That was a dangerous website, wasn't it?

I store fabric in a built-in storage area in the basement- not ideal conditions, I'm sure, but it will have to do.

For home decor fabrics -
For my multi yard fabrics I normally just leave them rolled on the bolt and leaning against the closet wall. The rest I store on shelving in the closet where I have it labeled by "amounts" (scraps, 1/2-1 yd, 2 yd...) I have found that helps when I know I need a certain amount for a project. Then I can rule them in/out based on how much is there. I also write the yardage on a small scrap of paper and pin it in the upper right corner.

I have just started quilting and need to come up with a better way for the cotton fabrics. Most of these are much smaller quantities than my home decor fabrics and I tend to keep scraps of these and not small scraps of the home decor fabric.

Igloochic,

Why do you have so much fabric? 200 plastic tubs - are you exaggerating? I need a catchup from you on what's going on in your decor life...what ever happened to your kitchen with the rooster tile backsplash and chandelier?? Is that house still the one you're working on? ie. the gel stain on the wood trim?

Back on topic, I do love fabrics, but have begun a major reorganization of my life and house, and have begun to get rid of things that I haven't used for some time. I do have a few rolls of leftover fabric from some drapery projects that I need to get rid of since I'll never use that fabric again, but I just rolled it back on the roller, tucked it into the plastic sleeve it came from the store in and keep it either under my bed or in the back corner of my MB closet.

I told my husband I was going to pretend we're moving, and if I didn't think I'd use it in the "new" house or anytime in the next few months, I was getting rid of it. It really feels good to get rid of stuff!! Now my basement is a totally different story, I may need to be medicated before I can tackle that area, but I'm working my way down there...

This week I begin the sorting, saving, selling project that follows the death of my mom---the original *fabric-holic*. Mercy me...igloo! Do your kids a favor and get rid of some of it now. It didn't dawn on my sweet mom until she was nearly 90 that she really would never use all this fabric. And she moved (or rather we helped her move) several times in the last 15 yrs of life---each time moving all that fabric. By the way, she stored it in several wooden chests and many boxes.

Heh heh yes 200 was an exageration :) It's probably more in the neighborhood of 20 or so, mostly smaller ones (because I quilt and store many by project) and then there's the various large bins of fabric. I do weed out on occasion, but ummm I NEED so much of it for a future project :oP (I crazy quilt and actually do use many different pieces in one quilt).

But I do have quite a bit of yardage now. I suppose I could put that all on rolls and store it standing :) That's a start anyhoo. But those bins! I need to figure out a way to organize the stuff not dedicated to a project so when I want to do one I'm not digging through 300 bins...or 20 :oP

The chicken kitchen is back on track. We left to spend a couple of months in the hospital and it was stalled while we were gone. I'm doing drapes for that house and the one we bought to live in during the remodel. ANd yes, the gel stain wood is in the lake house as well (our real house with the chickens). Sometimes even I get confused :oP

not sure my "method" is that great, but here's what I do:

armoire with shelves and on the inside of the doors, I have the fabrics labeled by yardage and if it came from a trip or a family member or friend, I note that. (I get a lot of fabric from people...don't know why!)

plastic boxes stacked under cutting table and hidden where ever. I label the boxes with the fabric and intended use of it (written on paper and taped to inside of clear plastic box)

larger quantities still rolled as they came and leaning against armoire and in sewing room closet

Odds and ends: trim all on one shelf, scraps of trim and antique lace in a clear box. boxes of things used to make closures. box of things used to hold things together (velcro, etc). these boxes are all on a bookshelf, lined up. separate areas for cutting items, measuring items, templates, etc.

I can always find this stuff, which is frankly amazing to me, because I am not the neatest person.

I hope to hear from some people with good organizing ideas, especially some trick for keeping the fabric in good condition (keeping it safe from bugs and damp for one).

My mom is 76 and is FINALLY going through her fabric. She probably had about 50 boxes (cardboard and plastic) FULL of fabric. Now, she's not going to use most of it any time soon, and I haven't been in the sewing focus in several years either. She did say: don't store in cardboard boxes, but she didn't have much choice.

