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Organizing Craft Supplies

by Pat Chan
(Lakewood, Ohio, USA )

I do alot of different crafts. From cross stitch, wreaths, stamping, stenciling, sewing, quilting, paint glass, plastic canvas etc. You get the picture I have alot of different items.


What is the best way to keep these seperate, look neat, keep in order and easy to grab when I hold a craft class. I teach the handicapped and I need to be prepared at all times. Usually I have to come up with an idea at the spur of the moment.

Please help, how do I get started?

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Feb 24, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		The Hard Part Is Keeping Your Craft Supplies Organized
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Hi Pat,

You have presented an excellent question. I know that it is easy for craft supplies to get out of hand, especially when you engage in multiple crafts.

The first thing to do when preparing to organize craft supplies is to gather up some storage containers. Personally, I prefer clear storage containers for craft supplies. They are easier to deal with than labeled containers.

  • Glass baby food jars with lids are great for storing buttons, beads and so forth. You can arrange them by size or by color. If you don't have a baby or don't know anyone that does, you can often find jars at garage sales.


  • Divided storage boxes with clear lids are also great for little things like jewelry fasteners, beads, pins, needles and so forth.


  • Filing boxes with hanging files are pretty awesome for storing scrapbook paper. They are portable, so you can move the files to your craft area before you get started on a craft class.


  • You can actually bag reusable paper scraps from scrapbooking in clear gallon zipper-lock bags sorted by color and store them in a filing box as well.


  • Patterns are best kept in a filing cabinet and organized by craft type.


  • There is no better way to store thread than on a wall-mounted peg board.


  • Yarn and fabric store well in large baskets, but I prefer clear storage boxes with lids because they are easier to stack and it is easy to find the fabric or yarn that you are looking for.


  • A clear organizer with drawers is great for storing general supplies such as scissors, glue, hot glue guns, pens and pencils, stencils, ceramic tools, crochet and knitting needles, etc. The drawers are removable and can easily be moved to the craft area when you are working on a craft that requires them.


  • Paint is best stored in clear, stackable containers with lids that are marked by type of paint. For instance, oil paint, fabric paint, water colors, ceramic paint, etc.




    • After you have gathered the storage materials that you will need, it's time to totally clear out the craft supply area and clean it. Then, you can start from scratch putting things away in an organized manner.

    Sort the supplies that you use together in batches and keep general supplies separate. For instance, you use scissors in most of the crafts so it doesn't make sense to store them with one type of craft. General supplies need to be easy to find without sorting through other craft supplies.

    Once you get it all organized, the task is to develop a work pattern that will keep it organized. This is the hard part.

    I encourage you to put things away in the appropriate place and the end of every craft session. If you can develop that habit, your crafting will be much more enjoyable and you will be able to find craft supplies on the spur of a moment.

    All the best to you,

    - The Organizer

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