On Saturday, the girls and I took a road trip all in the name of buying fabric. Little did I know that I would be walking into a sale! I did a little damage…
The stash expansion led to a reorganization of sorts. I sat on the floor of the studio and loosely reorganized everything.
Before the weekend, most of my fabric was organized by fabric line, but I found that I was forgetting what I had or that I was unable to locate certain prints. I pulled everything off of the shelf and went through it all. I divided it by colors and then reorganized it further. I kept some fabric lines together, mixed some others together and discovered some interesting fabric pairings as I reorganized. I also walked away with a much better idea of what I have (a lot of fabric!) and where some missing and forgotten pieces are.
I don't know if this system will work for me in the long term or not. But I am curious about how others organize their fabric. Do you do it by color? By Designer? By yardage? Not at all? Please tell me how you do it. And, as an incentive to get you talking, on Friday afternoon I will pick one commenter on this post to receive a custom fabric bundle from my stash to yours. The winner and I will discuss what they might want and almost everything is on the table. It could include vintage feedsack squares, out of print Heather Ross, some original Flea Market Fancy, out of print Lizzy House or something else entirely. Sound good? Yes? Ok – spill it.
In hopes for the chance of winning your giveaway I will admit that I don’t organize. I am lucky if fabric makes it into a storage container. Yes, I am an organizational failure!! I’m a little better about my teddy bear mohair… that I attach to hangers and hang up…. LOL
Mine is organized by color. Occasionally if I buy a group of fabrics from the same line I keep them together but usually on my shelf or work table, not put away in the cabinet. Eventually though everything ends up organized by color, including scraps.
I sure wish I had that much fabric hidden away in my house. I put mine in plastic bins and they are just put on top of each other in no order.
I organize by color for the most part. I keep certain things together — all my 1930’s & flannels. If I buy a group of fabrics for a specific project I will keep those together too. Even if it’s a future project.
Organize? They at least make it into plastic bins but in no special order.
For the most part, I organize my stash by colour. My Konas have a separate area from my main stash and from time to time, I buy a selection of fabric from a particular line or designer and keep it together. I also keep all my Christmas prints together. But honestly, it’s whatever actually works for you that’s best! 🙂
I’ll admit that I don’t really have an organization system beyond weight/type of fabric. I have found that the best thing for me is just to stack and restack it regularly to help me remember what I have.
That stash is amazing! I don’t have enough to really organize… It’s just in a plastic tote. 🙁
For me by size and colour. I buy mainly half hard/metre cuts and infrequently fat quarters. I used to buy collections but now I buy 1-3 prints from a collection and mix it up. It’s presently a mess and needs resorting.
Oh. Solids and spots separately by colour and size.
I’m a not at all kinda girl. I have my stash in boxes or loose drawers on a bookcase. I’ve thought about organizing it by color, but I always just end up pulling almost all of it out when I’m looking for something specific, or some inspiration. I need to see and feel and compare to what I have already pulled. Having to look thru all my fabric also ends up showing me things I had forgotten.
I keep all my civil war (or what I think to be) fabrics together and the rest of the fabrics together by color. I use shoe shelves stacked on top of each other and then on top of a shelf thanks for the giveaway.
Mostly by yardage, all fat quarters together, larger pieces in a bin, scraps in another bin. But I’m always putting some pieces together for projects and leaving them in storage, so it all gets messed up! Your shelves look lovely.
My stash is very much smaller but I tend to organise by colour – I don’t often (probably don’t ever, actually) work within a fabric line so I find it easier to search by colour. I find anything that isn’t more-or-less red, blue, green or pink a little tricky though – they all tend to get flung together with a little less order. Good luck with any future sorting!
wonderful, i do at least try organizing by color, though as soon as i start pulling out some fabrics… everything gets jumbled up… no i really don’t have the greatest organization of my fabrics
I don’t really organize with a special system. I have bins for different colors, but some lines stay together, others don’t… Not really efficient, I have to admit!
My stash is sorted by fabric line and my scraps are in totes separated by color. You have a great stash – if I had that much I would probably just look at it, pet it and put it back:))))
I have scraps sorted by color, but the yardage is stored in bins by purchase. I’ve recently admitted that’s not working for me at all. The goal is to get it sorted by color.
I organize by style. Solids together, 1930s repros together, retro/vintage together, etc. I don’t really have much of a stash. Especially compared to what I see online.
i tend to keep it organized by designer or style (denyse is all in one overfilling tub; ’30s repos are together; red & white styles together).
it’s working, but not quite. perhaps not having it in… eight plastic tubs would help?
My unused fabric is organized by designer. Once I cut into it, it becomes part of the folded but unorganized stash. I have made a lot of my favorite combinations by just stacking fabric randomly, though, so I’m not too tough on myself about it.
Some by color and some by designer because I love Robyn and Kaffe so much!!
I just did a total restack/redo about a week ago and I organized by color because that is how I quilt. I did seperate out large pieces for backings so that I know what I have. I find it good to do this every once in awhile to remember what I have.
I need to organise mine as it really is a mess and is stored in grey plastic totes. It is very loosely organised by designer. I’ve been thinking of changing it and putting it in color order but I just have not found the motivation yet. Though I am planning a trip to Ikea on Saturday. Maybe I will find some pretty storage inspiration up there 🙂
I keep my fabric in a standing cupboard, and organized by color. I’m still getting used to folding them so they look consistent, but that’s an art form I haven’t mastered yet!
Lot of mess right now…. but when it was organized, it was divided into different kinds of fabrics. In big boxes. Now they are just piling up on a shelf and in bags. Not good!
I ‘try’ to organize by color and by amounts. It gets really confusing for me when the ‘amount’ gets small. So mostly I go by color. It’s interesting – I’ve noticed my fabric choices mimic my clothing choices (I organize my closet by color, too!)
I try to organize by what the fabric will be used for- clothing, baby quilt, holidays etc. Seems to work for me, but it is always fun to re-organize and find something fun!
Mostly by color, sometimes by designer. And my smaller scraps are in little bins.
Random fat quarters I organise by colour. They are folded into squares about the size of a cd case and stacked on end in a drawer so I see a skinny bit of fabric when I open the drawer. I keep some bundles/lines together like my Mendocino stash. I organise half yard cuts in the same way as the fat quarters. I keep things like solids and linen together and have cuts of yards and above just grouped together (not so many of those to worry about colour order.) I keep scraps in a big plastic box, with each colour in it’s own zip lock bag.
