I’m a happier camper than usual these days and I can actually find my thread and it’s all because the stash which isn’t packed away is now all on one floor and mostly in one room. This is thanks to my DH deciding to work at home four days a week instead of only two. That meant he needs an office and the only choice was my eldest’s, now empty, room. But it had my thread stash in it.
So the day we moved his stuff upstairs and cleared off his desk here, we moved my stuff downstairs. Now, in the den, we have my desk, computer, and printer. Along with, on his desk and shelves, most of my thread. The books that aren’t packed away are on the shelves. The rest of the thread, my stretcher bars, and my canvases are in my bedroom and closet, right next door.
I thought I was organized, more or less, but I hadn’t counted on the efficiency of having everything neat and close by. My threads are organized by thread type, most in card catalog drawers, some in other drawers and the rest in cigar tins and basket. It’s all neat without threads hanging out everywhere.
When I want to do a project I can get out the stretcher bars, a project bag (both in the closet) and then sit with everything in arm’s reach and pull out the threads. Next to my sewing chair, in the table drawer, I keep scissors, needles, thread drops, magnets, and other tools. I can pull them, put the canvas on using the neatly boxed tacks, and I’m ready to go.
I’m now a convert to this and I’m wondering if it will survive the move and the return of the rest of the stash. I hope so; this has made such a difference.
So how do you do it for yourself?
- Give yourself enough time. If you can take a few hours at a crack. If you can’t, do it in 10 minute steps.
- Buy some bins for sorting – four is ideal – keep, toss, give away, in the process of sorting
- Place some of your stuff into a bin and sort it into the three piles.
- Once the in process bin is empty, fill it again. Once a post-sort bin is full, deal with it. Throw out the toss bin, package the give away bin, and turn the keep bin into a new “in process” bin.
- You know this is stuff you want to keep, so now sort it into piles of similar stuff. Canvases would be in one pile, threads in another, books in a third.
- Determine where the books and canvases will go. Put them there.
- The threads need to be sorted again. Decide where you will be putting them. If the containers are small, bring them to you. Then sort the threads by type or by color (whichever works for you) and put them into your containers. Labeling them is also a wonderful idea.
- Put everything where you can find it and get to it easily.
- Add a container for thread to be put away and empty it regularly putting away the threads.
See how much better you feel?
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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