She sent me some cardboard pattern boxes as I can't seem to throw patterns away. With those, though, she ALSO sent me some patterns - including the one for my Juliette cap for my wedding (30 years this summer) and some for clothes I had in HIGH SCHOOL (I graduated 34 years ago). Fortunately she didn't send me much fabric....whew!!! Instead, she's been donating that to amateur theater companies. They are thrilled to have it because costume budgets can send one over the brink!!!

Keeping fabric safe from damp - well, aside from "don't store it in the bathroom", "don't store it in the kitchen", and "don't store it by a roof that leaks", I don't have any suggestions. "Keep it safe from bugs" - keep it out of cardboard boxes, which are notorious hiders of bugs.

Mom suggests putting some dryer sheets in the bins with the fabric. It keeps the fabric smelling nice and, if you should have a mouse problem (heaven FORBID!) it keeps them away too - mice do not like fabric dryer sheets for many reasons.

DonnaR/CA

Thanks, Donna-- I'll try the fabic sheet idea!

Mine are all in plastic because I find that more efficient than cardboard, and because I'm from the pacific northwest where something in a closet that isn't moved for a few months can develop mold (we lived in the woods...I had to "spring clean" 4 times a year to ensure this didn't happen). We don't have bugs that attack fabric here, so it's not a biggie, and it's too dry for mold, but I still can't keep much of it in cardboard. I just hate digging in cardboard :)

(That being said, I have 4 small moving boxes in the garage full of fabric) LOL

Now I know I have a lot of fabric, but rest assured, my kids won't be stuck with it, and they won't have to move it (we hire movers for that heh heh) And frankly, I'd say that 80% of it is silk...so I'm not sure anyone would be deeply upset about receiving it when I'm gone...but girls...I'm only 45...I have a good 60 years of sewing still in my blood!

My favorite thing to do is crazy quilt...and you can't just keep 4 colors of silk around for that. I keep any scrap over 2" because of that, but those are in a couple of big plastic bins, not ironed, just waiting to be in a future quilt, and those I do use.

The majority of my sewing has been for charity, and I have donated to the local senior center a few times when I'm weeding out my collection. I also donate (through a friend who travels) to an orphanage in Russia where the kids use it for craft12124141244s.

(An airplane just landed on the keyboard...I suppose I could wipe it out but perhaps DS wants to say HI!)

So far decorpas is winning in the idea contest LOL I'm thinking that perhaps a big amoire in the master for fabric might be the way to go, and the bed will also have storage...so perhaps I'll take those drawers as well :) And then just one side of the closet....

I'm trying not to buy more by the way :) Unless it's on sale or I need it :oP (only a fabric freak understands that).

I love to organize and collect fabric. The way I store my bolts of fabric is in several upright wrapping paper containers. Not sure if you can find them this time of year, but if so they hold up to four full bolts of fabric.

For better fabrics or ones you don't want the fold line in, you can roll them onto cleaned PVC pipe. Much sturdier than the cardboard rolls the fabric comes rolled on. If you don't have the long bags from the fabric store you can use heavy duty drop clothe and packaging tape to make your own.

As for smaller amounts of fabric. I carefully fold them and put them in large clear containers according to what type and color of fabric they are. Calico, knits, flannels, pant weight, etc. The containers are stored on shelves that can be pulled out like drawers. Very easy to find just what I'm looking for.

I had an acquaintance who stored her's on the bolts in a lawyer's bookcase. The glass helped protect it and also helped to keep everything visible when rummaging.

justgottabe I was thinking of getting the nicer acrylic boxes when I'm down in Seattle (Ikea) for fabric. I like the idea of storing by type and color...I sort of have stored based on purchase...say I buy six or eight yards for some future quilt...I keep them all together, but since I haven't made that quilt LOL I probably shouldn't do it that way.

I love the lawyer's bookcase idea tish. That would work really well if I decide to store downstairs verses upstairs. I can set the flat screen above them and the fabric will become decor heh heh

DH says that if we were ever on one of those swapping shows the designers would be fighting to do my house because I have a great vault of fabric :) I just love textiles, and I love to play with them. Now that we're on the road (hopefully) of DS being healthier, I should be able to get back to sewing again, which I'm really looking foward to.

