Saturday, September 15, 2007

Chaos with a method!

The week just flew by! I did manage to get some quilting done on my Halloween table topper and am almost finished with the machine quilting. It will be going to a special friend and I do want it to be as darn close to perfection as can be! lol Funny how I construct ideals for people and then place pressure on myself to master perfection. Gosh, that is so silly.

I have come to the conclusion that I need more Halloween fabric in my stash! I've been eyeing the Thimbleberrie's Mr. Halloween Party collection. I just love that moon fabric!

On a different note, I know that some of you like to work on various projects at the same time. Well, maybe not but I sure like too! Since Kim seems to think that Darlene is writing a book on quilting, I thought I'd also contribute a page to Darlene's book. What are friends for hey?!?.... I'm interested in how you keep you numerous projects organized.

This is one of the methods I use to keep a quilt project organized. In this case the blocks are done and what is left is to piece them together. Under the blocks are the border fabrics and backing.

By keeping everything together, I ensure that I wont take fabric designated for that quilt and use it on something else.

Now I don't have a basket, yet, for all my projects. I'll use a box and other times well, it's just scattered around my sewing room. Amazingly, I seem to find everything. lol

My hand applique projects are organized in 3 (three) plastic bins that you see on your right. Please, don't mind the mess!

Because of the numerous fabrics required for a hand applique project, this helps keep it all together and avoid wasting time searching for the project.

The top 2 (two) bins are designated for projects that are presently being worked on, in this case the Wildberry Vine quilt and the Baltimore Country Cousin. The third bin is for projects that are in progress but not being worked on. That's where my Winter Sentry came from! ;o) Oh, and to be honest, I have bags scattered around my stash closets with hand applique projects!

The large blue bin on the left is for abandoned UFO's and fabrics for future projects. Unfortunately, I have way more fabric purchased for a projects than the size of the bin. The excess is intertwined with the stash. So I rely a lot on my memory and so far so good! I think! lol

And, when my project is really small, like the stars on the Winter Sentry, I keep them organized in a small plastic bag.

After I finish machine quilting the table topper, I do plan on making the stars and hopefully having a flimsy on my hand to show you.

I'm curious, how you keep your projects organized?

I do hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!

17 comments:

Juliann in WA said...

I use plastic boxes for my projects. I started with the standard shoebox size but now I like to buy the kind that are used for scrapbooking when I find them on sale because they are about 15" square and hold finished blocks well. I have three projects that are on my wish list and I have put the pattern and fabrics in a plastic box and label it so I won't use the fabric for something else. All of my boxes stack on shelves in my sewing room. When I want to work on something new, I can just pull the box down and get going.

Sweet P said...

My closet is full of plastic tubs filled with various UFOs. If a quilt top is done it is hanging on the towel rack on the back of my studio door along with it's backing. If I'm working on blocks or a project it is usually laying out on my cutting table and/or the sewing table. My stitchery projects reside in their own project bag.

Alisa said...

I organize them in bins on my table, as well as other boxes, baskets etc.

A while back you were doing an experiment with your crayola felt pens. Did you finish that experiement? What were your results and what is your advice regarding using them for marking your project?

Wendy said...

I have various sizes of plastic bins to keep my projects sorted. I recently discovered that scrapbooking boxes are a prefect size and stack well, I get them on sale at Michaels. For finished blocks I hang them over a clothes hanger. Some of my flimsy's are piled on my bookshelf.

Good question for Darlene's book...lol

Libby said...

Oh if only I were so organized. Mainly my projects are kept in semi-neat piles. If they actually make to the point they are stored in a container . . .they are mostly likely destined to become UFO's. For me the way to get them done is to keep them 'in the way' and active *s*

Darlene said...

Lately different projects have been in piles through my sewing room. Ugh! LOL I've been working on several applique and embroidery projects so I keep the completed blocks on skirt hangers.

This will be a great chapter for my book - LOL!

Unknown said...

I keep mine in plastic boxes and if they are small like you in a plastic bag. What I am currently working on is always next to my sewing machine.

atet said...

I use see-through small rubbermaid totes to store various projects I'm not currently working on. I also have a small little shelf with canvas bins in my "working area" that are stuffed to the brim, I mean contain current working projects and a few flimsies and UFO's. And then there are the piles -- um, those I need to do something about because the dining table is becoming unsuable again. Oops. Looks like I need to do some sewing!

Wendy said...

Hi Carole, Check out this quilt. I thought of you when I saw it.

Happy Hauntings
http://www.thevintagespool.com/store/products/details/?product=438

Wendy

Unknown said...

Organize, organize, wait a minute, I used to know what that means! The only way I can get organized is to finish one project before starting a new one. Not that it works though but I try! Take care.

Kim said...

Oh, I was going to say what Gwen did, but she beat me to it! LOL! Actually, I am fairly organized. Maybe I'll write about it on my blog. Maybe I'll write my own book. ROFLOL!

Kim said...

Oops! P.S.--Forgot to say! Main Street Cotton Shop has kind of a jelly roll thing of Mr. Halloween's Party all packaged into a bucket. Cute! You can see it here:

http://webstore.quiltropolis.net/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=7132824927467132&Store_id=483&page_id=23&Item_ID=4346

Unknown said...

I have all my works in process stored in giant zip lock bags. My blocks of the months are kept in large plastic boxes stacked beside my chair.

Quilter Kathy said...

Can't wait to see the beautiful blocks in the basket together in a quilt!!
I wish I was organized, but I don't have a system and my studio is a mess. I use bins and bags and I need a personal assistant to help me out!

Patti said...

Baskets, drawers, bins, ziplocs - whatever seems to work. With the redo of my sewing room I lost all my center island drawers and cubbies, so I've had to rethink this question. Right now several drawers in the new island contain several UFO projects each. I certainly hope I can keep them straight and not mix them up!

Nicole said...

Love, love, LOVE what you are doing with the Buggy Barn brown and pink fabrics!

As for me, I use a certain size project box that Rubbermaid makes. I have dozens of them. Most of the fabrics and components for a project fits into them. I use zip lock bags for the different size pieces to be sewn. Inside the house I have a closet with shelves that I store my newest fabric collections. Outside in the garage I have a couple dozen very large plastic tubs with fabric organized by color.

Rose Marie said...

I have two shelves. One for holding my started projects and the other for future projects. There are bins and boxes that hold all the fabrics, etc. for each project. Those fabrics are taboo until the project is completed. The shelves are easily accessible and it's great to pull out a project, work on it a bit and then put it away until another rainy day.

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