The five things that make keeping my fabric stash and quilting supplies organized a breeze!
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It’s a new year, and that means that if you haven’t already, you’re probably packing away holiday decorations and tidying up your home. You rushed to get all of those projects finished to gift and now your sewing space is wreck.
Maybe you set a resolution to get your fabrics organized and to keep it that way, or maybe you just need a good deep clean. I’ve made a list of some helpful fabric organizing tips and some simple products that I’ve purchased that helped me get organized!
The Skinny Version
Skip straight to the product that caught your eye by clicking the link below!
#5 Adjustable Tension Shelf
When I shifted my business last year, I never really took the time to shift my supplies. I had some nice Ikea shelves floating on the wall above the desk with my sewing machines…until I didn’t. The entire system collapsed and ripped out thick anchors from the wall, making an absolute mess of the room. Turns out, fabric is HEAVY. We all knew this, obviously, but I chose to go for aesthetics and it didn’t go well. So, I determined that a complete overhaul of the space was necessary.
I sold the desks, donated the supplies that I no longer needed, and de-stashed some larger bundles of coordinating fabric scraps (I’ll have a future blog post on how to sell your stash for cash!)
While our current home is quite small and tight on space (MAN! What I wouldn’t do for my very own sewing room!), we DO have a much bigger than needed walk in main bedroom closet, so I challenged myself to limit, organize and maintain my quilting fabrics and supplies to the back portion of the closet.
I found this great adjustable tension shelf to create additional storage for my finished quilts. This shelf definitely couldn’t support more dense items, like boxes, but it works absolutely perfectly for stacked finished quilts.
#4 White File Boxes
These white file boxes from Ikea are an absolute staple in our home. They're in practically every room and can hold A LOT. For my fabrics, I use these to store the fabrics that I reach for less often and don't need eyes on when scanning for coordinating fabrics for a project.
#3 Rolling Utility Cart
If you aren't on the utility cart train yet, jump on! The narrow profile and straight edges of these carts from Ikea allow for maximizing storage and I LOVE that they fit snuggly together under the middle shelf in the back of the closet and can roll out next to my work table when needed, then stored back together when not in use. I keep my notions sorted and stored here as well!
#2 Narrow Organizer Bins With Handles
I use these clear stacking bins with handles to hoard collect fabrics for quilts that I plan to make in the future but don’t necessarily have a deadline for. It gives me the opportunity to know what I have and what I still need but to go little by little instead of putting it with my other fabrics and forgetting what I need.
These can fit 3 across on the utility cart or, stack multiple on top of each other to maximize on space.
#1 Beautiful Large Clear Storage Bins
I use these clear stacked bins to store my fabric stash vertically (like a filing cabinet- thanks, Konmari!) Their straight edges keep the fabric tidy and their designed to stack to create a neat cube system. Their handles make it easy to grab and rearrange as needed and they're the perfect size to keep a stash from overflowing- my stash motto is "if it can't fit, it can't stay".
I sort my fabrics by substrate/type, so utility fabrics like canvas and denim go together while my abundance of cottons get sorted by subtype and it isn't a lot unlike how I sort my laundry:
Linens
White Solid Quilting Cottons - this includes muslins and the few white on white prints that I have.
Dark Cottons - Blacks, browns and greys
Colors - Rainbow order, of course!
Warm Colored Print Fabrics
Cool Colored Print Fabrics
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