I separate by solids, prints, large amounts (2+ yards intended for quilt backings), and scraps (scraps aren’t sorted at all!).
I do it by color! Right now I don’t have as big of stash as you do so I just put it in a plastic bag. But when my stash grows, I think I am going to color organize and put it in a clear box
by type of project, type of yardage, then color but sadly it’s strunge out allover the place right now. I just love your shelving. I have shelf envy. Sigh…i need a craft room.
At the moment, it’s organized by colour in clear bins in my living room. I’m moving in June, and will finally have a dedicated work space, and will be able to do something a bit easier to get at, but I think I’ll still do colour order. It’s pretty 🙂
I have a somewhat random organization system that seems to work pretty well. I bought a dresser at a yard sale last year and use that for the majority of my storage. I keep fat quarters/half yard cuts folded in the lower two drawers, organized by color. Fat quarter bundles that I intend to use in a single project stay together in another drawer. I have two large drawers devoted to multi-yard cuts, one for garments and one for quilts. My scraps are kept in two vintage train cases, so they are easy to rummage through but can be left out without looking messy. I have a large liberty for target bin that sits on top of my table that holds “in process” pieces and new purchases that will need to be integrated into storage.
I organize my fabrics by color and have a special place for the solids and plastic boxes for scraps (also organized by color). That works easy for me.
thanks for the giveaway, always is great to have a chance to get more fabric!
xo
I have one spot for garments/linens, one for quilting. Quilting is organized by color, with solids kept separately and some lines kept together if I have a few pieces of that line. The multicolors are tough – I have one spot for white background, one for black background, and one for low volumes too. And oh, the scraps are everywhere.
I organize by project. I recently donated just about every fabric that wasn’t waiting to be used to a friend who was working with teaching the homeless to sew quilts….I figure I can restock my own stash with time. 😉 when I have a stash, I like to keep my fabrics stacked together in “families” (same momma or papa….just different offspring)
I organize first into flannels, voile, home decor, knits, and the largest grouping – quilting cottons. And then, just for the quilting cottons, I further organize them into solids, novelty, florals, small prints, and large prints. I used to organize by color but this new system works better for me.
I organize by color and I have most of my fabric stash in bins…that way I can pull a bin at a time to look for what I want. I usually keep new fabrics together for a while…so pretty to look at and think about what I might want to do with them.
I totally need this post! I’m constantly looking for a good organizational system. Currently I have all my quilter cottons in ROGYBV order and then the apparel fabrics stacked and folded separately. It’s pretty. But sometimes I have a hard time splitting up a fabric line. Your stash is so beatiful!
Oddly enough I started re-organizing my fabrics this weekend too! So two answers the before and the after.
Before – main stash organized by color. AMH and DS fabrics kept separate. AMH was org’d by line and DS was org’d by color. For all three, larger multi yards were kept in separate piles. Big scraps also kept in a pile. Also had a few misc piles; linen/linen blend, super specials etc.
After – integrating almost all fabrics by color and separated by size. So when I am done I will have stacks on the shelf of 1/2 – 1yard cuts. Another small stack of larger than 1 yard cuts. Tubs with folded FQ – ish sizes. And finally I’m gonna fold my big scraps and put those in a small tub too cause I cant see them in a pile and its driving me nuts. I will still have a few random stacks of the linen/linen blend, flannel. But for the most part all the cotton is going in the main stash.
It’s a never ending process I think, but I am determined to sew with this fabric and having it where I can see what I have should help!
I do mine by color and all my solids are by color but seperate from the prints. If I have a bundle that I really love I keep it together. At first when I just got started I had all my bundles together. Then I decided I could match my own stuff up and I have to say I like that better.
I have a very small stash, it fits into 2 night stand drawers. the top drawer holds my FQ’s organized by the collections or polka dots with polka dots and I have all of my blues together, cause I have a lot. The second drawer holds the larger cuts of fabric, just folded up. I would love to get the comic card backings if my stash grows bigger.
I mostly organize by color, with some exceptions. New collections that I’ve just received usually stay together for awhile first in a separate cabinet, and those are organized by designer. I usually want to make something with a line as a whole first before splitting it up, so this serves that purpose. Once I’ve done that, I move them over to the other shelves and separate them by color. Solids, linens, apparel fabrics and home decs have their own shelves too to make them easier to find. Small cuts (FQ or smaller) have their own shelf too so they don’t get lost in the yardage. Scraps all go in one basket that I sort through once it gets full to sell as scrap packs. If I need them before then, I just search through the basket, which is probably not the best method!
I organize mine by color. I organize the solids separately. I don’t organize by yardage other thank keep my fat quarters in a separate bin. I hope your organizing works out. Thanks for the giveaway!
I did the exact same thing this weekend… I decided to organize by colour, I find it gets me out of the ‘designer’ rut (only using one line in a project because I don’t have anything else that coordinates).
Also, I organized by type of fabric (voile, quilting, solids, linen). It works great for me. I find I’m spending much more time playing.
My stash is relatively small and so easier to keep a handle on… I organize it by collection before it has been cut into, and then scraps I organize by designer (all Amy Butler together, all Denyse Schmidt together, all Anna Maria Horner together, and then a miscellaneous pile of ‘everything else’!).
I have all my solids in one drawer, and everything else is separated by colour. Apart from the Denyse Schmidt stash – that’s got a giant drawer all to itself 😉
I first organize by a project, I sew for my new grandbabies (7) all under 5, 4sons, DIL, and now ME>..all those scraps are saved for a scrappy quilt. Then its by design, then Japanese, valuable ( like the one of kinds I buy from spoonflower ), I have textures, then colors, then size, like charm packs. I have open space so that I can see all of it, let it inspire my sewing desire. Right now I am trying to sew me a Lg quilt.. So the shelf above my work space is filled with the fabrics I bought for me ! My fabric is my Space and decoration, even the smallest scrap has a glass container for mod podge, then I have a basket for selvedges. its taken about 2 years to accomplish my studio to my needs and how I want to sew. My last desire is cork flooring. I use alot of linen, I can even use the curtains for a design fixture. A Studio for me is therapy, I stay at home everyday, so this is where I live in my house. It gets the best. I raised 4 boys, Now I have a space of Fabric. its folded How I want to see it, its moved around and bunches sometimes, because I am working on it. The area is a clean white space for that purpose.. all the folding a certain way.. Naw.. I play with it. All my AMH right now is on a Big Pile on my Special size Ironing board. I am designing with my hands. I hate and cant draw, I use the fabric. Ok.. sorry you asked now… gotta go buy some scissors, Now dont ask that question.. I can go on and on.. LOL
I organize with all of the above. I mostly place colors together together but sometimes I will put coordinates together. sometimes the collections stays together. depends on what I love at the moment.
