Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Organizing Needlework

Almost every person I know who does any form of needlework is constantly looking for way to organize. I am always scouting the internet looking for better ways to organize my wonderful stash. I sometimes feel a slight irritation that it seems as though every other craft in existence has a plethora of storage solutions. Needleworkers have bobbins, bags, floss tags and rings as our primary source. While all of these things are useful, none of them seem to be completely ideal, as we are constantly looking for better sources.

Today, I was reading Mary Corbet's blog Needle n' Thread and she is talking about organizing future needlework projects, a topic near and dear to every needleworker's heart. As always, Mary had wonderful suggestions. Her main idea was relatively simple. She uses large ziploc bags and then a wooden skirt hanger. You can then either hang it in a closet or mount on hooks inside closet doors or cabinets.

Mary's hanging bag solution.

Mary kits up her bags in much the same way as all of us do. She includes her threads, fabric and chart. She also includes needles. I don't typically do this because I primarily work cross stitch, so always have tapestry needles on hand. 

Although I would like to attribute Mary's idea as being completely original, I would hazard to guess that some wonderful needleworker has been using this idea for years and years. What I like most about the idea is that it gets the kit out of boxes. I have several projects kitted up and they are sitting waiting in a box. Right now I have a closet that is pretty much unused. This closet begs to be used and I love the idea of getting some nifty wooden hangers. I did a quick internet search and they can be found from $7 for a pack of 4, $9 for a pack of 5, and $27 for a pack of 16. (yes, I have plastic ones from various stores, but these just look nice), some gallon size bags and transferring my projects to the closet. 

I think the only thing I will change is that I am going to purchase some large labels and label the outside of the  bag. The purpose of the label will be two-fold. First, to identify the project and whether it was intended for someone or just something I want to stitch. The second, and perhaps more important, purpose will be to identify which threads I am using. Usually, I will have new threads for each project I am working on, but sometimes when working on something else, I realize that I am running short and can't find a much needed color. It would simplify my life, if on the label, I listed the floss being used. This way I would be less inclined to root through the bag desperately looking for my color, so as to save me a trip to town. 

The act of organization in needlework is an ever evolving process. As I mentioned posts ago, I plan to rejuvenate and reorganize my craft space. Well, initially I was very industrious but then I became side tracked with stitching. Oh how is a a person supposed to choose between the joys of stitching and the wonder of having a beautifully organized space?




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