It’s February and I’m definitely on the train of spring cleaning in the sewing room this year. 

The drawers LOOK pretty… until you open them – and a wave of unorganized fabric scraps, batting left overs and thread spools are all intermingling with absolutely no rhyme or reason. 

This is the final installment of my spring cleaning series this year and it’s a big one. 

We’re talking about fabric storage today. Yup the elephant mess in the sewing room that we all try to hide using closets, drawers, and A LOT of starch. 

How do we reign in the mess and keep everything organized so we know what we have when we need it?

We find a system that we’ll actually stick to in 2022. Because who cares if its instagram worthy if you never actually maintain it and fabric ends up on the floor, or shoved in drawers, any way?

Finding the perfect fabric storage solution isn’t always easy, and can often take a few tries. So let’s dive into some different methods to jump start some spring cleaning!

Before we get too far, don’t forget to check out the other articles in this sewing room spring cleaning mini series! Be sure to check out our awesome thread storage ideas that you can actually buy!

How do you organize fabric in a small space

If we are all being honest with ourselves, if given the opportunity of a larger sewing room, not many of us would turn it down. 

It always seems like the fabric, thread, finished projects, and WIPs always seem to outgrow any space we give it. 

So in a world where the sewing room is never big enough, we are often left to get creative in packing in all of the tables, sewing machines, and ironing boards.

Only after all that do we usually remember to think about how to store all the things we actually need on a regular basis. 

So what ways are even out there to store fabric? Here are a few of my favorite methods:

• Using Racks
• Shelves
• Drawers
• Boards or mini bolts
• Containers or Rubbermaids
• Various IKEA storage solutions

Depending on your individual sewing room needs and personal preferences, one of these solutions might be better than the others, so keep an open mind and get creative with what you have on hand. 

Organized fabric = less fabric when you know what you have on hand! 

Storing fabric on racks

If you have spare quilt ladders or other quilt racks laying around the house, consider putting them to use in the sewing room! 

I often use this method of fabric storage in my sewing room, however I don’t always love this method for long term storage as it always seem like there is more fabric than rack to store it on.

What I do love using it for though is for when I am working on a quilt using many different colors of fabric. 

When I am in the middle of a project and need to keep 8-12 different fabrics organized and at arms length, using a rack of some kind is a great way to keep the fabrics you need immediately organized (and unwrinkled) while you work on the project. 

Different ways you can implement this method may be spare quilt racks, antique ladders, or even a side of a crib turned on its side and leaned against the wall. 

Fabric storage for shelves

I love the idea of shelves for storage, and Sherri from A Quilting Life has absolutely gorgeous ones. All the fabrics lined up in perfect color gradient, all folded identically, my inner Type A personality is in love.

The inner type-A personality in me LOVES the uniformity, and perfectly organized look to it. 

But the type-B personality that I actually am knows that I’d never stop take the time to maintain it, and then it would end up all over the floor covered in cat hair. 

Or just shoved back in piles on the shelves.

I also unfortunately don’t have the room in my sewing room for a book case, hutch, or large set of shelves. 

*sigh*

This one isn’t for me unfortunately, but if you have a larger space where you can afford a bookcase or set of shelves, and have the determination to keep up with this open shelving option, this might be the perfect fabric storage solution for you!

If this is the storage solution for you, making a template to help you fold all of your fabrics identically will help keep your shelves looking beautiful every day, not just on day one. 

And if it is, be sure to send pictures so I can live vicariously through your beautiful fabric shelves. 

Fabric storage using boards

Now this is a method I can get on board with. (no pun intended) 

Stef from The Girl Inspired has perfectly arranged shelves to store her mini bolts of fabric.

Either getting or making mini bolts to wrap your fabric on and keep your sewing room looking just like a fabric shop. Love this idea. 

You can start using this idea by either purchasing mini bolts or making your own using corrugated cardboard or plastic. 

Wrap your fabric remnants around the mini bolt and use either a bolt clip or a pin to keep them from unraveling. 

Store them wherever is convenient and just grab what you need when you need it, since they are all pinned closed, they won’t make a mess of each other as you grab them. 

Storing fabric in containers

There are different ways to use containers to store your fabric, some are made for more bulk storage situations, and others are made for simply keeping things organized on a day to day basis. 

Determining which type of storage you are going for will help in your shopping endeavors for fabric storage containers. 

If you have been collecting fabric for years and years and have a collection so large you don’t know what to do with it all, you might be in the market for the large clear rubbermaid solution. 

But if you have a smaller more manageable collection that doesn’t need a huge amount of space to store, consider using these beautiful clear containers from the container store and mini bolts like Hailey from Hailey Stitches. 

She keeps the fabric organized on her bolts and then stacks the bolts in the containers so she can pull them out of the closet whenever she needs them. 

Fabric stays organized, and because the containers are clear, she can see exactly what she has with one glance. 

Fabric storage for drawers

Of all of the fabric storage options available, storing in drawers may be the most versatile option available.

Depending on the size of your drawers you can get away with different some of the other storage methods, just hidden away inside a drawer!

If you like the look of perfectly folded fabrics on a shelf but don’t have the room for a whole shelf, consider a rolling set of drawers with row separators. 

If you have an extra filing cabinet, hang your fabrics vertically using file folders! You can see everything easily, and the storage capacity of a tall filing cabinet will be able to handle even some of the largest fabric collections. 

