taming the stash

Dust is a real problem in Bakersfield; fabrics and other materials often need storage options that will keep the dust out, between projects.  For several years, my stash solution was plastic storage bins, on the studio closet shelf:

These bins are heavy and awkward; I found myself avoiding sewing projects, just because I didn't want to wrangle the storage bins. So I decided to make a change. 

First, I gave the studio books a new home in another room, to clear the shelf I wanted:

If I want to store my fabrics on a shelf, I need to transform that shelf into a dust-free cabinet.  I asked Todd for his input; we decided on clear sliding doors.  That way, it would be easy to see what I had on hand.

First, Todd re-purposed some old screen framing into sliding-door tracks:

We used 5-minute epoxy to fix the tracks to the shelf, top and bottom:

A double-row of repurposed screen framing, top and bottom, to hold the doors:

Studio Cat 'helping' with the project:

While Todd and Studio Cat finished the tracks, I pulled plastic sheets from several old poster frames, to create our sliding doors:

We measured and marked the plastic, and then cut it to size with the hot knife.  We used a large scrap of old mat board to protect the cut table from the hot knife:

Once the plastic was cut, it fit right into the tracks, no problem.

After cutting, we used the epoxy to fix that scrap of mat board to the back of the shelf, to keep the dust out.  Then we moved my fabric stash into its new cabinet:

Now my fabric is eye-level; it's easy to see and reach.  The doors slide to either side,
or can be easily removed and replaced, if necessary.

I don't have to wrangle those heavy fabric bins, any more. 

This entire project was done in one evening,  with re-purposed materials we had on hand.  Didn't cost a dime.  No more pulling heavy bins down from high shelves.

This project has been approved by Studio Cat.