The silence over here has been killing me! It's been a crazy couple of weeks around our house. Chris got the renovation bug not too long ago and we've been working our tails off on completing the last unfinished bedroom in our house (pics soon!) and updating all closets. The new closets are heavenly! While in spring cleaning/nesting mode, I've taken the opportunity to re-organize my sewing patterns. They're out of control. I've drafted about as many patterns as I've bought, so coming up with a good system for easy storage was necessary. In the past, I've bought envelopes the same size as as standard pattern envelopes and tried to stuff drafted patterns into those. It's not terribly effective for me, since most of my pattern envelopes end up sitting on my desk for weeks simply because I'm too annoyed with the thought of putting them away. A few fellow sewers mentioned to me how they organize patterns in clear sleeves in three-ring binders. Genius. Wanting them to look polished in my new closets, I went for leather binders*. They're gorgeous. So far I've only separated out tops and bottoms. I'm filling these binders fast, so I'll likely need to branch out to more categories. Here's how I've done it (and you can too):

Supplies:

• binders, either 8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12
• clear sheet protectors
• large labels
• fun marker or pen

Step 1:

I never cut into store bought patterns. They always remain intact, I simply trace the appropriate size on tracing paper and make adjustments there. I bought a giant roll of 36" wide x 50 yard tracing paper at a local art supply store for somewhere around $20. If you sew, it's a worthwhile investment. Store bought patterns stay in their envelopes and those envelopes get stored in a box. Pattern tracings, PDF patterns and self-drafted patterns get stored in binders for easy-access.

Step 2:

Pack the sheet protectors with your pattern (one pattern per protector).

Step 3:

Label the protector. I labeled it with the pattern maker (i.e. Megan Nielsen, Hey June, Self-drafted), pattern name or description and traced size or estimated draft size at the bottom.

Step 4:

Sort. Alphabetical order, style, preferred fabric type, etc. Figure out a system to easily find your patterns and your done! I had a lot of fun busting out my brush markers and washi tapes to fancy-up the labels for each pattern. The lettering is far from perfect, but it was great practice. Let's end on a keeping-it-real note. This is how awesome my studio looks at the moment. I've got a lot of organizing ahead of me, but with binders, cute boxes and new shelving I feel unstoppable!! WEEEEE!! How do you organize your sewing patterns? Do share in the comments below!

*Binders and sheet protectors provided by Lifestyle Crafts.