Don’t lose that fabric for the binding again! Here are 3 helpful hints to keeping your project supplies organized and together.
This is kind of like mini kits. Maybe they aren’t cut out – but you have all the pieces and need to keep them together.
Why? you ask….well because it’s kind of a known thing that if you don’t keep your sashing, borders, binding or whatever designated fabric with the project itself there is a very large possibility that it will find a new home and then not be around when you are ready to tackle the project it was meant for!
Keeping Project Supplies Organized-
Make your own kit— don’t worry about cutting all the pieces at this point. Just load up a clear bag or container with the following:
- quilt top fabric: including the lights, darks and mediums.
- binding fabric — if you’d like go ahead and cut it up into strips
- sashing fabric
- border fabric
- pattern. Many times I have the whole thing together but cannot remember at all what the pattern was that I wanted to make with it! Keep the pattern with it.
Use labels— sometimes we just don’t have enough time to dig around the studio for the ‘other’ pieces. We went to the store and lucked out in finding the perfect blue to go along with the other blues that we are collecting for a quilt or project. What to do? Label it! Print off these labels and fill it out. Pin it right to the fabric. This works. The next time you pull that fabric out to use for something there is that label telling you no no! It’s for something else.
You have a choice at this point- toss the label (I won’t tell anyone) and use it anyways, put it back with the label or finding the container with the rest of the collection and putting it with them. You decide.
Using labels doesn’t always have to be about the fabric though. Put a label on hem tape, ric rac, buttons…. these can work anywhere you need to save something for another project.
Toss into a collection bucket– This only works if you are good at returning to the bucket and knowing what each piece is before you put it away. Sometimes I do this. I don’t have a bucket but have a pile. I know anything in this pile is spoken for. It doesn’t get used or placed into the general collection and picked at. It’s in a spot that I know I can’t touch. No matter what. Now, if I could only remember what it was for!
Have a great idea on how to keep your fabric or supplies for a project together? Share it!
Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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I use clear containers for this. I share my space and everything in it with my grown children who also love to quilt. So if its not set aside in a bin with all it’s other parts it’s fair game. I love sewing with my daughter (29) and Son (28)! This makes everyone happy!
I have those as well. The ones that are shoe box size with a lid. Perfect for keeping things together with no dust too! Fun that you get to share a space and that they enjoy sewing along.
I’m limited in space and use an old bureau to hold my items. To keep project materials together, I save those plastic bags that curtains, blankets, and sheets come in (I’ve been saving them for years). Most of them have zippers and some have snaps. Most of them have a plastic pocket on the outside that the description of the item I purchased rested in. I’ll jot down the project on a piece of notepaper with any additional info (e.g., who the item is for and when it needs to be finished) and put that in the pocket.
I have found out the hard way that pins will rust if there is too much moisture in the air and the project is left to “mature” for too long so now I just use pencil to write with (’cause I know I can get that out if it transfers) and then tack the paper on with a couple of big basting stitches. No staining, and I know how many yards there are. All my quilts are scrappy so there is always another piece of red or blue or whatever is needed.