My fabric stash has been cleaned up! & my kids are making out with TONS of stuff

[Kymy]

I'm not really sure where to put this since I only visit the kids clothes section here on craftster.  But recently I got frustrated with my fabric mess when I was trying to find the specific fabric I needed.  Well I stumbled upon a blog about ruler folding... my fabric stash is thanking the computer right now   My kids are getting the most out of this... I have started & finished more projects (big or small) in the last few weeks then I have in years!  I forgot how much I enjoyed sewing, much more fun when you can find stuff.  How do you store your fabric?

Well here it is, my stash of fabric!  Well its everything but the fleece & the bag that my friend Jasmine is getting in a few weeks.  I have been collecting for years, mostly what I fall in love with, though I have some large yardage of fabrics that I was using to make pouch slings a few years back.  Anyways I have never really had my fabric organized where I could see it & find what I needed when I wanted it.  Well a few months ago I joined sewingmamas.com which has an AWESOME bunch of sewing mamas on it!  Anyways many of the ladies started to organize there stash for the Feb stash game they do.  I decided to see what it was about & I am in heaven!  The whole point is to work through your stash which can never hurt!    For projects you complete you get points… its just a fun way to help motivate everyone to sew.

 Anyways I am super excited so I followed a blog that many of the mamas had found on ruler folding… (Happy Zombie http://thehappyzombie.com/blog/?p=124) anyways after about 4 hours & about 450 yards later here it is!  This shelf is 8′ long and 18″ tall.  It is only stacked one row deep.  Please excuse the rest of the mess, I haven't finished the sewing area yet!

[holly1021]

How do I store my fabric?  Ummm, folded haphazardly and crammed into drawers at the moment.  But as soon as I'm done drooling over your oh-so-pretty stacks of neatly folded fabric, I'm going to have to give the ruler-folding a try. . .Nice job, mama!

[Avian Flight]

impressive! my fabric stash is sadly small enough to fit in a large shopping bag. i understand what you mean by not being able to find anything and not wanting to sew.

[RecycleMicol]

Great job!  I plan to 'fold' my fabric stash now!

I posted this suggestion on the Happy Zombie blog as well...

Ah…takes me back to the first job I had as a teenager at The Limited. I folded many a ’shirt wall’ with a clipboard and paper laid out over the shirt before folding for added crispness. You know, that’s a thought…lay out a sheet of paper before folding to absorb moisture in your stash and give you crisp edges in even the softest fabrics!

RM

[funda62]

I have two systems.  My quilting fabric is organized by color into small plastic tubs.  My clothing fabric is organized by type (solid cotton, stretch, vintage, etc) into large plastic tubs and then on a shelving system I found at Home Depot.

[SpottedFrog]

give you crisp edges in even the softest fabrics!

If you use fabric you bought within a month or three, crisp egdes are fine. If you are like my mom & have fabric purchased in 1965 crisp edges are not so good. They collect dust which can eventually do damage, especially if the edges get any sun, fading is bad news too.

[RecycleMicol]

give you crisp edges in even the softest fabrics!

If you use fabric you bought within a month or three, crisp egdes are fine. If you are like my mom & have fabric purchased in 1965 crisp edges are not so good. They collect dust which can eventually do damage, especially if the edges get any sun, fading is bad news too.

I didn't think about how it collects dust.  Hmmm.  Does a crisp fold really collect more dust than a soft one?  Of course I did know that I should never store my stash in sunlight, period.  I've seen the terrible effects of sun-fading while thrifting.  I wonder if other indoor light sources affect it over time.  Anyone know?

Thanks for the warning,
RM

[SpottedFrog]

All light will affect colored fabrics eventually, it just depends on the fabric, the dyes or prints, the type of light, the amount of light & time. So, millions of variables, really.

There are 3000 year old wool plaids from the peat bogs of Scotland that are as bright as if they were made yesterday, likewise Chinese silks that were tucked away in burial chambers. Then again the restaurant across the highway from us that's been open one year, their red canvas awnings are already sort of a muddy pinkish color.

Flourescent light is the least harsh and produces less heat (the downside is it's not pure white light unless you buy the expensive ones, and those still aren't perfect). Standard incandescent bulbs are closer to the full spectrum white light of natural sun, but harsher than flourescents & and produce more heat. Incandescent bulbs are not near as harsh as sunlight. Natural sunlight is harshest, especially the closer you get to the equator.

The OP's shelf is lovely if you feel shading your fabric would be best it would be easy to just tack a panel to the top shelf & let it hang over.

[jayneysews]

Mmmm Nicwe tidy stash Mama

[Kymy]

The OP's shelf is lovely if you feel shading your fabric would be best it would be easy to just tack a panel to the top shelf & let it hang over.

I am actually not to worried, its away from the windows (have thick curtains anyways) & the lights are kept off 90% off the time.  My mom used to keep a fabric curtain over her fabric just for that reason!  Its a pain to cut around fading!