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How to Organize Your Fabric Stash
I have organized and reorganized my fabric stash several times over the years. Doing so has made me
realize what works for me and what doesn't. Maybe some of my methods will work for you.
I am very visual so I need to see all my stuff. I also need everything to be organized and neat since I have
to look at it. The old adage-"A place for everything and everything in its place" applies to me. However,
you may want to have things stored out of your sight. Think about the way you like to work and try to create
that type of environment.
Organizing my stash has saved me time and money. More than once, before organizing, I purchased fabric or
a quilting tool or gadget only to later find a duplicate or triplicate at home! This is less likely to happen if you
have a place for everything.
So, How DO you organize that fabric stash?
Here are my thoughts-
Start out slowly so that you do not get overwhelmed. You don't need to set aside a whole day or have all
of your fabric in the same area to use my ideas. Start with one pile or container or shelf of fabric. This will
depend on your own individual situation. Follow the steps below for each pile, etc.
Sort by type of fabric
Separate your quilting cottons from your homespuns, flannels, wools, batiks, etc.
Separate your fashion fabrics and decorator fabrics if you do that type of sewing as well.
You may want to sort your quilting cottons into categories such as hand dyeds, kid's prints,1930's prints,etc.
The types of fabrics you have and how you use them will determine how you sort them.
For example-you may want to keep your Kaffe Fassett fabrics together.
You might even find that you should start a pile of fabric that you are ready to part with.
Sort by size
Many patterns call for a certain size of fabric-fat quarters, 1 yard cuts, 2 1/2" strips, 5" charms, etc. so start
sorting your fabrics by size.
I use a lot of fat quarters so I keep them all together in plastic containers that are sized right to hold them.
I consider anything smaller than a fat quarter to be a scrap. I store scraps in see through plastic containers
by color so that I can easily sort scraps after cutting out a quilt and so I can easily grab that container when
I need a small piece of fabric or want to work on a scrap quilt.
Fabric pieces that are larger than a fat quarter but less than half a yard are cut into a fat quarter with the
extra going in with my scraps.
Yardage is harder to organize unless you have several of the same size cuts that can be folded the same
and stacked. If you have several different yardages, I think it's best to measure each piece and tag it so
you don't have to worry about how much you have in the future. I use freezer paper tags. Write the yardage
on a scrap of freezer paper and iron it to your fabric where it will be visible when you need the information.
How to fold these pieces depends on how you are storing them. One yard cuts are easy to fold and stack.
Longer lengths can be folded also or wrapped around cardboard to stand up or lay flat if you have a
shelf or bookcase to stack them in.
This way you can also see at a glance what you have and may need for your project.
If you want to start a project that calls for 20 fat quarters, it's much easier to go to your fat quarter stash and pull
together fabrics than to try to pull them from piles of fabric sorted only by color like I did for years.
Sort by color
Group each size of each type of fabric by color-put blues, pinks, reds, yellows, etc. together. For example, I have
fat quarters that are cottons, homespuns, wools, batiks and children's prints. Each group is sorted by color.
To be really organized, arrange them by the color wheel so when you need another blue-green you can find it
easily between blue and green. You can also see at a glance what colors you are lacking so you know what to
buy when you go shopping.
Scraps can be organized following the same steps. Sort by type of fabric, size and color. Storing them is a bit
harder if you have a lot of different size pieces. Clear containers or baskets may work for you. Some quilters like
to cut their scraps into strips or squares or triangles to make storage easier and save time later when they want to
create scrap quilts.
Once you have your system started, you can easily add your new additions without any hassles.
Now that you have your fabrics sorted-How do you store that fabric stash?
See if you can use items you already have to get your fabric stash and/or sewing area more organized. I use
inexpensive laminate shelving, that was used in a closet at some point, to organize my fabric yardage. Each piece
of fabric is folded to fit the space and stacked by color.
Plastic containers hold my fat quarters also folded to fit the container and organized by color. They have lids which
would allow me to stack them easily if I wanted to. The lids also make them easy to transport when needed.
On top of the shelves is a tiered desk organizer, once used for mail, that now holds my smaller, odd shaped
rulers-triangles, etc.
Bookcases and storage cabinets are also great to use for organizing your fabric. I use a cabinet with doors as well
as several inexpensive laminate bookcases (left behind by my kids) to organize my stash. Fabric can be stacked
on shelves or wrapped around cardboard or any of the products on the market designed specifically for that purpose.
The advantage to storing your fabric vertically in that manner is that you don't have to pull out the whole pile as you
do when they are stacked on top of each other.
In addition to fabric on the shelves, I use lots of baskets. Baskets hold thread, scissors, rotary cutters, trims, sorted
scraps, cut pieces for works in progress... Mason jars are filled with buttons sorted by color.
I know many quilters use large plastic containers to store fabric. I have too but I have not found that to be very
effective when it comes to trying to find fabric for a project or even remembering what you have and fabric makes
them heavy. Filing your fabrics on end is a better than stacking them if you use this type of container. You can see
what you have and remove it much easier.
Other options for storage that you may have are dressers, armoires, shoe cubbies, cubbies with baskets or fabric
cubes, under bed boxes, unused TV stand or cabinet. Look around your home to see what you can re-purpose.
Tool boxes and tackle boxes can also be very useful for storing many of your supplies. The variety of little storage
compartments in them can really organize your stuff. Think outside the "box".
Store your patterns by placing them in page protectors and putting them in a 3 ring binder. This works for purchased
patterns as well as patterns that you have printed from the internet or pages that you have torn from a magazine.
These plastic sleeves are good for holding cut pattern pieces and templates too. If you have alot of patterns, you
could use tabbed dividers to organize them by category.
Pegboard on a wall is another great way to store quilting supplies up and out of your way. Don't want to attach it
to a wall? Put a piece of pegboard in a picture frame and hang it like a picture.
Finished quilt tops and large cuts of fabric can be hung over a dry cleaning hanger. (The type with the cardboard roll
over the wire so a crease is not left in the top.)
Clear, re-sealable bags are great for storing projects in progress. The kind that sheets, pillowcases and comforters
come in work well and don't cost extra. Use these clear bags or storage containers to hold pieces that are cut
for a project to keep them organized.
For more tips on organizing and storing your fabric stash and other supplies, please sign up for our newsletter.
By Candace Moore The Fabric Stash Club www.fabricstashclub.com
This article may be reproduced for use in your quilt guild's newsletter if you include my name and website address
in the article as shown above.
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