Suggestion to organize this?
09-14-2013, 12:06 PM
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Knot Merrill, Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,781
I would start by getting a shelf for folded/finished fabric (if you don't already have one). Then take a garbage bag of fabric to the laundrymat!! Plenty of machines to run multiple loads, and usually good size tables for folding. Take a friend to help!!
Bringing it OUT of the house accomplishes two things: you have a good clear working area in the laundry mat where you are not stepping over things, and you are not "looking at it" thinking about it the whole time and becoming discouraged by the size of the task. Concentrate on that one bag that you brought with you to the laundrymat.
Once it comes out of the dryer, fold it in whatever manner you decide as long as they are uniform sizes.
Then bring that stack of clean finished/folded fabric home and shelve it right away. Put like colors together but don't get too busy with sorting because you'll be re-sorting when you've completed the other bags.
One bag at a time from start to finish.
When you are not cleaning/folding fabric you can work on the other non-fabric stuff in 15-30 minute intervals.
Good luck!
Bringing it OUT of the house accomplishes two things: you have a good clear working area in the laundry mat where you are not stepping over things, and you are not "looking at it" thinking about it the whole time and becoming discouraged by the size of the task. Concentrate on that one bag that you brought with you to the laundrymat.
Once it comes out of the dryer, fold it in whatever manner you decide as long as they are uniform sizes.
Then bring that stack of clean finished/folded fabric home and shelve it right away. Put like colors together but don't get too busy with sorting because you'll be re-sorting when you've completed the other bags.
One bag at a time from start to finish.
When you are not cleaning/folding fabric you can work on the other non-fabric stuff in 15-30 minute intervals.
Good luck!
09-15-2013, 03:07 AM
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Finger Lakes of upstate NY
Posts: 3,466
I think Zozee is spot on!
One thing that has helped me in recent years is giving myself permission to get rid of things I'm not likely to use. It might have been a really good deal at the time - or not - but if it's just in the way, it isn't worth whatever the cost was. Anything in good condition is donated appropriately (VoA, local charity, guild, etc.) and anything not, tossed or recycled.
This includes quilt projects that aren't done... If I find I didn't like the technique, fabric or whatever and have tossed it aside, I'm not going to like it more as time goes on. My time is a precious commodity - I work full time, so don't have time to do things I don't enjoy. There are groups, including here on the board, I think, that will take partially finished projects and finish or repurpose them.
One thing that has helped me in recent years is giving myself permission to get rid of things I'm not likely to use. It might have been a really good deal at the time - or not - but if it's just in the way, it isn't worth whatever the cost was. Anything in good condition is donated appropriately (VoA, local charity, guild, etc.) and anything not, tossed or recycled.
This includes quilt projects that aren't done... If I find I didn't like the technique, fabric or whatever and have tossed it aside, I'm not going to like it more as time goes on. My time is a precious commodity - I work full time, so don't have time to do things I don't enjoy. There are groups, including here on the board, I think, that will take partially finished projects and finish or repurpose them.
09-15-2013, 04:30 AM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Thornton, Colorado
Posts: 1,023
Great ideas, all of them! Guess what? Once you get your fabrics organized the way you want them, they will remain this way. They will inspire you, and you will find it fun to "shop" through your stash first before buying more fabrics. Sometimes you will find a forgotten treasure that you bought years ago, smile.
09-15-2013, 04:51 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 733
ZoZee,
All great advice, but you forgot Step 1.a - Remove all husbands/children/cats/dogs/ cell phones form premises & then, post QUARANTINED on front door. But, in truth, as I'm in the beginning stages of The End, it truly is worth it! Trust us!
All great advice, but you forgot Step 1.a - Remove all husbands/children/cats/dogs/ cell phones form premises & then, post QUARANTINED on front door. But, in truth, as I'm in the beginning stages of The End, it truly is worth it! Trust us!
09-15-2013, 05:02 AM
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Saginaw Michigan
Posts: 2,305
When I have something like this (my walk-in closet for instance) I take a deep breath and dive in. Even though it looks overwhelming at first when you are smack dab in the middle of it you will think it's not so bad after all!
09-15-2013, 06:05 AM
#37
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17,728
DHMom has a great plan!!! ... you can fire a lot of fabric into a lot of machines, and have it done in no time, if you take it to the laundry mat! Plus if you take a friend, you can have a really good fun time together, getting the task done.
Another tactic that has helped many, here on the QB ... now that you have posted the before pic, you have given yourself some accountability, to make progress. So show progress pics to us, and it will help nudge you to continue on to the finish line!
Another tactic that has helped many, here on the QB ... now that you have posted the before pic, you have given yourself some accountability, to make progress. So show progress pics to us, and it will help nudge you to continue on to the finish line!
09-15-2013, 10:47 AM
#40
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,474
The suggestions to move things of he area, and then to sort and fold are excellent.
Some of us don' t have other temporary areas.
The first thing I would do would be to fold things into uniform sizes and stack things neatly.
In my case, I would have two stacks of fabrics - washed and not washed.
Then you would have some bare spots .
Just having things piled neatly makes the space look less cluttered/ trashed.
Some of us don' t have other temporary areas.
The first thing I would do would be to fold things into uniform sizes and stack things neatly.
In my case, I would have two stacks of fabrics - washed and not washed.
Then you would have some bare spots .
Just having things piled neatly makes the space look less cluttered/ trashed.
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