ARE YOU LOOKING FOR EASY WAYS TO ORGANIZE YOUR FABRIC STASH? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN COMIC BOOK BOARDS!
When it comes to quilting and sewing, fabric storage is a pretty hot topic. Keeping track of what you have, what you need and how much can be tricky.
I recently renovated my sewing studio/office and decided to incorporate several new methods of fabric storage. Today I’m going to show you how I manage my yardage pieces using nothing but comic book boards and pins.
Before I made over my room, I had a lot of drawers in the space. I had cupboards as well, but they were far more functional than the drawers. At least when I put my fabric into the cupboards, I could usually see what I had. Usually. But the drawers were like an abyss. They were large and deep, but I couldn’t see to the backs when they were open, so I was losing sight of what I had to work with.
When I set up my new studio, I made sure to incorporate a ton of open storage. Yes, I have a few doors and drawers to hide things, but generally, I have open shelving. This means storing my fabric in much different ways than before. So let me show you how I make use of simple comic book boards for fabric storage.
Benefits of Using Comic Book Boards for Fabric Storage
There are a number of reasons to change up your storage in your sewing room. But here are 5 reasons you should be using comic book boards.
Inexpensive
Comic book boards are cost-effective compared to other storage solutions.
Space-efficient
Maximize your storage area by using boards to compactly wrap fabrics.
Visibility
Using comic book boards for fabric storage allows you to easily see all your fabrics at a glance. I “found” so much fabric that I totally forgot I had!
Accessibility
It’s very quick and easy to retrieve the fabric you need when you can see it all.
Preservation
Wrapping your fabric on boards keeps it in ready condition by preventing wrinkles and folds. Pull it out of storage, give it a quick press and get cutting!
What You’ll Need
This really is a simple project with very few supplies needed. Here’s what I used:
- Comic book boards – I bought this brand
- Plastic bins or cubbies for storage – I have put my mini bolts of fabric right into my IKEA Kallax shelving units, but you could use bookshelves or bins if you have those.
- Measuring tape
- Iron and ironing board or pressing mat
- Pins or clips
And that’s it! As I said, it’s very easy to update your fabric storage using this method.
Preparing Your Fabric for Storage
Before you get started, you’ll want to set up a workflow, especially if you have a lot of yardage to organize. I set up my iron and ironing board in one room and wrapped my fabric onto the boards in my studio, working on my large cutting table.
Be sure to press your fabric before you wrap it onto a board unless you look at it and see no real obvious wrinkles. This may be the case when you first get your fabric home, but if it’s been sitting in drawers like mine was, it may need a lot of work!
When it comes to measuring, this is a personal choice on how to handle it. I chose to only wrap fabrics that were a minimum of a one-metre cut. You might choose to do a different minimum, but set that and then get wrapping!
Be sure to check out this video, where I show you just how simple it is to wrap your fabric! You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be sure you don’t miss anything.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Wrap Fabric Yardage on Comic Book Boards
As shown in the video above, this is a very simple method for storing fabric. I start by folding my fabric in half length-wise so that the middle fold and the selvages are together. I then place a comic book board on the fabric, roughly 3-4 inches from the edge. Then I wrap the fabric, making sure the fold and edges line up neatly.
Once the fabric is fully wrapped around the board, I pin the ends at the top and bottom to prevent the bolts from catching on each other.
And that’s it! I “file” the fabric into the appropriate grouping and move on to the next piece.
Sorting and Displaying Wrapped Fabric
Depending on the type of space that you have, you could consider organizing your fabric in several ways, such as:
- colour palettes;
- patterns;
- types of material;
- holidays;
- basic vs. complex designs;
- low-volume to high-volume; or
- together by collection
I find that for me vertical storage works best. It reminds me of a quilt shop, and I really enjoy looking through the different fabrics in my stash that I totally forgot I had!
This might be the best method that I have found for fabric storage. Choose the yardage that you will wrap rather than fold, and go for it! Remember that if you try this method, I’d love to see it on Instagram or Facebook! Be sure to tag me or use #olhhmoments so I can be inspired by you!
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