12/28/2020 9 Comments How to Organize Sewing Patterns
Do you get the organizing bug after the holidays? I know I do. Remember Kon Mari? Yep, my closet and dresser clothes are still organized and folded with her method. It's been a couple of years and I need to revisit my dresser. But we'll save that for another day. Today I want to share with you how I organize my patterns.
I have quite a few patterns for sewing although, not nearly as many as other sewists, I know. I have friends who have bins upon bins of sewing patterns.
In my stash, I have PDF ones, traced off ones, patterns that have been adjusted and re-adjusted again, and of course regular pattern envelopes. I keep my shop patterns and self sewing patterns intermingled. However, they get separated by category. I'm not completely crazy. Ha! Start with your PDF Patterns
Here's what you'll need:
The Process
I had a bunch of cute boxes with lids that I purchased years ago from IKEA. They kept crafty items organized inside them. 2 years ago, I took out the built-in shelves and redid our bonus room. The boxes were no longer needed. But, I didn't want to throw them away because I knew I'd use them eventually.
Fast forward to eventually. They were the perfect size for my patterns!! I tucked the lids under the boxes and my envelopes fit inside. If you have a few shoeboxes lying around that are empty, cover them with pretty paper, spray paint, or wrapping paper. Your envelopes will fit perfectly inside. Pattern Envelopes
Now that your PDF's are neatly organized, stick your other pattern envelopes inside the boxes too. I chose to organize mine by category.
My patterns used to live in a huge bin (the blue box) and I couldn't easily find what I was looking for.
Just an FYI, the organization day got uglier before it got pretty. Sorta like most organizing, right? LOL I ended up using 4 boxes. I stuck all tops in one box. Dresses and jumpers in another box. Bottoms, skirts, and pants in one box. And, everything else went inside the last box. I put the boxes on top of my Kallax shelf and can now see them all the time. If you'd like to organize all your sewing fabric next, read this post. It's been so easy to find exactly what I'm looking for. I will add more pattern envelopes as I print off or create new patterns.
I recently moved my Kallax shelf because my fabric started fading in spots! YIKES!!!! So, this is a photo of where it is now and the pattern boxes on top.
So, are you off to organize your patterns? Please tag me if you do any sewing organization. I love seeing sewing rooms/corners and all the pretty things inside them. Share this post with anyone you know who needs a little motivation too. Thanks in advance!! Happy organizing, Annette
9 Comments
Annette
7/29/2021 09:24:25 pm
Thanks so much Pat! Hopefully they gave you some new ideas to tackle your patterns. :) Thanks for stopping by!
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Dawn Ford
10/2/2021 05:51:40 pm
Hi I am Dawn from Australia, just trying to get back into sewing again but unfortunately am a bit disabled. A held back with a few things. But so glad to find someone to help organise my patterns. Look forward to seeing more of your newsletter. 😍🥰❤❤
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Lynette Van Schalkwyk
7/13/2021 04:45:29 am
Luv your ideas.
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Annette
7/29/2021 09:25:07 pm
Yay!!! I'm happy to hear that. Thanks for stopping by. :)
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Melody
8/31/2021 09:57:43 am
I store my patterns this way. I iron the pieces prior to putting them in the envelopes to reduce bulk. Instead of writing on the front I copy and paste the picture of the item onto a 4”x4” computer label, print and stick to the envelope. You could also just print the page in the PDF that shows the item, cut it out and glue it to the front of the envelope. It makes it so quick and easy to know what’s inside.
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Annette
9/2/2021 10:16:25 am
Hi Melody,
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Rosalie
12/19/2022 06:06:36 am
Your shelves look real cute, neat and USEFUL. I took the idea of using larger envelopes, 10"x13". In case I adjust some pieces to fit, or morph the pattern in some other way, I can keep the modified pattern pieces right in the same envelope. There is also room for adding swatches, sewing records, etc. I bought bins just a bit bigger than those envelopes, to hold them.
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Annette
12/26/2022 09:07:39 am
Rosalie, that is a great idea. As the years have gone by, I do regret not using bigger envelopes. Some PDFs are a little hard to fit into smaller envelopes. Thanks so much for sharing 😊 and stopping by.
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AuthorHi there, I'm Annette and I love eating and sewing. I usually have a cup of coffee or tea with me, but not next to my machine because I'd probably spill it. I am the reason we can't have nice things. Archives
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