FOLDING FABRIC FOR STORAGE

FOLDING FABRIC AND MORE ORGANIZING

O.K.  We’ve gone through how to cut fabric, how to store fabric. Now we will go over just a couple of ways to fold your fabric.

When you get your fabric from the quilt shop or other fabric store, or even a fabric department you really never know how it will be folded.  Each employee folds it up a different way, and even the same person can fold the same length of fabric in different ways.  When we get our fabric home we have to refold it to fit the way we store it.  Some quilters prewash all their fabrics before they even get into the quilt room, others just fold it and store it or ‘hide’ it.

To fold your fabric onto a bolt board or a comic book board is one of the easier ways to store your fabric if you have the room.  If you don’t have the room or the boards you can still put a nice smooth even and equal fold in your fabrics.

One of the easiest ways to fold your fabric that is by the yard vs fat quarters etc, is to use your 6” x 24” ruler. Start by laying out at least one end of your fabric. Place your ruler on top with the ends at the selvedge and the folded edge.  

  

 Wrap a fold around the ruler and pull it taut. 

 

Wrap the fabric around the ruler all the way to the end of the fabric.

 

When you have it all wrapped around the ruler. Gently pull the ruler out the one end.

Fold your fabric over the width of the ruler.   

 

 

And then fold over the other end to make a perfect square.

Then attach a label to the fabric. These can be hand written or made into a form that you can print out and attach or tuck into each piece of fabric you have.   You can include any and all the information that you want or think you will need to know about the fabric.  This picture below is one that I use on my own fabric.  It helps me to know so much about the fabric without even unfolding it. 

I normally pin the label onto the fabric, but you can also just insert it in the fold so it is still easy to find.

 

 When you have smaller pieces of fabric you can fold it the same way by using a more narrow ruler such as the 3" x 18".

Once you just have smaller pieces you may only want to include general information and writing it onto a sticky note works great for this.

This way of folding your fabric makes it easy to store in bins, on shelves, or even in a cabinet drawer. The fabric can be easy to see and with so much information on the label it makes it easy to pull out the fabric and almost instantly know if you have enough of it for the project you want to use it for.

Happy Folding!

Til next time -  Keep those needles stitching! And remember if you want more information about Quilter's Pantry and what we have to offer please visit our web site at www.quilterspantry.com

Phyllis

FABRIC STORAGE IDEAS

FABRIC STORAGE!

A MATTER OF SPACE AND USEFULNESS

Mini Cabinet

The internet has even more links and ideas for your fabric storage than they do about overall Quilting space. (At least that’s what I think from my simple search). There are the shelves like you see in some quilt shops, cabinets, chest of drawers, barrels, plastic bins, wire bins, even a file cabinet!  There is storage to fit just about every space potential possible.

Again it is about how much space you have and of course how much fabric you already have and eventually will have. No matter what you have now, you will have more. If you are just starting out this is something you will soon come to learn – fabric is addictive!  You may have enough for your current project, but there are always more projects and there is always the fabric you see and ‘just have to have’! And you’re stash of smaller pieces of fabric will also increase the more you quilt.

You will need space to store yardage as well as the smaller pieces and then the really small pieces.

1)   Wall shelving

2)   Book Cases

3)   Plastic bins

4)   Wire Baskets

5)   File cabinets

6)   Recycle an old dresser, a large trunk.

7)   Other

 

1)   Wall Shelving

a)   This can be accomplished by racking like used at some Walmarts, and as pictured

b)   A built in heavy duty book case

c)   Shelves attached to the wall

 )   Portable Book Cases can be used and then moved as you continue to expand your fabric stash and your sewing space.

3)   Plastic Bins can be used for our full yardage or your smaller pieces. Keeping them organized to fit your style. I have mine according to several styles all in one set of plastic drawers.  I have them according to color, but then I have a section where I have a group set aside for a particular project (2 of them actually). I then use the bottom drawer for non cotton, non quilting pieces of fabric that I am saving to use…… for who knows what. It’s part of ‘I just want to have it” fabrics. Or someone gave them to me.

4)   Wire baskets or even wicker baskets can be used for smaller pieces as well as yardage.

5)   And yes, even file cabinets can be recycled to hold your fabric. Just fold it over a hanging file folder and hang it in the cabinet. You can even put the pattern you want to use with those fabrics inside the file holder and have it all ready for you to just pull it out and get to your next project! Or if you are fortunate enough to own a large file cabinet  like used in a doctor's office....what a way to store yardage and be able to close it all up to hide it and keep it away from dust, pets, etc.

 

6)   An old dresser is a great place to store fabric and supplies. I have a dresser my father made me when I was a teenager. It’s wonderful for quilting, arts and crafts supplies. Old trunks work for storing your finished quilts or your WIPs.

Plastic Drawers and Old Dresser for Storage

7)   Other places to store fabric include bins that fit under your bed. I know many quilters who don’t have a lot of room to use for quilting and even less for storage. So they use what spare space they can find. The shelves inside a closet make a great place as well, and more shelves can be built in to hold more fabric and supplies. This is also a great idea as you can close and even lock the door to keep others out.

Let your imagination go and use what you have and what you can afford for placement of the fabric that you have.

Feel free to store it the way you find works for you. Store it by color, theme, grouping, or project or a mixture of all of them. If your fabric is easy to find, see and use your quilting will go easier and with less stress. As you grow as a quilter, increase the amount of fabric you have or the space you have to quilt and store it all you will change your methods of storage. I went from a small room to a larger room and even that is ever evolving in where I keep everything.

Have a great place you use? Feel free to share here in the comments.

          Ways to fold your fabric will be coming up next.