I am unorganized – fabric everywhere! Your stash looks amazing though.
I sort almost all my fabric by color but I do have a couple of “special” drawers for Denyse Schmidt, Heather Ross, Echino and Japanese Import/Zakka style fabric.
If I do buy a bundle I keep it on the shelf together, but if I don’t use after awhile, I will break it up and sort it by color. I found out over time that I am more likely to use individual pieces if it’s sorted by color than by bundle.
sounds like im organized the same way you just did yours…in most part by color, but then i have a couple collections i keep together…and on top of that a few designers that i keep their stuff lumped together…im not sure i use the designer fabrics though by keeping it stored this way. we are moving in 2 months and im so thrilled you asked this question bc i plan to read all the comments for sure! im most perplexed by scraps and fat quarter sized fabric…i like sewing from scraps mostly…so i need them ready and easy to access. thanks for a chance at your custom bundle!
I organize by all of the above, which probably isn’t really organizing at all. Try to separate vintage linens/felt/solids/whites/prints, but apart from that I’m reading all these comments on this post for good ideas! (And, thank you so much for the chance to win! 🙂 )
hi erin! oh, man, I need to do this. I have a shelf in a closet where fabrics are sorted by color and type but can’t access/see the inside corners, if that makes sense. Most of my fabrics are thrift store finds, so no sorting by designer, but I think a further subdivision into what I might use them for (clothes vs. other crafts) would be helpful, maybe. Also–this is silly, but how do you fold your fabric pieces to get them to stack up so nicely? and what about when you have a piece that has been cut into–do you square it off and put the cut bits into scrap, or fold the jaggedy edges inside? that’s what I need a tutorial on 🙂
i organize my quilting cottons primarily by color. i, too, used to keep whole lines together but i found i forgot about them and they rarely got used. and now i know what colors i have a lot of (blue!) and what i’m lacking (purple and red). i do keep any fabric cuts over a yard separate, and i also have my non-quilting cottons grouped together (voiles, flannels, home dec, linen, etc). and my solids are separate, too. i think i’ve finally found a system that works for me, though when fabric starts to get double-stacked on the shelves i know i’m in trouble and either need to use what i’ve got or do a destash.
I organize by color, keeping prints, solids, and holidays seperate. I keep scraps in plastic boxes by color. A couple of months ago I began wrapping my fabric on the cardboard precuts(purchased at the local comic book store). While the process took a ton of time, I’m so glad I did it. The fabric is much easier to view and takes less space…and we all know what that means!
My stash is small at this time. I usually store it by collection/designer before I cut into it. Once I have cut into depending on the scrap size it usually then gets stored by color according to how much is left after cutting. Thanks for the giveaway! Love seeing your finished projects…
My stash is organized in sets. Some go by type (flannel, fleece, quilting cotton, home dec) some by project, some by collection, some by color and some by theme, e.g., Christmas. I also have modern separated from traditional. It sounds haphazard, but since they’re stacked in a bookcase, and the stash isn’t too huge (yet), I cam see everything and pull from whatever I’d like to use on a given day.
I only have a little stash, and the fabrics in it are organised first by fibre content and then by size. Most of my fabrics are bought for dressmaking, and I keep the leftover scraps for quilting with. I can’t afford any designer lines, so that really isn’t an issue for me. If I did I imagine that I would keep them together.
I organize most fabric by color, although there are a number of collections I just can’t seem to break up, so they sit on a shelf for me to stare and touch every now and then.
I just reorganized my fabric yesterday, it fits into two cubes and a drawer… I just put similar colours together and some special ones in the drawer.
I’m just a beginner so my stash is small in comparison but I organize by fabric line. I’m not really great with mixing things up yet.
My stash is organized by color, except for the Christmas fabrics. Those are all together separated into greens, reds, and whites. Thanks!
I keep it in plastic bins, try to separate them by color too. But it doesn’t work always, sometimes I just put any stack into any bin to clear the space. I could eat your stash. Thank you!
Any quilting cottons under one yard, I arrange by color on my shelf. Quilting cottons over one yard are just stacked on their own shelf with no particular order. ( I don’t have as many of these larger pieces and since they’re bigger chunks, I can see them easily at a glance, which I why I don’t bother grouping them by color)
All solids are on a separate shelf, again anything under a yard is on a separate stack.
Voiles, flannels, and knits each have their own stack as well.
Any precuts (I only have a few) are displayed on the pretty shelf above my sewing machine. Sometimes if I buy a FQ or FE bundle of one collection, I’ll leave it together on this shelf too. Once I’ve broken it open or used some of it, then it all gets added to my color arranged cottons.
I actually just finished reorganizing my fabric, my quilt fabric is sorted by color primarily, I do have some collections kept together and all Christmas fabric is kept together. Then I have another area for all my clothing fabric which is sorted by type.
Organized by color, pattern or holiday in drawers. This way it is kept clean and easy to look at. Scraps are kept separate.
First of all, your stash is gorgeous! I organize my stash in different ways. I organize the yardage by color. Since I’ve gotten into quilting, I tend to buy precuts (hello fat quarter bundle I love you so). I keep my bundles together by collection. It’s definitely not a perfect system but it works for the time being. I’m slowly going through my scrap bin (ok ok more than one bin I confess) and trying to organize them by color too.
I wish I had room to be organized! Turns out my sewing space is a corner of the very packed home school room, so into rubbermade totes everything goes and get’s taken out to the garage between projects. Ahhh someday I will have a space to call my own!
Oh! One more very important part of my stash organization that I must mention: comic book boards. I bought some off Amazon and spent a week wrapping my yardage onto the boards. Makes storing fabric so much easier and prettier too! I think it also helps protect the fabric (fewer folds).
I have my fat quarters and half yards in two different places and then yardage in a different storage. I am currently transitioning my sewing space from my dining room to my basement, so things are a bit unorganized!
