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<\/a><\/p>\nAfter coming clean about the condition of my sewing room, I promised some tips for organization.\u00c2\u00a0 So let’s start with our fabric or our stash or resource center or just our yards and yards of raw material for the sewing projects we love to make.<\/p>\n
When Terri Click told me about using comic book boards for wrapping fabric, I was intrigued.\u00c2\u00a0 Several years ago, my sewing room and the bedrooms above were all but destroyed when a huge oak fell on the house during a hurricane.\u00c2\u00a0 While the storm was still raging but before the water seeped down through the plaster ceiling, everything from my sewing room was quickly thrown into storage bins.\u00c2\u00a0 And there it remained until Terri clued me in about the comic book boards.<\/p>\n
It took me forever sorting through those bins to find a particular piece of fabric.\u00c2\u00a0 So I ordered the comic book boards on eBay and I love them.<\/p>\n
Right now the going rate is $12.34 for 100 with free shipping.\u00c2\u00a0 There are probably others and you might buy them at a comic book store.\u00c2\u00a0 But our little town comic shop had none.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>The ends are folded toward the bolt, presenting a fold rather than raw edges.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Fabric is folded lengthwise, usually into quarters, in order to fit on the 10″ boards. \u00c2\u00a0 Then it is rolled on, just like the bolts at the fabric store.<\/p>\n
I thought this was great until I tried putting them on my shelves.\u00c2\u00a0 Something had to be done about the loose ends.\u00c2\u00a0 So I bought boxes and boxes of glass head silk pins and stuck three in each bolt.\u00c2\u00a0 Surely they would not rust.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 WRONG!<\/p>\n
In Florida’s humidity, it didn’t take long to discover that those pins were corroding.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 So I raided my ribbon bin.\u00c2\u00a0 But there were just too many fabric ends to secure.\u00c2\u00a0 Hmmmmmm……I had to find another way to keep those bolts tidy.<\/p>\n
A friend from church was having a huge family party in the fellowship hall and asked me to shorten 12 round tablecloths by 5″.\u00c2\u00a0 The diameter was 132″.\u00c2\u00a0 Whew!\u00c2\u00a0 That’s miles and miles of serging.\u00c2\u00a0 But when I was finished, I looked at those highways of 5″ strips and thought they could be my ties, instead of ribbon.\u00c2\u00a0 Hurrah!<\/p>\n
So I roughly rotary cut each hem\u00c2\u00a0 into three long strips. I wrapped the ties on an old lace card.<\/p>\n
Then I realized that every time I straightened fabric by tearing the width, there was a 40-45″ strip, just the right size.\u00c2\u00a0 Now I could wrap every bolt in JoAnn’s.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>This is what’s left of my ties after banding my comic book bolts.<\/p><\/div>\n
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This really does work well.\u00c2\u00a0 Now what am I to do with 1000 glass head pins?<\/p>\n
But for this post I needed to show more order and organization.\u00c2\u00a0 Isn’t that what I promised?<\/p>\n
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<\/a>ties wound onto cards<\/p><\/div>\n
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The last aha! came when I realized that by packaging at least two mini bolts\u00c2\u00a0 together with the loose side to the center, the result was a compact fabric rectangle with no loose ends. You probably figured that out long ago, but I’m a slow organizer.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>The raw edges are neatly folded under, then stacked face to face, with the folds on the inside.<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>two bolts tied up<\/p><\/div>\n
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It is so handy to choose fabric from a row on a shelf rather than sorting through a bin in the garage.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>pull down window shade helps protect fabric from light<\/p><\/div>\n
Florida sunshine, however, is unrelenting.\u00c2\u00a0 Soon\u00c2\u00a0 some fabric was fading.\u00c2\u00a0 So my dear husband installed window shades over each fabric shelf.\u00c2\u00a0 They aren’t heavy duty black-out shades, but offer good protection.<\/p>\n
But what about all those small pieces of fabrics?\u00c2\u00a0 Scraps good for applique’ or pockets or trim?\u00c2\u00a0 Storage units with shallow drawers are perfect.\u00c2\u00a0 Pieces can be sorted by color.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>The way the units hang over the edge of the drawer cabinet below drives my engineer husband crazy. But it works for me. Because these are stacked in front of a window, I covered the back of each unit with heavy denim.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Folding the does not keep them neat.\u00c2\u00a0 So each scrap is rolled and bound with a rubber band.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>I’ve just discovered the clear ponytail bands. They are best because if the colored Office Depot tbands disintegrate they can leave a stain. Ask me how I know.<\/p><\/div>\n
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There are still fabric bins in the garage, but I am out of shelf space.\u00c2\u00a0 So I’ve been on a buying diet for some time now, trying very hard to use only what I have on hand.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, there have been moments of weakness.\u00c2\u00a0 Children on Parade<\/a> caused serious back sliding.<\/p>\n Please let me know if these tips are helpful.\u00c2\u00a0 If you have any tips to share, please do.<\/p>\n Until my next post, keep sewing, keep smiling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After coming clean about the condition of my sewing room, I promised some tips for organization.\u00c2\u00a0 So let’s start with our fabric or our stash or resource center or just our yards and yards of raw material for the … Continue reading