In this video, I will show you how to fold your fabric onto comic book boards for concise and easy storage in your sewing area. Comic Book Boards: tinyurl.com/y3utbm82 Plastic Alligator Clips: tinyurl.com/y6qh9wc3
I was running out of room and as I was watching your videos I found this one. Oh my, was I happy to have found it. I bought a pack of 100 comic boards to file my fabric away with 200 clips. So they arrived and I started the process. Anyway, 100 boards later and I have still have fabric left and no boards! I had no idea that I had so much fabric, how much have I spent for goodness sake? Am I the only one or does everyone have a fabric habit? I've bought another 100 boards and I had better start using it or my husband will make me live in the garage. On reflection it is a double garage, it has electricity, it's water tight and it has an inspection pit, hmmm...
Nope...I have the boards already and have been procrastinating doing this because I just moved my fabric to shelves and that was a chore in itself!!! I should be done soon if I start now...my fabric fill up 5 shelves of the IKEA Pax really wide closet...so....baby steps for me lol
Exact same story. Can't believe I have so much more fabric than I thought. I even found some that I forgot I had and am looking forward to using them. Thank you so much for posting this.
@@christineannematias5138 No, not yet and that's because I promised my husband that no more fabric would be delivered to the house. I said nothing about it being delivered to any one else's house 🤣. I did a cull and donated some fabric to an animal charity shop, that said, my husband has seen what happens to my sewing machine when fabric lint gets on and in it. He doesn't want his precious motorbike covered in lint. I think I have gone through every inch of RU-vid looking at how best to fold and store my fabric and I have come to the conclusion that it's fabric manufacturers' fault for making beautiful fabric. I don't buy anything else, I don't smoke or drink and I don't walk the streets. So, no, not in the 'she shed' but who knows where I'll be by the end of the year. ☺
I havent seen anyone talk about serious yardage with these. Im a dressmaker and I keep more than just a few fat quarters or yards even. Im glad you mentioned that you can get 6-8 Yards on one. Thats mostly what I have.
I also use comic boards to keep my fabric organized and also easy to see. However, I fold the fabric so that there is some of the cardboard sticking out at the top and in this spot I write the yardage and anything else I need to remember (like cost or where purchased). Your way makes for less bulky 'bolts' though. :)
@@treasuresnownthen I organized my adjustable shelves to be just the right height for the cardboard so I stand mine up. However, if your shelf space is taller than the 10.5 inches of the cardboard it might make more sense to lay them on their sides. It may be harder to get to the fabric this way though. I do understand that it can be hard to have enough shelves. I also put my 'bolts' of fabrics into plastic bins and boxes and stack them up when I run out of shelf space. :) Good luck!
When I first heard about this I was a little reluctant to give it a try. It seemed like 'one more thing.' But I finally relented and am happy I did. My fabric takes up much less room and it is nice to have the material placed in a way that I can see the patterns and colors easier than I could while just folded and stacked. The comic book board gives some stability that wasn't there before. I like the uniformity of the look as well. While putting the fabric on the board I also take the time to write out the yardage and width. Good idea!
I do this with 1 yard plus quilting and garment fabrics-works great with cube storage systems. Fat quarters are folded same way but on 4x6 index cards and go in plastic shoeboxes, not sure about the acid free thing,but works for me Love your videos.
I had not thought of actually folding my fabric around the board; I might have to go organize my FQ's now! I folded all my fabric so that it is just shorter than the height of the board and then fold/roll it onto the board like a bolt in the store. Both methods work!
I use a tshirt folder like they use in the clothing stores . We use in our own closets and one day it dawned on me that it would work for fabric too :) Best 9 bucks I ever slept fat quarter or smaller of fold even smaller and store in clear shoebox sized bins . This looks great too .
I have ordered the comic book boards and I am working through my stash. I had decided not to put my fat quarters on the boards, but after seeing how great they look, I will be doing that. When I buy a new piece of fabric, I put it on the board so it will be ready when I start my project. Thank you for this helpful video.
I use the old boards left over from framing photos, used to get them at hobby lobby but they don’t have them now. When I put a few yards on I just roll them onto the board like a bolt. I fold over about an inch at one end after folding savages and once more than just wrap it. I like this because I can easily unroll a half yard and cut and then just reclip.