Because of moving so far I have (comparatively) little fabric but what I do have I keep in shoeboxes (because our house is too tiny to have the fabric out or to have a ‘sewing space’ permanently set up). The boxes are per pattern—so I have animals/insects/fish; flowers; vintage Japanese fabric; plaids/squares/checks; stripes; dots; and one box for random things that don’t fit elsewhere (numbers, measuring tape…). I also have a box for solids and a smaller shoebox for scraps. Those categories are to some extent loose; a Japanese Red Riding Hood might end up in ‘animals’ because of the wolf, but it works because the fabrics in that box are ones I’d generally go to for a baby quilt/similar and so when I’m looking for them I find them. Within the boxes the fabrics are folded and standing on a side and are generally in order of color.
I wish I had enough fabric and enough space to display it prettily! But I have found that this system works efficiently for me in the way we’re living now.
I usually organize by a mix of by size, line, and color. But at the moment all my fabric is tucked away in boxes since we moved a couple months ago and I lost my fabric hutch to dishes.
I organized by color mainly, too. But my very favorites that I would always call more of collections then general stash that I am might not intend to use as freely are by themselves. Liberty of London, Heather Ross, and anything to just came to the door but I’m not done petting are by themselves. My favorite thing to organize!
Sad to say, it is almost not at all when you think about organization of fabric in my sewing room. Of course that does not help with the sewing mojo at all!
First I separate out by yardage: 1 yard+ gets sorted out from smaller cuts. Then the smaller cuts that I intend to use for quilting get sorted by color (unless it is a FQ bundle or something that I intend to use all together for a quilt). Larger pieces get sorted by intended use (fabric for clothing for my 1 year old is usually different than fabric I intend to use for clothing for myself. But not always!).
ahh! the ever present challenge of how to deal with the stash. Currently this is my system:
1. 1/2 yards or more are on comic book board backers and sorted by color in these clear plastic drawers that I got at target (i have a pic on my blog here – http://myfabricobsession.blogspot.com/2011/04/wip-wednesday-24.html ). Take one of the boards with fabric to target to test them for size. It’s nice because you can pull out the drawer and see the fabric like file folders!
2. large scraps up to 1/2 yard are folded as nicely as i have time for and in a fabric like bin (also target) in my expedit shelves.
3. small scraps are in glass Ball jars in rainbow order on top of my shelves.
4. oddities: I keep my hoarded fabrics (Tula Pink) on board backers but displayed on the shelf like books.
I also keep fabrics that I’ve already selected for a pattern with that pattern in another fabric like bin in the shelves.
I also have a bin for strips that I’ve cut and keep separate from the rest of the scraps.
Hope that helps!
Everything in my stash is organized by size of fabric cut. I like to keep collections together if I buy them as a bundle (usually FQs), but if the prints are more solo selections, I’ll separate them out. Anything larger than a yard gets placed in it’s own box to make it easier to pull together quilt backs. I also have separate boxes for precuts, fat quarters, and half yards. I don’t do a lot of color organizing since I keep my stash in boxes rather than out in view on a shelf (one of the downsides of apartment living in a big city). It’s not a perfect system, but it usually works ok. 🙂
Mostly by size and color. The shelves next to my sewing machine hold yardage, sorted by color. Behind me, on the wall, is a cubby unit filled with FQs and pieces about 1/4 yard. Smaller scraps are in a shoe holder hanging on the back of the door, also sorted by color. Across the room, on a bookshelf, are collections too precious to break up (yet), Christmas, 30s repros, upcycled plaids from shirts… That all sounds so orderly, doesn’t it? There are also baskets full of orphan blocks, UFOs hanging in the closet, and piles on the floor of fabric pulls for possible projects.
we I do maine 2 way’s by color, and also by age. RLH
Wow, I’ll spill for the prospects of such a bundle! I almost exclusively stash blenders, and I organize them by color, subject to the following exceptions. I have almost no precuts (maybe 3?), so they are together. I stash all my DS together, with the Hope Valley, Chicopee, Florence, County Fair, FMF (legacy), KJR, and DSQ all separate. (I’m a DS junkie.) I have one stack for Field Study because that collection is my main AMH weakness and I plan to keep it all together in a near exact copy of a quilt Bijou Lovely did with Field Study. My very moderate Heather Ross collection is also separate. I have Children at Play separated because it’s one of my favorite lines, too. I have very nearly used up all the boy line, but no one I know (including me) has had a girl, so I have a beautiful stack of the girl prints just waiting. Then I have miscellaneous multi-colored and a few imports all together, but since I mostly stash blenders except for a few designers, that section isn’t too big. Goodness, I ended up writing a lot. I <3 my stash.
At the moment most of my fabric is arranged by color. Solid, bigger cuts and certain designers/lines are kept separate. I have a Denise Schmidt shelf because I love how well her lines work together. I also have bins that contain fabric that has already been designated for certain patterns.
Mine is organized by cuts. Anything close to a yard or more is on mini bolts, smaller cuts are folded and stacked. Precuts are together and scraps are in bags.
I am a little of by color and a little of by fabric line. I have my batiks organized in one pile and all of them are there. I have a tub of civil war type stuff that I throw in with everything anyway when grabbing quilt fabrics to plan something but intend to do something specific with. Then I have my modern stuff. Most of it is organized by color (including the solids) because I bought a print or two from a fabric line because they were the ones I liked best or sometimes the only ones I liked. Or I bought extra because it was the best orange ever. Or…well you know how that happens… Some of it though is set aside as a whole line or a whole colorway from a line that I was intending to use together (even if I throw some other stuff in there) so I’ve left them stacked together. Finally I have a small stack of odds and ends that don’t fit elsewhere – little bit home decor weight, some muslin, some oil cloth – those sorts of things. And all of it is put on a bookshelf about the size of yours so it’s neat and easy to see. Then I can just pull out a stack of the color/line I want and search through it for the stuff I need for my current project.
I have a lot of fabric that isn’t for quilting so I organize by categories-quilting cottons, linen, flannel, wool, lace corduroy and so on. So it’s not very organized.
I start organizing by size, with a random size area where things go after use – when they no longer conform. Then some fabrics that were bought together stay together and the rest of it gets organized by color. Everything that’s not washed yet sits in a pile on my floor. That pile is about ready to topple over but it has been keeping me motivated on my fabric diet so I guess I’ll leave it for now. 😉 I love looking at other people’s stashes; so much pretty out there! Thanks for sharing!
I am struggling with this very question right now. I have trouble breaking up fabric lines but maybe it’s time for me to get over that fear.
Mine is a bit of a mish mash – some for specific future projects I have set aside, some is organised by function (apparel, quilting etc) and some by yardage. It works for me, but only because I don’t have too much. I have contemplated busting apart my bundles, but I am hesitant to do so…crazy huh?
I just reorganized this week! This time around I organized anything a yard or bigger folded onto comic book cardboard, stood them upright like mini bolts and sorted by color on a bookshelf. Lining, batting felt, wool, and others go in a dresser or rubbermaid. Scraps 2 inches or smaller are loosely sorted by color in half gallon mason jars. The in between sizes are folded into fat quarter style in a big basket. Lastly, I have a bin that is favorite fabrics and heirloom (vintage, Heather Bailey, AMH, DS, Heather Ross, and fabric that holds memories from special things like my girls Christmas stockings, birthday dresses, etc.) I usually have to reorganize 2-4 times a year because I pull things all out to get inspired and make a huge mess.
well….I used to organize by color prior to having a child. now, it’s organized by throw it on the “to be organized pile” which is almost as big as the organized piles!
What a great give away!
I organize my fabrics by colours. I don’t have much (but enough), and most my fabrics are in fat quarters. The few fabrics I have meters/yardage of are so few (and ment for special projects), so I know where they are within my colour system.
You have an impressive collection of fabrics!
I have big bins which sit on my shelves, one bin for each basic color, then a couple others for stripes, novelty prints, 30s prints, batiks. I’ve used this system for years and it works for me. I have a lot of fabric.
Currently my fabrics are still in boxes after moving a few months ago:(. I’ll get them out eventually and when I do, I organize by color mostly. With quilting cottons together and then a few different plies by fabric types. Knits together, or a stack of larger cuts together, etc. What helps me the most is having everything within in view, so I can see what I have.
I organize mostly by the following 5 ways: 1. Color. Fat quarters and larger are folded and put into a dining room hutch by color – I use the ROY G BIV method, plus one for B/W. 2. I do have a holiday basket of fabrics that fit into a shelf in the hutch since I make a lot of Christmas gifts, and use that fabric in various ways. 3. I do keep some fabric lines together if I bought them as a package (charm pack, layer cake, or a FQ bundle) until I start cutting into them. If I cut them, then they move into the Color stacks. 4. I have some bins to store my vintage sheets that I have collected through thrifting. They are larger than my normal fabric size, so I keep them out of the hutch. 5. I have a scrap bin under my sewing table to keep smaller scraps that I may use for fusible projects, small projects, and spiderweb blocks. 95% of the time I only shop when I have an actual project in mind. I drool a lot on screen, but generally refuse to buy more fabric than my craft room (hutch and dedicated bins) can hold. Sometimes, fabric may be on top of the hutch, but it is usually before I begin a project.
My stash of fat quarters and yardage is organized by color. If I purchase fabric for a specific project I have in mind, the fabric goes into a jumbo-size zip lock bag along with thread and any pattern notes, etc. so the project is ready to go when I have the time. My scraps are organized in bins by size/shape – strips, squares, rectangles triangles, selvedges,none of the above.
I seriously need to organize my scraps… but the rest of my stash is organized by colour or fabric lines. I have clear plastic bins and this helps to see the colours easily. All this works well until I begin a project, or two, or three and then I have a big mess all over… sigh! Luckily I don’t have a ton of fabric like you, so it is manageable!!
Generally, I organize by color although sometimes if I have a few selections that I like together I will put them together on a different shelf.
How do I organize these loved fabrics? Let me count the ways . . . At first, I’ll do it by color. I have a tendency to make monochromatic quilts so this works for me. Then I subdivide those stacks into geometrics, abstracts and florals. Anything left over goes into separate drawer which I guess I would classify as conversational fabrics. Last but not least, and this is kind of odd, I organize my solids separately, into feminine and masculine colors, a lot like I did when I was little and got a charge out of organizing my crayon box. What can I say? It makes me happy. Take care, Byrd.
I attempt to organize by project. I have baskets full of various projects and amazingly enough, I can locate a project rather easily within each basket. Who knows why??? I love knowing where all those projects are!! Other baskets hold filler fabric, I have a basket filled with the bits and ends so I can just jump in and come up with something fun!!! I would love to actually organize…but this works for me.
I totally organize mine by colour, with the exception of larger yardages that I have bought with a bigger project in mind (either pajama pants, a blouse, a potential quilt backing). Those larger pieces I keep separate. The rest are by colour family. 🙂
Imalways organize by colour but i do keep my anna maria horner and denyse schmidt separate
By color definitely! Of course I haven’t actually done that yet! We recently installed shelves in the garage and I purchased banker boxes to put the fabric in. I didn’t sort it but plan to you soon by color and then if necessary by the type of fabric.
I organize my fabrics by color mainly, but I’m always looking for new ideas to make them easier to keep in order.
ROYGBIV in my studio. 🙂
I put colors together, but now that I’m getting more modern fabrics, I’m reconsidering and might group 1930s together, moderns together, and civil war together. I haven’t spent the time to do that yet, because who wouldn’t rather be making something with it instead of organizing it, right?
ROYGBIV. 🙂
I organize my stash by color. I also have an “annex,” a.k.a. the hall closet, where I keep larger pieces of fabric that I buy for quilt backs.
Oh wow, your stash looks so orderly. The most I can say about mine is that it’s all in plastic bins, but there’s no rhyme or reason for why each fabric is where it is.
I organize by color, but then that’s how I organize most everything (closet, books, etc.) I guess it’s just how my mind works. I am a bit obsessive about making sure they are exactly in spectrum order. I keep my stash in a storage ottoman in our living room, which is far from perfect, but it’s what I’ve got for now.
I just pulled my whole stash out and resorted and refolded so I know what you mean. I sorted by colors. I also have one little area where I keep bundles I purchased together, charm packs, and anything else that I felt needed to stay that way. I tend to buy fat quarters so it was easy to make it all fit nicely. The few pieces of yardage are together too. I tend to sew scrappy by color so this works for me.
Well, I had it all organized by project, which is mostly by designer as well, I guess. I had it all laundered and neatly stacked in the china cabinet I had inherited from my grandma. When an ef-4 tornado destroyed our house on November 17, my grandmother’s cabinet was destroyed and mostly gone. However, I found much of the fabric on the ground and still salvageae. Crazy! Guess that old cabinet did its job in protecting my ferocious items. I washed up what I could and now it is stored completely randomly lol. Some in the closet at out rental house and some out in the garage waiting to be washed still. I’m so happy to have any of not left. Even after a tornado I have a stash 🙂
Haha salvageable and precious 🙂
I currently don’t have a huge stash, but what I do have is mainly organized by color. I do keep my larger yardage all together, as there is only a few fabrics I have yardage of, but the rest is organized by color. My three year old son helped me 🙂 he likes going through all the fabrics and seeing what I have. I think the way you have your stash organized looks great!
