Date: 2/18/09 3:21 PM

Okay, i did not see another post similar to this one, so here are some of my tips.
1. I use crayola washable markers for most fabric marks. I dont have the option to sew all day long yet, so if i use a dissappearing marker, the marks disappear too soon. Crayola seems to have a good reputation for quality, and (in august) i can usually get a 12 pack of markers for what i would pay for one disappearing marker anyway. I can use similar colors of marker to fabric or i can use the marker color to separate sizes of same garmets.
2. I use gallon and 2 gallon sized ziploc bags to store my patterns in. I cannot fold my patterns up into the small envelopes, so i put the instructions in the envelope, and the envelope and pattern pieces in the bag. small pieces of fabric, trim, and acrutrements fit in the bag if i need to travel with my pattern, or store it for a while.

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Date: 2/18/09 4:54 PM

I'll use pritt stick/uhu stick/office stick glue (all washable and non-toxic) to stick down fiddly things or for speed... in particular I find it useful for placing bias binding, which I then sew over.

ETA as per a lot of other people, I'll use weights and a small rotary cutter to speed cutting out.

Also I roll most of my smaller pieces of fabric (larger ones are folded) and store them in a wire-basket drawer (Elfa is the brand) with the little ends visible... makes it easier to see what I have got.


-- Edited on 2/18/09 4:58 PM --

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G
Sydney, Australia

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Date: 2/18/09 7:05 PM

I've started keeping 2 bags, open and within reach, near each of my sewing areas. One is for fabric scraps that will be sent to recycling and one is for actual garbage. I actually don't have one next to my machine yet, but I will put one there that is just for threads and other things that can be recycled - serger tails etc.

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http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.

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Date: 2/18/09 7:18 PM

I found some mini cat litter pans at Walmart. They're about 11" by 13", 3" deep and just the right size to hold all the fabric, cut pieces, pattern, etc. for a project. I find them more convenient than ziploc bags, because I can pitch things into them from a distance and it's more likely that all the pieces and parts will wind up where they're supposed to be. They're inexpensive - $1.39 sounds right - and I can keep half a dozen of them stacked on top of each other and before you ask , yes, I often have that many works in process going on at once.

Now I'd like to meet the mini-cat they were designed for.....

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“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” -Robert Heinlein and Ann's father. Thanks for the reminder, Ann.

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?

Matthew 25:40 (New International Version)
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

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Reply to Lady Zoo
Date: 2/18/09 7:53 PM

In regards to not being able to fold a pattern back into the pattern envelope: I learned a new trick. Iron your remaining and used pieces with a warm, dry iron, then fold them to fit in the pattern envelope. Press each fold, and slide them in. Works great for me, but then I put them in the two gallon bag because I can see the picture and if any small pieces happen to slide out, they are contained....

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Lorri

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Reply to Karla Kizer
Date: 2/18/09 10:20 PM

Quote:

I can pitch things into them from a distance

For some reason, this seemed funny to me, especially with the picture I had in my mind. Kind of like ''softball in the sewing room''....

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"Having to squeeze the last drop of utility out of the land has the same desperate finality as having to chop up the furniture to keep warm" -- Aldo Leopold
http://tree-sister.blogspot.com
"Don't cry; don't be sad; make happy"--Peggy Jones. Rest your weary body, dear friend.

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Date: 2/18/09 10:29 PM

I use a 2-pint cottage cheese or yogurt container as a small "waste basket" which I can keep on the table next to my sewing machine. I just drop the thread snips, serger tails, teeny tiny scraps and trimmings, etc. into the container.

Hmm. 2 pints = 1 quart, doesn't it? At any rate, that's the size I like best for my mini-waste basket.

CMC

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Date: 2/19/09 0:13 AM

I don't like it when my patterns are creased or curl. I've been thinking of purchasing pattern hooks, but I think, they work better with patterns made of tagboard/oaktag pattern paper.

So for now, the plastic pant hangers from clothing stores are a great alternative for me.



They keep my patterns flat, and I can hang them in the closet.

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Her needlework both plain and ornamental was excellent, and she might have put a sewing machine to shame. ~James Edward Austen-Leigh, about Jane Austen

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Date: 2/19/09 7:38 AM

Of note: there have been similar threads, but I can't find them, so...

I'll pin this one. We'll keep up with it.

:)

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Cindy Lou, no more than 2
"Sew, Esmerelda! Sew like the Wind!" -Martin Short, The Three Amigos
"When inspiration calls, you don't send it to voicemail." --Will I Am.

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Reply to poplin
Date: 2/19/09 8:39 AM

Geek sewing - I hang my patterns, just like you do.

All my patterns are always traced, then altered, so I keep the original pattern, and the small pieces like pockets, collars, etc., in an large zip-loc (1 or 2 gallon size) . I use a hole punch to make a hole in the middle of the top of baggie, and hang the Zip-Loc bag on the hanger hook that way.

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