I really need to sort out my fabrics. I have lots of boxes (I do love boxes) but I'm unsure whether to sort by colour or pattern (polka dots/floral/gingham etc). I've seen various blogs about folding the fabric etc and they always sort by colour, but I usually go by design first then colour.

What do other CO&K'ers do?

i'd go by how you most likely are to choose your fabrics for a pattern. are you more likely to pair reds together or the balloon pattern together? less digging (hopefully) in the long run that way.

I'd say by colour, im not very organised with my fabric stash or my bead and jewellery making stash, but for me its a organised mess lol!

I know by colour makes sense - but that's not always the way I think.

I'm really trying to avoid to many sub catagories.

I'm not really organised but every now and again I get the urge!

Maybe the plain colors and the ones with minimal print sorted by color.
And the rest sorted by print.

how about this----
you organize by color AND pattern.
what i mean is u have some fabrics tht are just color u organize those seperatley and u organize the patterns seperatly by pattern and color. hope i helped

OK so I actually organize by size.
Large pieces are in a trunk.I have 12x12 box for medium and shoe boxes for small.
For up-cycled pieces these go in another box.
Felt and made papers go flat in document boxes.
This said if another can find a perfect system let me know !

I do mine by size as well. That way I don't have to sort through all the fabric I use on ATC before I can find one to make a tablecloth.

I do fabric types usually.
Like chiffons, then tules, then patterned, etc.
if theyre big I fold them, if they're smaller I might put them in ziplock backs
and scraps I put into jars based on color mostly.

:) Good luck

i literally just joined this site because i was searching around to see how other people organize their fabric, and i think i've come up with a pretty good method. well, for me at least.

i have a few large tubs, and i fit a medium size tub inside (sans lid), separating it about half and half. solid greens go in one part, for instance, and green prints go in the other. that way i can satisfy my ocd like need to keep colors together! small cuts or scraps go in baggies, but still in their designated bins. i also have a separate bin for the fabric that doesn't fit one specific color scheme.

i also have to reorganize about once a month...i get lazy after projects and stuff is everywhere, along with yarn and my jewelry supplies.

hope i could help! :)

i do type too, except mine are in bags at the moment because i dont have any drawers (i dislike boxes because what i want is ALWAYS on the bottom) so all my fur is in one place, fleece, felt etc and i have a separate section for fabric i dont like (was probably cheap) and another for flawed fabric
i keep scraps/small pieces in a small ziploc bag inside a bigger plastic bag.

I love to sew, so I have a drawer seperated into type of fabric (cotton, quilting exc.)and color. Pattern can be found in the different color seperations. I find it really keeps me orginised.
Hope this helped!

I decided to organize my fabric like a fabric store. I use a filing cabinet so I began with cardboard forms (cutting them all the same size 8X11). I fold and roll my fabric to the cardboard creating the "bolt" then "file" them in the drawers. I am kinda loose on how they are filed. I began with colors grouping all solids/patterns of the same color together. As my stash has grown over time I do have some drawers by fabric type such as keeping cottons, flannels ect together used for quilting. I do have a "scrap" box for the smallest pieces but if the piece is large enough to "bolt" I roll on the cardboard. You can see a guesstimate of how much is on you bolt but I do mark them with masking tape and write on it since I usually secure it with the tape anyways.

Well it's sort of more up to you, but I'll tell you what I would do, and I'm a very organized person:
I would fold the fabrics and separate them by color. (You could separate them by both, but I would do color.) Because if you want to make a Yellow chicken, then you have all the different pattern types you want, in the color you need. You can make a yellow Polka dot chicken! Haha!
I would put colorful fun labels on each bin.
And shelves are always nice to keep your bins on.
That's what I'd do. Hope this helped!

I store my fabric on the bookcase by color, design, and type.

I sort mine by fabric type (flannel, 100% cotton, cotton/poly, fleece, etc.) then I have a separate stack of fabrics that go together for potential projects (baby blanket, quilt, skirt & blouse, pantsuit)