I have always organized my fabrics by color, on shelves. That’s how I use them. I keep small scraps organized by color in bins.
My work area is a bit disorganized. I have my fabric organized by quality and type, which may sound weird. I have fabric from a variety of sources and I save scraps. I have what I call the “walmart” fabric, which is thin, but usable if it’s not a quilt project. I have felt leftover from stocking kits and Christmas ornaments. I have knit fabric, which is great if you make rice bags or clothes. Then I have my quilt fabric stash.
I organize by yardage. I tried organizing by color, but it has worked out pretty well to have my 2+ yard cuts together, half yards, etc. i tend to group my organic kid prints together, my AMH together, etc. I recently spent hours on hours cutting squares and strips from smaller pieces of fabric(less than a fat quarter) and it was so satisfying. I love having a big pile of 5″, 3.5″, and 2″ squares! Those are organized by color.
Hello – after 20 years of quilting (gosh that sounds like a long time)I’ve tried organizing in a few dozen different ways. I found by colour is the best for me – it took me shoving myself in the back to separate those co-ordinated lines – (oh they go together so well), but I like what happens when they are mixed in with others – it’s happy.
In cardboard boxes or stacked up by the iron. So sad! I am thinking about a display/organization plan.
I sort everything by colour, and store 1 yard+ together, 1/2 yards together (both around foamcore board on shelves) and then fat quarters and smaller bits in little IKEA bins. I too haveva lot of fabric!
I sort by color for everything. Big or large pieces are on shelves in my closet. Small stuff I cut into strips or 2-2.5 in squares for Granny Squares. I love that block. I put the squares in Ziplocks, then in Rubbermaid boxes.
Hi! Thanks for offering to part with some of your stash! I organize my fabric mostly by color. Although I do keep certain collections together like right now I have Dowry all together. I also like to keep stacks of fabric together that I think will all work well in a quilt! A little secret though I wish I wasn’t so organized! Sometimes I take all my fabric and throw it in a huge pile and this is when I come up with my favorite color combinations!! Thank you!!!!
Judging from photos I’ve seen I would say my stash is a lot smaller than other other people’s stashes and what I have is almost all scraps. I sort by type; satins, silks and fancy dress fabrics are in one container; creams and beiges (mostly calico and curtain backs) are in another tub; I have a big wooden blanket box that my husband made for me that has heavy home dec (for bags) in one corner, felted wool jumpers (for softies), a bag of lace, a bag of brushed cotton, rayon, and a box filled with quilting cottons which I’ve sorted by quality, some lovely fabrics I bought while I was in Japan and all of my interfacings and wadding tucked in too.
I’ve been sewing since age 12, well over 40 years, and have saved the scraps from every garment and decorating project by color. Once I finish a quilt I keep those scraps together for a bit in case I want to make coordinating pillows. Your scrap stash in the cabinet looks so much prettier than stacks of plastic tubs!
When my daughter moved out, I took her room as my sewing room. It has a small walk in closet with custom shelving including a shoe cubby. It is perfect for fat quarters. I store them mainly by color although if there is a collection that I want to to keep together, I will store it together. My yardage is stored by color on shelves. I use pant hangers to hang projects I am working on such as pieced blocks on the hanging clothes bar. It is really a great system for me but my favorite part is the fat quarters in the shoe cubby. It is like it was made with fat quarters in mind!! I love it!
Mostly by colour! but I keep my precious Denyse Schmidt and a couple of others separate so I can easily find them when I need a bit of fabric fondling!!
I have my stash in a dresser organized by size then color. One drawer for fat quarters, one for half yards, one for full yards, one for project stacks, then flannel & backs in the bottom. I can usually find what I am looking for but there is a bit of overflow these days! 🙂
Sounds like I’m like a bunch of others here…I organize by color into three bins, because that’s how much space is on the shelf (red/orange/yellow, blue/green, black/neutral), then have another spot for yardage (cuts of a yard or more), and a fourth bin of solids (which I never get around to buying for stash, just for projects so it’s mostly scraps) and a bin for all scraps. And then there’s the pile on the floor, of fabric that got pulled but not put back, on the piles on the table that I pulled for a really scrappy project about a year ago and haven’t finished with yet…it’s all at sort of an organizational low point right now.
Ah, my “organization” doesn’t sound very organized when I think about it, but it wors for me. Garment fabric is in bins under my sewing table, organized by fabric type/weight, larger cuts of quilting cottons (over FQ) are on comic boards in a cabinet in our dining room, organized by colour, FQs are in bins in my sewing room, organized by colour, and the same with scraps. Kind of all over the place, but I can find most of it when I need it 😉
I do mine primarily by color, for prints. Solids have their own shelf, and there’s a separate shelf for lines I like to use together (FMF, Habitat). Then garment fabrics go together, but they are not organized 🙂
I sort by color! Yours is much neater! Love your blog- you always inspire!
By colour, always by colour: I can’t work without things ordered in a colour-theoretical way! But I also keep dressmaking knits and linens separate. And I keep small scraps in a box but if I had a little more room even they would probably be colour ordered too…!
Right now, it is sitting in Rubbermaid tubs. We recently renovated the space where my sewing room is and I have been contemplating how I want to organized it. I have been thinking about what kind of shelving to purchase, but have been dragging my feet a little. Seeing your fabric all pretty and organized gives me inspiration to get on it already! Thanks!
Since renovating my sewing space a few years ago, my fabric has been sitting in Rubbermaid tubs. I have been dragging my feet on buying shelving, but after seeing your staff all organized and pretty, I have been inspired to get on it already! Thanks!
Oops, I accidentally entered 2 comments. It didn’t look like the first one had gone through. 🙁
I organize mainly by color, but also have separate bins for solids, polka dots, juvenile, gingham/stripe, Kaffe, Heather Ross, Liberty, and 30’s prints. Now that I see it written down, it seems like I have way too much! And I forgot about bags of selvedges sorted by color and a scrap bin sorted by color. Yikes!