I've sewn most of my life and I've always found it hard to get rid of the scraps from a sewing project. I was looking for a scrap the other day to test a machine embroidery project on and it was like traveling through time looking at all the different fabrics and thinking about what I had made with them :-)

Then a few years ago, my MIL was cleaning out her garage and gave me a bunch of fabrics. There was no way I was turning that down! I did sort through them and got rid of a bunch because they were old and polyester and couldn't see myself making anything with them.

I also have those bags full of all the supplies for "that dress" I was going to make! The problem there was I needed to have the pattern fit to me and I can't do that myself. So, I made a "duck tape double" (pretty cool project if you google it!). It's almost finished......... my dh did get spooked when he walked by the room it is standing in thinking someone was looking at him :0

Now I have piles of decorating fabric "for future projects". Just received one in the mail on Friday. A really pretty toile for the guest room. If I ever get the walls done. That's another project in itself!

And.....I just signed up for a quilting class. I've always wanted to learn to quilt and finally signed up. Classes start on the 22nd and I am very excited. Of course, I'm sure instead of using all the scraps I have sitting around, I'll have to buy all new fabrics for those "future projects"!!

But back to the original question. I have a big trunk with pig pieces of fabric and then a smaller laundry type basket with the pieces I think I'm going to get to in the near future. Of course, there are a few walmart type bags in the closet with lots of scraps I'll probably never use.

My grandma quilts-- and I mean, she traveled around the country teaching quilting with her girlfriends and a bottle of gin and lemonade-- so she takes it quite seriously:-) her sewing room is the most organized I've ever seen. She has peg boards for all her tools, plastic storage bins with the quilt pattern taped on the outside and all of the necessaries (thread, embroidery thread, buttons, etc) in a baggie taped to the lid. inside she stores all of her fabric, which has usually already been pressed, washed and cut. She stores each square in a plastic baggie, ready to take out and start sewing.

She's been an amazing inspiration. She recently lost most of her sight, but she still gets out those boxes and sews the pieces together by feel. She's made over 50 quilts for wounded soldiers and when Katrina came and did her damage, Grandma made baby quilts to be sent to the Katrina victims. I know I will never be as good at sewing or as organized as her-- but every time I pick up some fabric to start a project, I feel like I'm spending time with her.

Oh, sorry- I drifted off topic. But sewing has always been a family affair for me. I'm sure if I call grandma right now, she'd have a million suggestions for storing fabric! Maybe I should go do that.

Oh go do that just to talk to grandma :) She sounds like a wonderful woman (and I say that because she not only quilted but she carried that bottle of gin and lemonade) :oP She must be a hoot!

lafonda...sorry darling, but your life is now going to change. ALl it took was one quilting class and my piles started growing :) Pay attention to this thread...you'll need it LOL

Decorpas, maybe I'm more organized than I thought. One thing I do is to keep started projects in individual containers, with their directions, all cut pieces and fabric scraps that go with it (just in case i need them) as well as threads.

My stash of quilt fabric is rather modest compared to my quilting friends. I have not quilted for a few years so they have passed me by in their collections. I have my fabric by color in an antique chiffrobe,in our finished attic half of which is my sewing studio. Or was, not it is piled up with stuff.
I have various collections together, such as the bolt of background fabric and fabrics for my baltimore album quilt I started 9 years ago, as well as others picked for quilts. For example,I keep my fat quarter collections of indigoes from south africa and Aunt Graces etc. separate.I have a 3 drawer lateral file stuffed with fabrics. I used to work and teach in a quilt shop here.
An old trunk has batting. I had a vintage huge oak teachers desk which was ideal for cutting etc. I had all the notions in the drawers. Kept my cutting mat and large rulers on top of the desk and a little ironing board and iron on one side. Also the sewing supplies to my Berninas are in the sewing cabinet. Thread on spooly holder thing on wall. Some fabric that was my moms( she made kids clothes for gks was in plastic underbed boxes with wheels.Also I got her bernina serger that I have never used and have no clue.
One of my friends has white shelves like cubbies and her fabric is folded so it stacks perfectly and is color coordinated for easy access. Another has given up and just has a room stuffed with it.One friends room I have not seen into for 20 odd years!
My silk fetish began last year on Craigslist. I found an ad for someone in my neighborhood ,for a box of silks for $15. I bought another for $10. She was getting rid of them- I had seen some pink and green silk that I thought would be good for DDs dorm room. I could hardly lift them.These are pieces a few yards down to quarters, that were left from her semi annual sale- she has a workroom to die for in her garage -sewing decorator pillows and valances for stores, and decorators- no retail but she sells the leftovers of decorator and silk fabrics for 3 bucks a pound and $1 a yard for trims!!.Some may have yardage but most is like 5 yards or less. Then she has room for the next 6 months of fabric!! Should be coming up soon! now I get emails from her.
Oh, off topic sorry. anyhoo these silks- 3 boxes and 2 black trashbags of decorator fabrics and silk trims of are just on the floor.( neatly folded tho)These are high quality fabrics,ooooh.
Talk about silk scraps, Igloo- be nice to me. Be very very nice! I don't do crazy quilts, sooo... :)

