Quiltingboard Forums - If you had it to do over again, how would you organize it all?

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Great topic!!! I have only just recently redone my room and I am happy with it...except the categories of fabric sorting, thinking aobut doing something a little different. I have it by colors, and florals, novelty...but I want to break it down even more.
My big thing was to get my patterns under control. I have the binders with sleeves, but they were just in there willy-nilly. I recently sat on the floor and took them all out of the binders and sorted them. Quilts into two binders, toppers, wallhangings, projects (purses and such) into the other binders. And one just for hints and tips.

OMGosh! Ya'll are giving me some GREAT ideas!! Keep them coming! I'm getting excited :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qbee

OK....so as most of you know, I am still pretty much a "Newbie" although this board has taught me more in the 7 months since I started than many will learn in a lifetime! I am just getting ready to put the final touches on my Quilting Room/Studio and would love your input.

If you were starting from scratch again, what would you do different? I'm talking about ideas like, keeping a record of each quilt with pictures, fabric name(s), pattern, etc. How woud you have organized and/or labeled your fabrics as you brought them in when you were first building your stash? How woud you organize your patterns as you started collecting them? You know...way back before you had whole shelves full of them...LOL!! :D How would you have handled the "scraps" from fabric that you got for a paticular quilt after you were done making that quilt? Would you go ahead and cut it into squares or row?? Bottom line...what would you do different if you were just starting and knew what you know now?

I figure since I am just starting and only have a handfull of patterns, etc., that now is the time to start a proper system. I have already found myself collecting rulers that I can't find the directions for, etc. I have a binder with a bunch of patterns that I have printed off of the free websites but it isn't organized at all! So I can tell that this could get out of hand very quickly. Any helpful tips would be most appreciated. Thanks so much!! :D

I don't know that I would go that far,but I would still put my patterns in page protecters and then in notebooks, and would still organize my quilt suppies and fabrics. If you are going to sell the quilts you're making, keep a record of the supplies that you buy during the year and buy a receipt book that has a carbon copy so that you have a record of what you have made that year.

Gail
One thing to remember as far as setting up your sewing space. You might start out with the set up one way and find out as your pieceing that you want your space in a U or L shape. Depending on your room size and if you want ironing and cutting next to you or across the room so that you have to get up and move every so often... Since I first started quilting I have added a emb machine and supplies. I like to sew as I let the emb machine do its design.
Good luck

I prewash all my fabric and then iron it. At first I was really good about measuring it all and putting a piece of masking tape with measurements on the fabric itself. And cataloging it by cutting a small piece and putting it in a notebook. Got tired part of the way and haven't kept either of those two up and really wish I had. Try to keep on top of whatever system you use so you don't have to take huge amounts of time to re-organize it all.

Wish I had known about comic book boards for wrapping fabric around. Wish I had known that the nearest college is a great place to go get plastic drawers in the spring when the kids either throw them in the dumpsters or on the curb (also for small dorm friges, microwaves, and electronics). I wish I had used drawers instead of a chair and would then get storage plus a place to iron, instead of a buried small ironing board that is unusable:oops: However, Spring is almost here, so I am laying odds on snagging a few more, last year I got 5.

I've been pretty good about keeping my magazines in heavy 3 ring binders using those plastic things that the whole magazine fits in, but I wish I had had the energy to copy or cut our the stuff I specifically wanted to keep and get rid of all the ads and junk, at least half of each issue. I wish I had enough bookshelves to put both fabric and books on. I wish I had found this place long ago to sell my books and fabric to get a bit more room :)