If you are an avid quilter you will have a large stash of fabrics to choose from. Most quilters have their own method of organizing. For my larger pieces of fabric I will store them in a large clear plastic storage box. For my smaller pre-cut pieces I have them stored in wire baskets on a shelf. The shelf in the picture was made to the specifications of the amount and sizes of the wire baskets. I have my organized by size first – then theme – like animals, flowers and patterns. Because I make so many quilts for children these were my biggest categories. Having a limited amount for fabric has helped me keep my fabric stash to a certain level. Having it visible has also made it easier for me to not over buy.
Other quilters will organize by color so when they are looking for a particular color they can easily find what they need. I have seen fabric in bins by color or on a bookshelf just folded. Questions you can ask yourself are – Do I want to see the fabric or is it okay to be stored inside a box or behind a door? For the very visual crafter having the same kind of bin, no matter what is inside, helps to make the space look more organized rather than a hodge podge of bins and boxes.
Do not purchase any containers until you have decided where and how you will store your fabrics. Then it is time to sort whether by size, color or theme it is up to you. As you are coming up with your categories, this is an excellent time to purge out fabrics that no longer appeal to you. We all have those fabrics we bypass for something else. Now is the time to pass them along to another quilter. I keep a box near my work area just for those fabrics I no longer want or scraps I will not use again. Then when it is full off it goes to another quilter.