13 Ideas to Organize Your Fabric!
Fabric can seriously take over a room…or two! Great organization is required to keep everything where you can find it when inspiration strikes. So many of you have said that fabric storage is one of your biggest organizational challenges. It’s definitely one of mine!
Right now I have my extra fabric in a box in the closet. I dig through it when I want to find something. Don’t judge…I’m working on it! 
Don’t you love this photo from Retro Mama?! I could just sit and stare at this fabric stacked so pretty. I must admit that I’ve tried to do this, but I’m not capable of folding fabrics and keeping them all the same size. I know, it’s sad. So for now I’ll just have to enjoy photos of fabric displayed so nice and neat.
The Cottage Home explains how she creates this pretty and organized room with some help from a fabric storage product. It looks beautiful!
There must be a billion creative ways to organize fabric! Whether you make hair accessories, home decor, or clothing, we all need to have great fabric storage. There’s nothing like digging through a box of wrinkled fabric to lose your motivation for starting a new project.
Turn a bookshelf on it’s side! This is a attached to a wall for extra storage space. What a cool space-saving idea! Just add your favorite fabric.
Film and Thread had this beautiful photo of hanging fabric. How neat and organized. I don’t usually buy that much of each fabric, but this seems like a great idea to save on ironing later. Anything that helps with ironing is a winner in my book!
What do you think about this? I love, love, love the idea of storing fabric in vintage suitcases!
I have two of these beauties that I’ve been dying to use for sometime special. And I’m planning on printing out some of these sweet little labels from Just Something I Made. Go download some for yourself!
Cut Out and Keep has a great download to help you remember what fabric you have. Hmmm…anyone out there have this problem? I can’t wait to do this…talk about organized! Woo hoo!
This way I’ll know exactly the colors I need when I find a sale. That’s important!
Create custom fabric storage bins with cheap plastic storage containers. Follow this great tutorial and you’ll be able to match any room in your house. What a cool way to stash your fabric here, there and everywhere!
I found this great idea (above) on Craft. Make chalkboard hangers to store your fabric on the wall. It looks great and it works…what a winning combination.
This system of wooden dowels fits right behind the door. Film and Thread made fabulous use of her space. Think of all the space you have behind doors…do you have anything stored there? Maybe you should!
Sew Many Ways files her fabric! She just cuts a hanging folder in half and drapes her folded fabric over it. Organized and beautiful!
Here’s a look at some of my stash! I use baskets for most of my supplies. They look great on the shelf, and I can easily separate everything and keep it close to me. I can grab what I need without getting up. {Hmmm…maybe I should move it away for more exercise.} I hardly moved to take these photos, so that explains the poor lighting!
The basket on the left is full of beautiful felt. I enjoy seeing all those pretty colors when I start to design a new felt pattern. They used to be organized by color, but I gave up on that. I can only be organized up to a certain point, y’all!
The second basket has small pieces of fabric that I keep in individual plastic bags. Why, you might ask? Well, I only use a couple tiny circles of fabric when I make ponytail holders. That leaves me with fabric that’s cut all funny and doesn’t fold nicely. YUCK! I started folding each one in a bag, and it worked for me. I can easily look through them to find the one I need, and they’re much more manageable.
I didn’t show you my third basket. It’s full of slightly larger fabrics, and it looks very similar to the first basket. That’s for my lavender sachets that you can see in the top photo.
I did just sell a whole box {over 6 pounds} of fabric on Etsy. It was stashed away in the closet. I knew I wouldn’t use it and I was just hanging onto it…tightly. I let it go!
I haven’t mentioned drawers yet, and they are a wonderful way to store fabric. Maybe that’s why they have been selling them for clothing all these years. A Pocket Full of Licorice shares her fabric collection in this photo.
You can even use old, individual drawers for storage. I’m sure you can find a few at a garage sale near you. If they’re ugly, just spray paint them!
If you can’t fit your fabric collection in your room anymore, this idea is for you! I’ve always wanted a bathtub like this, and when you load it up with fabric it starts to look even better! I found this photo on flickr and I thought it might be helpful to some of you.
What have you done lately to organize your supplies? I’d love to hear about it.
Do you display your fabric, or hide it like me?
~Kim
Need a little inspiration for organizing your whole craft space?
Check out our 22 Tips to Organize Your Craft Room!
If you love organization ideas… you should see this beautiful list of DIY ideas:
I LOVE the idea of using those type of hangers! I have some of mine in dresser drawers and most of it hiding in bins.
I love all of these storage ideas… but I especially like the ones that display your cloth beautifully. Sure, your cloth is a material that is a means to an end, but it’s just as beautiful in its original form as it is in finished form… why not display it for all to see?!
Now we’re talkin’!!!
I love that behind-the-door idea! I keep my fabric in storage totes that are labeled by color, and 2 for specialty fabrics, kid and holiday. That hidden storage would be wonderful for spools of ribbon, fat quarters, patterns, and many other things I have squirreled away. Thanks for the inspiration!
Super idea using the pant hangers. I think I will copy it! Thank you.
You always have such beautiful, inspirational, USEFUL postings…I love receiving your emails…they brighten my day! I was just realizing I needed to get control of my fabric stash today…so this is very timely…thank you!!
I like to store all the fabric plus the pattern for a project in plastic tubs, the rest I have folded and display on a shelf roughly sorted by color. I actually made a mini video about how to fold fabric, if you’re interested I can send you the link. Thanks for sharing this!
i’ve seen an alternative to the special fabric storage panels – canvas boards from the art department at your local arts and crafts store. they’re available in a variety of sizes and you can find a good sale on them periodically. i’m considering them as an option should my stash grow much larger.
