My Mom is helping me sort thru mine and she is doing it by colors of the rainbow..ya know ROY G BIV...I had them all in one place BUT no rhyme or reason!!!

I am so glad to hear that not everyone else is organized in their sewing room. I also use rubbermaid bins...some clear....some not. I try to store whites separate and flannels and fleece separate. My supplies are separated much better...but the fabric...geesh! My husband built me a thread holder that is wonderful. Lots of pegs. I filled it up and now need another one. I just love buying thread right now.

Mine are in plastic stage drawers. I used to have them in boxes but drawers are easier. I also make sure that the sun and light cannot get to them. Having a stripe of faded area is no fun. I sort them by type and then color. The types are cotton solid light weight, cotton solid bottom weight, cotton prints, silky, knits, fleece solid, fleece print, etc. Right now I'm being told that they have to be moved. My husband says the garage in the rafters but I can't get to them there so I said no. I need something that looks like nice furniture so it can be in a room without embarrassment. Or maybe a kid will move out and I'll get my own sewing room. Fat chance.

2 comments

by meganne 02 Apr 2009

Our kids have moved out, but MIL move in. LOL!!

I'm still on the back verandah and can't make a mess cause I have no door to close it off. AAAAARGH!!!!!

hnr, Meganne

by sewmom 03 Apr 2009

I feel for you. My sewing area is actually part of the dining room. I have my own counter, desk area, and 3 walls but the 4th side is open for all to see.

I usually sort by types of material, & then by colors. This helps with quilting, cottons, blends, polyester blends, denim etc. *4U

But why is it that how ever much or little you have that whenever a ne project starts you dont have the material for it?
I am in the process of sorting everything out as I have a new room to sew in. Expect I will find stuff I have not seen in a while. Most of the sewing bits are in boxes and threads by colour in plastic boxes. Ribbons in a box or two and loads of bits on shelves, most bits and pieces are to hand for when I need them. Embroidery frames and stabiliser in a small filing cabinet to the right of the machines

I don't have much and my space is limited right now, so it is all pilled up inside a storage bin. (Rubbermaid plastic chest)

In clear plastic bins on shelves that my husband put up for me on the wall.

Great question! I am always looking for a better way. I have a bunch that are sorted by color, then a bunch sorted by project, my homespuns, batiks, then the novelties (sports, patriotic,etc). I also have left-overs sort of sorted. As you can tell, it's pandemonia.

I keep mines in dresser drawers, trucks, boxes and big plastic storage containers. However; since moving into this home it's out of order because we are waiting on a bigger home ;0 I LQQK forward to an awesome storage when we more...YAHOO ;D *2U

1 comment

by meganne 02 Apr 2009

Yes we need a bigger home, and recently we went to look at one, (we couldn't afford it) now we're breaking our hearts thinking about it.

It had 5 (yes FIVE) garages, with their own kitchen, shower & wc. There were 4 HUGE bedrooms all with built in closets, huge kitchen & family room, bathroom, walk through dressing n wardrobe & ensuite to the master b.r., the lounge room was as big as a dance hall and the formal dining room would've been perfect to hold all five of my machines (set-up) with their own cabinets, dressers the lot, and all the office stuff, (computers, entertainment equipment, etc.) and there would have been room for a huge long cutting and work table right down the middle of the room. It was perfect.

Aah, dreams, maybe one day.
hnr, M

Like this and this....and there are a few baskets on top with projects in the works on top of these.

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I love my fabic storage system. In the closet I have old dressers with lots of drawers . Some large and some regular. If I need red I go to the red drawer etc. I also have a polka a dot drawer, Woven plaids, childrens prints etc. drawers. when the drawers get jammed I know I better get sewing and not buying. Its very easy to find, dust free and most is at waist or higher to veiw. Smaller pieces are sorted in clear shoe boxes on the closet shelve. Flannels are stored in clear tubs pink in one yellow, blue etc. If I'm making a boy quilt I just pull out the blue tub and then maybe add some cottons from the blue drawer. I try not to spend money on storage stuff...I'd rather buy more fabric. :-)

Guess I'm kinda anal too. I have one of those stackable plastic storage bens you get from wal-mart with the pull out drawers. All my thread, bobbins, stabilizers are in there sectioned by color. In my closet are shelves with my material sorted by color or in bags by project. One bag has material for a western turing twenty quit. Another has all the Sooner material with another bag in it for OU Sooner t-shirts for a diffrent quilt. I also have a HUGE sea trunk in the office stuffed with all kinds of material (hubby doesn't know about) I use Cd books, like what you take in your car to hold all my Cd's and of course are backed up on an external hard drive.
I do wish I could get all my sewing stuff in the office instead of the spare bed room, but that will never happen.

I have a husband who builds cupboards such as kitchen, bedroom, etc, etc. for other people, so he is very good in making what I ask for. He has built a cupboard of about 3meters wide, and right up to the ceiling, in my sewing room for me. There he has made shelves to my specifications, for all my materials (ready to see from below) He has also made me the cutest little drawers, only 10cm deep. The drawers are about 70cm square, and he devided it into 4 with wood. In these little draws I keep my spools of cotton in the different colours eg. green, white, navy,etc, etc. each in its own compartement. Also for my hooks and eyes, buttons (which is sorted into small plastic containers by colour),presstuds, etc. One of them for my small pieces of lace, and a bigger one for the bigger pieces of lace. I have about twelve of these drawers. I do not know what I will do if we should ever have to move. I seem to be a lot like Chris where my sewingroom is concerned. It was lovely to read about all the other plans the Cuties has made

