all the shoe boxes with new, clear plastic ones from the Container Store. I love them. They sit on top of each other compactly and I can see exactly what's inside. Works for me.

I have an old wardrobe cabinet that’s divided into two sides. I stacked cube storage things in each side and wrapped my fabric on magazine boards. The fabric fits perfectly in the cubes, and the wardrobe protects from light and dust.

IKEA is another place that I love when it comes to great, storage ideas. I found this little, wooden, storage unit for only $19.99: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/moppe-m...wood-40216357/

I already have the magazine holders that match it, so I'm getting this for my office area of my loft. I may experiment with it as a quilting projects holder.

~ C

Here's another item from IDEA that I like. However, there is some recycled polyester in it. Still, all of the sizes look very stylishand functional for storing my stash: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/rabbla-...ents-90348124/

~ C

I just purchased some colorful baskets from Michaels had a sale plus 20% off whole bill I have some rose baskets n kids from Joann’s that I’m storing my precuts in plus what my sisters are going to cut for me also have some Tupperware that I got from my daughter that 5” charms fit in perfectly trying to shape up my stash n watching for those little critters that r trying to move in for the winter

I know all that I've said about plastic and I still hold to that, but I'm on a tight budget right now, so I'm giving into a little plastic. I've been using those plastic bins that salad mix comes in to store my current projects. They're about the size of a shoebox and they're very practical. I can see through them, stack them and I'm up-cycling them too. I can easily toss them when I'm done with my project, or when I can afford my, "no plastic," storage.

I've been in the fabric moratorium thread for a couple years now. I really try to not buy fabric but I still want to. Anyway, last couple of days I've been discussing my next organization push and just today, I bought a nice set of banker boxes from Costco. Going to set up a major sorting/organizing/reboxing project in the hallway after my trip next week. There's more about the process and a link to the boxes in this post:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/8416771-post944.html

Those plastic salad bins certainly have many desirable qualities and I've used them as temporary project boxes before to keep stuff together while in process.

I have stored fabric in big clear plastic tubs and it worked fine. Easy to see what colors are in there. Now I have wire shelves in a closet actually two closets. No sun or dust, I keep the doors shut when I don't need fabric.

I don't like some things because most are designed to hold a few items, anymore and they collapse.

Use what you can afford and don't worry about anything else.

I use office "wood" and "wire" paper in/out type trays. They easily stack, can move easily from one location to close sewing machine area. I also have found vintage swimming wire locker trays. I have various sizes. These are great for fabric. I use the "vintage" wood coke, pepsi, etc. pop boxes. Vintage crates are good to stack for books, pattern folders, magazines. I use cafeteria trays to layout fabric blocks and easily take to the ironing board location as well as my sewing station. These trays can be stacked. Cloth bins are another alternative to plastic. Making "storage boxes from diaper or cereal boxes" are another option I have seen others make.

I found an art deco china cabinet that I can hide those weird things like template plastic, stabilizers, etc in the lower part and sort fabrics by type/color on the shelves. I like that it's possible to keep clean with the glass doors. I also use an old 5 drawer chest for other fabrics (drawer of panels; patterns; etc. I really like being able to keep it dust free, but easy access.

That reminds me. I just started using an antique cookie/candy tin to store my cut pieces while I'm working on a quilt. They fit nice and neat in there and when I'm done working I close the lid and it becomes a pretty piece of home decor.

Update:

I received this storage unit yesterday. My sewing area is part of my office and I was planning on using it to store things such as computer checks, envelopes, pens, etc. However, The drawers are just a tad too shallow, front to back, for many of these things to fit. Grrrr...I should have measured carefully first. I also ordered some pretty, printed, cardboard boxes and the same thing...most standard items just don't quite fit. It must be the difference between US and European sizes. Everything is just a little smaller over there. That being said, everything looks cute on my desk and I'm sure I'll eventually find things to fit into all of my new, little, storage spaces.

I went to the local copy center (Kinkos or similar) and asked for empty copy paper boxes they were going to toss. They are similar to banker boxes but had held reams of paper. They gave them to me for free. I did reinforce the ends with packaging tape though. If you wanted them to look better, you could cover them with fabric or maybe modge podge something pretty on them.

I didn't get any (but should) but I know copy centers also have smaller boxes that use to hold envelopes, stationary, business cards, etc. They would work well for storing smaller items or as project boxes.

I have a friend that works at our local book store. When I needed cardboard put on the ground to kill some weeds in a garden project, she said I could come get some from their recycling bin. Most of them are the same standard size which would also work for storing sewing supplies if you label the outsides. Unfortunately they have flap tops instead of removable tops.