Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Mini Board Storage

Lots of sewing going on here right now, but today I'm going to focus on organization. At the end of my last post, I showed you the neat gift I got from the Academic Quilter to kickstart my improved fabric storage system. Comic book boards! Well, I'm happy to say I've started using them. It's the perfect way to spend a few hours while watching TV (a great activity in the 90-degree heat we've been having). I even ventured out to a local comic book store for more boards. 

Since my storage needs are unique to me--but perhaps similar enough to yours for this to be useful to you--I thought I'd share what I've done. 

I have six drawers of a dresser where I keep my larger-than-scraps fabric. Most of the pieces are fairly small, but there are a few that are large enough to fit on comic book boards, which are about 10 1/2 by 6 3/4 inches. The typical way of using them for storage is with the long side vertical on a shelf. I won't go into the specifics of folding fabric here. You can read about it on this site or many others online. The shelf I want to store them on is only about 8 or 9 inches high. So I folded the fabric to store them with the shorter side vertically. The folding method is the same--I just adjust the folding to accommodate the board in the other direction:

Here's how a few fit on the shelf:

Because my drawers are fairly shallow, I cut the comic book boards in half for storing smaller pieces of fabric. I also bought a supply of plastic coated paper clips to neatly clip the fabric to the board. Those won't rust if the fabric stays in the drawer for an extended time period--likely!
The cut boards are just the right size to fit in my drawers with the short edge vertically. I try to fold the fabric so that raw edges aren't exposed:
Then I fold it onto the mini board in the usual way


and clip it with a paper clip to keep the edge in place.


If the fabric is narrow (such as an eighth yard), just fold it with the raw edges showing and clip the paper clip at the bottom. 
That's a little messy, but preferable to the mishmash I used to have in my drawers.
If the piece of fabric doesn't fit neatly on the board
I declare it a scrap and throw it in my scrap bin. That's new for me since my scraps are usually much smaller. 

So here's what I have so far:

Doesn't that look a lot better than this?
I have folded about one third of a drawer's worth of fabric. 1/18 of the way through. Good summer project. One thing I've noticed though. I'm really getting to know my stash, and these fabrics are OLD!! I'm hoping to get serious this year with some string piecing, so maybe lots of these will get used up. But I also think that some might be on their way (eventually) to a new home somewhere else. If I haven't used them in 30-some years, what are the odds I'll ever use them? Meanwhile, my drawers will be so pretty, I'll just want to admire them. 

This weekend I'm going to start a sew-along project with Bernie over at Needle and Foot. 

I haven't sewn clothing for myself in many, many years, but this blouse looks like a fun project, and I think it's neat that home garment construction is back in style, so here goes. Maybe as I share my progress, I'll share some pictures of things I made years ago. (I can't believe I wore some of them!!) So stay tuned. (I'll probably post about this mostly on Instagram.)

I also have a squirrel I've been working on, but this post is long enough, so I'll share that another time. 

I'm linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts today. Keep quilting! Or, maybe, try a garment. (And if you live anywhere near me, stay cool. I hear a cool-down is coming.)


5 comments:

Mari said...

That blouse will be so pretty in that fabric! I'm so glad the boards are working out, too. I never thought to use them "sideways, but they look great on your shelf that way. And the drawers! I'll bet you'll end up with a whole empty drawer to fill with new fabrics. Won't that be fun? I also highly recommend a string quilt. They use *tons* of fabrics and always look great.

Louise said...

Your organized drawer looks really great! I can't wait to see the whole kit and kaboodle lined up that neatly :)

Linda said...

Good tips here! I love the plastic paperclip idea - why haven't I thought of that! Like you I organized my stash, got to know it much better, and gave away a lot of old fabric to Goodwill, being sure to itemize it for a possible tax break next year!
I love, love, love that blouse fabric - it will look so pretty in that pattern!

Bernie Kringel said...

It is always good to go through the fabric and purge a bit. Organize the pieces you love and get rid of some. I wen through two colors the other day, blue and green, and just sorted out some of the really old pieces. It makes things fit on my shelf better. Your system is looking great. I think Mari is right, you are going to have some space leftover by the time you go through those drawers!

KaHolly said...

I really need to do the same! I get started, and then get discouraged after the first 30 minutes! You are doing a great job! Keep up the good work. And send some of that heat up this way!