I have to admit, I’m a bit of a messy worker when it comes to organising my craft materials. I tend to work on about five different ideas at once and so my worktable is a messy jumble of beads, cords, findings etc etc. This weekend I decided to have a good clean up but couldn’t decide whether to sort by colour, size, style or any combination thereof! So I’m still in a mess and it is driving me mad. Any suggestions? How do you keep yourself organised?
moondaisies
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I’ve recently had a mega clear out and tidy up. My advice is don’t do it - can’t find a thing now whereas before I knew exactly which messy pile to look in!
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I did that a couple of months ago and yesterday when I wanted my plaster of paris I couldn’t find it anywhere. It took me ages to find it.
Pauline
Clear containers !!! for as much as possible . From yarn / fibre to card / paper . Personally , I am more inspired to make , if things are ‘visible’ and I don’t have to hunt through boxes that I’ve forgotten to label too ! I hate wasting time searching !!
Organise? Not in my vocabulary, unfortunately,
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I must admit I’m not very organised but every now & again it gets such a mess on/around my desk that I pull everything out & have a good tidy & reorganise (usually when hubby’s away with work as things get worse before they get better!) I used to organise my paper by size (A4 in one box 12 x 12 another and part sheets sorted into big, medium and small pieces) but I found myself reaching for a full sheet every time so my stash of part sheets was taking over, now I have a couple of sets of A4 drawers with nearly all my card/paper sorted by colour apart from my 12 x 12 which are sorted into plains, patterned and ‘other’ (vellum, mirri card etc.) and I have several boxes of very small scraps that I use for cutting small dies & punches. It means I now use more of the part sheets for layering and it’s also easier to see if I’m running low on a particular colour (I really need to order some more white, red and green at the moment to get ready for Christmas)
Hi, I’m in the process of moving all of my stuff into one room. I’m trying to organise yarn on shelves by ply, fine on the top shelf then working down. I’m in a right muddle just now but hope to have it done soon! Then it’s all the bits and bobs that go with it to sort out! Long term project I think. Liz.
I have clear shoe boxes for my stones. In colour types usually unless I have a particular gem that I have more of, then it has its own box! Cut stones for setting and focal gems are in compartmentalised boxes, again in colours and all my findings etc are in those metal ‘racks’ with clear draws you get from DIY shops. I have labelled each draw with what is inside - eg Sterling lobster claw clasps’ etc and I have them in an order which I find useful. Tools are in a handled basket which I carry about to wherever I can find a space to make!
Love this thread. I do have a degree of organisation in my studio. There are piles of plain tweeds, piles of herringbone and piles of checks. Then I have a cupboard for all my packaging. I always seem to be buying containers but never have enough!
I used to have everything in its proper place but not at the moment I keep having to move this box or that box to get at things 
I’m really looking forward to September as that is when the plastering will be completed and the new floor completed with it’s under floor heating. There will also be two large window seats which have cupboards for my boxes. My little sewing table will be back in it’s proper place with my 3 machines. I can’t wait to have everything in the correct place once again.
I organise by space. What am i likely to need nearest and most often? What needs to be within arms reach of my workspace? etc. I’m really visual so no labelling stuff with words it takes too long to search through stuff- coloured blobs or sticky labels work better for me 
Everything newly made goes in a box to be photographed, Then when photographed moves into a different tray and then gets packed up and labelled. All earrings are filed under their names, rings, pendants etc have their own box. Yet sometimes I get in a complete panic when I cant find anything.
All items for making are on my craft table, I managed to get some wonderful clear compartmentalised storage boxes that stack, they are around the outside of the table and my working space is in the middle.However chaos rules on the making table and I wish I had a better system.
Rachel
