Hi, and welcome! This is a fun place to meet people and congregate and learn. Mercy, do you learn. And the most important thing you will learn is that there are more of you out there than you can imagine.
I found clear plastic shoe boxes and sticky tags. I have fourteen boxes (not counting the one that has large pieces of one fabric - will get to that later). I put a sticky tag on all four sides of the shoe box marked red, orange and down the line. My colors go in those designated boxes. I can look from any direction and see what color I want. I have a scrap box for the bits and pieces and I also have a box (out on the porch) for extra fabric that I just roll up, tie with a piece of selvage and it just sits there until I start another project and there's a color I need. (My Mom taught me about using the selvage to tie up extra material to keep it in place. She also ties her sashing and borders - keeps everything where you want it and you can iron and reuse the strips of selvage). Usually that box is leftover borders, sashing, backing. I have baskets all over the place - well actually three - we have a small house - three is all over the place!!!!! In those baskets go my work in progress. I have a book (journal type thing) and I keep track of the quilts I make and they go with my other books, so they are in order. I have found that when I start a project, it stays out so I know exactly where everything is. Right now I am in the process of making triangle squares - 1296 of them to be sewn onto 648 4x4's. I have my new work station here and my tools are on the table, fabric, pins and everything. It is a very neat mess!!!!!!!
But when I am done, I will have a clean quilting station, three empty baskets and a new quilt top. Yay!!!!
You don't have a true sense of the word mess, you have a well-organized project in the works. It is extremely important that this mess stays right where it is until it is done!
One thing about quilters - We can justify anything!!!!!!! Edie
PS - I lost my scissors!!!! Has anyone seen it????