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I easily get overwhelmed with where & how to start. What works for me is take one pile, bag or bin at a time. Put like things with like (notions, fabric, scraps, blocks quilt tops, books). If you have time - do another one.
Once everything is sorted and grouped then it's time to start making decisions as to how it will work best to organize and store each group. Where to put it, how to organize it and what to put it in? I find this to be the fun part. Again work on it in sections time & energy permitting. Fabric takes a long time to organize but having it done is a wonderful thing! You can do it! |
Get a book case, cut out cardboard pieces so they will fit the verticle and depth dimensions of the bookcase. Use on piece of cardboard for each piece of fabric big enough to fit around the cardboard and pin the fabric in place after wrapping it up. Put small pieces in a plastic tub container. All your fabrics will be visible, you can arrange them by color so it looks like a rainbow. It sounds fun I want to come over and help you. Also you can get those hanging shelves made of thick fabric at Walmart, meant to put sweaters in, well I would fold up your quilts and batting and put in those pockets, they come in several sizes. Make sure you get a bookcase big enough for all your fabrics. I don't have a place for a bookcase so I have one of those plastic drawer rolling carts in the closet. I don't like it because it leans from the weight of the fabric and the drawers are super hard to get back in, my husband has to do it for me, and I can't move the closet sliding door to open the other side of the closet until the drawers have been pushed back in. Those hanging shelves might not be too hard to make??? they velcro to a hanger rod. The biggest expense will be the bookcase, but I would get a nice quality one and bolt it to the wall to be safe because the fabric is very heavy. I would get a tall one if possible with large space shelves, a tall one definitely needs to be screwed into the wall. My husband made a hole on the top shelf, on the back against the wall, try and find a stud to bolt into. Good luck and God bless you.
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Just ...... s.t.a.r.t!
Set the timer for 15 minutes, and allow yourself to stop after that if you wish. Keep up the timer setting ... soon you will find that you will take less breaks as you will be anxious to continue to see more progress. |
MY advice--it's simple. Just one piece at a time. Put like things together, then determine what kind of storage will work best for those objects. I've been working on mine for the last few days. Thankfully, I'm almost done. Good Luck. You can do it. Vonda
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Plastic bins are a wonderful thing. They stack and some you can see through to see what is in them.
Separate out the need to be quilted finished tops to one (along with the backings, bought all project fabrics that are ready to be done together with the pattern in a bag together and in a plastic bin, organize small pieces of fabric by color in a three drawer plastic container (walmart) , large pieces together by color. |
Originally Posted by zozee
(Post 6291493)
Oh, QuilterMomma, I would LOVE to be there to help you. I really like to organize things, especially sewing rooms! You asked how to start.
First, get a big glass of water and then set a timer for 15 minutes. Looking at just that area pictured, take everything out and put it in the hall or spare bed --somewhere close that you're not tripping over and it. Don't try to organize anything, just pull it out and empty that space for now. Seeing a huge expanse of free space will make you SMILE and start helping you feel NOT overwhelmed. It will also force you not to keep anything/put anything back that you don't need or love. After 15 minutes, set your timer for 5 minutes and gather 4 things: 1 BIG trash can , biggest you can find. 1 for giveaway/sell, 1 for keep, 1 for CAN'T decide (unless you are very decisive). The idea is to make quick decisions, don't overthink. Set your timer for 25 more minutes. Sort your fabrics into color piles. Do it FAST. Don't pet your fabric, don't wax nostalgic, don't plan your next quilt, don't overthink, don't grab fabric from the other side of the room. Focus on this area we see in the picture, It's enough for now. Just sort fabric by color as fast as you can. In the time remaining, fold in a ROYGBIV'ly way. Reds, Oranges, Yellows, etc. I love the ruler method I saw on youtube. Makes everything look as neat as quilt shop stash> :) . When you hear the timer, stop! Breathe. Take another big drink of water. Admire your progress. That was 45 minutes. I am only good for 45 when I'm overwhelme d. I can ruler fold fabric in front the of the TV because it's mindless. But if you find you're just moving piles around and not getting rid of anything, you need to stop. Think how much fun we, your QB friends, will have looking at your progress (DO take pictures as you go!) and then at shopping your stash when (not if) you decide to offer it up to us!! You can do this. 45 minutes. 4 Boxes. Attitude and clothes on. GO! This is great advice for any major organizing task! Thank-you for providing some structure to achieve success! |
All of the above hints are great, especially the timer. But I like to have music that I can sing along with. And please be careful with the fabric on the floor, there may be spiders.
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HOLY MOLEY THATS ALOT OF FABS.! Well if it were me, take advice from some of the experts on this site. There are some great ideas. I would just dig in and start at one corner and work my way thru. Good luck.
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Zozee, great ideas! I bought some big clear plastic bins to dump everything into to 'get out' of my sewing room. I can't think inside all of the clutter. I need that room empty, including wrong type and size of furniture and a broken chair. Now... to begin!
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If I knew how to organize it, my room wouldn't look the same as yours! And it does!!!!!!
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