I have a issue with buying fabric or patterns then later (sometimes years) I can't remember what I had in mind for it. So I have been setting up project boxs with the fabric & pattern I want to use.
I always have issues posting pics, its not upside down in my file & when you click to enlarge its not upside down,

Project boxes look great! I do the same thing and it is so helpful....sometimes, by the time I grab the box, I may change my mind but that's OK, too. At least it's organized and readily available.

Craftiladi - my eldest daughter lives in El Cajon. She bought a condo out there about 13 years ago. Noticed you live in Las Vegas - you have some great quilt shops there. We go a few times a year and I have to visit them.

Sadly our quilt shops are disappearing from when I first moved here but there are a couple good ones left....at least thats true according to my bank account lol

Craftiladi: Great idea! I have a few in boxes/containers and I try to keep my current projects in their separate ones too. I wish, however, I would have them in uniform tubs like yours. I have plenty of shoebox tubs. 😉 Just not consistent in what I put in them.

I'm terrible at keeping projects in a neat order..I'm lucky if I get it in a ziploc! Thanks for the inspiration, Craftiladi. I am kind of anal about my little strips though and glad that I am. I've started a mini project with 1" strips and many are sorted by length and or lights and darks and even a step further according to color intensity.

I started going through a larger red basket yesterday of fabric. All of it has been donated to me or my church quilting group over many years. There are 2 kits from Granny’s Quilting Shapes which is probably vintage. Some BOM packages with fabric in them for that month’s block. A few pieces here and there that go together and quite a few different yardages with the squares for making pillow tops. A few of them are flowers but mostly animals whether realistic looking or an artist’s drawing. If I ever decide to learn to free motion quilt, those pillow squares would definitely be great practice.

Thank you for all the nice comments on my project boxes. I have a good size tote with ufo's I have avoided over the years, well I decided last week to pull them all out and organize into more project boxes-well good intentions fell by the wayside and I now have a sewing rm that looks like a bomb went off in it. Yep all those UFO's are laying around my sewing room in piles, Hope to get the motivation to get them to put away this weekend.

LOL! Not to worry, you are on a roll and I’m sure you will get them organized into project boxes.

I have been in super organizing mode this past couple of weeks. I needed a new computer and went from an 11 year old laptop to a nice big screen desktop model. As a result, I had to totally rethink how I was using my desk and adjacent work spaces. Still in process, but I will eventually end up with more work surface than I had before thanks to making some changes in how I handle paperwork.

Rob

We are anticipating a move within 2 months so thought I'd better tidy up the fabric room. I thought about throwing out some of the scraps but then realized I have too many usable small scraps in odd sizes. So l today plan to trim what I have into usable pieces and go from there. Quilters on this site gave me great ideas as well as you-tube. Already had lunch, found my cutter and rulers, and ready to attack the first large storage tub of fabric. OMG!!!

Craftiladi-Great idea on your project boxes. It is so great to get organized and know what we have in our stash isn't it?!

Well, i spent 4 hours today going from my sewing room to the fabric room fondling, trimming, sorting (kinda) fabric scraps. Decided which yardage that was hiding will come with us and able to combine fabric into totes.(have 16 plastic totes people use to store holiday decorations full of fabric) We thought we were moving 4 months ago and packed up 75% of all the quilting supplies. Job transfer fell through but another opportunity on the horizon,

Another week of going through fabric and I'll be able to start a scrappy quilt, Think I'll start with crib size quilt. ,Friend will be a great grandmother for the first time in Nov so I be able to get one done for her in time.

I look at some of this fabric and wonder what was I thinking? Ever happen to you? https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/tongue.png

Yes, Yes Yes! and when I try to downsize...I find some reason or plan to keep what I have!

