How do you organize your stash?

[ming]

Those who keep their fabrics stashed away in plastic tupperwares for the long haul should wrap their fabrics in a cotton sheet to protect them from the plastic itself. This will also help with any fading issues if they are in the sunlight.

I used to have an album with a sample of each fabric piece along with notes on yardages, where they were purchased, what fiber content, price, etc. Unfortunately most of my fabrics are in storage stateside while I am in S. Korea and the small stash I have accumulated here is quite manageable visually.

I am helping a friend of mine organize her huge fabric stash this week, she is primarily a quilter and we're trying to figure out how to categorize her vast collection of cotton fabrics. Anybody have suggestions?

[soorawn]

If it's for quilting, I'd make first groups with dominant colours, then separate big prints from small prints from plain.

[ming]

The problem with some of the prints is that we can't really decide on its "primary" color. We thought about dividing things by theme if possible, and then perhaps the color? Being primarily a garment sewer I don't usually worry about frog prints or sushi themed fabric. 

[Maggiedoll]

The problem with some of the prints is that we can't really decide on its "primary" color. We thought about dividing things by theme if possible, and then perhaps the color? Being primarily a garment sewer I don't usually worry about frog prints or sushi themed fabric. 

How about organizing by color, and then a separate section (on the other side of the neutrals?) for fabrics with more than one "dominant" color?

I would organize by color, but since I'm not a quilter (well, once in high school..) I don't have that consistency of types of fabric to be able to do that.  I know I want to separate knits from wovens, but then I end up wanting too many categories.. How heavy it is, how much of it I have... 

[CraftyBikerChick]

One of them shows these corrugated plastic boards you can put your fabric on, then put them on shelves so it looks like you have your own little fabric store. Thing is, they're expensive. I think they'd be easy to make, but the only way to do it without spending way too much money is to buy in bulk. I have an article on this and links in the article.

Is there any reason you can't use sturdy cardboard instead of the plastic? That's what they do in fabric stores.   Then you could write on them too, to note how much of it you have or the what it's made out of. 

I've thought about it. It seems like the plastic would last longer and would be easier to keep dust-free. The cardboard gets flimsy after a while. It's only going to be used for a limited time at the fabric shop. However, it might be worth doing it that way to get it started, then convert to plastic over time.

Great idea!

[CreativeGenes]

I "file" my fabric in two filing cabinets. I purchased a pack of comic book boards to wrap my fabric around. (It was about $6.00 for 100 boards.) I wrapped all my stash (except fat quarters, I folded those) around boards. I had 5 drawers per cabinet so I sorted by fabric content first, then colors and prints. I dropped the sorted, wrapped boards in hanging file folders and hang them in the filing cabinets.
I absolutely love this system! It keeps all my fabric clean and I can open a drawer and see all my FQs, or another drawer and see all my flannel. It did take me about a week to get all my fabric wrapped and sorted and it is a constant battle,, as I bring in new fabric to get it wrapped and put away but when I go to browse fabric stash for a project it is WELL worth it!

[kylenstevesmom]

I loved the idea of taking pictures of what's a paid storage. 

I should also do that with the other stashes I have all over the house too.

Now I'll have to go over there on a sunny day because there is no electricity (we are in a shared warehouse space, and they use it for landscape trailers only)!!!!

Thanks for the suggestions!

Theresa

[teag]

Since you primarily sew garments how about by weight, Dress weight, pant weight, sheers- much like they do in fabric stores- that way if you plan on making paants you don't have to go through all the colors to find the correct weight

[Maggiedoll]

Since you primarily sew garments how about by weight, Dress weight, pant weight, sheers- much like they do in fabric stores- that way if you plan on making paants you don't have to go through all the colors to find the correct weight

I'm kinda thinking along those lines..  Not so much sorting strictly by weight, but by type..  I'm just trying to figure out how to keep the number of categories from getting out of control, and I'd like some way of sorting within categories.  I cut up a giant printer box to use to wrap the fabric around, so that's getting me started at least having most of my fabric more structured..  I'm thinking I'll eventually go with some kind of filing, I just haven't decided exactly what to file by or what the "master categories" are going to be.  Or what size counts as "main stash" and what I want to consider scraps..
ROFL, I sound so OCD!

[TheSleepyKnitter]

I turned a kitchen pantry into a fabric closet, and distributed the previous occupants to other cabinets. The pantry has a door, so the fabric is kept away from dust.