Friday, March 4, 2011

fat quarter friday {getting organized}

Since I won't be able to post a tutorial today, let's talk about storing and organizing those cute little fat quarters instead. You can see here that all of my fabric is neatly organized in dresser drawers. I have to admit, I don't have a ton of fat quarters like some of you out there, but I still needed a way to organize them.



I neatly folded each fat quarter and used 2 baskets from The Dollar Store. Nothing exceptionally pretty or inventive, but it was cheap and it works.



So let's see how others organize their fat quarters and what types of products are out there to help us get organized, shall we?


Products to buy for storing fat quarters:




Fons and Porter Jumbo Fat Quarter Box



Fat Quarter Tote






source
Janet Basket Aluminum Frame Bag




Did any of you know that Marie Osmond has her own fat quarter organizing system? Basically you buy these cardboard cards that you neatly wrap your fat quarters around and then secure the fat quarters in place with a fabric band.


Then once all of your fat quarters are neatly wrapped and secure, they can either be stored in this portable tote bag,



or in this fat quarter storage box.



The Marie Osmond fat quarter organizing system can be found here.
This is a great system for those of you traveling with your sewing goodies (hmm, like Marie Osmond) or if you take a lot of sewing classes.


Neatly fold those fat quarters and store them in this portable plastic case.



source
ArtBin Super Satchel



Here is one of my favorites that I found, a Clip It Up Base Unit. How adorable would this filled with all of your favorite fabrics stored on a shelf or cabinet?!




Or if you rather store them using the Clip It Up system on a wall.






SWOON! Am I right?! You can read more about the Clip it up Base Unit here.



For those of you that have a lot of fat quarters, how about storing them all neatly folded in this Besta-Shelfa unit from IKEA. Or for those with a lesser amount of fat quarters, how about these cute little cubes?



( Store in style 2-drawer accessorizer cube from Oriental Trading.)



CD boxes are the perfect size for storing neatly folded fat quarters.




Acrylic Storage box from The Container Store.




Etsy finds for storing fat quarters:




A Vintage wire basket from SweetAnneVintage.




Old wooden boxes like this one from GiantFlea.




Or how about this Dansk Sunshine Yellow Enamel Pot from Swoonshop. I can already see my fat quarters all neatly rolled up inside this beauty, next to these...



Felted Treasure Bowls from Shanineal.



Fat quarter storage ideas from others:


Metal bins or baskets

source: BH&G
Labeled wicker baskets

Plastic shoe box storage containers.


Good Housekeeping shares this idea for organizing a craft room. See the fat quarters in a clear box on a shelf.



And here is a great way to label all of your fat quarters and scraps. Want to keep track of the name of the fabric, type and washing instructions?


Thanks to Shannon who tipped me off on this one. Cathe from Just Something I Made, created these downloadable wraps for organizing her scraps and remnants.


And this curated gallery on flickr is a must see!

And this fabric stash and storage group from Sew, Mama, Sew.

It was so fun seeing how others store their fat quarters and scraps. I saw so many sewing rooms and areas that I loved! But for some reason, this sewing room just stuck in my head and had to show you. Maybe it's because orange is my favorite color or maybe it's that cute little kids table next to momma's sewing station. Love it!


Hope you found some inspiration here to help you get those fat quarters organized. Already organized?...care to share your tips, tricks and ideas?



2 comments:

  1. Great post! I love organizing ideas...I'm just not very good with following through! Lots of great ideas here : )

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  2. A while back I helped my mom with her stash. We had plastic shoe box sized tubs that we sorted the fabric out in. This was great as you were able to pull one or two totes out per color/line and see through without having to dig and mess up the box! LOVE the Marie Osmond idea though of those cards and the clear bag! Way cool!

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