I love organizing my fabric! I have one shelving unit for small cuts, but everything is sorted by color. My home decor and flannels are separate, but I’m thinking of mixing them in;)
I organize by color and size. Juvenile and holiday fabrics are separate. When I have a particular quilt I’m going to make but not starting right away I put the fabric for it in a container (and add to as/if needed) along with notes, ideas and information about the quilt and then label the box. Smaller scraps, strips, etc. are the hardest for me to keep organized as I’m working with them. I keep scraps together by strips (same colors together) and size (same colors together) but in the process of working with them it gets messy. I do take the time to organize them but it doesn’t stay neat and organized for long. It’s an ongoing process.
I tend to keep fabric lines together, and solids are kept together, also I have a bunch of misc. florals together, then I tend to organize by color. I’m very excited about your giveaway!
For the longest time I had this hang up about keeping my vintage fabric* in with the new fabric and keeping the 1930s repros separate and yada yada. Then when Jack was small I just threw it all together and divided it up by color. Many years later that still works for me. Usually when I am sewing I think “Oh I need a yellow” and just go to the yellow pile. I think this would NOT work very well if you are inclined to use whole lines of fabric in one project – like a Katie Jump Rope quilt – but I just don’t really buy that way anyway. *I used to not cut the old stuff at all, now it’s no holds barred. Use it or lose it.
Honestly my incoming fabrics usually sit in piles for months until I get tired if tripping over them. Then I usually organize by color. I make exceptions for childrens prints which I group together. I also group the little amount of flannels and voiles I own separate too.
Generally, for smaller cuts I have stacked bins for every color, with a seperate bin for multi-color novelty fabrics. I had solids by themselves, but then couldn’t decide whether single colored blenders should be with the prints or solids, so ended up sorting them all into their color group bins. Yardage is by itself, and linen/flannel/corduroy/voile/etc is seperate. But I also pull out and organize by project and line sometimes … my Japanese fabrics are seperate, my Heather Ross is seperate, my AMH is in two different bins for two different planned projects …. Scraps are sorted by color into bags, except for strips, 2.5 inch blocks, and tiny scraps… Must have more storage space!!
My stash is separated out by size – scraps (bins), FQS & HYs (plastic tupperware), anything larger than 1 yard (in the closet on the shelf). After that they are sorted by color. I keep my apparel fabric separated by type – corduroy, knit etc. I do keep fabrics together that I’ve purchased for a specific project.
My fabric isn’t organized (about the same like everything else around here). BUT..if I finally get around to it, I will organize by colour.
I have a small stash that I keep in a large deep desk drawer….all together:)
I organize by yardage, color and type but the only thing that really sticks is yardage. I have WAY to many projects going at one time usually with rotating priority so fabrics get pulled out and put back often. The only thing I can seem to commit to (with two littles under 3 usually underfoot) is to put them back with others of like yardage. I’m not sure why this is…
I am kinda new to quilty world…but have sewn for loooong time. Have always sorted by colors, and kind of prints, floral, kids, flannels, etc Still works for quilt projects too…at least for me! 🙂
Right now, by designer then color. When I’m coming up with a new quilt I tend to keep them by color first.
I try to keep the scraps away from yardage so I know what I have to use in quilts
I used to do it by designer. Then I did it by color and now it is just a mess.I have recently decided that I need different shelving so that everything will be visible having things behind other things is making me crazy. So the plan is new shelves and everything visible by color
In 10 litre plastic boxes, by colour, with exceptions for spots, stripes and fabrics with no clear ‘main’ colour. I do a mad re-org twice a year whether it needs it or not 😉
At the moment my stash is ‘kind of’ organised, mostly by fabric lines & then solids all together. I’m really inspired to see posts about people re-organising their fabrics. Not inspired enough to actually do it myself as yet, but it’s such an overwhelming thing. I know I’ll be a more productive quilter if I’m better organised & know where everything is, so that’s a big incentive.
I have absolutely no organisation at the moment – it is just in a few plastic tubs to keep dust away from it. Every time I want to choose new fabric I pull it all out and spread it over my bed!
i want to say not at all…. but, actually there is a bit of organization as a part of the shelving/dresser system i use!! precuts and fat quarters bought as sets are in one dresser drawer. another dresser drawer has larger pieces for backing quilts. a third holds 2-3 yard cuts for clothing (chambray, essex yarn dyed, and nani iro). my shelves are kind of organized by purchases and by designer (heather ross, liberty, denyse schmidt, daisy janie, and lu summers).
Your fabric is beautiful! I just had a couple of friends come over and help me organize my “craft room” – and I’m still trying to think of ways to organize my fabric. I don’t have nearly as much as you do – and now, everything is just in bins. I also have a friend that gives me her outdated fabric sample books, so I’ve got lots of smaller pieces of fabric… and trying to figure out how to organize those also! I love reading through all of the comments – and hoping in the near future to be able to organize my fabric! Thank you for this opportunity!!!!
If I have a project in mind for something when the fabric is purchased, I keep it together. Otherwise, I try to keep collections together, the organize the rest by color. 🙂
Fat quarters are by color. Unless I’ve purchased a “set” of fabrics. I’d never break those up. ex: I have a set of flannels, and a set of 1930s. Interesting that so many of us go for color first. As an aside – wondering how you organize any books you may have? I organize by subject, then size of book. In exact opposite – my husband organizes by Author. I think this says something about us. 🙂
I don’t have much of a stash, I buy fabric only as I need it, so it’s for a specific project I’m about to make and is kept together that way. You didn’t say if the giveaway is open internationally or not – I’m in the UK.
I love the way yours looks. It’s inspirational. My fabric ends up in a plastic bin, most recent purchase on top. Some day I’m hoping for a sewing room with fabric organized by color too!
I organize my holiday fabrics and if I have childrens fabric I organize those buy gender than color/print. For my regular design fabric or plain colors I “try” to keep it by colors
Until last weekend I had them organized by fabric line, but when moving them to a different closet I reorganized by color. I loved seeing the different fabrics together.
I organize by type (flannel, batiks, 30’s) and then by color within that type. And it’s not a ‘stash,’ it’s a COLLECTION!!
I don’t have all that much to organize sorry to say, but I’d like to. What I have is in a plastic bin washed, neatly folded and loosely organized by color and fabric type. Would love to do more sewing and actually finish some projects.
Our place is tiny so my stash is all crammed, without rhyme or reason, into a plastic tote. I also have a number of freezer bags jammed with scraps that are floating around the same closet as the tote. It’s getting out of hand – time to organize!