I recently found an oak 6 drawer dresser at an antique store for a great price, and have folded most of my fabric into thirds and placed them by colors in the drawers, leaving a top drawer for purse hardware etc. It is a great way to store the fabric so I just open a drawer and see all the selections in that color. Makes it easier to tidy up the sewing room!
I've received a dresser from my little sister after she passed and am planning to use it to store fabric as well. Glad to hear that you do this and it works well for you. I think I will do my yardage as has been demonstrated but for my jelly rolls etc. use my drawers! Love it!
I am slowly moving all of mine to foam board. I get the cheap stuff from Walmart. Costs more but love the stability of it. I work in a fabric store so I do have my fabric folded a certain way. My customers laugh and ask me to come fold their fabric at home because it looks nice when I stack their cuts. Lol.
@@emmabrodiebear663 I use a rotary cutter on a cutting mat. Wears out the blade, but much faster. I was able to get 5 boards out of the foam board. But I don’t remember the sizes. 3 side by side then 2 laying the opposite direction.
I have a piece of Masonite board. My fabrics are in the Ikea cubies that are 4 across by 4 high. I wrap the fabric around the board and I can have two stacks in each cubbie. I love it.
I started folding my fabric and using the comic boards several years ago. It is so much easier to take them on/off the shelf as well as seeing what I have much more easily. I like your plastic clip idea!
I do exactly like you do with the exception that my boards are 7 1/2" by 10 1/2". I also use the clips, but I made sure that I got them toothless so that they would not indent the fabric, (they were hard to find).
I live in Las Vegas NV so we have the same problem. I used clear sealing caulking to seal my window closed in my sewing room and I have black out fabric stapled over my window since we spent DAYS of temperature over 117 this summer. It keeps my room cooler, protects my fabric and sewing machine from dirt, dust and sun damage. Hope this gives you a few thoughts about how you can leave your fabric out so you can see and enjoy it. I'm 71 years old so I also keep a hammer and sturdy dowel close so I can break the window, should I need to:)
I have very deep cabinets, so as much as I like the idea of the cardboard storage, it’s would waste cabinet space for me. I place painters tape on my work table the width and depth of my stack. This width varies with the weight of the fabric. I then fold the fabric to the precise shape of my stack. Not as easy for pulling out fabrics, but utilizes my space well.
We drink box wine. The boxes are quite sturdy so when I have an empty, I take apart the box and use the sides as fabric boards. It’s free and sturdy. However I am drawn to the fresh white comic boards.
I fold mine the same way except the y are 9 inches wide instead of 7" wide. Then I can count the layers to know how many yards are there. I do not use a board since there is no need for that if the fabric is piled on its side.
I fold my fabrics without cardboard. I do not really have many fabrics (some time ago, some thieves entered my house and stole many things, television, electronics, tools, clothes and all my fabrics ... Fortunately, my sewing machine was in my mom's house! ). So for now, I only have two baskets with about 12 different fabrics. Blessings!
Great video. I too was looking for a cost effective to organize my fat quarters, and was looking for cardboards of some sort; I did not know what comic boards were. Thanks to your video, I understand now. My question is would you consider cutting boards down to 4x6 for your fat quarters; what are your thoughts. Thank you, Jasmine
That sounds like a great idea but I'm having issues with yardage that has been cut and how it should be folded and stored. Not all of my fabric is New and a lot of it is left over from other projects.
I have fabric Willy Nilly all over. I should become more organized, but when doing a project I get lots of fabrics out at once. Also, since I have many different sizes, for example....knits or denim that come in various widths. 2-3 yards of a knit can be difficult to corral, and might be a challenge to put on a small board?
Marg Campbell. I asked when I was buying fabric if I could have the board at the end of the roll. She then directed me to a stash that was on its way to the bin. I rescued them and have cut them to fit the drawer. They are really good for metres (yards) of full width fabric. 39.5cm wide was perfect for 150 cm wide fabric folded in to four then rolled as the fabric stores do it. Shorter 'left over' card worked for smaller pieces, however it will take up more room than comic boards.
After I get my very sizable collection on boards, what to do with scraps? I applique and value smaller pieces? May a basket next to that color group? Ideas?
Viddy she has a link (in the video description) to the boards and clips on US Amazon, maybe that can help you source them locally if they don’t ship to Australia? You should be able to buy the boards at any comic book shop, collectors use them to keep their comics in mint condition. If there isn’t one in your town look for a comic book store in Australia that sells supplies online.
