April Studio Organizing Challenge

Posted on April 15, 2019 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing Challenge

It’s already time for the next Studio Organizing Challenge, and I’m still working on the last two!

I spent quite a bit of time working on my fabric re-organization, but seriously, it doesn’t look a bit better than it did. And I’m using up quite a bit of it as I go, too. I’ve pieced 2 backings and cut out 5 more pillowcases, in addition to making a few scrap blocks and cutting pieces for more quilts in progress. It’s really depressing to see that it’s not dwindling fast enough. I need to get it all to fit in my bins! Ack! Perhaps I’m not being ruthless enough yet. I’ll work on that, too . . .

And while I did use up some more odds and ends of thread and cleaned up the thread rack in my sewing room (and cleaned out a drawer of thread), I have not taken the time yet to re-organize my longarm thread stash, which is the main thread stash I need to address. But I have hopes of getting to it soon!

But for now . . . onward we go . . .

This month’s organizing challenge was an easy one for me to choose:

Deal with the paper clutter

Everywhere I look around me in my office are piles of paper! Papers that need to be gone through, sorted, filed, or just plain tossed. Now that taxes are over with, it’s time to dive in and work on it!

Part of the reason I have piles is because I don’t keep up with the filing system I have, so my first order of business is going to be cleaning out the file cabinet.

Then there are piles of magazines and books that I also need to be more ruthless about culling and getting rid of.

If I can do it this month, my guild is taking donations for a resale booth at our upcoming quilt show, so I’d have a great place to get rid of them and help my guild out. So . . . that’s what I intend to work on very soon. The paper is about to smother me, and I need the breathing room!

What about you?

I know some of you addressed paper piles earlier in the year, or at the end of last year during the Final Countdown, but if you’re like me, it just keeps coming in and piling up, so now is the time to rein it back in and keep your new system under control; or if you’re REALLY like me, finish dealing with it, since we never got done the first time around!

What’s your paper problem? Or do you even have one?

9 responses to “April Studio Organizing Challenge”

  1. Nancy says:

    Having ADD makes everything with paper a challenge!! Best advice I received was from a 10 yr old years ago when I had a retail store! Miss Nancy why don’t you just throw everything in a bin and then go through it piece by piece!!! When I’m overwhelmed I still do that…just did my fabric, tossed in bins and then took out piece by piece and ironed each piece!!! Thread? Now that’s not an easy one!!
    😢 I have thread for machines and because I sell longarms I’m always testing new thread…and the little threads!!!

  2. I have a stack of quilt books I’m planning to put up for sale sitting cluttering up counter space in my office. They have been there since at least the beginning of the year when you had us listing our UFOs and other organizing. My office closet is a mess too. I need to cull out a bunch of quilt books residing in my office closet too.

  3. Sherry V. says:

    Paper is my constant nemesis! So far hubby has created 8 large bags of shredding and still has several copy paper boxes to go (I have a habit of saving every single receipt forever. . . but we don’t need the electric bill from 2005 any more so it went).

    I have also started a box of items for the “free table” at guild and another for items that I plan on trying to sell through either Ebay or Craigslist.

    I have enough books to get me to the moon & back. . .and I just will never get through them all so I have to do a major cull there also.

  4. Tonia says:

    Congratulations one and all! We are moving forward to a tidy life (but maybe a bit boring?) Shelley, you inspire us! Last night I was in the Hobby House, and thought–where is the room you took pictures of that had bare tables? So, the organizing challenge is a wonderful monthly reminder…….and again I thank you

  5. Ginny says:

    Paper, patterns, magazines, and things to keep all mixed up. It was better before moving but now it is a over whelming mess. I don’t even want to go through it all but know I must. Oh Well, here I go

  6. Randy Menninghaus says:

    I bought a notebook(er my husband went and got it as I was not driving at the time) for a friend who needed to organize. I planned to show her the method of sliding things into the clear plastic sheets astray came in. Well, I started using it. It is full and I guess my poor friend will get a different one. After my laptop dids a slow and painful death last summer I now print a copy of things I may plan to do in the future with quilts… So in they go….

  7. I always have paper problems. 🙁 I’m not sure why, but I really do not like how it piles up. I’ve been without use of my desktop computer for a bit now, and it has helped. I have filed all I can and have taken the time to work on other parts. but, it is far from finished, so I am thrilled to have this as a challenge.
    I did a bit on the thread this past month, but that is another area that gets messy quickly.

  8. Johnna Clarke says:

    I bet Marie Condo never quilted a day in her life… : )

  9. I wish I could hire someone that understands sewing room organization to come in and start from scratch in my sewing room. I would need lots of money for that and all the storage units and containers.

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