If you quilt or sew, chances are you have a fabric stash somewhere in your home that you pull out for projects. We put together a guide to organizing and storing your stash that includes shelves, drawers, closets, and tubes...
How To: Store Fabrics
Before you organize your collection, edit it down and get rid of unwanted fabrics on freecycle or donate to an organization. Project Linus uses donated fabrics to make hand-sewn blankets for children in need.
Shelves:
Fold fabrics into squares and stack them. Use shelf dividers to keep the stacks organized, or use a cubicle shelving system like the Expedit Bookcase from IKEA (starting at $79.99) or the Cubits System from DWR (starting at $198).
Drawers:
Fold fabrics, stack them, and store them in translucent drawers so that you can see what's available. If you have a large drawer, use shirt boxes to keep fabrics neat and organized.
Closets:
Hang fabrics on wood or fabric skirt or slack hangers. Do not use wire hangers, since they can stain the fabrics over time.
Tubes:
If you have a long shelf or drawer available for storing fabric, you can wrap fabrics around cardboard tubes, which avoids creasing. Attach one end of the fabric to the tube with masking tape and roll the fabric carefully around the tube. You can find cardboard tubes in various lengths at a shipping supply store or at the Container Store.
Comments (6)
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Also of use: those clear plastic zippered square bags that new sheets, blankets, mattress pads, etc. come in. I keep all my fabric folded and zippered into these bags on a tidy shelf in the craft corner of my bedroom.
view Nora Rocket's profile
I have all my fabrics in those clear zipper bags and stored in a large rubbermaid container out on the balcony. Yes, it's ugly.
view anne's profile
If you quilt with fat quarters, they fit nicely in those shoebox-shaped photo storage boxes. You end up digging a little for whatever's in the bottom, but the boxes can be out in public if your closet space is limited.
view wende in the twin cities's profile
I keep my material folded neatly in a large basket at the end of the bed in my spare bedroom. This way I can just pick up the basket and take down to the dining table (only large enough surface in the condo) when I am doing a sewing project. It is nice because I can rotate the top material out for different accent colors in the room.
view Signe's profile
Open shelves are great if you frequently use your stash. But they're not great for the fabrics -- exposure to dust and UV radiation degrades the fabric. Similarly, cardboard is a bad idea for storage. If it's acidic, you'll damage the fabric. Sure, it takes a while before the fabric is noticably yellow (color change is the first sign of a problem), but any quilter will tell you that some fabric stays in the stash for years (even decades).
I use ziploc bags only for works-in-progress. There's too much potential for mold growth in long-term storage (unless you use dessicant & routinely check all your fabric). The rest of the fabric is stored in plastic boxes with loose-fitting lids.
I can't imagine anyone having enough space to store all of their fabric rolled, and I've never seen a professional do this. (Barring a few bolts, or those special fabrics that don't survive folding, of course.) But taping the fabric is another bad idea unless you're sure you're going to use the fabric immediately. If cardboard is bad, masking tape is even worse.
view Moryse Heron's profile
I got an old fashioned suit case at a flea market and folded all my fabric in it. The suitcase seats in my bedroom and it adds to the room decor...
view newlyvancouverite's profile