I wash all my fabric, so I don't have that problem. If the fabric doesn't fit into a food, batik, baby, Christmas, background, big flowers, flannel, plaids, landscape, 30's or novelty catagory, it's divided by color group. My scraps get tossed into either the dark or light plastic drawer which I go through every month or so to refresh my memory. The strips get tossed under the table in a laundry basket.

You just do what works for you.

SharonG/FL

"Actually, re-organizing implies that I've ever had it organized." LOL!

Most of my fabrics are "loosely" divided by color. The white, off white, pale neutrals, shirtings, etc. all go together. There are small sections of landscape, baby/children, plaids, all-over multi-colored floral, holiday, and batiks - all though the batiks seem to be intermingling with the colors. Fabrics to use as backing are kept together in a separate section.

Sharon is right, organize them for what works for you.

Teresa

Mine is far from organized LOL!
Red

Mine is organized by project, ie. plastic store bags. I used to buy willy-nilly any fabric that I like, but have settled down to only buying with a project in mind.

Rebecca

"Actually, re-organizing implies that I've ever had it organized." LOLOLOL

I segregate my materials by type, into large plastic bins. Heavy ones like denim, canvas, cord into one. Flannels, raw silk, corduroy into another. Of course the quilting weight cottons outnumber most of the other materials, so they get separated into cuts. Large yardage into one bin, etc. Fat quarter sized pieces into another bin, scraps into a big basket. It helps me go to exactly the bin I need for the type of material I want in the size my project requires.

Organized? Mine is organized chaos. However,I really try to keep the baby theme, holiday theme and some material with metallics in it separated from the rest. The rest is kind of sorted by color group but not really strictly. It gets moved around a lot because I like to go in and just look through the fabric every now and then. I keep my scraps in my grandmother's scrap basket which is actually a wooden cheese wheel container. She put a padded top on it and it has a gathered skirt. I remember as a kid sitting on it and watching her sew.

Fat quarters and smaller pieces (1yd or less) are folded and kept in sweater boxes, although I'm going to change that and put them in a dresser that I'm emptying out. I put them in the box on edge (think file folders or index cards) so that I never have to dig through the box to find a fabric. Larger pieces are folded and stored the same way, but in large cardboard boxes. This, too is going to change and I'll put them in the sweater boxes that I have when the FQ stash is reorganized.

I sort by color when it's feasible, by theme (Christmas, animals, florals) and by type (batiks, feedsack repros, plaids, brights). This last is a bit difficult to explain, but basically it means that there are some fabrics that even though they'd fit into the color boxes, I like to keep them separate. They are fabrics that I'm unlikely to use with fabrics other than those like themselves.

My batiks are kept in a rolling drawer unit for the time being because I'm using them to add a hand applique border to a big wallhanging so they are downstairs with my applique stuff. Here's how they are stored:

Oh, I hear you! I've been thinking about refolding my stash to make things neater (and to get it all into the same room.)
I'm very far from the sweater box stage. I think I must keep a 'future quilt' type of organization going, or I might use or give away pieces I meant to reserve.

I like seeing how folks do this.

I keep yardage & parts thereof pressed & folded over clothes hangers; also Fat Quarters & sometimes very long strips.

I use the tubes from inside rolls of paper towels to store portions of Fat Qs or larger windable (is that a word?) scraps.

Lately I'm keeping smaller scraps in flat boxes, by color grouping & or what project they were from.

Recently, I've come across a bunch of those waxlike envelopes the post office uses for stamps. Think I'm going to try & use these for smaller scraps. Am trying to clear the kitchen table (where I have the machine set up) of all prior working scraps, selvages, etc.

I seem unable/unwilling to throw away selvages I've removed, they just get thrown on top of the pile. I just read in a magazine (Fonz & Porter?) of someone who crochets those selvages into area rugs, dog mats, etc., just to make use of the scraps!

I keep my fabric in sweater boxes like Annie. By color, style,ex.30"s,Holiday,batiks,plaid,strips,stars,metalic,etc. Index cards lable the boxes. Scrap stings are in a plasic crate on the floor near the sewing machine (someday I am going to use them,LOL.) The boxes are stored on a couple of industrial shelves along a tall wall. On the top I keep some larger boxes with solids,flannel,and heavier pcs. that aren't use much. I also have a few covered shoe boxes with sqs. cut in different sizes.
I have 2 racks [cloths driers] that I keep works in progress and UFO's. It is very crowded but pretty organized. I have a thing about selvages. I save them all, and have been for sometime. I have ball that wts. over 3#'s. I through them in a basket and about once a mo. I have winding session. It looks like a sm. volley ball.
It is a real challenge but to each his own as Sharon said. Jayne

Oh my, You know your stash is too large when you no longer have any idea what you have. I go through periods of buying things I like because it might not be there when I want it. Mostly I have smaller pieces, half yard or fat quarters, separated in colors and in plastic storage boxes. I have larger pieces in a larger plastic box-actually several if you count seasonal fabrics and fabric ment for clothing or other non-quilting things. That is why I am trying not to buy but use up some of what I have. I have recently only bought batting, thread and a piece of fleece yesterday to go on the back of a throw I have pieced.

I envy you gals who have good organization and Rebecca, you are my hero for buying only what you are working on!

Sally

I used to store my fabric in plastic tubs, but I got tired of having to "dig" through the tubs to find a fabric.

Last Oct. I finally talked dh into getting rid of the bed in a guest room, and putting up shelves for me. I love my new organized sewing room.

I hurriedly took a picture of my fabric stash, which includes various storage containers that hold all the "extras" for sewing and quilting. It looks like the shelves are leaning, but evidently I was holding the camera at an angle, they are definitely not leaning.

{{!gwi}}

I found this blog post a while back and find it helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scrap User's System

Those are some beautiful scrap quilts! I love how rich charm and scrap quilts look.

I have to get to work using up some scraps! I've tried to before but I seem to look in my basket and go "what was I thinking buying that?!".

Wow...that Scrap User's Systme is really interesting. I'm just getting started with quilting and I've bookmarked that page!
Salijo

Thank you so much for the "Scrap users system" site. I liked it so much I made a copy to put with my scrap material. She has some tremedous ideas. TFS Jayne

I guess I could say I'm semi-organized?

I 'file' my fabric like Annie and love it as I can see what I have without opening the drawers (Most of the times - I do have some fabrics in the back of the drawers also.)

I have 4 of these in this size plus the 1 narrow one (on the left).

One is devoted to other fabrics for clothes and such.
Another is divided use - one drawer for sewing supplies/notions, one for fabrics of 'larger than a fat quarter but not a yard' and the last drawer for broadcloth and muslin that I use for some backings.
The last one is for 'project fabrics' so that I can keep them together and not use them for something else by accident.

I also have a clear plastic box that's about the size of 2 large shoe boxes that I keep my fat quarters in.
The narrow drawers are for scraps- cuts smaller than fat quarter, 4" to 6" square and/or strips and anything smaller. (This was based on Bonnie's ideas).
I have a plastic shoe box for waste and very small bits that I keep near my cutting board. Some of those 'little bits' have come in handy for paper piecing! Otherwise, I plan to use them up as stuffing as someone here on GW suggested.

Of course, all of this is today and it may all change tomorrow. lol
Cathy