Major fabric reorg
07-18-2018, 04:26 PM
#21
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 2,633
I found that the pins started to rust so took them all off. Bought the shirt clips plus the heavy boards n before I can work on that I have to get out of rehab. Ended up with 3 different infection plus double pneumonia and was in icu better part of 16 days in hospital then to rehab n last night back w ambulance to er where finally the culprit of all my pain was discovered. I had ct scan taken but not read b4 I left hospital big mistake. Anyway er dr spotted it right away herniated disc spreading pain in the nerves to my legs so I couldn’t walk. Now on new meds n can walk some but was unable to walk for three weeks. In the meantime my garage remodel is almost complete just to paint house wall n get flooring n I’m ready to roll. Will post pics of b4 n after once I get home
07-18-2018, 06:35 PM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 9,300
In addition to considering storing by color, size, purpose, collection, or whatever, it's also good to know how you function best. Are you inspired by seeing a rainbow riot of color all around you? Or, do you prefer to have things behind closed doors or in drawers? Or a little bit of each? I like things in drawers, in uniform sized shoeboxes with lids, behind closed closet doors. So I keep yardage in one dresser, smaller pieces by color --folded and lined up front to back in another dresser, and UFO's hanging by skirt hangers in the closet.
And I like to use same color/style scrap paper and ribbon to label everything in a way that makes sense to me and what's most efficient.
I started with the method of wrapping yardage around my own "comic boards" but I cut dollar store foam board to a size that fit my shelves. But, I soon got frustrated with the whole cycle of pull it out/audition it/wrap it back around and clip it w/ barrette/put it back on shelf. I was so ready to sew that it was just a pain to keep that system tidy for me.
I also tried ruler folding. Very neat, but oh so time-consuming and unrealistic for me to keep up.
I'm best with dresser drawers, folding my fabric into neat squares and storing them fold-up with styrofoam boards cut to size as dividers (to keep piles upright). It's not a perfect system but it's the best I've found for myself.
And I like to use same color/style scrap paper and ribbon to label everything in a way that makes sense to me and what's most efficient.
I started with the method of wrapping yardage around my own "comic boards" but I cut dollar store foam board to a size that fit my shelves. But, I soon got frustrated with the whole cycle of pull it out/audition it/wrap it back around and clip it w/ barrette/put it back on shelf. I was so ready to sew that it was just a pain to keep that system tidy for me.
I also tried ruler folding. Very neat, but oh so time-consuming and unrealistic for me to keep up.
I'm best with dresser drawers, folding my fabric into neat squares and storing them fold-up with styrofoam boards cut to size as dividers (to keep piles upright). It's not a perfect system but it's the best I've found for myself.
08-09-2018, 07:16 PM
#24
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 140
Originally Posted by Quilter 53
Snooze 2978, Wow!!! I've been in fabric stores that didn't have as much.LOL
Recently organized my fabric and found the best way for me was to put the largest yardage on bolts from the fabric store and when I ran out of those, I ruler folded. I label the amount on a small piece of paper and pin it to the end. My DD complained about always stabbing herself on the pins, so I recently bought some of those plastic clips used on new shirts. Read about that idea here on QB and as I pull from the stash, I'll replace those pins with the plastic clips.
I like to organize them according to yardage so if I need 4 yards of something, I know right away which group has at least that much. I can then pick coordinating materials from the lesser yardage. I don't have a lot of FQ any more, I prefer to buy yardage, but those I do have get grouped together on the top shelf. Anything less than a FQ goes in shoe box sized see through plastic box by color to be used for applique or strip projects.
My batting has to live under the eaves (my sewing room is the attic). They fit in there length wise so I can see how much I have at a glance. But I do have a tote full of packaged batting and pillow forms.
And if the way I arrange it the first time doesn't work, I try something else.
Recently organized my fabric and found the best way for me was to put the largest yardage on bolts from the fabric store and when I ran out of those, I ruler folded. I label the amount on a small piece of paper and pin it to the end. My DD complained about always stabbing herself on the pins, so I recently bought some of those plastic clips used on new shirts. Read about that idea here on QB and as I pull from the stash, I'll replace those pins with the plastic clips.
