Between the two of us, we have a lot of fabric and in the past, it could get quite difficult trying to find the space to store those fabrics in the studio. But what was even worse, was trying to find a fabric for a particular project for our YouTube channel without having to pull everything out (yet again) and spread it all over the floor.
Linda says
That’s a brilliant idea.is it very costly?
Alanda says
Foam board isn’t too badly priced. You can purchase it on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/1RbtXsB
Here in Australia it’s a lot dearer but if you buy a couple of sheets every now and then you don’t notice the price as much….LOL!
Sandy Miller says
Sandy :
I get my foam board at the dollar tree. And i get several sizes of board to wrap my fabric . For larger sizes I go to fabric stores and ask for the empty boards. They are Free
Lyn Connelly says
I’ve had good success using cardboard intended for protecting collectible comic books. Amazon sells them in several sizes, and tho considerably smaller than a regular bolt, my fabric pieces are seldom larger than a few yards. The small bolts fit nicely on a shelf or in a cloth bin.
Alanda says
Thank you for sharing your helpful tip Lyn. 🙂 We find that using mini bolts (whatever they are made from) just helps to keep our fabric nice and tidy. Plus we can see at a glance what we have on hand.
Jeanne says
I do the same thing. It is a much less expensive choice of “core” material, and stands up well. Just be sure you buy the same size every time. It works great for me. I just stand them up on a 10” deep bookshelf. I have bought cardboard magazine holders to group them together. They are about 6” wide – you can still see all the fabric, and it helps with the leaning issue on a 24” or longer shelf.
Alanda Craft says
Thank you for sharing your tips Jeanne. I like the idea of using the magazine holders.
Carole says
When my work was doing a big clean out I took all the clean 3-ring binders home and using a craft razor cut the sides off and they were perfect for fitting on the bookcase shelves.
Alanda Craft says
Great idea Carole. Would never have throught to do that.
Millie says
I have found that the foam core board works really well for me. Because I live in a very small place, my fabric has to be stored in drawers. I cut the board to fit my drawer. The “bolts” are stored like files in a cabinet. I found a cheaper method to fasten the end, vinyl coated paper clips, sold at the dollar store. I purchased my board from a dollar store at $1.oo per sheet. Also I belong to a group who makes kids charity quilts and our fabric closets were a mess. After working for several months, our shelves are neat with the fabric wrapped on boards, shelved in color groups, making it so much easier to see what we have.
Alanda Craft says
That’s a great idea Millie. Thank you so much for sharing your tip. It’s such a relief when you get your fabric sorted. We found all sorts of pieces that we had forgotten about because they were packed away in boxes. Now everything can be seen at a glance.
Lorel says
I have collected tons of fabric over the years, in many different fabric contents and weights, including some very heavy upholstery fabric, I’ve found some methods that work quite well for me, and others, not so much. Indispensable for me is. Lots of rope to tie up rolls and bundles. I make these by tearing up old sheets into 1.5″ -2″ long strips for holding fabric into rolls that can be stacked on end in a drawer or sideways on a shelf for easy identification and retrieval. To make bolts, I just cut up old cardboard boxes to the size I want with a heavy duty rotary cutter supplied with an old blade. To make them look nicer, I sometimes cover the ends with duck tape, available in many colors. Also, If you don’t have enough indoor storage space for large blanket-sized pieces, I’ve discovered that a new/very clean plastic garbage can with a dependable lid can be a remarkably good storage container, especially if covered by a heavy item such as a large floor tile so it can’t just blow off. I would not recommend Rubbermaid totes for long term outdoor storage. Hope this helps someone.
Alanda Craft says
I love the idea of tearing up old sheets. I think I am going to try that with scraps of quilting fabric. We often have long thin scrap strips after straightening up fabric but they could easily be used to tie around rolls of fabric.
Lorel says
Hi Lorel, My name is also Lorel and I can scarcely believe it, but your comment could easily have been written by me! I also have tons of fabric and I manage it exactly as you do, with cloth ropes as I call them and clean garbage cans with floor tiles to keep the lids intact! We must be clones! 🙂
Beryl Basle says
Having already purchased several three drawer plastic tables on wheels, I realized the 200 sheets of “Backing Boards” used to store magazines or comic books, were too long for my drawers. So, i cut them to size and am very pleased with how my fabric is now stored. They are 26 pt. high bulk boards, excellent volume and rigity. Should you be interested in purchasing any I ordered them from Figurine Discount, http://www.figurine-discount.com
Delivery was good (not outstanding) and in excellent condition. I’d attach a photo… but can’t figure out how to do that! All the best to you all, Beryl
Jeanne says
This is the best time of the year. Recycle old political signs made of the corrugated plastic. You can cut them with a utility knife to any size you need.
Alanda Craft says
What a good idea Jeanne. Thank you for the tip. 🙂
Gayle says
For those in the US, the Dollar Tree sells Foam board (2’x3’) for $1.00. That makes this a really inexpensive solution.
Pam says
I have a background in picture framing and attended Prestige Framing Academy in Massachusetts. I also quilt, and do a lot of various needlework. The one thing that was drilled in to us was when you are framing is to always use acid-free products. You need to especially use acid-free when dealing with fabric or any kind. Cardboard, wood, etc. unless otherwise noted contain acid which can possibly damage fabric. You can use wood products but they must be coated with a sealer. I would suggest before using any surface for storing your fabric that you check to see if the surface you are using is acid-free.