I found them on amazon: www.amazon.com/NiftyPlaza-Durable-Plastic-Alligator-Garments/dp/B078PN5LZX/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=plastic+aligator+clips&qid=1570139765&s=gateway&sr=8-4
It doesn't seem like this would be applicable to 53" or more yardage in bulk though. I buy fabric at least in 4 yd allotments, and more if I really like it. I think I'm going to have to go with cutting up sturdy carboard shipping boxes and shaping them like the regular bolt holders I see @ Fabric shoppes like JoAnn, etc. edit: Great idea for Quilters though. (I sew apparel)
Ahhh so this explains why my comic boards went up in cost so much! The crafters jumped into the comic collecting hobby in ways we never would have expected..curse you crafters!!! 😫😫
I seem to never fold my fabrics the same way twice. I have used my quilting boards, or just freehand, which might be why they're never the same size twice.
For the life of me I've not been able to figure why to use these. I've used 1 piece of card stock (recycled not purchased) to fold, pull out the card stock, rinse repeat. Fabric folds perfectly and I don't have piles of card stock and one tree lives. Maybe just a refusal to participate in that consumerism/marketing effort. I'm not buying fabric any more so haven't even used that. For someone still building their stash this is an unnecessary cost and stuff.
Marcia, I see your point and agree that conserving and recycling is important 👍. And I do see the reasoning in her video on using a piece of pre-cut card stock for stability to be able to pull out fabric and see a good portion of the print for planning. Maybe look at it as the first purchase of card stock (comic book size) will then be recycled over and over. Its clean, cut to the right size for her demo. Win win both ways! Imho.🙂
Not everyone has card stock around the house. These were cheaper to purchase than card stock $13 per 100. Acid free card stock is about $13 per 50 sheets. Not all card stock is acid free. I only use it for larger pieces of fabric. I fold my fat quartets and place them fold end up in a shoe box sized basket.
If I understand how you do this correctly, there's a big difference in how these are stored on a shelf. Stored on these cards, the fabric goes on the shelf the same way books are usually put on shelves in a bookcase. Again, if I understand what you are doing, you are stacking your fabric, the same way books are stacked on a table. One on top of another. If that is true, regarding your method, and you want a book from the center of the stack, books above that one must be removed. Once removed, the books are stacked again. With the method shown, simply remove the fabric needed, just as a book is removed from a library shelf. There are a number of recycling methods, if you do not wish to use comic book boards. For example, I bought quite a bit of fabric, today that was on sale. While my yardage was being cut, noticed some empty cardboard "boards" used for display of fabrics in a store. Asked, I was given 20 of them!! I'll cut these down and recycle into at least 40 for my fabrics. Cereal boxes, laundry detergent boxes, used shipping cartons and flat rate boxes, backs of 8.5 x 11" note pads, etc. & etc. can be free to serve a second purpose. If concerned about dyes or direct contact with cardboard, these pieces can be covered with inexpensive white gift wrapping tissue paper. I don't worry about it, as I don't plan to keep these fabrics for years. Nor would I store treasured family heirlooms in this manner. It's your choice as to where you draw your lines with regards to "consumerism/marketing effort". As someone who has tried to live a frugal life, I'm not lured by "slick" advertising, either. That said, each person "building" or maintaining "their stash" has the freedom to judge what is "unnecessary cost" to them. The tree has already been cut down. With good forest management, the tree that was cut down provides space and sunlight for a younger sapling sibling to flourish. For someone who has to make every inch of storage space work, for them, spending a few dollars for these boards (designed for another purpose) may be both economic and practical. Speaking from experience, it is easier to slide a book out from its companions on a tightly packed shelf, than to remove a book from the bottom of a stack, any where that stack is placed. Hope this helps with understanding "why to use these". Thanks for the opportunity to discuss.
I think this a great organizing tool. There isn’t waste. As you use up the fabric on your projects, you save the boards that aren’t needed anymore for your next fabric purchase. I am looking forward to seeing Sara’s fabric stash when she gets all of her fabric on boards. Note to Sara: Please take some before and after photos - it will be incredible. Thanks for sharing. And good luck 😉
@@oldtimerlee8820 I agree with every word you said. I am a widow and EVERY penny counts but these are very inexpensive, acid free and all around a very good idea. They are also a recycle item.