Sort stash? Hee hee hee, I mean to, but there are too many ways of doing it. Right now, I have lots of things together that are coordinated for making quilts. I sort by type, like cotton, poly, drapery, uhpolstery, etc. Some can be sorted by color, I do rainbow when I do that. But then there are days I just like to take it all out & look at it & touch it, then it gets put back differently. I think I'm called a "fabric hugger", hee hee hee. Love, Marji

erasing double post

90% of it is stored in clear plastic bins. I took and color/pattern/fabric content organized my stash and put color families in big zip lock bags, labeled the bags (1, 2, 3...etc) and then put them in the bins. Before I closed the lid I made sure that I took a picture of the fabric in the labeled bags. The bins are placed on the shelves in a huge closet off my sewing room. Now all I need to do is look at the pictures to see what I have and which bin it is in with out making a big mess...and it saves money...no more "darn- I didn't need to buy it again I had it" issues. The only fabric out is what can fit into one basket -- and that is whatever project is the "project of the week".

Thread and other supplies also have their bins and photos.

Removing the bins from the sewing room has made the room more useable and larger - whoda thunk ... :-)

The dust bunnies are now extinct...I like it that way.

5 comments

by asterixsew 02 Apr 2009

like the sound of this

by shirlener88 02 Apr 2009

Do you have any pictures of your storage to share?

by mel08 02 Apr 2009

It's only a bunch of shelves with Big Rubermaid clear boxes on it.. even putting them in a corner would work if you don't have shelves.....

by meganne 02 Apr 2009

So you have a "Walk-in-Stash" I like the sound of that!!!
hnr, M

by mel08 06 Apr 2009

Yup ! I do have a "walk-in stash"...rotflol..... The closet is along the side of "my" room. It is 15+ feet long and 4.5 feet wide.

Well let's see, hmmm My dh has added a shelf in the closet of my craft room and upon thoe glorius shelves I have my fabric sorted by color group, pinks, blues, greens, purples, blacks, yellows, then I have my flannels in a seperate couple of stacks and only sorted by flannels, then large rolls of that really cool fleecy stuff just tucked on the sides of the closet. Anyway I don't have bunches but it is neat and workable and needless to say growing every day!

I have zippers to zippers in one box. I sorted all my buttons and from my MIL sort to sort and colour to colout and put them in little plastic zippbags. Then all these little bags are in one big zippbag by colour. Materials are in plastic containers sorted by colour. My siccors and pincets are on a magnetic strip so I can just grab what I need when sewing. My pins are in a little magnetic container so they don't faal everywhere.That is how I try to keep on track. Some people say that I am overorgan ized.

I'm ashamed to admit that there is no rhyme or reason to my "sort". I hae limited space, and I have allotted 2 drawers to my craft supplies. SO...I just kind of stuff it in the best I can.

Don't you mean: "How do you find your stash?"

I have material hidden everywhere and when I need to make a specific project it's easier to go out and buy material than it is to find what I have!!! LOLOL!!!
Just kidding, I don't actually have that much, but I sort it by type of project, i.e. Curtain and homewares, baby materials, boys, girls, Ladies, Laces.
Most of my stash is leftovers from projects and I was serious about only buying as I have a specific project to do, though I do buy any pretty remnant when I see a piece.
I couldn't let anyone sort my stash I'd freak out if I couldn't locate something. hugs n roses, M

Well, well, well, I am very Anal - or so my husband says I colour sort every piece of fabric alphabetically eg. Apricot, aqua, black, blue, brown etc. etc. And I have and I have lots.

I even have my wardrobe downstairs colour sorted where my clothes are all hung in alphabetic order! Is that sick or what?

I have attached a shot of my upstairs sewing cupboard (one side) as the other has Christmas stuff and Patchwork magazines and Folk art paints in it! Oh! my goodness what a lot of stuff!

Thanks for the question - I am sure you will get lots of great ideas and suggestions. There are actually 2 more rows above what you can see and that is where the black starts and above that I have Christmas pillows stored. I am a sick puppy!

Love and blessings Chris.

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4 comments

by meganne 02 Apr 2009

Well if you're anal, so must i be.

I don't buy much because I can't stand clutter, I just can't think straight if I'm surrounded by clutter, I shut down, physically.
I'm so bad I haven't unpacked many boxes because while I leave the stuff in boxes I won't have to confront the daunting task of finding somewhere to put it where it won't be cluttered.
LOL!!! hnr, M

by blhamblen 02 Apr 2009

IF I only had this much...I have 2 LARGE bins right now of fat quarters,and that is just red/orange and blue/green...the other colors haven't been put in a bin YET!!!I bought it and could bear to part with it...like throwing money away!!

by marjialexa 02 Apr 2009

Oh, Chris, and are your spices in alphabetical order in the cupboard, too? Hee hee hee, mine are. I'm lazy, if Allspice isn't in "A", then I don't have any, don't have to poke thru everything. M

by mops 02 Apr 2009

My spices are too, both the small bottles and the larger containers. So I have to have a look in two lots.

I do mine by size and then by color and then texture. The large pieces are stored in clear plastic bags so I can see the color. Smaller pieces 1 yard or less in a cabinent, all the remaining, fleece, felt, flannel etc are all kept seperate according to texture in large see thru containers.

I put colors or themes together - have fun. I don't have much stash, so mine is easy. Hehehe!

I also do mine in colours and put them in big plastic bins (it has wheels on them) under my work bench. And I also keep the fine fabric in its own bin. The smaller pieces I store in draws I sort a few colours together.

Yvonne