18 Genius Ways to Organize Your Fabric Stash
Set up visible storage, prepare and sort, donate and more. These are the best ways to make sure you can find what you have, and use what you love.
I have found that my organization method makes all the difference in my creativity and motivation when I am ready to sew. I also save money because I don’t have to go out and buy new fabric because I can find everything I need. I hope you are inspired to settle in and sew.
Organize your best pieces by color.
One thing you’ll notice in almost all the organizing ideas here is that fabric bits are organized by color. Doing that really helps when you are searching for fabric to use for an applique piece, a scrappy or low-volume quilt, or any other cute scrappy project.
If you have kids, ask them to help you organize your scraps by color. My kids loved that when they were young. Eventually I’ll have some grandbabies and they’ll get to do that!
Get rid of the fabric you haven’t used in a while.
Since it’s the end of 2024, consider getting ready for the new year by going through your scraps and eliminating the ones you haven’t used in a while. Felicia has an article on her blog, Felicia’s World, that will help you tackle the sorting before you come back here for ideas.
Feature your scraps in cute jars.
Along those same lines, Heather of The Sewing Loft uses these cute jars to store her fabric pieces on a shelf. That’s pure eye-candy for quilters! Sometimes you can find jars at thrift stores that are perfect for displaying your stash.
Keep your favorite scraps accessible.
I have found that if I’m going to use all the scraps that I keep, I need to make sure they are easy to get to. Be creative and work with what you have.
I use this basket tower, and I love that I can easily move it around. Sometimes it is next to my sewing machine – like when I’m making QAYG fabric or crazy quilt blocks. Sometimes, it’s next to my embroidery machine, like when I’m making little ITH (in the hoop) quilt blocks and projects.
Use clear bins so you can see your stash.
Lots of people (like our friends at Spoonful of Sugar) use lidded plastic bins to store adorable scraps. I love this idea, but my bins would have to be huge. Like Home Depot size, lol. Making them visible is a good reminder of what you have going on.
Fill a shoe organizer with sorted scraps.
Once at a friend’s house, I spied this genius way of storing fabric scraps by color: a plastic shoe organizer! She kindly sent me a picture to show you. This is a great way to get started if you only have a few handfuls.
Store your scraps in pre-cut sizes.
I haven’t tried this tip yet – but it inspires me so much that I really want to. Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet presses and cuts her scraps into the sizes that she uses most so she can quickly make quilts with them. Read more about her technique here.
Store pre-cut fabrics grouped by size.
In addition to cutting scraps into common sizes and shapes needed for quilts you like to make, Amy Smart suggests keeping like-size pieces together. That way, when you are ready to make a quilt – like this 2 1/2” square patchwork quilt – you have all the pieces in one place.
Add shelves in the corner.
If you have a corner to spare, consider putting up shelves like Clara Nartey did. You can easily see all your fabric types and colors, it’s a convenient space to put your bins and jars, and you can lay down on your cutting table and bask in the glory of an organized, colorful space.
Sew bins from scraps, for scraps.
I think it would be cool to sew bins out of different colors for holding the scraps of different colors. If you have a scrap shelf these would look cute, in all different sizes, lined up and filled to the brim.
Keep coordinated scraps together
Sometimes when I finish a quilt or other big project I have a bunch of coordinating scraps that I wouldn’t necessarily LOVE individually – but as a coordinated set, they are just awesome.
Make ‘kits’ from your coordinating fabrics.
One of these fabric sets might even be enough for a little quilt, a few zipper pouches, or potholders.
I keep these scraps sorted together in zip-lock bags, so when I need to stitch up a quick project, I already have coordinated fabrics set aside. You could also store those pieces in one of my folding fabric baskets if you don’t love the baggie look.
Label larger scraps with the size.
Becky over at the Patchwork Posse labels her fabric pieces to help her remember the size without unfolding and measuring each piece again and again. I have found this tip to be very helpful with my medium or large-size scraps.
Sew bags with zippers instead of gallon bags.
I have a few gallon size bags with scraps, and it’s practical, but also not pretty. If you want to make sure that your storage is presentable, usable, sturdy, and cute how about sewing yourself a few see-through tote bags with clear vinyl. It would be easy to organize and store bundles, colors, and project pieces in this type of zipper tote.
Bulk storage for useful (but less cherished) scraps.
When I have scraps that I don’t love enough to put in the tower, and they aren’t part of a coordinated set, they go in the treasure chest.
These scraps are great for testing the tension on my sewing or embroidery machine, sewing a ‘trial version’ of a project, or letting my kids sew with. When my treasure chest gets too full to handle, I also have a friend who is happy to clean it out. Yay!
Unusable scraps can be shredded into stuffing.
Stephanie of the blog Swoodson Says has a great solution for scraps that are even too small or ugly for the ‘treasure chest.’ She shreds them up with her rotary cutter and uses them for stuffing! Read more about her scrap solution here.
What about pretty shredded fabrics?
This is just a tangent, but what if the fabrics are too pretty after you shred them? I found this picture of shredded fabrics. If these were mine, there would be no way that I could hide them, which would be a problem. It’s a good thing those aren’t my shredded fabric pieces.
Storing Bigger Fabric Pieces
If you need help with your stash of bigger fabrics, check out 3 Ways to Organize and Store Fabric – there’s even a video where I show you my system!
Storing Quilt Blocks
When storing quilt blocks for a quilt that isn’t finished yet, the best thing I have found is scrapbooking bins meant to hold 12” stacks of paper. They are amazing! Tag me on Instagram @sewcanshe and show me your method of storing scraps!
Use social media to give unwanted fabric a new home.
If you want to join a Facebook or Instagram destash group but you want more info first, read this article from csews.com. You can sell fabric that you no longer use.
More from SewCanShe:
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45 Free Ideas to Upcycle and Repurpose Your Gifts this Year!
Going Somewhere? 35 Free Sewing Patterns for Holiday Travel
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