I collect woven wood picnic baskets and store my stash in them by color; I tie a gingham bow on the handle to tell me what color family is inside. This works for me because I don’t have a huge collection of fabrics…….yet. I do also hang up the larger yardages in the sewing room closet
Thanks so much for sharing! My problem is I have different kinds of fabrics plus I upcycle clothing so, everything is in clear large bins, clear drawers, or I use file boxes. I am one of those that organizes by color. I use to do it by type of cloth but find it more helpful when someone orders a certain colored plush animal since I will sew a mix of fabrics together 🙂
How does everyone store their pattern pieces?
I don’t sew and I don’t have fabric. This post makes me want to pretend I can sew just to have an excuse to buy fabric and stack it up around the house.
I love your ideas for storing fabric. I recently reorganized my craft/laundry room and threw away the cardboard boxes that I had my fabric stored (hidden) in. I replaced them with clear file folder bins. Visit my blog to see the finished product.
LOVING the filing cabinet idea!
The only thing that would come close to accommodating my STASH would be the bath tub. I love to sew and have yards and yards of all kinds of fabric that I’ve bought …. on sale! I think I need a huge armoire so I can fold it properly and stack it on a shelf.
Home made patterns are carefully rolled onto used wax paper tubes and stored in their original boxes; my patterns are made with wax paper and sharpies, so it is a simple solution. Store bought patterns are stored in cardboard pattern boxes I picked up at Hancock’s using a 50% off coupon; it was simple to covered them with fabric using a glue gun. Each box is labeled with simple stamped tags and attached to the wired ribbon glued upon the lid. At the fabric store, politely ask for their empty cardboard bolts. (These free space savers can easily be stored anywhere.) Fine silks, wools, and cashmeres are stored upright in bolts in a 1960’s credenza; the formica top of the credenza is used as a work surface. It is unwise to leave fabric in direct sunlight as it will fade the fabric on the fold lines. Everyday fabrics (cotton knits, gabardine, interlining, linen, etc.) are stored on pants hangers in the closet. Quilt fabrics are rolled and stored in the credenza drawers. Yarns are rolled into balls, labels tied to the end of the yarn and then stacked in a side table. Knitting needles are kept in size order in a drawer above the yarn. All supplies are organized in rainbow order beginning with red and ending with violet. Neutrals are always placed at the end after violet. Paints and dyes are stored in spice racks. Books are organized by topic. Notions are stored in hole-punched zip lock bags in three ring binders. Cutting boards and rulers are stored behind the love seat within easy reach. An ottoman holds mending. Buttons are stored in large recycled hand painted pickle jars, so I can shove my hands in there and play with them when no one is looking! (They are so tactile!)
Great ideas! I was in a organizing funk and this pulled me right out!
I hang my fabric from pant hangers in a closet, and have done so for years! I am a visual person, and if I can’t see it, I don’t know I have it 😀
Hi Netmiff. I too am a visual person. I am organizing my stash so that it is no longer a stash but a visual artistic dispay of what I love – designs and colors. I am a true “outie” because I like to see what I have.
So glad I came across your site. I have so much different fabric left overs and always wanted to keep them in a nice way. I always used a metal dowels along the wall for large pieces of fabrics like yours,very useful, have to say it was my mom’s idea but small pieces always goes to the plastic bags and after the while you don’t remember what is where. So thank you for your lovely ideas
Love the file cabinet storage only I would put one color fabrics in each drawer and label the drawer, with what color is in it
When the kids started moving out, I thought (HA) that DH would have one room for “his” stuff and I’d get the other. (HA) He grabbed them BOTH, then when he retired he took over the living room too, so I’ve got my sewing/machine embroidery/fabric/thread/computer/”stuff” in what used to be the family room. It opens to the back yard, so one of my priorities is to keep dust out of my things, especially the embroidery thread. I’ve got probably every drawer system made that fits my thread (take a cone with you when you shop for them, not all drawers will fit the larger cones), they are organized by color family. So far, the fabric is organized by fabric type (cotton, fleece, “other”) and color families, in transparent plastic containers. I’m going to have to ignore the embroidering and concentrate on refining whatever you might call this “system”. Thanks for all the great ideas!
LOL, I know exactly where that last photo was taken. The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay, CA. I always love the way they use their building in their displays. Their sale section is literally in a bathroom with bolts in the tub and small stuff on the vanity and storage.
Anywho, my roomie and I use two two shelf bookcases tucked into what should be our dining area, but is more of our sewing area. I have a picnic basket for small quantities and scraps on top and if the cut is more than two yards (I am famous for thrift shop duvets & sheets) I put a sample there and the rest is on a shelf in my closet.
Hello, I am the program director for our Qulting Guild in 2016. I am looking for someone to come to our meeting and do a presentation on organization. Is this something that you do? If so, where do you live? Thank you, Kathy
I love the idea of chalkboard hangers on the wall. My fabrics will look amazing! I am going to try this immediately. I am so glad I have found your post! Thank you for sharing such an useful ideas! Best regards!
I know this is an older article but wanted to chime in.
I made matching fabric bins with different colored fabric drawstring covers (to protect the fabric inside from getting dirty). Each color means something different – browns and greens for natural fabrics, brighter colors for manmade fabrics, black for my ‘cabbage’ stash, tan for my muslins, etc. Helps to keep me organized. And I can always make more matching bins if I need to.
I love it! Thanks for sharing!
~Kim