Organizing

[Nancy H.]

Anne, I love that "intellectual malfunction", a lot of people don't understand what "senior moment" means. A lot of things I can't find have grown legs and crawled off to a cubby hole I looked in 10 mins ago. :roll: :roll:

[Nancy H.]

I always tell my dear husband that somebody made a mess in my sewing studio and I think they need to stop. When it comes to something missing--I usually blame him and tell him I know he is just trying to make me crazy. Especially when I find it where it should have been all along.

[Nancy H.]

I'm in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my sewing/quilting room as I'm writing this reply. It took me forever to get started, too, because I was overwhelmed at the thought of it. So, I just decided to do a little each day, by breaking the job up into small tasks. However, once I started, I got on a roll and didn't want to stop. Here's what I learned:

1. No plastic bags!!!!
2. Keep all of your project supplies for each planned or incomplete project together in one basket or fabric storage container until completed--you can find all size fabric containers for $1 at the Everything's a Dollar store (a.k.a. Deals).
3. Store your new or project leftover fabrics in your stash by color or size or theme (e.g. batiks, novelty, stripes, juvenile, etc.)--if necessary, cut it up by yardage, fat quarters, jelly roll strips, scraps, selvedges, etc.
4. Store all UFO quilt tops together and all orphan/exchange blocks together, so you can find them easily when you need to create a quilt quickly.
5. File, using a Pendaflex or similar file with labeled manila folders, those loose printed patterns, workshop notes, correspondence, catalogs, etc.
6. Use a "graph paper" notebook for jotting down project notes, design ideas, etc.
7. Use large bins for storing battings, fusibles, stabilizers, treated fabrics, etc.
8. Where possible, use vertical storage with peg boards, cork boards, thread holders, etc. for storing small items.

I sure hope some of this helps.

[Nancy H.]

Great ideas Nancy!

Because I have moved around a lot, I use large 3 ring binders to keep my notes, patterns, and articles or ideas I rip out of older quilting magazines. This has saved me from having an extra piece of furniture such as a filing cabinet in my studio.
Last year I reorganized my studio = refolded fabric, got rid of old quilt books, sorted etc. and also got rid of plastic bags.
The whole process plus the spring cleaning took me about 2 entire weekends and I enjoyed it because of the reminder of what great items I have to use after quilting for over 20 years.

cheers
Jeanine

[Nancy H.]

When organising 'stuff' into different categories and tidying up, my mother told me do not have a 'miscellaneous' pile, it should either have a definite purpose or not. If you have a miscellaneous pile you never get rid of anything because 'it could come in handy some day' (usually a week after you have chucked it :wink: :lol: )

[Nancy H.]

Funny, Rosemary. That's one of the reasons I have so much stuff in the first place: it may come in handy some day.

But I've noticed that between Sunday and Saturday, there isn't a day called 'someday'!

[Annette R.]

Because I move twice a year - from the motorhome to the mobile in the fall and then back again to the motorhome for the summer - I have three rolling carts with drawers that stay the same all the time. I also have three or four boxes of large scraps and fabric for misc. projects that stay packed all the time. I pull them out, use what I want and put them back. My stash consists primarily of hand dyes and batiks and I take a limited amount of them each summer. (I can always check out the quilt shops on our route if I need something I do not have with me!!!!!!!) - or order more hand dyes if needed (and I "need" a lot) Otherwise I create from my stash. I have two wine carriers - cardboard and free at the local grocery or wine store - that I put my rolls of fusible, rolls of wash away stabilizer, spray bottles etc that go back and forth in each move. I have my thread in a thread carrier that I removed the spool spindles from so it would hold more thread and a hardware store "thingy container" that has three large and two small boxes that are perfect size for thread spools. I also have some other "thingy containers" -you know the screws and nails and bolts etc. that dh needs all the time - that I keep buttons and embellishments in. They easily fit in drawers in the motor home and on shelves in the "studio" I quit calling it a sewing room when I updated and reorganized it last fall (see my member blog for pictures when it was really clean). I keep my patterns and quilt books in magazine holders - plastic from the office supply store - because they can easily be transfered back and forth. Now it is not a three week clean up process each fall and a scramble to load the motorhome in the spring so dh and I are both "happy campers" Hugs and love from Ann (now in Southern Illinois on the way to Chicago to see DD and DGD)

[Annette R.]

When I was studying to become a lab tech. we were told--handle things only once. So, if I am making a pile of like things to then be put away--I am making more work because I am having to touch each thing at least twice. Does that make sense. Of course, I know that it hard when you are petting your fabric.

[Annette R.]

My mother must have had similar training - she tells me 'don't put it down, put it away!'

And after last night's emergency skirt & waistcoat making for Izzy I sure have a deal to put away :roll: , especially as I want to get on & make a dress for myself - which I would be doing if I wasn't frittering my time away on here :lol:

[Lotti D.]

Can we see pictures? Not necessarily of you frittering your time, but izzy's waistcoat...

And later on of course the new much slimmer you in your new dress.... :lol: