I grew up in chaos and thought everyone lived that way--everyone who had six children and two parents in the house. Well, I married a man who his mother said was "born organized" and by his example I finally learned that there was another way to live. He takes care of everything as he uses it, has eveything in its place and has a place for everything. I finally decided that was a much better way to live. I got myself and the household decluttered and organized. It took quite some time but it's much better (for me, anyway) to live in almost stress-free life. I don't have to continually look for things or, as I used to do, go out and buy a duplicate while knowing I had it "someplace." I use two rules for myself--never leave a room looking worse when I leave it than when I entered it and if something takes 30 seconds or less, do it now, not later.

Big slob here, no designated area for much of anything, try to keep the cutting table half way clear, try and keep one seam ripper by machine, one rotary cutter on cutting table and scissors on every available surface if possible.

I think you must have married into my family :-)

I can not imagine how some can let things get so very out of control that it becomes an illness.

I don't have as sewing room, my machine is in my bedroom. I don't have a huge stash, I more or less buy as I plan. But, I did buy two under-the bed plastic storage boxes. One holds all the quilting tools, the other holds the fabric. I can just carry what I need in the box, then it goes in the box when done and back under the bed. And that is probably the best I will ever be organized!LOL

I only have a corner to sew in, so I keep often used notions in a fabric bowl and I have a magnetic knife rack hanging to the right of my machine to hold anything that will stick to it. Be cautious of hanging heavy scissors.

Jill
I love your last line and will remember it....about leaving a room better after you leave it! I have so much more free time since getting organized and cleaning up after myself. I have also taught my 2 boys I am not the house slave and they have to pick up after themselves and replace items when they use it....makes life easier for all

I purchased a big wicker basket and lined it with fabric and put pockets around the inside for my tools and keep the current in use patterns. I toss the scraps in the bottom of the basket as I cut and of course my cat claims it as her bed!

I need to be more organized!

I was not inherently organized but my library career demanded that I get that way. Now I practice library skills in my quilting retirement. Things have to go back where they belong and sending it in one step is more efficient than short hops. Next, I read my shelves. . . doing this helps me return things shifted out of place over time. The only thing that's changed is that fabric has replaced books! In doing this I always get inspired for new projects and continually "find" fabric that I had forgotten. . . just like browsing and discovering a wonderful book previously overlooked.
And, finally, I WEED my collection! We moved to a smaller house and I can tell you that less really is more! I still have a huge "collection" to maintain but it is organized and brings me great pleasure just as my library career did.

I'll give you a month... :wink:

My tools are always put away, but material, expecially the leftover material lays around til I have time to cut it or use it on another, My fabric stash need re-arranging.

But what do you do with that sneaky little seam ripper that insists on running away? HE just won't stay where he is put --no matter what!

I've tried this many times, but it just doesn't work for me. I re-organize my stash, and have it neat as can be. I do the same for all of my rulers, rippers, sissors, pin cushions, etc. Everything goes well for a day or so. Then somehow the next time I go into my quilt room to sew, I find my stash has blown up again and my quilting tools have all hidden themselves in various places unknown to me. Once again, I search for one tool and find another, find the one I need and use it, start searching for another, lose the one I found.....and the beat goes on...[/quote]

I think there are little gremlins that come in when I'm gone!

Sorry I was trying to reply to a quote.

"Organized people are just too lazy to look for things" says the mug on my son's desk at work.

A cheap 4 drawer holder with rollers, is the best thing I have found, 2 drawers about 3 inches high contains my thread, sissors.quilting thimbles. The 2 larger drawers hold the fabric I am using. The top contains different size holders, there is my seam ripper, large sissors, extra bobbins full of thread. It may not make any sense to anyone else, but it helps me.

Now this is a quilt room I would love to see a pic of :lol:

Just goes to show.....we're all different! And our Creator made us different for a purpose.....different purposes.

I have started picking up after myself and it helps

I usually try to put everything back in it's place but I have lost about 6 books because I put them in a safe place...but sure can't remember the safe place.

Someone gave my neat freak DH a placard to hang above his desk. It said

A CLEAN DESK IS THE SIGN OF A CONFUSED MIND.

I, on the other hand, am sane and highly intelligent, but don't tell anyone because a lot of them know me far too well.

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OKay, confess. You're a Flylady follower, aren't you? That's almost exactly what the ones who write to her say.

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I believe in that EMPHATICALLY!!

Everything has a place and everything in it's own place.

Unfortunately, in my case, it's never the right place two times
in a row.

This is my solution, works perfectly, everything close by and so easy to make. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-89283-1.htm

Quick! Grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up. This will pass soon. You will back to "Normal" in no time.

felfertim, I really like your storage idea. I see a couple in my future.

Nope, not FlyLady. I tried that for about a week and didn't like it at all. She's far too rigid for me--no criticism intended--but I do not like my life scheduled. That's the way it came across to me. I don't have just once a week to handle paperwork, for example. I open my mail beside the trash can and anything I need to take care of is filed that evening. My two rules come from years of reading about being organized and being married to someone who takes care of everything he handles.

It drives me to tears when I can't find something, so I have also cleaned up my act. It's just easier on myself.

I have a basket by my sewing machine where all my tools go so I don't have to go searching wasting precious quilting time.

And the seam ripper is another story - I attached sticky velcro to the top of the ripper and the sewing machine - out of the way of my sewing space and I don't have to search for it.

My seam ripper sits alone on one of those square magnetic pin holders. I haven't lost it once since I bought it its own throne. . .

Organization stifles my creativity! I do try at times ,but I'm a total failure at it, so I figure that I'm just too creative to think that way!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I keep my scissors, cutters, tapes, small rulers, commonly used threads, thimbles, rippers, etc in a fishing box, so all I have to look for in my 'atomic bomb site' to get started, is the fishing box. It seems to work for me.

Since the time I can sit and quilt or cut fabric are very limited, due to physical issues, I can't waste my time. SO I've found the only way to work is efficiently. Wasted steps or time searching meeans no progress. SO at the end of each work session everything is picked up and my next step of ironing or sewing is all set up and ready for me for my next day. Works for me and now you...maybe some messy quilters will give it a try too!

That sounds like a good idea, I might give it a try!

One thing I found, is that organizing is only useful if your system works for you. What works for me won't work for everyone, but I find the peace of mind and extra time you gain from taking the time to clean up is totally worth it. I spend less, relax more, enjoy the things I have because I can see them, and enjoy the people I love because I'm not too busy to just hang out!

One thing I found is that any system that requires me to move stuff won't work. I like shelves and boxes so I don't have to move some stuff to find others.

You must be a very disciplined person to put things back as soon as you have used it. I like things organized but can't seem to get there.

I have a mug that says "I'm creative, you can't expect me to be neat too." A cop out for sure, but it works for me. LOL

Good for you......now if I could just do this. The stress of always looking for things is one thing I could do without.

Only two seam rippers? I have one in my travel bag one by my chair, one by my ironing station, and more than a couple by the sewing machine. does that tell you anything about my quilting?

I like this idea, great tip.