Sorted more fabric today but have to take a couple days off from this project. I have really dry skin and handling all this fabric is really making my skin peal and hurt. So tomorrow play on the computer and maybe go out and try to find a salon that is finally opened. I really need a cut, not a trim a !! lol

When I moved into our new home, I anticipated not using some of the stuff I packed since my decor was going to be different I had a large box of picture/art frames...some filled and some empty...I have been slowly repurposing some of them and finally decided that I have used all the ones I was going to use. I put the balance on Craigslist and sold them. Lol.. So, that big box is gone.

And, how come you'all didn't warn me that a dedicated walk-in sewing closet will look like a bomb went off in 6 mos? Lol... Man, I am so spoiled having that closet...I should be more respectful...so, I reorganized it and it's neat and tidy again. Lol.. I'll do better hence forth.

I (once again) went through all my fabrics and re-organized.
2 years ago I put it all on comic book cardboards, but it always looked really messy.
This time I organised any pieces big enough that I thought I could use it in a scrap quilt into transparent boxes from the dollar store by colour.
Any pieces not big enough or weird shapes, I cut into strings and tiny bits I kept for collages.
WOF pieces that would go 2 1/2" I cut into strips and I have a hanging closet boot holder that I keep all my jelly roll strips in by colour.
Backings and larger pieces go in another hanging closet carrier thingy.
UFO's and in progress quilts in larger totes also from the dollar store.
All my odds and ends and tools I organized on my shelves by my sewing machine in boxes from guess where.
I found a bunch of things I'd forgotten about and gave a few friends back things I had borrowed. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png
Let's see if I can keep this organized.

The first pic is all my bits of fabric for collage, the next is cupboard with my tools, then my scraps, then my drawers with strings and orphan blocks, then strips and backings hanging in the the closet.

Watson

I enjoy reading about everyone’s organizing projects.

Watson, your backing system gave me an idea although, at this point, it is not sewing related. Lol! My younger son left a hanging shelf like the backing one when he moved 6-7 years ago. I have moved it and used it for different purposes but it’s just taking up space in his former room. So now to decide which closet to put it in and for what purpose I will use it.

LOL, Teen...and now you are truly hooked...a messy closet to show for it!

Thanks for sharing your pictures, Watson...so fun to see.

My freezer is only about half full so I checked it tonight and inventoried what's in it...nice surprise to still find some frozen corn. #2 GS will be delighted when he comes next weekend as he loves it! The "horde" starts arriving Saturday for a week. 5 for a week and an additional 5 for a graduation party next weekend. The other 7 will be in and out through out the week too. Lots of food needed! Will be missing the 4 little ones and their folks from out East...bummer.

Sewing Puzzles
 

I love anything to do with sewing especially if I can use it for decor. Started collecting sewing related puzzles a couple of years ago-added 2 more recently, reorganized a few items on the wall yesterday after adding the 2 recent puzzles.

After organizing fabric I found lots of small pieces so of course cut them down to usable sizes. Yesterday sewed together lots of 2.5" ish squares into pairs. Sewed pairs into quads, trimmed, so now have at least 25 "scrappy quads". Plan is to border with skinny strips and make a baby quilt or two.

DH comes in and says, "Cut the fabric, sew the fabric, cut the fabric". I said, " Yep just like building a house. Cut the tree, trim down once, twice, maybe three times". He leaves the sewing room...lol https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png

Teen- Welcome to the world of “walk in” closets. Mine currently can’t be “walked in” at all. i have to stand in the doorway, scan for what I want and then climb over the stuff in the way. This seems to be the state it reverts to every six months or so. Fortunately the only quilting related things I keep in it are 1. Various kinds of batting kept near the door so I don’t actually need to walk (climb) in to get it, 2. my original boxes for sewing machine and Sweet Sixteen, and 3. some smaller finished quilts. The rest of it is used to store some of my finished paintings, a couple of antique quilts and a bookcase with some of the books from my professional library that came home when I retired.

Watson- your reorganization looks great. Great way to use the hanging organizer. I have to admit that I drooled a bit over the luscious fabrics in your scrap bins.

Oksewglad- have fun with the family. We’re still locked down tight due to DH’s lung disease and probably will be for quite some time.