I am currently reorganising my stash. FQs are kept in a set of plastic drawers, by colour. I am making scrap buckets by colour too. If I’ve ordered a small bundle, that gets kept together on a shelf, until I’ve used some of it, then it goes into the “general population”. Precuts are together on a shelf, with FQs if I have them. My yardage is all shoved in a big messy pile at the moment! I mainly have random FQs as fabric is so expensive over here
I have mine in bins – loosely sorted by tones – neutrals, brights, florals, etc. But I am gathering myself into a full studio reorganize – purge – for the spring. So I’ve been reading the comments myself.
I really have a problem with using “the good stuff” – I find myself wanting to keep it for that special project – so the mental prep for me is more important than actually sorting.
Have a great day.
I have my prettier fabrics and fabric I am hoping to be inspired to use, displayed on shelving in my office (all the rest is stashed in storage bins). I’ve wrapped each piece around uniform cardboard lengths and have them standing like books organized by color. I figure if I am not using it as often as I would like, I might as well have it pretty to look at! This way I can still enjoy it!
I mostly organize by color but also by size to some degree. Large pieces for backing are grouped together. Small pieces are grouped by color in plastic tubs so they are easy to find for small or scrappy projects.
I have tubs, loosely “themed” into really-impractical-asian-print-silky-fabrics, someday-dance-clothes-fabrics, the-fat-quarters-and-yardage-that-just-called-my-name, and a couple odds and ends tubs of things that don’t fit the other spots but I don’t want to get rid of yet. If I win, I’ll do a trade, okay? = )
What is it they say about the road to somewhere being paved with good intentions. Mine would love to be organized but every time I get them in some kind of order they end up in a jumbled mess in their containers. I just got a dedicated sewing space so maybe, just maybe there is hope on the horizon!!?
I organize my scraps by color but I save my big pieces of fabric by collection if I have some fabric from a whole collection that I’m saving for a special purpose. I also have washed fabrics that I keep separate from my other fabrics. These I use for making stuff that I sell in my Etsy shop and crafts shows. I also keep my Japanese fabrics separated from my other fabrics. I wish I had a better system for organizing my fabrics.
I do alot of charity sewing so my stash is organized in large clear plastic bins – by holiday (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day) – non-holiday is by novelty prints and solids by color. My dream organization method would be enough space to have shelves with all of the fabric on bolts…….
I sort by color, unless I want to keep the line together for a project. I also keep larger pieces in a separate basket. I’d love to have a bin system, but I need a larger closet for that! I also keep smaller scraps in a tote, but it’s a complete mess.
I like to organize my fabric by color. And then all my scraps are thrown into a bag. I think it would help to organize those as well by color. Needless to say as far as organization goes around here, it’s not much. thanks for the chance to win.
My fabric storage is on long bookshelves. My stash includes a few pieces of yardage, and mostly “scraps.” The scraps are organized by size, so I have about 4 stacks of different size ranges; and within those stacks I organize by color range
First – “big cuts” – 2-3 yards and up. Then fat quarters to 2 yards (ish) by color (you’re right – unless I think I will use the line together! Looking at you, gorgeous but sort of hard to match Piper!) Then scraps. And also by project….so. Um. Yeah. Nevermind – not much of a system!
I’m going to organize mine now that I have a new crafting space, so I appreciate the comments. I was planning to do it sort of by color or weight, to make it easier to find what you’re seeking… But I appreciate the other ideas!
My stash isn’t ridiculously large (though my husband might disagree!) but I have it all on shelves, around comic book board “bolts,” generally organized by color. Scraps and such are just thrown in gallon-sized Ziploc bags by general size, but frequently get strewn around my sewing space. Scraps are so tough to organize!
My stash is undeniably large, accumulated over years of garment sewing, quilting and crafting.
Once my daughters left home, I purchased open shelving from Ikea and put together my very own workroom. The shelves were specifically to allow for half-yard widths, folded in half twice (as I prepare for strip cutting), approx 22″ wide and 16″ deep. On the back wall are my color groupings, divided into ROYGBV plus multicolor, pink, brown, coral, turqoise, black, grey, white, and black&white, cool colors on one side of the window, warm on the other. On one side wall, I have my seasonal stashes: Christmas, Hannukah, Thanksgiving, Easter, St Patrick’s Day, and over-flowing Halloween and 4th of July collections. On the other wall are collections of batiks, Kaffe Fasset & Westminster fabrics, Civil War reproductions, Austrailian fabrics, Japanese fabrics, African fabrics, dots, plaids, stripes, and novelties broken down by theme: music, animals, sports, and foods. Even with all that, I now have overflow stacked up on the floor (mostly flannels). But I absolutely love being able to walk upstairs at midnight if I so choose, and start pulling fabrics to make an entire quilt top without having to make a trip to the store (especially now that so many in my area are closing.)
Mine is organized entirely by color (although vintage and scraps have separate boxes). Works reasonably well. Although it does keep overflowing the space that I have for it.
Yesterday my eldest daughter asked if she could go through and organize one of the fabric bins, I said yes, but she eventually got overwhelmed by all the bits. Most of my fabric is from 15-20 years ago, some of it is on shelves, some of it is in pretty stacks around the house, most of it is old scraps in bins… Oh, but I have been thinking of organizing my feedsack pieces into a special set of drawers…
Also fabric gets organized into “making” stacks… these fabrics will make tops and skirts for eldest, these fabrics will make new summer dresses, etc…
Lately I feel unorganized in the fabric and handwork supply area, and you have added to my motivation to get things more situated!
I organize by color but I don’t have much space so my area gets messy!
But I’m having fun – never thought a would sew! What a treat to have the opportunity to learn from all of you!
Since my children are grown & live away, I have extra bedrooms, so I junk them up. Most of the fabric is on a shelf unit & some even in an unused file cabinet. I try to have solids & prints separate. I enjoyed reading all the ideas & seeing your huge amount of fabric. Makes me want to sew!! Mary Ann Cauthen
Yes I use plastic bins too, and most are in the garage. Christmas fabric is one box. I admire those who can store away by color. A friend sorts her stash by length of fabric. Yards, half-yards, fat quarters and scraps, so she knows if there is enough for a new project.
Hope I’m not too late! I simply keep it all folded on a bookshelf. Smaller pieces I keep in large ziploc bags.
I organize by color. I’ve been doing it that way for a few years now and it’s worked great – so much easier to find stuff when I’m working on a project.