Sorting and Storing the Fabric Stash

For some yeas now, I have stored lots and lots of fabric pieces in big bins in my garage. And for some years, I haven't liked that arrangement for several reasons. First, it is dusty out there, and dust does filter into the latched bins. Second, sunlight manages to get in also, fading stripes on the fabric. And third, it isn't very accessible to me when I feel like puttering through my fabrics or starting a new project. 

But now that we have a big room for our office and studio, I determined I would move my fabrics indoors. 

This is our old oak TV cabinet. It has nice closing doors to hide messes, but it is very brown. 

I primed and painted it -it took many, many layers to cover the brown wood. I also sprayed the hinges ORB, and I'll replace the knobs. Ignore that unattached door on the right. It has hinge issues that need to be addressed.

We moved it into the studio, and then I discovered an interesting method on Pinterest for storing fabrics. It's visually appealing, tidy, and gives quick access. I cut heavy cardboard into "mini bolts", and I folded and rolled all my fabrics around them. I also purged some "no-go" fabrics from my stash. I purged more than this, but I didn't get a final photo. 

 Four big bins of fabrics became these tidy little bolts.

I'm storing them in the newly-painted cabinet in small plastic bins I can pull out like drawers.

 

Interior view: The empty shelf on the bottom is reserved for patterns, while the pile of fabrics on the top shelf is fabric that is too big to roll on mini bolts. This is all my fabric now, and I plan to keep it pared down from now on.

 

I'm linking to Met Monday at BNOTP.