Organizing Fabrics

The goal in any fabric organizing system is to have the fabrics available to see without moving them around, to have the fabrics contained so they don’t fall all over the place when securing what you need, and to have the space be reasonably attractive.
It appears that regardless of how you get them, most fabrics will need to be refolded to be organized efficiently. Even fat quarters are folded in a plethora of ways depending on the store that sells them. While you can purchase plastic templates for doing this, I suggest you create templates that are suitable for your particular spaces.

Pieces larger than on yard can effectively be stacked on shelves. Most shelving in closets or bookcases is 10” to 12” deep, making it perfect for one fourth of your fabric width. I would make a template for it 1” less than its depth, about 6”-9”wide for smaller yardage and 12-15”” wide for larger yardage. This width can be adjusted to the width of your shelves so you can maximize the number of stacks in the space. Be sure to allow room for the fabric itself and “breathing” room between stacks. If you buy it on the bolt, you can leave it on that and save a shelf or space just for bolts.

For maximum visibility on the shelf, leave the fabric folded with the selvages together so it is about 20”-22” wide and wrap it around the width of the template. Place the selvage edges on the bottom edge of the template so only the selvage half of the fabric will actually be on the template as you wrap. Using a flat surface makes the process easier as you can keep the fabric straight while you are wrapping.

When the fabric is completely wrapped, fold the half of the fabric not on the template over the fabric that is on the template bringing the edges even. Place the fabric on the shelf with the selvage end against the back or wall. You will have a nice round, folded edge on the front that allows you to identify and see more of the fabric. You can leave the template in place or pull it out and use it for the next fabric.

Similar templates can be made for containers that hold fabric pieces smaller than one yard. Measure the height and width of the container leaving space for the fabric around it. Wrap the fabric so that you have one last fold for the edge you will see. This may take some trial and error at first but allows you to see more of each fabric placed in the container.

No doubt many of you out there have huge fabric “collections” and this strategy may be too time consuming to consider. Depending on your satisfaction level with your system, you may not want to try this, you may want to begin this system with new pieces or you can start with one area and gradually do more. We each have systems and preferences that work best for us.

Covers for Wire Shelving

Most new homes and those with closet rennovations have the ventilated wire shelving installed.  I am sure they have advantages over wood shelving but we are very familiar with their disadvantages.  The most frequent complaint I hear (and personally experience) is the inconvenience of no solid surface for placing small or irregular shaped items.  There are solutions which I have summarized below.

1.  Fabric covers.  Not my favorite.  Unless you purchase heavy fabric backed vinyl and cut it to fit, this option is not much better than nothing.
2.  Plexiglass or acrylic sheets.  Depending on the thickness the cost can be prohibitive.  In order to have a good fit, it must be purchased and cut to order at a glass company.  Call for information and estimates before you get your hopes up.
3.  Roll out plastic.  Depending on the thickness, this is not much better than fabric.  I do not recommend the stick on variety as it leaves a residue on the underside of the shelf.
4  Shelfanator covers.  These are thinner than acrylic but very supportive, come in different depths and can be cut with a knife to fit.  I learned about these through another organizer and they can be purchased at some local hardware stores.  If purchased from Ebay, they can be very cost effective. You can check them out at this link.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhFPetAz1LE
5  Wood.  Thin sections of plywood or its equivalent can be cut to fit.  These leave unattractive edges but are usually more affordable than the plexiglass depending on the thickness of each.

The remaining solution is to use flat bottom containers for items you place on the shelves.  To date, that has been my choice but I am leaning towards the Shelfanator.  After the organizer, Terri Stephens, posted her recommendation for them on our organizing chat group, these items on Ebay began to disappear quickly.  If you think you might like them, I would go to Ebay first.