Consider combining some of these methods together to fit your personal sewing set up. The easier fabrics are to find and keep organized the more likely you’ll remember you even have them!

IKEA fabric storage idea

So I’ll just throw this out there. You can still utilize an IKEA fabric storage solution without having to remodel your entire sewing room to be the IKEA show room. 

There are plenty of large options as well as plenty of smaller options, so don’t feel like you have to have everything IKEA in order to take advantage of some of these storage options. 

Kallax

Kallax is essentially just a cube unit that is often found in crafting rooms because of the large storage capacity. 

It’s cubes are large enough to hold mini bolts as well as finished quilts and even full size baskets. 

They come in varying sizes though so you don’t necessarily need to dedicate a whole wall to a Kallax set up. Many quilters will even work a Kallax unit into an IKEA hack table for their sewing room to do some double storage duty. 

Alex

If you are short on space and need something you can pack away, getting a set of Alex drawers is a perfect option. 

This set of drawers is perfect for storing fat quarter bundles and is on rolling casters so you can easily roll it in and out of closets, or under tables to keep it out of the way. 

I even built my sewing table out of them to make sure I have plenty of built in storage for my fabric AND my thread. 

Related:

How to Make a Custom Ikea Sewing Table 
25 Perfect Ways to Store Thread

Billy

Billy is another more shallow bookcase that has the option of doors. If you like just a little bit of open storage but don’t want to commit to it full time, the Billy bookcase is the perfect hybrid. 

With optional doors that are solid on the bottom, you can have a pretty display on top and hide the mess on the bottom. 

Fabric storage ideas for small spaces

When you are working with very small quilting spaces, you are really forced to get creative with your storage. 

Fitting fabric anywhere there is available space is the only way to keep it from spilling over. 

Consider building some specific to your space to help sort. 

This person at XYZ built a perfectly sized narrow shelf to fit behind the door. 

Another option is to utilize closet space to the best of your ability. Consider using shoe organizers as shelves in the closet to organize your stash. 

You can also look at getting carts that can be wheeled in and out of the space whenever it needs to get cleaned up. 

Storing rolls of fabric

Although I don’t use rolls of fabric or batting terribly often, if you ever needed to there are some great hacks out there. 

My favorite of which is a rack where dowels can be taken on and off as needed to replace the rolls. 

This is very similar to the rack storage for regular yardage from earlier, only the rails of the rack can be removed and threaded through the fabric roll so it does not roll off the rack when you use it. 

Fabric can be pulled and cut directly from the rack if necessary and everything is stored vertically on the wall so it stays off the floor and out of the way. 

If you like this style, check out this tutorial from From House to Home to make your own!

Not to mention creates quite a pretty display on the wall at the same time!

Decluttering and storing a fabric scrap stash

So what do you do with the scraps too small to hang, put on a bolt, or otherwise store? 

They can totally still be useful some day!

Finding a way to keep those little crumb pieces organized can actually make a very pretty display in the sewing room! 

This will be a project so bear with me. 

If they are all just in a bucket, drawer, or even bag currently, you’ll have to sort them out. 

To know what you have, the most popular way to handle the crumbs is to sort them by color. 

Store them by color so when you need a scrap of a particular color, you can just grab the container of that color and get to work.

And you can get creative with how you store them! Whether you make fabric baskets for them, use clear containers from the container store, or even mason jars the options are limitless. 

Sorting by color will give you that ombre rainbow effect that will actually get you motivated to use the scraps instead of give you anxiety from looking at a messy box of scraps.

How do you pack fabric for long-term storage

When you find you have to pack away fabric for long-term storage, whether you are moving, decompressing seasonal fabrics, or any other reason you might want to pack some fabric away, there’s only one thing to keep in mind.

Keep the moisture and pests out. 

If you are putting some fabric away long term in the attic, basement, or a storage unit, your number one concern is keeping away the factors that will degrade it. 

Moisture will cause mold and mildew which will cause your fabrics to smell and break down. 

Pests will simply breakdown and contaminate your fabric by eating and living in it. 

When packing fabric for long-term, your best bet is to place your fabrics in vacuum sealed bags, inside of an air-tight container. 

Can you get away with just one or the other? Sure you can. 

If you are storing it in the house where you can get to it occasionally to check on it, an airtight container should be more than enough. 

But if you are going to a storage container to store it, you have no idea what conditions they might experience. 

Going the extra mile to include vacuum sealed bags will help ensure that you don’t lose that fabric in a few months or years when you go back for it. 

Can you store fabric in cardboard boxes

Technically, yes. Ideally, no. 

Cardboard is essentially paper so it will absorb any moisture on the ground and in the air. 

If the box is stored in an extremely humid place like the attic or a storage unit, it will absorb the water out of the air potentially transferring that mildew smell to your fabrics. 

If the box is stored in a basement that gets occasional flooding, you are in the same boat, except your box may also flood, directly soaking your fabrics. 

If you are in a pinch and only need it short term, cardboard is okay. If you are looking to store long term, bypass the cardboard and invest in a plastic air tight container. 

You likely spent a lot of money on that fabric. No sense in risking it in a cardboard box when plastic ones are just as cheap. 

Getting More Ideas

We have new ideas, tips, tricks, and quilt patterns coming out every week! 

If you liked this post and want to make sure you don’t miss what we’ve got coming up next, be sure to sign up below for our email list.

And when you do you’ll get immediate access to our free baby quilt pattern vault where you’ll be able to grab your next project for free!