igloochic,

When I read about your plastic containers with directions, that was what started me thinking about grandma! You are more organized than you thought:-) Now if you can find a place for that thermos of "lemonade", let me know.

Grandma is a total riot. She used to drive with a quilted sign in the window that said "Paducah or bust!"

I will take a pic of a quilt mom and grandma and I worked on for the past ten years! It was my wedding quilt. Each block is different. Scraps of mom's wedding dress, buttons from dad's jacket, etc-- all hand sewn into this treasure. It's finally on my bed, even though there's a bit more work to be done (embroidery work, etc). All that Bailey's in our morning coffee kind of made the work lag, I guess. That and all the hand quilting in the squares. Hey, maybe that's a good way to store fabric-- in a quilt!

I have six plastic bins in attic of quilting squares and grandma is always giving me more when I visit...:-)

I have a built-in cabinet in our laudry room that I store most of my fabrics and my sewing machine, etc. in. I store the rest in a Rubbermaid tub in our laundry room closet along with a long, clear plastic shoe storage bag I use to store all my trims, fabric glue, etc in. I keep that hanging on the rod in there. It's a walk-in closet, so there's room. I had it hanging on the back of the closet door but it was too heavy and made the door hard to close.

I have leftover fabric from drapes, bedding and pillows I've made. I have never quilted, but do have a burning question for you quilters out there.

What's a fat quarter?

cooperbailey, our posts crossed and I just wanted you to know your sewing room sounds charming and the silks are too much- don't tell me where you live:-)

Does anyone else have knee dents in their cutting boards from having to lay them on the floor when the fabric is just way too long? hmm...

Just got off the phone with Grandma and anyone who has any storage questions or quilting questions can call her anytime! How sweet is that? Mind you, she's very bossy, so be prepared for that.

a fat quarter is fabric that measures 18x22 instead of 9x44 like a 1/4 of a yard piece. same amount of fabric, just more useable since you can get wider pieces out of it. make sense? most quilt shops have these folded and displayed like candy! They are hard to pass up. We used to have to make up fat quarters in our spare time and fold them in a certain way. Sue

For years I stored fabric on the cardboard tubes under my bed, then it was in the cabinet under the stairs. I finally donated most of it to the high school, and the rest is folded in one pile in the entryway cabinet. I guess I'm taking a break from sewing for a bit!

This is such an interesting thread for me. I've always known I was not the only fabric "collector," but now I can prove it to my husband. And you all have so many good ideas and stories.

One of our guest room walk-in closets is almost entirely devoted to totes full of fabrics, not nearly well organized. I can't imagine that I will ever sew them all up but sometimes I go through the piles and enjoy feeling the textures and looking at the colors and designs. Usually this happens when I'm looking for a certain thing and get lost along the way. I should probably get rid of the fabrics that make me wonder what in the world I was thinking when I bought it.

I don't make my own clothes anymore but I am about to start on my third quilt. The other two I made 30 years ago when my first two children were babies. One of them was made of different patterns of blue Java batik. My first husband still has that quilt and says that he thinks of me whenever he looks at it. Oh yeah, he's a nice guy now! LOL

deco...I don't want to call grandma...I want to sew with her (or drink fluffy coffee as my grandma used to call it).

