When you start a craft project, do you end up spending more time looking for your tools and supplies than you do actually working on your craft? If you do, you are not alone! If you do any type of crafting or creative work, the supplies you use can quickly spread out and take over your home. The more crafts and hobbies you do, the more need you have for organization.
Organizing your supplies and tools will allow you to quickly locate the items you need to complete a craft. Organization will also save you money you won’t need to run out at the last minute and purchase a new pair of scissors or skein of yarn to replace the one you can’t find!
There are two different ways to organize your craft supplies, and chances are one will be better for you than the other. If you only work on one or two types of crafts, like scrapbooking and knitting, it is easier to make yourself a complete kit for each craft. That way you can pull out your scrapbooking bag and get started, without grabbing tools from a bunch of different locations.
If you do a huge variety of crafts– beading one day, sewing the next, and making soap a week later, then you should organize your supplies by type. That way you won’t need to dig through your sewing stuff to find your scissors every time you want them for a project.
Organizing by Craft:
If you decide to organize your supplies by the type of craft they are for, make a kit for each craft you do. Ideally, the kit will include everything you use to complete the craft, along with your tools and raw materials.
Start by gathering all of the supplies you have into one area. Doing this will allow you to get an idea of exactly how many items you have, and how big of a container you will need to store them. Once you have everything in one place, select or purchase a container to fit all of the items. Check out the storage section of your local craft store, and the scrapbook section as well– croppers have mastered the art of storage, and you can use their pieces for any craft you’d like. You should also check out the selection of tackle boxes at your local sporting goods store, they are designed with small items in mind.
Pick up an inexpensive pencil box for tools like scissors, tweezers, needles, and related items, so you can find what you need quickly. Use small containers like film canisters and plastic storage containers to hold little items so they don’t get lost.
Place your items in the storage container, with the largest things like books, fabrics, and other big pieces on the bottom. Top with the smallest items, and close the lid. When you are ready to work on a project, simply pull out your box and get started, without wasting time looking for loose items and supplies.
Organizing by Type of Supply:
Creative people often excel in more than one area. It is not unusual for someone who enjoys on craft like quilting to spread out into beading, embroidery, or even knitting. As they learn more techniques, they acquire more supplies. If this sounds like you, you will probably work best if you sort your items by type.
Having all of your fabrics in one location can help you pick out things for a project very quickly. If you sort them by color, you can get a good sense of what you have and what you need, before you head to the store. You can also store all of your scissors and cutting tools together, and grab a handy pair whether you are sewing or working on a paper craft.
Begin by sorting your items by type – put all the beads in one location, all the fabrics in another. Markers and pens stored together, as can adhesives. Choose a container for each type of item, and label the container. That way when you work on a project you can gather what you need, and get a good sense of what supplies you have on hand.
Organizing in this way can help the creative process as well – sometimes just seeing your materials all together can help you see things in a new light, and trigger new ideas.
No matter which technique you choose, organizing your stash of craft supplies can help you find things quickly, and spend more time crafting and less time seeking out lost items.