Craftiladi- neat puzzles. Loved getting a peek at your sewing room.

Today I’m going to try to find homes for all the things that are strewn on top of my scrap drawers. Wish me luck 😂

Rob

Great retort!

oksewglad: Have fun with your family.

Dee: I love your picture puzzles. Your Kenmore machine looks like the one my husband and I got for our wedding in 1973.

julienm1: I agree with Oksewglad: Great retort!

Rob: Wishing both you and DH continued safety from the virus.

Watson...looks great! Looks so functional in supporting your creativity! Love it..

Craftilady...awesome puzzle pictures. Looks so cool!

Julie...awesome comeback! Take that! Lol..

i bought a 2-drawer filing cabinet to file misc. applique and PP patterns I've collected over the years. You know the ones that are just a single page PDF or an image? That stack was teetering so now they are filed and labeled. I placed in closet. I forgot I had some of them and actually made a Wallhanging using one of them the other night...Here it is..

Rob....the sewing machine boxes are a pain to store but we gotta keep them. So glad I did have them when we moved. I stuck mine in the attic. You can't even break them down cuz of the styrofoam inserts/molds inside.

Teen: Very cute wall hanging.

I agree it’s tough to store the boxes for the machines and, like you said Teen, it’s important to keep them.

My son called and I told him I wanted to switch my Singer with him as he has one of my Janomes. He said I can have it back because he doesn’t have time to sew now and wasn’t very good at it anyway. He was making masks for himself. I told him practice makes it better. But having a 4 month old and both are now working does cut into free time. He’s such a good daddy. Now I will have 3 machines and their boxes plus a traveling cart. Lol! Maybe my niece will ask to use the Singer again.

I am just barely starting. I made an excel sheet of my rulers and templates. Amazing how many duplicates you get when you do not know what you own! As I go through drawers and boxes I know I will find more tucked in with their matching project. Will be a v e r y slow project!!!

My quilty friends, I have been absent for some time. After reading through the pages,, yes, all 19 of them, I decided to jump back in and return to organizing. I have kept my sewing room fairly neat, but still need to return to clear the table so I can use it better for quilting larger quilts. That is likely a 15 minute project. But what I came to grips with was the fact that I need some organization materials. I started with locating a thread holder that I can mount on the wall. That will get the box of thread off my table and out of my way and in a way I can see the colors I have and not have to root through spools and spools. Next, I ordered a wall mounting system to hang one of my quilts in my dining room. I have been in my condo home for 4.5 year and still had not made that purchase. It is due to arrive by the end of June. Whoo-Hoo just in time for my RWB quilt. I have not decorated the walls in my sewing but have begun not just envisioning but now doing something about creating a pleasing environment. Organizing? Well kind of but mostly it gives me some satisfaction in my home environment.

I have dumped the fabric I know I will not use, Goodwill. I have moved my UFO's to one place and finished four since COVID-19 and now I have a list, a written list that I renew each month so I can see progress on completing those WIP.

Stay strong organizers. It will all pay off in a day, a month or when you want to start your next quilt project.

Love all the organizing going on, Thanks for the nice comments on my puzzle wall, It's funny how all my walls in my sewing room are filled & I enjoy just looking at them but if that were in my main living area it would drive me nuts, lol, I have started reorganizing my walk-in closet where 3/4 of my fabric & other craft supplies are stored, I am trying to make quilt kits before I donate any fabric, That is going to be a process, but I have way more then I will ever use so I am trying to be realistic. My problem is I love shopping for fabric lol.

Watson: I took your idea with the hanging storage shelves with your backing in it and decided to use the cloth shelf system my son left when he moved. I put it in my walk-in closet for linens, pillows, etc. It solved 2 problem areas for me as I now have more space in my extra bedroom so it’s easier to get to some fabric stored there and less clutter in my closet. Less than an hour’s work is another benefit. Thanks for sharing your storage systems.

