Using File Folders to Organize Your Fabric

needle, thread, scissors, tape measure — Discover an interesting way to store your fabric remnants, fat quarters and leftover pieces. Image courtesy Pexels.

Fabric Craft Artist

Today I’m going share a tip with you on fabric storage and organization. I grew up surrounded by my aunt, grandmother and mother sewing a variety of clothing, home decor and craft projects. In Middle School, I took Home Economics and made my very first piece of clothing. I think it was an A-line style skirt with a side zipper that I made out of a light pink canvas-type fabric. Too bad I don’t have a picture of that home-ec project to share with you, it would be a pretty interesting blast-from-the-past!

I even made my own wedding dress, but not finding the perfect pattern, I ended up using parts of 3 different patterns to get the exact look I was going for. I think the body of the dress was from a Vogue pattern, I found a flounce/bottom ruffle I liked from a McCall’s pattern and I think the sleeves and neckline came from a Simplicity pattern. I guess if I was an actual seamstress I could have drafted my own wedding dress pattern from scratch but that is a talent that is way above my sewing skill set.

If you have seamstress skills, you can draft your own sewing patterns. Photo by **cottonbro** from **Pexels**.

DIY Sewing and Home Decor Projects

I still create a few home decor and clothing projects every so often such as tank tops, curtains and tote bags. I’ve made many home decor items for my apartment including throw pillows for my couch and a round table-cloth to cover my dining room table. Many of my furniture pieces are either thrift store bargains or FREE donations from friends, so they usually need a bit of TLC, chalk paint, or fabric bling to make them slightly less frumpy.

I love shopping for fabric and craft supplies at Jo-Ann Fabrics, Michaels, etc. Many years ago I was even the manager for a So-Fro Fabrics store in Connecticut. That was one of my favorite jobs ever, I barely made above minimum wage and worked crazy hours including nights, weekends and holidays but employees got an incredible discount on all fabric and craft supplies so I was in heaven.

Unfortunately, I believe So-Fro went bankrupt a few years ago, so sad. Anyways, anyone that does a lot of sewing knows you can end up with quite the stash of fabric. But just how the heck do you keep it all neat and tidy?

fabric scraps on desk in craft room — I love working with fabric remnants and scraps leftover from other projects. But, these smaller bits of fabric present a challenge when you’re trying to get your craft or sewing room organized. Image courtesy Lynn Smythe of The Creative Cottage blog.

File Folder Fabric Storage

Fabric crafts and fiber arts are some of my favorite ways to express my creativity. If you’re a sewer, quilter, seamstress, or anyone that likes working with fabrics, you’ve probably amassed quite the collection. You can end up with piles and piles of boxes and bins filled with material, notions, threads, ribbons and other sewing supplies. I love looking at my collection of fabrics and playing with all the different textures and patterns as I’m contemplating my next craft projects. This got me thinking of creative ways to store and organize all this mess other than just shoving it all into a box.

After searching the Internet I came across a few Pinterest boards filled with creative fabric storage ideas. The one that really got my attention was using file folders to organize your fabric. You simply place your smaller pieces of fabric and fabric remnants (1-yard or less works best) over a hanging file folder and store the folders inside a file cabinet drawer. I’m using a dedicated file drawer in my roll-top desk. I get inspired whenever I open the drawer and look at all the different colors, patterns and textures – it’s like looking at a mini work of art!

fabric stored in file drawer. — Above: turn an unused file drawer into a unique fabric organization solution. Fabric storage image courtesy Lynn Smythe of The Creative Cottage.

Fantastic Fabric Bargains

I like to shop the bargain bin at local fabric stores – you can find fabric remnants at fantastic prices. I’ve bought quite a few scraps of home decor fabric at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics, which are perfect for turning into Renaissance Festival costumes, for 50% to 70% off the regular price. The only problem with fabric remnants are they are usually under 1-yard so you have to get creative when figuring out what you are going to do with them.

I’ve also bought some fabric and fat quarters bundles from various sellers on Etsy. They were all so pretty I didn’t want to keep them jumbled together in a storage box. This idea for storing your smaller pieces of fabric on hanging file folders is a pretty nifty idea!

Do you have lots of fabric and patterns waiting to be made into your next work of art? I would love to hear your fabric storage ideas on how you keep your craft or sewing room organized.

Let’s Keep in Touch

Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net and I just might feature your story in a future blog post.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe

Founder and Chief Blogger
The Creative Cottage

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