organize fabric scraps

10/19/2020

small fabric bundles folded neatly and stacked

how I organize my scraps OF FABRIC THAT ARE TOO SMALL to wrap around COMIC book BACKER BOARDS

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this easily customizable, quilted floor pillow used up a ton of scraps

The best way to keep the smallest pieces of your fabric stash organized so that they can always be found quickly and easily.
Don't waste any more time tearing through basket after basket in order to find what you are looking for.

I hate to waste materials. I try to get all the use that I can get out of everything that I have. I save and stash my fabric until I use it up. To put my stash to use, I must keep everything in order. If I cannot locate something, I cannot use it. I know the frustration of needing a certain fabric and in the process of searching for it tearing through all the rest of my materials, making a bigger mess, and compounding my problems. I want to spend my time making things, not digging through piles. I have tried many ways to keep my things sorted, some were more successful than others. I will share the best ways I have found to keep my fabric in order

For cuts over an eighth of a yard

fabric neatly folded and stored on a shelf, like books

I love being able to flip through my fabric without making a mess and it makes me so happy just to look at my fabric "library"

I wish I could take credit for this first solution. It is the most perfect way I have found to keep my larger cuts of fabric organized. I discovered this solution browsing on Pinterest.
I use comic book backer board to give structure to the folded fabric. I fold my fabric around the board, secure it with either a paper clip or a bobby pin and then place it on a shelf, like a book. When I need something, I can browse through the shelf, everything is visible and easy to locate. I can leaf though my stash without disturbing the other fabrics. It took me some time to get my whole collection on the boards, but it was worth it for the innumerable hours I have saved myself searching. I was happy with this storage solution, but I had only solved half of my problem.

how to organize smaller pieces of fabric?

My larger cuts were in order, but my scraps were a mess. I would fold everything and put it in small boxes, it would look nice until the next time I went to look for something. Every time I needed to find one of my scrap pieces I would rifle through my carefully folded boxes and every time, the fabric would end up a mess. It would look like I never folded it in the first place. Each time I would go back, searching, I was compounding the disorganization, making everything worse.
The last thing I want to do when I'm feeling inspired to make something is to stop everything and clean up. There had to be a better way.
I wanted my small scraps just like my larger pieces of fabric. I wanted them easily accessible and to look presentable. My sewing room is also the dining room and the living room, I need it to look presentable every day.

The Solution

I wanted to store my small fabrics just the same way as I large. I needed something like the boards, only smaller to fold them onto. I considered cutting the comic boards into smaller pieces, but it would have taken me forever to make the number of boards that I needed. I racked my brain trying to think of something that could be repurposed as a scrap bolt. I considered index cards, but they were too flimsy. I was browsing on amazon, looking for the best deal on some more comic book boards when I chanced upon the perfect solution. Trading card dividers.(affiliate link) They are made from a white plastic, sturdy enough that they will not wear out. I use them repeatedly and they show no signs of wear. They are the perfect size, and they are inexpensive.

all pieces of fabric folded and accessible in a storage basket

I fold my small leftover fabric pieces onto the boards, the following photos demonstrate my folding method step by step. In the example, I am folding a rectangular piece, but this works just as well for odd shaped pieces. I fold the jagged edges towards the middle first and then proceed to fold the fabric onto the card.
Once the fabric is the way I want it to be, I secure it so that my mini bolt stays intact. I have tried many things to hold the fabric. I have used alligator clips, paper clips, mini binder clips, bobby pins, and straight pins. Really, each of these things works well to secure my fabric for storage. Whatever I have available, I will use for both these and the comic book board bolts. Dont feel like you have to buy something special to clip the fabric, Use whatever you have. If you must purchace something, the bobby pins or the paperclips are very affordable and do not run the risk of poking your fingers , like the straight pins do.