Six Reasons Why You Need to Organize Your Fabric-–Now!

 

I recently introduced you to the method of fabric organization that has served me well for more than 10 years. If that didn’t convince you to get your fabric organized, these reasons for saving yourself time and money should!

 

The ruler rolling method of fabric folding and storage makes organization so much easier. Here are six reasons that you should try it, too:

1. It keeps your “resource center” tidy.

It does take time, but this method really maximizes space, and who doesn’t want a well-stocked resource center? You're not going to get as much fabric in the same space as you would if everything is folded up the same size. You don’t have to fold all of your fabric at once. Just spend a half-hour or so at a time. Once it’s all folded, it is easy to maintain.

2. It doesn’t cost anything but time (and some bobby pins).

You can buy fabric boards and comic book boards if you like but, with a large collection of fabric, it was going to be pretty costly for me. 

You may even come across fabric you forgot you had and avoid purchasing it again! (Confession time: I found three bundles of the same fabrics when I first started folding. I'm happy to report, that hasn't happened since l organized.)  And if you have a lot of odds and ends, they are perfect for making luggage tags or . . .

maybe some adorable wonky blocks (Jungle Buddies shown in wonky block sample).

3. It gives you an idea of how much yardage is in each piece.

Want to make all 16 blocks of the gorgeous Iron and Lace collection? With the wrap and fold method, you can get a pretty good idea if one bundle of fabric will give you enough yardage.

Count the folds in toward the center. If you have eight folds to the middle and you wrapped the fabric on a five-inch ruler, you have about 80 inches of fabric (five inches on two sides = 10 inches x 8 folds = 80 inches, or just over two yards of fabric). It's nice to know approximately how much fabric you have at a glance without unrolling the whole piece.

If you know how much fabric is there before you wrap, write it down on a card or piece of paper and slip it under one of the bobby pins. Simply update the yardage on your card or paper if you cut any off.

4. Fabric is easier to find

Once you have fabric organized, it is so much easier to find. Need two coordinating greens for the Fun Time Veggies? Once organized, you now know where to go to find just what you need. Spend your time sewing rather than searching.

5. You waste less fabric

The parachute applique in Chutes and Letters requires just a small piece of fabric. There is no need to cut up a perfectly good piece of fabric when you have a scrap that is the perfect size. No waste means saving money.

6. Use up all of your bits and pieces

When in doubt, don’t throw it out! Organize your GlitterFlex and mylar scraps too. Pieces of mylar that you may think are too small may work quite well in designs like Butterfly Bling, while scraps of GlitterFlex can be quite useful in Sign Buddies.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out.

Have a day blessed with perfect stitches…and GlitterFlex!!