Put the note as to where you are in the project, and the date you worked on it, WITH THE PROJECT. It helps me a lot.
Mariah.

For me it depends on how far along I am with the project. If I just have a group of fabrics that I want to keep together I tie them in a bundle with a bit of salvage. And, of course, if there's a pattern it stays with it. For those projects that are actually "in progress" I put them in a "project bag" which can be one of those type from a LQS -- large 16" squares with a zipper. I've used my hole punch to give them some breathing space. Then I line them all up in a big clear box. For smaller WIP's, they are in clearly labeled shoe boxes. I have tons of small fabric "bars" in a shoe box that I am making rail fence blocks. It only comes out as an 'I'm bored' project. I also have lots of blocks stored in a rubbermaid 3 drawer in my fabric closet. I am still finding ways to organize but so far, so good.

I'm trying to be more organized too. I just recently stopped into a Goodwill store and found a large pencil/project box that is larger than 8x11 paper and 2.5 inches deep for $1.00. I hoping to find more so that I can capture my projects and not lose fabric to another project. Wish me luck! :)

One way to clear things up would be to do what I do. Work on only one project at a time which will ensure that you actually complete the project. I learn early on that if I put something away to work on something else, then I won't finish it as I forget what I even was doing and why!

I agree with you Sylvia. With everything else that goes with keeping a home, work and children (or grands) life can become too upsetting if I dont know where I am with a project. Makes for a more enjoyable time at the project.

Hello! First of all, if you store your WIPS in plastic, make sure you punch holes in the bags so your fabric can breathe! Better still, store in old pillow cases in open bins so the fabrics can breathe but will be protected from the light. You can "string" your small pieces on a long double thread with a button on the bottom of the stack to keep them from slipping off the bottom. Or, use paper mailing envelopes, size 5x7 or 8x10 to corrall the small things. If you use small plastic bins from a cheap dollar store, punch holes around the top by heating an ice pick in a candle flame and punching holes around the top edge of the bin. That will let air in. Pizza boxes are also nice to store projects in for a short time. If you intend to use the boxes for long-term storage, line them with scrap fabric to keep your good fabric from touching the cardboard. Storing in cardboard(wood byproduct) or on an unstreated shelf or in a cedar chest will cause brown stains on your fabric if left for a long time.

I do this, too. At the first quilting class I attended I was told (very emphatically) to never store quilts or fabric in plastic. So I always make sure air is circulating. If a quilt is finished and needs to be stored, I store it in a pillow case. I do this for my Christmas quilts, but most of my other quilts go out as soon as they're completed.

When I buy material for a new project or a kit, I buy a plastic container to put it in. I also use plastic containers to keep a project together while working on it. I then label the container identifying the project that is in the container. That way they are all separated and ready to use.

I hang finished tops on skirt hangers I no longer use, one on the first third, one on the last third, hang them with the middle folding in between. Store them in a bedroom we aren't using.

I put finished squares in plastic sleeves with a post-it describing what they are, also sleeves for cut fabrics that haven't been assembled yet (post-it for each cut with the block name, number of pieces, and size of cut).

Have a bin for fabrics I'm finished with that are still good size for use, have another one for the small cuts I'll throw together later. The good-sized pieces will be used for bags, pillows, small accessories, toys etc. or I can feel good about giving them away.

Have baskets for all my folded one yard or larger fabrics, with my own filing arrangement I won't try to explain. A set of drawers on casters holds FQ's, wire cubes store my baskets of fabrics and bins holding my individual projects (I knit too).

I keep my stash to what I think I'll use in a year, but I do like to see them because it motivates me to finish something so I can get into the next project.

But don't ask me about my yarn. If I died tomorrow DH would spend the next month cursing every time he opened a drawer or closet...

When I took my first class(eons ago) the teacher said not to store your finished quilts in plastic bags for long periods of time. Also not to store in cedar chests without putting something against the wood or the acids would leech through. I wonder how all the really old fabrics survived as long as they did. Maybe because the fabrics weren't made with all those fabric protectors just pure cotton?