Today I re-organized my sewing area which had gotten rather trashed since I've been working on multiple projects and all the stuff for each project has been left laying around--every horizontal surface (including the guest bed) was covered. While I put stuff away I also found some things to put in the yard sale box and I even found some things to donate and also some to throw out! YAY!

Rob

Excellent. I finished the homework on the blooming nine patch so I did some basic cleaning chores while I considered what to do next. Put a new blade in the rotary cutter and washed the ironing board cover and replaced it. And while it was washing I cleaned the iron and iron shoe. Now if I could just vacuum.

Why do we continue to mess things up...as mentioned in another thread I am sorting through fabrics and organizing pieces by half yard increments up to 2 yards...anything larger is getting a tag with yardage. I want to use up stash and this will allow me to quickly match according to amount needed...this is only for fabrics not already tagged for a designated project. I have been scouting out patterns to use it up as well...

DGS and I dove into the closet in the sewing room and we got 1/3 of it organized before we had to quit (lots of shelves and stuffed drawers that needed sorting - sigh). It is crazy the way we mess things up -- I had wonderful help getting a large part of the sewing room organized and it now looks like it was never touched. Sigh -- I plan to finish the closet because I have been able to free up lots of room.

It's just so hard to stop in the middle to put things away. I've always had this problem. It's a little better now than it used to be because I've slowed down so much. It's easier to stop and put something up. But the extra pieces when I am working on a project stay out because I never know if I might need them because of a mis-cut or mis-sew.

It has been a while since I last checked in on this thread. Any inroads I made have since exploded. : )

I was helping my spouse clear out the walk-in closet that has accumulated random stuff over the past few years. I started getting all the old jeans I have been collecting into a pile to start cutting into useful pieces. Oy! I can't believe how many pairs I have (approx. 30). And that doesn't even come close to my collection of wool & cashmere sweaters to felt. Dozens and dozens hidden away in various nooks and bins.

We filled several large boxes for donations and set aside various items to give to friends. We're slowly making progress but I am appalled at the sheer amount of odds & ends that we forgot we even had.

Wish me luck! At least I finally cut up and folded all the vintage sheets I acquired for a project. I'm making large, narrow diamonds in various pinks, grays, & whites. Some florals, dots, various stripes, & solids. I'll have to post it once it is done (or at least done enough for a photo). Maybe that will spur my endeavors.

Good going. I have searched and searched but I can't find the little gremlin that puts stuff in my house when I'm not looking... I wonder if it's the same one that keeps trashing my sewing space:p

Rob

lol, who gave the gremlin my address...is what I want to know.

I have got the fabrics sorted from my neighbor's...ready to go out the door tomorrow...I get to play gremlins....

I did some more downsizing today and organized some strips by colors and neatly folded them into trays for ease of use. I cleaned up my work area but then pulled out a really old UFO to work on so it didn't really stay clean long lol

I cleaned out my email inbox tonight...May think of unsubscribing from some blogs I don't get much from...Will cut down on computer time...more time to sew...

I've really been busy getting some projects done while waiting on a class to start. Not so much organizing but getting with the program and using what I had organized. Which is good because I was running out of room.

I have washed, ironed, and folded some fabric I was given. I haven't quite figured out where I'm going to store that. But at least it is ready to be stored.

NotWendy the word jeans must have entered my subconscience...I dug out my 2 large baskets and started deconstructing...got 12 pairs ripped apart..I used to save the components, but never did anything with them so into the garbage they go. One leg fixed 2 pair of MrOK's work jeans..one was an almost new pair he must've got caught on a fence. I discovered the beginnings of 2 jean rugs and got them sewn together...they make great mud room rugs. They come up missing as they also make makeshift calf blankets..

way to go oksewglad. I got a chuckle out of the missing rugs comment.

I don't mind them being used it's that they don't bring them back:shock::D...men...

I inventoried all non-fabric items in my sewing room in Excel. I listed the item, qty on hand, and its location in my sewing room. I got tired of not being able to find anything. I printed the spreadsheet and pinned (4 pages) to a bulletin board. I've used it twice already to find something. It's helping me avoid the frustrated "where is it" feeling. I am returning everything I use to its designated spot. So far anyway!

Pudge- good job getting organized and maintaining the system you set up! That's always the hard part for me.

I have dug through all the layers on all horizontal surfaces in my sewing area, removed things that aren't sewing related to another room and returned all sewing items not currently being used to their designated spots. How do all those other things get interleaved with with my sewing stuff????? And how is it that I put everything away just last week and today not one horizontal surface in my sewing area was useable without shuffling the piles around?????

:rolleyes:

Rob

Rob - I agree - where does the chaos come from? Can't be us!

I ditto that. The minute my back is turned everything is piled on the cutting table. Does sewing equipment and supplies have legs?

I have piles again today and it's like do I quilt or do I put away.

At the risk of subverting this thread, I say Quilt!:D

thanks to the goal setting thread I managed to designate a home for my excess batting and felt so it isn't taking up space on the guest bed. Still haven't located the gremlin that actually creates the rest of the mess....

Rob

Over the weekend Tuesday Morning (very near to us) had a sale. Looks like a sewing machine carrier tote but is a "yarn" tote. Got it for $29.99. Holds a lot. I was able to fit extra yarn in it including embroidery kits and some crewel products. Side pockets hold needle packs and darning eggs and crochet and knitting needles. That cleared a large space for nothing, just opened an area for breathing.

