How do you organize lots of fabric stash?

[Pam D.]

I am very fortunate to have a DH who also has a hobby (woodworking) that always seems to require new "materials".

JoAnne in southern California[/quote]

Joanne, :lol: I had to laugh out your post. I have a reasonable small fabric stash, as I haven't been quilting for too long.

My husband buys and makes model aircraft. (NOT the remote control type.) Our entire roof space is taken up with unmade kits, many many hundreds of them. He is actually very supportive of my quilting but also not in a position to comment about any money I may spend on fabric (usually its his money). I always say that I have a long way to match his collection. :lol: Pam

[Pam D.]

I always say that I have a long way to match his collection. :lol: Pam[/quote]

Pam, my husband keeps telling me that my hobby takes up too much space (only two bedrooms). His takes up almost all of our 3 car garage, except where I park my car and "my" washer and dryer. He did say something this morning that almost made me laugh out loud (I kept my cool). He said that he has almost every tool that he wants. He always used to say that he only needed only two more tools. He does make beautiful furniture, although it's quite costly.
JoAnne

[Pam D.]

Joanne, DH has the small spare room for his hobby, our son shares his hobby interests and took over the dining table. I has a table in a small corner of the family room, with my fabric stored in various places. I am waiting for one of the kids to move out, but I'm not holding my breath. :lol:

[Pam D.]

Joanne, DH has the small spare room for his hobby, our son shares his hobby interests and took over the dining table. I has a table in a small corner of the family room, with my fabric stored in various places. I am waiting for one of the kids to move out, but I'm not holding my breath. :lol:

Pam, our son finally left at age 25+ and DD must have been about 20 when she left. There is no room for them to come back and when they visit over night, one of them has to sleep on a sofa. We're not sure how we ever had room for them. I guess it's like "If you build it they will come". If there's empty space, I will fill it!
JoAnne

[Pam D.]

A returning question :lol: How to store our lovely fabric... I have tried several options: Random piles on chairs ops: In old suitcases :roll: In bookshelves 8) and now in lovely tin bokes with labels on the front. I have to admit, I thought it would look more tidy with the fabric in boxes, but I miss looking at them all the time. Fabric on a shelf is like a piece of art! I guess I will take the fabric out of those boxes and find something else to put in them...like shoes...makeup....sugar..what ever but not fabric :shock:

[Gloria H.]

I was so proud of how I was storing my fabric (in plastic storage drawer units) but I am having a hard time remembering what went where and then have to rummage through everything trying to find what I know I have somewhere. I am thinking bookcases would let me see what's there but I'm concerned about the fact that my sewing room is in the basement. I'm wondering if that might not be too much exposure. Gloria

[Lorna B.]

I have most of my fabric sorted in clear plastic bins (with lids) on shelves in my sewing room. They are sorted by color. If I buy fabric specifically for a project, I don't mix that into my stash.

I need more bins.

[Lorna B.]

I have my fabric on shelving. If it's part of a UFO then it goes in a Large food storage bag with pattern and threads purchased for that quilt. otherwise my FQ's are in little baskets and my scrap bag is more like a scrap storage container (large 3 drawer). My sewing room is in the basement, to control my lower level environment I use a dehumidifier during the summer. I don't worry about natural light, my space is located behind the window wall.

My storage could use some updating, I'll have to ask the Quilting Fairy for a real good wish! :wink:

[Robin G.]

While I don't have a gigantic stash (in comparison to some of my friends who have been quilting longer), I have enough fabric to last a lifetime. I have my fabrics sorted, more or less, by color and stacked on open shelves that never get any direct sunlight. I love working in my sewing area and being able to look up and just see all the fabrics sitting there. All things considered, I really think Alex's storage solution of the wire baskets is probably the best answer but in my case, it would be "out of sight, out of mind". I kind of have that problem with my fat quarters which are housed in an old Asian cabinet with lots of little drawers (lined, so the fabric isn't in contact with the wood). There are 30 drawers and I have sorted by color, value and with drawers for specialty fabrics, but I still need a cheat sheet that I have on the side to remind me what fabric is where.

[Robin G.]

I have my eye on the spare bedroom, it's wasted space at the moment :? . A friend has bought IKEA billy bookcases with glass doors (you can always line the glass doors with pretty fabric if your room is too bright), they look great and I think this is what I'm going to install, just as soon as I decide what to do with the spare bed. The downside is that all my finished quilts are on the bed, so then I will need to find a home for them so they don't get all creased ... problems, problems :lol: :lol:

[Robin G.]

I store my fabric in those plastic dresser sort of things. They aren't very expensive and fit under the sewing tables. I label the drawers with a sticker. I also use clear bins with lids for certain collections (landscape, 30's, Holiday, etc.) and label them as well. They stack nicely. I have bigger bins for projects and quilts and these I can slide under the bed out of sight. Also a bin for batting.

I guess I'm a plastic bin girl! Nancy in Western NY

[Robin G.]

I just took all mine out of the plasic tubs and put it on shelve so I can see what I have Happy

[Margo C.]

I have an album on my Webshots that shows how I fold and store my fabrics. Maybe it will help?

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563306368ujRyrP

[Margo C.]

I have LOTS of fabric, I'm not even going to try to estimate how much. Most is prewashed & folded fairly neatly in various moving boxes, waiting for the day of creation. Several years ago I started storing all the fabric for one project together with the pattern, so when I pull it out of a box (after another frequent move) I can get to work.

As I'm cutting for a project, I cut any small leftovers into strips, from 1 inch to 5 inches wide. I store the strips in plastic drawers, labeled 1", 1 1/2", 2", etc. I often pull from these for scrap projects.

The danger of this system is that your tastes will change. I have bought far too much over the years, and sometimes don't want to make the project anymore. I'm making every effort to use up all my fabric, and get rid of whatever I don't want to make. I'm doing this by making charity quilts, trying to pull from current stash for new projects, and staying out of fabric stores. That's the hardest part! So, my ultimate goal is to not need much fabric storage at all -- I have a long way to go!

Kathy B.

[Beth A.]

My favorite is a method of storage mentioned in a magazine I once read. I think it was really a way to "sneak" fabric into the house w/o the hubby finding out.

Put it in a zip loc baggie and store it in the tank of the toilet!

BethMI