"Tip Tuesday!" - Organizing Patterns, Books and Magazines
I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog.
"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources. I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give due credit whenever possible.
These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above.
Read, enjoy, and be inspired!
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I have to admit that I struggle with keeping my quilting things organized. No matter how much I try to stay organized, I end up with little piles all around the sewing room.
It may take a while, but once I get tired of the mess, it usually doesn't take long to get my rulers, cutters, etc. reorganized, thanks to my peg board corner .
But, when it comes to pattern and books, I really need to figure out a better system. (That makes it sound like I have a system, doesn't it?) Those are the items in my sewing area that are the most unorganized.
In the past, I've tried separating my pattern by type (bags, wall hangings, etc.) but struggle with how to keep them organized. I've seen people who put them into cute baskets.
Read, enjoy, and be inspired!
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photo from Craftsy.com
I have a friend that has a really nice IKEA set up and stores most of her fabric and patterns in wire baskets that are part of a shelving unit.
photo from Craftsy.com
The cute basket system didn't work for me because I don't really have a place for the baskets, and I don't have a shelving set-up like my friend so that's out too. Plus, neither of those options deals with my books or magazines.
While thinking about all of this organizing, I've realized that probably the most important and necessary thing to do, and probably the most challenging for most of us, is to take an inventory of what we have and then do some purging.
That is what I plan to do in the next couple of weeks. I'll do that just in time for our annual sisters' weekend and I know that some of my patterns will find new homes. That makes me happy!
Want to learn more about organizing and storing your patterns? Check out the following links.
I like your peg board - need one of those. I keep my small patterns, bags, clothing & decor patterns in seperate little baskets (I like baskets). I keep my books in the book holders (and I limit myself to just 2 of those) and keep them on the bottom shelf of my fabric racks - the weight helps to assure those shelf units won't tip and they are right there with the fabric. I purge from time to time as I like to keep just a set size/area for items - when it spills over, something has to go.
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