weezie

I was running "my mouth" earlier in this thread about my awesome organizational skills (yes, I am now making fun of myself!). Watterstide wisely suggests we share tips, so I have one here to share.

My "problem" may not be your problem, so this info. may not be useful, but here goes: I get overwhelmed by huge quantities of anything, notably of fabrics and the vast array of different colors and shades and values and what fabrics go really well together, etc., so when I go fabric shopping, sometimes I think my eyes will start spinning around in my head just like the googly eyes on a toy. (Does this help explain my clutter phobia?)

Your photos show me that many of you have fabulously neat rows of fabrics, by color, in drawers or on shelves, but I cannot do that; I have to divide and conquer. On one deep shelf (out of the way behind other things) I have all my really ugly fabrics. When I need something to practice on, for example, I know exactly where to look. On 2 other shelves, I have bolts or partial bolts of coordinating fabrics; on another are smaller pieces of fabric, also more or less coordinated and on another, yardage that I'll probably use for quilt backs. In a huge plastic box, I keep small pieces for future applique. When I use the term, "coordinating fabrics" it means I store by fabrics that complement one another rather than by color chart; I do those match-ups on the day that I bring the fabric home from the store. More often than not, I already know when I buy a fabric exactly what other fabric(s) I want it go with.

If you are overwhelmed by your fabric stash, as in where and how to store, you might want to consider my 'divide and conquer' method. It can also cut down on "mess" when you get to digging around for "a fabulous quilt idea" fabrics ... it allows you to "home in" on a specific area ... or at least one area at a time.

Has this long "tip" made any sense at all? If I can be of help to just one person, I'm happy!

brushandthimble

I went to my sewing room for some elastic, two plus hours later I had worked on my book cases and magazines; they still need a little work. Then there is all the loose paperwork, patterns, etc.....

QuiltingGrannie

I'm with you. I saw the pics and wanted to start organizing rooms that aren't mine. I would LOVE to be an organizer and have been called overly organized. I need a neat place to work. I'll post my pics after it gets changed to pics, and will help with suggestions to help out. This will be fun!

Mousie

thank goodness, brushandthimble! a lady with some real hoarding skills...so I don't feel so lonely!
Looks like a treasure chest to me:wink: (SLURP!) :P

brushandthimble

DITTO:)
Hubby washes almost all my fabric; he will help me pick out fabric too. Now if I could only get him to iron it for me LOL.

Mousie

ok, April...yours looks about like mine has at times...bc there's little room to move.
Ladies, it's not that we are messy, or have too much stuff, it's that we have too little space to keep it in!!!
that's my story.....:XD:

weezie

P.S. to my long "divide and conquer" spiel. When I said that your photos show neat shelves of fabric, let me be perfectly clear here ... the photos I was referring to were of the "neat" sewing rooms, not the "OMG, a tornado just whipped through here!" areas. Just wanted to clarify that for ya!

weezie

P.P.S.: Just FYI: I think you all are a hoot! You keep me so entertained and, as one of the more corny Southern phrases goes, "I just love you to death".

Mousie

well, weezie, I'm not a perfectionist, but I do tend to stay on the more organized end of the spectrum, bc like you, clutter makes me crazy.
I can't cook if the dishes are piled up.
I can't stand laundry piled up.
I can't stand messy floors, bc I like to go barefooted in the house,
and I can't sew in a cluttery mess. It makes me think that my stuff is camoflaged and i can't see anything but mess!
So, I sew, make a mess and clean,...and then start over.
I get claustro. if I don't know where things are.
But, I will say...nobody should be embarrassed, bc the reason I clean is bc it gets.....eeeeyiiiiiooooowwwwyyy! in there!!!! (no words for it...just moans!:wink: )
but when it's clean?...ahhhhh!!!!! :wink: (happy camper)

brushandthimble

here are a few more pic of the upstairs sewing room.

The only sewing I do up there is on the HQ, it is all fabric storage, books, etc.
I have a mess in the living room too, where I have a small table and sewing machine. One of the machines:)