How to Organize Your Fabric Stash
Looking for an easy way to see every piece of fabric in your stash without taking up tons of space?
These organizers are simple, yet, highly effective in turning your stash into your own personal fabric store!
Shopping my stash…
I don’t know about you, but my stash has grown a bit out of control!
Some fabrics I bought for a specific project, but never getting around to it. While others are on hold until I determine what my body will look like post-baby number three!
I don’t want to make something that I won’t be able to fit into (or have to make major alterations to) next year.
Either way, my stash was in desperate need of some organization!
I got the idea for this project from a recent fabric purchase (🤫I know I’m just feeding the beast). I ordered several yards of my favorite cotton jersey from Stitchy Bee.
She stocks and sells the ‘Perfect Jersey’. And, boy is it perfect!! If you’re in the market for a well-sourced jersey here is her shop.
Anyways, she sent me roughly 9 yards of fabric in a package that was no larger than a small subscription box.
I thought that this was only the first box of two, but was surprised when I found all my fabric neatly folded inside the tiny box.
Upon further inspection, I found that she had used a piece of card stock (or something similar) as a guide for folding.
I loved the idea so much that I decided to refold the fabric in the same way after it was washed.
But I didn’t want to stop there! I wanted all my fabric to be folded in the same way!
I wanted to use a slightly weightier material, but I didn’t want to break the bank for something that you wouldn’t see after the fabric was folded.
I remembered that the Dollar Tree carries poster board at 2 sheets for $1. So I journeyed to my nearest Dollar Tree and bought 12 sheets of poster board. (Like I said, my stash is out of control!)
The process is really simple and I made the whole batch in under an hour. Folding? Well, that took a little longer!
I just put on a good movie and worked over the course of three evenings to fold all the fabrics. I didn’t want to overwork myself!
Let me tell you how I made the fabric organizers from Dollar Tree poster boards.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure for more info.
List of Supplies:
Makes: 1 sheet of poster board makes enough for 5 different fabrics
Estimated Time: Cutting the boards takes 20-45 minutes. Folding and organizing fabric depends on how much you have and how fast you fold.
Sewing skills needed/used: None
Skill Level: Beginner. This project is kid-friendly with some adult supervision.
Items you need:
Poster boards from the Dollar Tree
Marker
Ruler
X-Acto knife (optional)*
Cutting mat (optional)*
*I preferred using the X-Acto knife and the cutting mat versus using scissors to cut the boards. It allowed me to cut several layered at once.
How to Make Fabric Organizers from Poster Board
Step 1:
Gather your supplies.
Step 2:
Measure 12 inches down from the top of the poster board and draw a horizontal line across the board.
Step 3:
Measure 8 1/2 inches from the side and draw a vertical line down to the first horizontal line.
Do this two more times, using the drawn vertical lines as edges.
It should look like this:
Step 4:
Using the first horizontal line as a guide (from step 2), measure 8 1/2 inches down and draw another horizontal line across on the board.
Step 5:
Using the side edge of the board as a guide, measure in 12 inches and draw a vertical line between the two horizontal lines.
Repeat this process once more using the newly drawn vertical line as the edge for your next measurement.
Like this:
Final measurements
Step 6:
Cut the organizers using the markings as a guide.
This can be done in one of two ways. Either you use scissors to cut each sheet individually or use an X-Acto knife, cutting mat, and ruler to cut them out.
I preferred using knife and cutting mat because it was a hassle to cut the board with scissors. Plus, I could stack the sheets of poster board and make multiple cuts at once!
That’s it!
Your fabric organizers are complete!
Here’s how I used them to fold my fabrics.
As you can see, the board gives you a guide to folding your fabric at the same width, giving your folded fabrics a uniform look. You can place them neatly in most storage containers and I believe they would fit nicely displayed on a variety of shelves (even those cube ones you can get at any store)!
Hot Tips
To ensure you achieve straight lines I suggest 1. Using a gridded ruler 2. Measuring your distances 2-3 times in multiple spots on the board using small dots. This allows you to play connect the dots and achieve a straight line every time!
Use the X-Acto knife method if you can or open your scissors and use them like a blade. Stacking the sheets of poster board really helps to cut downtime and aggravation!
Fold the fabric selvage to selvage. Most fabrics range from 54” - 40” wide so it will give your folding a more uniform look.
Use the organizers as a guide when folding. Try to get as close as you can to each edge that your fabric looks uniform.
Final Thoughts…
I genuinely love this project as a way to not only organize my stash but to help me see all the fabrics I actually have!
Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of unused fabrics; many of which I have plans to use. Some of the fabrics will continue to sit in my stash until I find a pattern to match them.
If you sew, then you know that buying fabric is half of the creative process! If you see a fabric you love but you don’t know what you would make with it, then buy it! Because when you finally find the perfect pattern/project, that fabric will be long gone!
It’s okay to accumulate fabric with the intention of using it! It’s not okay to have it be a big mess that destroys your creative process!
After I used this project to organize my stash, I have a renewed sense of accomplishment and creativity!
I can’t wait to get started! I have so many projects I want to share with you!
What’s your favorite part about organizing your craft space?
Remember, if you try this project out, make sure to use the hashtag #darkkfluridesigns so I can see your creations!
Happy crafting!