Good job tessagin! I'm constantly looking for better ways to store yarn. I used to do a lot of knitting, crocheting and also spun my own yarn, so I've got yarn and fibers that need someplace other than the plastic bags shoved inside cardboard boxes system I've go going now. Maybe a destash purge is in order........

I purged "threads" a long time when I realized quilting was my true craft...lol as I occasionally pick up crochet cotton at thrift stores...fun colors that I should incorporate into some art quilts..I stores them in a ten gallon crock with a glass top.

A space for nothing...yes...an admirable feat, tessagin....

Found an old 2 drawer file cabinet in the basement. Took out the guts from the drawers and stuffed all my odds and ends and extra batting in there. Looks much tidier, but I'm almost afraid to open the drawer...SPROING!

Watson

I got two totes small ones at our queen bee's meeting. I used the smaller one for the scraps that are still large enough to make something with. I put the neutrals and the multi-color fabrics in the new tote and now I can close the lid on the decorator lid of the old box. Now if I can just remember where everything is when I go to look for it...

Been sorting my bin of scraps that I keep under the cutting table. It was overflowing! My son cleaned out his closest and got rid of a ton of stuff and had some extra totes that were a perfect size for me. I sorted all strings and small strips into one. Then the larger strips four inches and wider or chunks into a second one. The other two totes were bigger so I went thru and put anything that was about a fat quarter up to 3/4 yard neatly folded and on edge ( looking down at them) and by color into those. Its like going thru a file folder. Still have some to go and eventually I would like the strings sorted by color but I don't have that many yet.

Course no I realize I am going to need to start making string blocks or crazy log cabins.

This is the problem I have. I see all those nice, neat looking organized sewing areas with pretty boxes, bins, baskets, etc., but I have to put labels on everything or I will forget what's in which container. I just use drafting tape (like painter's tape, low tack) and a sharpie. The labels go on the side of the container thats facing out. The main problem I'm having right now is how to deal with projects that are on hold for a short time (not long enough to be UFOs). I tend to leave them out because I haven't come up with a good way of storing them. I'm afraid to store them the way I do my UFOs because then they might become UFOS too :shock:

Rob

I have a shelf of those that are just fabric and idea. But for the ones that are in process Penny came up with a good idea. She took poster board and covered it with flannel to hold the project. They are stackable! I use this method without the flannel because I don't have any. So far I've emptied two of these since I started using them and I'm loving it. With luck I'll empty another one this week since I'm getting close to finishing the bargello placemat tops.

I found 6 skeins and a huge cone of cotton yarn which was purchased to make dish cloths. I have knitted all 6 skeins and am now starting on the cone. Sometimes you have to work on a project rather than finding a different place to store the items. Also cut all my scraps of batting into 4.5 inch squares to use in a denim quilt. Now have enough squares to make 2 quilts. And have enough denim squares to make 4 quilts. Cutting up the batting scraps made opened up a big area in one cupboard. I'm sure it won't be empty long though.

Excellent work, and you are right doing the projects is better than just moving them around.

On that not I got three placemats pieced and sandwiched this morning. So it is on to the quilting and binding.

Ugh! If you think my fabric needs organization you should see my yarn stash! Yeeeps.
Great find, though!

Tkhooper and Nammie- good points! I have been doing better at just pushing through and finishing a project if it's something that can be quickly completed before starting new ones. I don't always have that option since I'm involved in several collaborative projects with another artist. These are the ones that I need to be able to put somewhere out of the way until he can get to work on them.

The other difficulty is that since my creative process involves a lot of experimentation and improvisation, I sometimes get to a stuck point with a piece and need to let it simmer for a while until I can figure out what it needs. These are the ones that I need to figure out how to set aside so that they are out of my working space, but not Out-of-sight, Out-of-mind. -- the poster board idea may be the way to go.

If they are larger I'm think of the toy train sets that people used to set up a pulley system so they could be up near the ceiling but cranked down easily when the kids wanted to play with it. If I didn't have a cathedral ceiling I'd be very tempted. But then I'd just have more ufo's.

I bought project boxes and labled all of them, so when they have to "sit around" waiting instructions or mailings or assembly, thy have a place to wait neatley

i like the idea of project boxes, especially the clear ones. If I can find a good place to put them, I think that would be the answer.

Rob

rryder, I love the project boxes! Mine have been multiplying!

I use these project boxes and love them. But I would like to find a good place or way to store them, too. Mine are currently stacked around my sewing area. Will be moving my sewing area to the basement soon and would like a good system for storing them, other than stacking around the room. Currently searching Pinterest for organizing ideas. Would love to hear what others have come up with.

I did it! finally made some head way-organized patterns & fabric-did a nice donate box & sold a few things. Now if only today wasn't a work day :(

Good for you craftiladi..yes work gets in the way, but you persevered...I'm home today, but will be gone tomorrow early so want to get as much done and still get to bed early....

Hey, it's good to read everyone's progress. Every little bit helps. I've been sorting through scraps and giving away everything that I don't want to see again (unless it's in someone else's project!). That's been my focus today (and yesterday and every day this week). Of course my sewing room has so many piles of things headed for various destinations. Looks like the back room of a post office--organized chaos.

The project boxes are great for strings, 2.5 candies, WIPs, etc. So far I've been stacking them in my IKEA storage thing (deep, open, two-shelf nightstand, basically. I don't know the name of it. Had it forever.)

Keep up the good work, everyone.