Craftiladi: I sometimes make quilt kits too. I still have one or 2 from last fall that I should work on. Too much fabric also but mine is mostly donated to my church group and somehow has found its way to my house. Lol!

Yesterday I put together a tickler file system, which I have been meaning to do for a good while. I have already put some things into the month file folders that I want to be sure not to forget about. So far the things I’ve put in are : 1. deadline info on entering various art show and quilting shows. 2. Deadline and requirements info on applying for solo art shows at various galleries. 3. Reminder to give my dog his Heartworm and flea/tick preventative. More will eventually find its way in, I’m sure.

Today I am going to work on putting together some project sheets with project title, goals, due date and specific steps needed to finish the project. This is for projects that are longer term and includes things like: 1. educational projects (think learning to use EQ8, learning more about my computer system, learning new quilting techniques, etc.); 2. Organizing projects (streamlining the way I use my file cabinets is one). 3. Any other kind of project that I might want to work on long term (a little bit at a time) but am worried that if I put the materials away I will forget to work on it. These project sheets will go in my tickler file.

Rob

Connie....great use of the cloth shelf... Looks great!

Fizzle....creating a spreadsheet of your rulers is fantastic start to organizing. You are well on your way. Good luck!

Rob... So proud of you! I remember you wanting to get those piles of papers sorted and organized. I hope the new system works for you. I've been doing that for years with great success. Yah!!

I have a trunk that is a family heirloom (my great great grandfather's when he immigrated from Germany) that I have been storing our wedding memoriablia but, over the years, I've been sticking other family heirloom stuff in there like pictures and family documents, special gifts from family and greeting cards received from important people in our lives etc... It runneth over....so, I am sorting and deciding of what to do with it all. Some, I'll start to give to the next generation who value it, some I'll display. Haven't decided on a lot of it but organizing and seeing what's in there has been fun...and tearful...

Don't forget to write a little family history as you go through things...It's important to preserve our heritage...you may remember that your gggrandfather brought the trunk from Germany, but will the next generations?

The top of my desk. Figure if I take care of the last month, most of the older stuff can go in the trash. The desk takes time from quilting.

My sewing room is a small bedroom that I converted when son moved out. Not much storage so I have piles, zip lock bags, and lots of piles...did I mention I have lots of piles of fabric and scraps? Every day I say...today is the day I start to organize but I get dilstracted so easily. Maybe someday. one day I'll start the project. Can't do it tomorrow though. Have to go to JoAnns for binding fabric, Costco, and out to lunch with DH. Maybe Thursday...lol. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/tongue.png

petthefabric: Good luck with getting that desk top cleared. I know it will feel good when it is done. I have a few areas to tackle also.

julienm1: I chuckled about your piles and thinking you will start to organize. I just get overwhelmed at times with all of the containers, piles, etc of fabric and scraps. Distracted too. I wrote 10 sewing room jobs on paper and tore them apart and told myself that each day I need to choose at least one and do it for 10 minutes. Tonight I went through a bunch of triangles and pressed them and sorted them into sizes according to my die cutter dies. The next time I pull that piece of paper, I will run them through the cutter.

Lol@Julie... I'm thinking you probably have binding fabric already in the piles and piles....lol. I use up some of my scraps by doing scrappy bindings...takes longer but when I'm motivated, I'll try. You'll get motivated one day to hit that room. We all have our thresholds.

I'm still sorting the antique trunk contents. Takes time to label stuff. If I know a story that goes with item, I have been stopping and writing it out. I discovered a couple of cartoon drawings my dad did years and years ago...before I was a twinkle in his eye...I pulled those out to frame. I call my mother and chat with her as I go through it....I get lots of new stories or same stories shared again....then I Write those out too. So, obviously, this will take a bit more time.

Fantastic...as I said earlier..those bits of info are your family's history, Teen!

---- In my recent post I should have said I needed fabric for sashing, not binding. I looked some where else and found yardage that is just the punch I need. So guess I don't need to go to JoAnns. Please don't say it's ok to go and browse. I don't have that word in my dictionary! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png