How do you organize your books/patterns?

[Rawhide]

I'm having a tough time trying to figure out how to organize my books and patterns. Some of them are much longer than others so they don't sit on a standard shelf very well.

Any help would be appreciated.

Marlon

[TomSwede]

I thought about punchin a hole in my leathers and hang them in a closet since it starts to pile up in a corner and it would work for those long patterns aswell. Or hang them double over a closet hanger (I'm thinking of those you hang in your jacket on).

Right now they seem to be taped all over my room, lol.

Tom

[Hilly]

I lay my long books ( how to make holsters by Al Stohlman etc.) right on the shelf. I stand my magazine size books right on top of them. My DVD collection is next to my books in the book shelf. My patterns are either folded and/or stored in a folder, or rolled up, fastened with a paper clip, in one of those metal popcorn cans you get at the dollar store.

My work area is not very big, so I bought a 6 foot tall book shelf which holds basically everything except my slab and my stamps. I toss all my wood handled tools, head knife, skivers, utility knife, dividers, etc. in one plastic tub, all my small stuff in another tub. All my really small stuff (needles, swivel knife blades, rivets etc.) is in a small plastic box. This all sits one shelf in the book case. My liquids (dye, stain, glue, etc.), daubers, gloves etc., is on another shelf in my book case. My tracing film and tracing paper and a few other odd things lay on the bottom shelf. You'd be amazed at just how much "stuff" you can cram into a tall book case! Takes up very little floor space that way. I was thinking of getting some wood louvered doors to close off the book case when not in use to make it look a bit neater.

My stitching horse slides mostly under my table when not in use. I keep my leather unrolled in an unused bedroom, upside down on the bed, and my lining leather rolled up in a popcorn can lined with a plastic trash bag.

[Rawhide]

Thanks Hilly. Sounds like you are very organized. Something I can only strive for!!

[Hilly]

Thanks Hilly. Sounds like you are very organized. Something I can only strive for!!

Belive me, it's the only part of my life or home that's organized.

[Johanna]

Smaller patterns and craftaids are in a fan file folder in a desk drawer, and larger patterns are rolled up in mailing tubes. Books...ummm are everywhere. I have some in the shop, some up here in my office. You are correct- the books are not standard sizes, so they don't fit neatly on shelves. I lay them longways on the bottom shelves. Of course, my shop has been dormant for a long time...I'd probably do things a bit differently if I needed to access the books more frequently.

Hilly- I keep dyes on a very low shelf near the bench. Once upon a time we had them nice and handy on a higher shelf, and one day there must have been too much vibration from pounding on the bench...you can imagine that disaster as they came tumbling down! Always be sure to screw caps on tightly. Sigh.

Johanna

[wildrose]

Magazines are upright on a built in shelf in my workroom. Large/oversize books are laid flat on the same shelves. For craftaids and sheet size patterns, I have them divided by topic in folders in a milk crate. (i.e. : craftaids, kit patterns, tracings, etc)

[artty1]

I just thought I would throw in a few ideas of alternative ways to store things and keep them neat. For rolled up items I took different diameters of PVC pipe and cut them slightly longer than I needed (about 40") and with one end cut at a 45degree angle, then i laid them together and glued until I had 4 units which i then stacked on top of each other. Could also use pvc to organize rolls vertically. To hang items rather than use hangers i took 2" diam. wooden dowels that i had sanded really smooth and sealed w/ a clear spray paint and made a kind of giant quilt hanger of sorts with the rods 3 deep and cascading down so i could see what was in the back and get to it as well. For laying items flat I have a metal 5 drawer flat file however they are pretty $$ and i just happened to come across one for a steal on ebay. You could also check around at graphic design/drafting supply stores for shelves made to store large flat items, they are usually stackable and not nearly as $$ as the metal file cabinets. I am a fan of mid century modern design and found a great classic storage piece designed by Joe Colombo called the bobby trolley and that is where i keep all of my smaller items, it takes up very little space has 3 drawers that swivel out than pull out and a couple of shelf spaces on the outside to stack things, also has a 2.5" or so deep lip on top to hold items safely from falling on the floor while working. I love that it is on casters too so I can move it just where I want to keep things handy.

eric

[Jordan]

Most of my cardstock patterns I put a hole in them and hang them on a pegboard, of course I found out I need to mark the hole as a hanger and not part of the pattern! Everything else is willy-nilly all over the place, really got to work on that, I used to be so organized, sigh.....

[Tkleather1]

I have all of my chap patterns hanging on the wall on a nail above my cutting table. Some of my purse patterns and what not are here as well, pretty much all of my card stock patterns I geuss. My books are all vertical on a bookshelf. My tooling patterns are all in a 2'' 3 ring binder using the clear plastic sleeves, also in this binder are all of my chap yokes and side panel patterns varioius brand patterns and some of the small cardstock patterns. all of my knives and edgers, mauls, hammer, and whatnot are hanging on the wall above my layout bench. As far as dyes and finishes the are in an old medicine cabinet that hangs on the wall at the end of my oiling bench. my leather is stored in my leather closet on shelves that are 40 inches deep.

I have a small shop 15x20 with a 4x8 cutting table in it so I dont have alot of room or floor space so I try to put as much stuff on the wall and off of the benches as I can.

[mendedbowl]

i lay my large books in a stack horizontally on the shelf with the spines facing out so i can read the titles. small patterns go into a separate file folder with a label. larger patterns are rolled and go into labeled mailing tubes.

a few tips:

-you can pick up lots of free used mailing tubes at the post office (where they keep the p.o. boxes) around the first of the year when companies mail out their promotional calendars. you would be surprised how many people just throw perfectly good tubes away.

-when you roll a pattern, roll it with the side that goes against the leather to the inside. that way when you use it, it will tend to curl down against the leather instead of rolling up like a scroll.

ken

Edited April 16, 2009 by mendedbowl