I like to organize them according to yardage so if I need 4 yards of something, I know right away which group has at least that much. I can then pick coordinating materials from the lesser yardage. I don't have a lot of FQ any more, I prefer to buy yardage, but those I do have get grouped together on the top shelf. Anything less than a FQ goes in shoe box sized see through plastic box by color to be used for applique or strip projects.
My batting has to live under the eaves (my sewing room is the attic). They fit in there length wise so I can see how much I have at a glance. But I do have a tote full of packaged batting and pillow forms.
And if the way I arrange it the first time doesn't work, I try something else.
08-10-2018, 04:13 AM
#25
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 15,165
Right now I'm at the point where my sewing room is such a mess that I can't find anything. I really need to take a break and clean up. Would you believe I can't find a seam ripper? And I have many.
I know why I'm always in this situation: when I finish a project I move right on to the next. Bad idea. There is stuff all over my table, the floor, etc.
I really need to clean up my act!
I know why I'm always in this situation: when I finish a project I move right on to the next. Bad idea. There is stuff all over my table, the floor, etc.
I really need to clean up my act!
08-10-2018, 05:05 AM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: St. Louis suburbs
Posts: 6,084
Originally Posted by SusieQOH
Right now I'm at the point where my sewing room is such a mess that I can't find anything. I really need to take a break and clean up. Would you believe I can't find a seam ripper? And I have many.
I know why I'm always in this situation: when I finish a project I move right on to the next. Bad idea. There is stuff all over my table, the floor, etc.
I really need to clean up my act!
I know why I'm always in this situation: when I finish a project I move right on to the next. Bad idea. There is stuff all over my table, the floor, etc.
I really need to clean up my act!
08-10-2018, 05:19 AM
#27
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 15,165
Originally Posted by Wanabee Quiltin
Are you talking about me? Right now my cutting table has a spot vacant that’s about 12” square. I have stuff everywhere. I think I have about 6 quilts in various progress. I have way too much stuff. Next week I will start cleaning it up, I promise.
I'm worse than a child. I make huge messes and then could kick myself that I can't find something.
I like to think of myself as an artist of sorts but really more like a mad scientist haha
08-18-2018, 09:05 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,053
My sewing room has gotten so disorganized. I've been working at getting it better controlled but it is not pleasant to be in. I personally prefer to protect fabric from the light and haven't been using clear boxes, instead I use legal sized paper file boxes I get from office stores. I used to work in offices and had access to paper boxes but no longer. I like to have boxes the same size so they can be stacked easily. I write on the outside of the box with a large marker what is inside and line them with acid free tissue paper. (edit: I did not put in that link!)
I have color boxes mostly plus a few theme boxes, for example batiks are in their own box not mixed in by colors. I only have one box of solids. I have enough cat fabrics to keep together but not enough for a box of their own, so they have a box with dog, bug, and 30s prints. I pull the boxes out into the hallway outside the room and roughly sort as I go -- my problem is the fabric not in boxes but in towering stacks and the wrongly sorted fabrics in the boxes that shouldn't be there. Also, the non-sewing stuff that got stuffed in there needs to go! I don't remember too well what is in the closet... can't really get in there right now, but I know there is a full sized Jenny Lind spool bed frame that's been in the family for decades and my wooden cradle from when I was an infant. Want to keep both of those things and no where else to put them. Don't remember what else is in there, it's been years!
In addition to the box stacks on the ground, have two wheeled storage racks I got from Costco, problem is that the boxes don't really fit well on them, some of the shelves are too low, the boxes leave too much space between them/just not enough for another box. Should replace the storage racks but recently bought some clear plastic containers that fit better than my paper boxes.
Mostly I work with scraps. I used to keep all my little pieces thrown into a laundry hamper but about 10 years ago I quit that. Now as I get to the end of a piece of fabric I trim them down to specific widths, the largest that will fit. Anything over 6.5 is stored in the color box. I have 6.5", 6", 4", 3" and 2" strips. Anything smaller than 2" now gets thrown away (even though part of me says "hey I could use that in a string quilt"). When I start a new scrap project I go into the strip box first. They probably should be sorted into color groups a bit better than they are but so far I haven't done that. Should also probably start another box, currently some of the smaller strips are in a coverless plastic box that fits on top of the strip box.
