by Diana Schonhut

Created on: March 04, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2009

Everyone who sews has fabric, and most of us have too much to use in any one lifetime, so how can it be organized for the best effect? What is the most efficient way to arrange your stash so you can find the one piece you need right now? Here are some ideas that just might help.

* Arrange by color.

We've all seen those photos of fabulous displays of fabric, where every possible shade of individual colors are neatly arranged on shelves, giving a beautiful rainbow effect. For most of us mere mortals, that is never going to happen and anyway, it's just too tidy and would stifle creativity, right? So instead, use colour groupings for each shelf, box or drawer. All shades of red in one, blues in another, neutrals in a third and so on. You would have to make some decisions about prints based on overall colour, or background colour, but that should not be too difficult.

* Arrange by type

If you only buy pure cotton, this one just won't work. But if you have different fabric types, this could be the best organization for you. Silks in one pile, thick woolens in another, sheers and organza in another, so you can turn to the suitable fabric for the project in hand immediately. Or you may divide your stash into wovens and knits so you never again use the wrong fabric to make stretch tops that don't.

* Arrange by size

You probably already have a project in mind before you even look for the fabric, so you should have some idea about the size of the piece you need. A large quilt backing is going to need more than a stuffed toy (unless it's a life-sized elephant), so having fabric arranged by size is ideal. The really big pieces can be stored on rolls and would normally be used less often, so it should be stored out of the way. A pile of scraps and leftovers is invaluable and needs to be close at hand for trying out stitch samples and testing the machine. If you have lots of scraps, you could even divide them up further into those that could have another use, and pieces to use only for testing (which is a great way of using up those horrible pieces you can't think why you ever bought in the first place).

The best organization for you depends, of course, on what sort of things you sew, the sort of fabric you use and the amount of fabric you have to store. Getting everything organized can give a jolt to your creativity and suggest possibilities for unexpected and exciting projects. It might also point out areas where your current fabric supplies are limited or even non-existent, so that would require an urgent trip to the fabric shop to solve the problem immediately.

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