A SEWING PATTERN STORAGE IDEA

 

My pattern envelope is getting a little wrinkled and dog-earred.

Ever since my friend, Yolanda, taught me how to sew . . . I've been hooked.  I've sewn several items through the years since I first began my lessons in her kitchen many years ago.  Every time I see my sewing machine I think about my teacher.  She helped bring out my passion for making beautiful and useful items from a few yards of material and some matching thread.  Thank you, my friend!

One thing that has always bothered me is how messy it can be to keep patterns orderly.  I wanted to find a way to store my patterns without all the mess and bulk of the original package.  (If you sew, you can understand how frustrating it can be to stuff those pattern pieces back into their small envelopes.  What a headache!)  Until recently, I've just kept them in bins in my laundry/sewing room cupboards.  I read a book some time ago that gave me an idea for storage that I had never seen before.  I wish I could remember the title of the book, but nothing comes to mind.  I've kept that idea tucked away in my head all this time just waiting for a chance to implement it.  Well, here's my chance!    

I asked "Beauty" to start working on this long anticipated project. (She's even taking time to cut out my sewing pattern pieces before relocating them into folders. Yippee!) I have between fifty to sixty patterns, and she hopes to complete two patterns a day. I am so excited to finally be on my way to having these organized! She is so excited to be earning some hard-earned cash for each pattern she completes. Two happy campers . . . just what the doctor ordered. ;)



The book I read also said that a washer and dryer are the perfect height for cutting fabric without hurting your back.
She tried it today, and says, "It works!"

These are the supplies needed for this project.
(manilla folder, scissors, glue, marker, tape . . . and a pattern, of course! ;)

 

Cut out and fold the pattern pieces to fit the mailla envelope. 
Trace over the pattern number (i. e. 3134), the number on the actual pieces (1-9, etc.), and the number telling how many pieces to cut.
(This makes it easier to see when working with the pattern pieces as the ink may be faded.)

Don't forget to include the sewing instructions in the folder.

 

Cut out and glue the measurment chart onto the back of the folder behind the tab.

Cut apart and glue the pattern envelope onto the front of the manilla folder.
Write the pattern number on the tab with the marker.
Tape the left and right sides of the folder closed.

 

Place all of the pattern pieces and the sewing instructions inside the folder.

As each folder is finished, it can be placed in a filing cabinet, an appropriately-sized bin (or box) with a lid, or hole-punched and placed in a 3-ring binder.  (Only hole-punch an empty folder so as not to damage any pattern pieces.)  Close the top of the folder with a large, sturdy paper clip if choosing the binder option to prevent the pattern pieces or sewing instructions from falling out.

I'm so very happy with my newly organized pattern.  One down, and only about 59 more to go!  :)