My larger pieces (2+ yards) are generally marked with the yardage. I use brass safety pins, no rusting. I do have a special box for "pieces large enough to be backs".
I have a desk, it's not too badly organized inside -- it's the stacks of unsorted fabric on the top that cause the issues. The "pencil" drawer holds stuff like pencils, marking tools, graph paper. Another drawer is thread, bobbins, etc. Third drawer is rulers, stencils and pantograph rolls. Bottom drawer is non sewing, but important with photo albums and such.
Above the desk I have a cork board and keep my smaller specialty rulers pinned on there. I will often put my current design worksheet/pattern/notes on there. I'm not very happy with my current work table, is my son's old computer desk, just a rectangle. The size is good and fits in the room but it's not as stable as I would like.
Was just about to go into there and get to work organizing, my hubby thought he'd be working 12 hour days of OT both days this weekend and I had planned to do some serious work. But he called while I was writing this book length post and we are going to take advantage of the time together and go for a walk or something... Yay! A reason to procrastinate some more
I have color boxes mostly plus a few theme boxes, for example batiks are in their own box not mixed in by colors. I only have one box of solids. I have enough cat fabrics to keep together but not enough for a box of their own, so they have a box with dog, bug, and 30s prints. I pull the boxes out into the hallway outside the room and roughly sort as I go -- my problem is the fabric not in boxes but in towering stacks and the wrongly sorted fabrics in the boxes that shouldn't be there. Also, the non-sewing stuff that got stuffed in there needs to go! I don't remember too well what is in the closet... can't really get in there right now, but I know there is a full sized Jenny Lind spool bed frame that's been in the family for decades and my wooden cradle from when I was an infant. Want to keep both of those things and no where else to put them. Don't remember what else is in there, it's been years!
In addition to the box stacks on the ground, have two wheeled storage racks I got from Costco, problem is that the boxes don't really fit well on them, some of the shelves are too low, the boxes leave too much space between them/just not enough for another box. Should replace the storage racks but recently bought some clear plastic containers that fit better than my paper boxes.
Mostly I work with scraps. I used to keep all my little pieces thrown into a laundry hamper but about 10 years ago I quit that. Now as I get to the end of a piece of fabric I trim them down to specific widths, the largest that will fit. Anything over 6.5 is stored in the color box. I have 6.5", 6", 4", 3" and 2" strips. Anything smaller than 2" now gets thrown away (even though part of me says "hey I could use that in a string quilt"). When I start a new scrap project I go into the strip box first. They probably should be sorted into color groups a bit better than they are but so far I haven't done that. Should also probably start another box, currently some of the smaller strips are in a coverless plastic box that fits on top of the strip box.
My larger pieces (2+ yards) are generally marked with the yardage. I use brass safety pins, no rusting. I do have a special box for "pieces large enough to be backs".
I have a desk, it's not too badly organized inside -- it's the stacks of unsorted fabric on the top that cause the issues. The "pencil" drawer holds stuff like pencils, marking tools, graph paper. Another drawer is thread, bobbins, etc. Third drawer is rulers, stencils and pantograph rolls. Bottom drawer is non sewing, but important with photo albums and such.
Above the desk I have a cork board and keep my smaller specialty rulers pinned on there. I will often put my current design worksheet/pattern/notes on there. I'm not very happy with my current work table, is my son's old computer desk, just a rectangle. The size is good and fits in the room but it's not as stable as I would like.
Was just about to go into there and get to work organizing, my hubby thought he'd be working 12 hour days of OT both days this weekend and I had planned to do some serious work. But he called while I was writing this book length post and we are going to take advantage of the time together and go for a walk or something... Yay! A reason to procrastinate some more
08-19-2018, 05:32 PM
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 2,633
[ATTACH=CONFIG]599788[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]599789[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]599790[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]599791[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]599792[/ATTACH]Before first three and after last two. Can’t upload any more so will wait til I get floor done and ramp
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