Sue all that silk belongs in a crazy quilt missie...and have you ever made a quilt with a serger? SOOOO much easier, especially with silk. If you sew with silk at all woman you need to figure out the serger...can you say "no more fringed and frazzled edges?"

Pecan...I didn't sew until ohhh five or so years ago when I made my DH (not DH then) a bunch of silk pillows for his couch (he couldn't find any that worked with it). I had a bunch of scraps and thought I'd "whip" out a crazy quilt for nothing...about a grand later...he had a beautiful quilt, and I was hooked. The great thing I now know is that I can buy silk on sale and save the scraps and make ooddles of quilts for so much less that that first quilt cost me!

Those scraps of yours would be a gorgeous quilt I'd bet :oP

When our house is all said and done I'm going to make a crazy quilt for our bed out of all the silks, satins and linen I'm using on drapes and for bedding. I will do that for every house we do as a memory of that home to take with us to the next.

DS will have the nicest bed in the dorm room in college LOL

Nice thought Igloo, but for DS dorm in college, learn to make quilt out of and tshirts with sports and beer logos!!! trust me on this.

Igloo,

Good idea! Grandma will love hearing that (also about the fluffy coffee). Needles ready.

LMAO Sue the first quilt I helped someone make was made from Crown Royal emblems...it was for a 20 year old...Ok maybe he can have that but we're gonna have to upgrade to the CR in the velvet bags :oP

decorpas...your grandma sounds like such a joy. Mine have all been gone so long :( My DS just lost one of his...but fortunately he has Grandma Mary who will be alive til she's 200 (it's a family trait that many would like us to lose heh heh) Grandma Vi taught me about fluffy coffee and tea :) She didn't drink though...well unless it was in a tea cup :oP

My auntie V though...she would have enjoyed your Grandma. She's gone as well...but goodness the memories that were packed in that woman's brain!

OP but still...you should tape some conversations with grandma...you'll never want to forget those, and they're fun to pass on to the kids when they are older.

As soon as I find a sitter...I'm on my way to Grandma's with some lemonaid...she'll have the fluff right? :)

I just got back into sewing about a year ago for my little grandaughters. Right now I have all my fabric in the large roll plastic binds that fit under a bed. It is amazing how much fabric these boxes hold. I also have the stack cubes in a closet with my smaller pieces stacked by colors. My girls often need a certain color or want a certain thing made. My patterns are now organized in a 4 drawer file cabinet. I was only using a couple drawers so this works great. I need to go through and get all the same fabrics together.. I also purchased the clear plastic thread boxes. I just need to keep going and soon I will be all organized. YEA!!!!!

Igloo,

Ohhh...you are so right about Grandmas. I am so lucky-- and yes, she is one awesome lady. I taped hours and hours of her and my grandpa last year. I got her to show me each of her quilts and talk about the history and care of them. Some of them are three generations old. She'd love you-- and she was serious when she offered any help-- she was thrilled that I was talking to people interested in sewing and quilting:-) Of course, not sure how much she understood about it being a forum and not being "live"! But she has the lemonade ready for you whenever you get there!

I have great memories of my mom, me and grandma sewing together. It's what we do when we get together. Now that we live so far away, everyone brings a project of theirs when we visit and we get down to work during the whole visit. The rest of the family thinks we're crazy, but we have fun, even when we're arguing over who gets what scrap of fabric. Well, that could be the fluff talking. Not sure.

I have just gone through a sewing room transformation (still transforming) and I got rid of a whole lot of fabric that I knew I'd never use. What I have, I keep on the cardboard bolts or rolls and stored on shelves in the closet. I hang velvets from their selvages on skirt hangers. The bulk of my fabrics now (and I do mean bulks of it) I use in unusual combinations for my projects and I really need to see the fabrics in combinations to get my inspiration, so I'm installing long rods on the wall. I'll be able to drape folded fabrics like towels next to and on top of each other to see them together. I should be able to eliminate some of those plastic containers.
I have a small bin close to my machine and serger to hold remnants for practice stitches.