Albums

First, welcome to all my new followers!  I hope something here will interest you.  Also, if you have had questions in your comments, I will try to answer them sooner or later.

Barbara Brackman surprised me by showing some of the blocks I made for her Civil War project.  It was super-surprising to see the word "organization" in regard to me.  (My cousin must be getting a big chuckle out of that.)  Big sigh here. This is where I admit to loving blogs about organizing.  This is a good one: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/   I love to see how clever and dedicated other people are to making neat homes come into being.  Sadly, that doesn't happen around here.  However, over the long years of periodically taking a stab at organizing, I have learned some things about myself.  If you are challenged as well, this might make you think a little.  Bins and baskets are my friends.  Being a very visual person and having virtually no memory any more, I have to see things.  That means that what serves me best is a bin in which I throw anything that will glue, tape or adhere things.  That type of thing.  Also, don't label them, but rather number them.  This is due to the fact that invariably after a spree of organizing things I would have a small bin of one type of item and then find a hidden stash of the same thing and of course it would not fit in that bin, which I had already meticulously labeled.  If you number them, you can immediately jump to a larger container and change your master list.  (Of course, keeping track of your master list is another challenge - hey, no system is perfect!) 

About the albums shown above - it became apparent to me that it was necessary to do a much better job of documenting my Portfolio Series Quilts. What works for me are the Doodlebug 8x8 scrap booking albums that I buy at Archiver's .  They have top end loading plastic sheets into which I can put many things. Worksheets, fabric samples, you name it.  I designed a couple of forms for them. I have an album dedicated to Designs and Ideas and one dedicated to Finished Quilts.  If an idea comes to fruition, I switch all the appropriate papers to the finished file.  The Ideas form is a place where I can write down the name of the quilt book that shows a quilt I like, etc.  (The bad memory thing, you know.)  Also, the plastic holders are great for holding any random notes, doodles, print outs, etc.)  The bottom shows a print out from Quilt Pro that I used for a layout for the Orange and Blue Quilt. 

This shows the finished folder for the Bethlehem Star Quilt with a leftover piece of binding.  Also, it works for me to have a Sharpie and a pencil in a holder at the beginning of every album.  Sometimes a note needs to be added and if a pencil isn't handy, it doesn't get done.  (It helps to know your limitations!)

Why all this attention to detail?  Get ready to gasp here - it is because none of my Portfolio Quilts have a label on them.  I know what you are thinking.  If I ever teach a class, I never fail to tell my students to label their quilts.  Here are the reasons I don't label them:  The label would be totally out of scale for the quilt.  If it were to scale, you couldn't read it.  Also, these quilts are all about being miniature versions of antique quilts.  Antique quilts rarely had labels on the back.  Also, people who want to steal quilts are undoubtedly adept at removing labels if necessary.  Even if they are put on and then quilted, they can be removed if the desire to do so is great enough.  Also, because these quilts are made out of antique fabrics that are difficult to find, it would be very hard for someone to prove they were theirs and not mine.  However, this non-labeling thing has lead me to keep very good records. 

Well, that is it for my organizing abilities.  Didn't take long, did it?

Till next time.............

Sheila

Edit: It came to me that I have never posted a pic of my Portfolio.  So here it is:

It is an artist's portfolio that we bought at Michael's some time ago.  I design all my miniatures to fit in it.  It contains acid free plastic envelopes and papers.  Here it is open:

The maximum quilt size is 13.625" x 16.735".  I thought you might like to see it.

Sheila