Organize your Fabric Stash!

As promised here is (the first installment) my Fabric Folding Tutorial (sorry link broken, I have to find my file first so I can upload it again) so that you can get your fabric stash under control! Part one is has instructions for folding cuts of fabrics of 1 yard or more of 42"-44" wide fabric.

You will need:

• Your fabric
• Magazine sized (8.5"x11") backer boards - found at your local comic book shop
• Pins
• Small scraps of paper for making notes
  

The backer boards (a.k.a. backing boards, comic storage boards) are typically found in a pack of 100 for about $10-$12. They are usually archival quality and acid free. However they are generally only coated on one side.

Now you might not care as to whether your fabric is protected from touching a non acid free surface, but it will extend the life of your fabric. So will keeping your fabric dust free. There have been arguments to both sides of this dilemma, which I won't go into. I figure that fabric is a pretty expensive hobby at prices of up to $9 a yard or even $15 yard for imported Japanese prints (which I love.) Therefore I choose to use 2 one-sided boards back to back so that my fabric is touching an acid free surface. If you can find, and splurge, the boards that are coated on 2 sides then only use one board. If you don't care about your fabric touching regular card board, then by all means go ahead and use one board. I promise I won't send the fashion police after you!

This is a great way to store fabric on a book shelf, in boxes, or file crates. I love to use the plastic file crates because you can stack them on top of each other, but you can also stack them sideways on top of each other (as long as you use the same brand they'll interlock)

All right, enough chit chat. Here is the tutorial in PDF format. If you choose to print this out make sure your printer is set to "fit to page" or something similar. Let me know if you have any questions (or find any typos.)

Part 2 will be coming soon and will cover folding fabric shorter than 1 yard and fat quarters.

Presser Foot Organizer

About 1 week ago I moved my 2 children into the same bedroom. That left me with an empty room to finally have my own space for sewing. Right now my sewing room is a mess as I try to reorganize everything and get new furniture in there.

Not knowing exactly where to start my mission, I started in my presser foot box. It was just one of those small Rubbermaid type of bins with a lid, about the size of a small box. It starts out with just presser feet in the container but by the end of the month I've got pins, scissors, thread and what not in the box. Plus I always spend 5 minutes searching for the right foot. I had seen a "sewing supply bag" on the Sears website for $30, but I have never actually seen it in the store and looks rather bulky to me. I really like the way the pockets are clear. That's about the only thing I like, so I decided to make my own.

Here are general instructions for making your own presser foot/accessory organizer. Enjoy!


You will need fabric and some vinyl. I used one of those bags you get when you purchase a comforter. for fabric I used some upholstery fabric I had lying around.





Step 1: Lay out all of your presser feet/accessories you want to put in the organizer. Group them by size.

Step 2: Decide how big you want your organizer to be mine measures 7"x30" (add seam allowances.) Hem all edges of your organizer (I used my rolled hem foot)


Step 3: Cut out pieces of the vinyl larger than the size you need, you can always trim it later. Starting at the bottom (with your largest pieces) sew the plastic on. Then sew channels to form more pockets. Pin the plastic often and sew slowly to avoid puckers.

Start sewing at A (back-stitch) go to B, then, C, then D (back-stitch.) Then sew from 1 to 2 and back-stitch at both (Repeat this if you want more channels)


Step 4: Sew the rest of your rows. Make sure you fill the previous row with your presser feet before you determine where to place the next row. This way you can tell how far away to stitch your next row with out having puckers.

Finish it off anyway you want! You can add grommets to the top so you can hang it on your wall, add a magnetic clasp so it stays shut (this is what I plan to do) or tie it with a ribbon. This conveniently fold to about 5"x7" Mine is about 2" thick.



Tuck this baby in with your sewing bag and you're ready for your next class!