I'm often collecting fabrics for years before I get enough to use for any particular project. Most of my stash is sorted into either color groups or themes, but I also make project boxes. For those that work on one project at a time, from start to completion this doesn't matter much, but for those of us who have various projects at various states of completion, it's a great help.
Since I made a new one today, figured I'd take some pictures. I'm lucky that my hubby works for a place that makes boxes and is in charge of inventory/waste so all I have to do is ask, but still, it's not so hard to find a source of boxes for you that work whatever sort of boxes you like. I like cardboard, it stacks nicely, keeps out the light, and the boxes like these that have the self folding flaps are lovely. I reuse the boxes until they start to fall apart, recycle them and start a new box.
Today's is "Modern Cat" a project that I have in mind and a layout and most of the fabrics collected but I don't see it being worked on in the next couple of years. So I went ahead and wrote the name on the box, it's going to be around long enough to do that. The picture shows what I've put into the box today, the 3 cat panels I got on my Alaskan cruise last year, some scraps from that line of fabric I got in a thrift store bag of scraps, a stack of Asian themed metallic embellished squares, and draped over the top of the box is a metallic border design that I've prepped to make Stack n Whack/One Block Wonders. There will probably only be 3 OBW completed. The rest of the quilt will be a lot of black space, and I think it will require sashiko quiting with gold thread when it's all said and done. I'll draw out a diagram and enclose it in the box. Then all that remains is buying some Kona black and actually working on the project...
Yes, I include notes to myself on what I'm doing, what I've done and then the next step to work on. It's saved me many confused moments
The other picture shows my Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt in progress. That one won't last long so I didn't write the name on the box. Each container is one week's finished clue, I'm not keeping the stack of fabrics in the box, I have more than would fit. Turns out, my counts were off because I had in my mind a particular number that had no real relation to the number I was supposed to make. I have just the right number of one step, too many of the next (correct count in the container and the extras in the bag). I will happily exchange some of the pieces I'm not so happy with the extras and then toss them in the bag. The final set was from this week, I have to make 12 more HST and then tuck them all away.
I try to keep things counted and orderly. I really don't like to press and I especially don't like to press things I've already done so I do keep things in bags and boxes.
These boxes are about 2" less tall than the ones I got last year, which is good in some ways and not enough space in another. These plastic dollar store containers don't stack well in the current size. Works well for the actual fabric/blocks but a little too small for collecting yardage for most projects.
The boxes are really nice to make projects portable, I have a weekly group that I need to have about 2 hours of work to bring with me. I do trimming and pinning and various things at group, the easiest is the hand stitching of binding. But even without needing portability, they really help me organize long-term projects as well as what ever I'm currently working on.