Cleaning can lighten your load.

I have found that if you don't clean out your craft space frequently, there are so many projects that can be lost to the darkness. So this is a focus on the lightening of a craft space (really, just how I clean my own craft space) and a subsequent list of the projects I will be juggling (this will be a separate post, I think).  But first for some tips on what to do and not do while cleaning.

First: DO make a total mess. Unless you're the anxious type who could never manage such a thing. This shows you everything that you have, dump it all on the floor. I would strongly suggest that you wear close toed, hard soled shoes for this. Craft spaces can be fraught with pins and needles!

Next begin to sort. I like using grocery bags and piles. The variety of the piles and bags will depend on what types of crafts you favor. If you knit or crochet alot, you probably already have a designated yarn bag or box or bin. If you prefer quilting, the squares might already be grouped together somehow. So spread out and put these groups together.

Then look at your craft space, and I really do mean to give it an honest look. Is it small? Is it lacking some storage? Assess the space and keep the order of your crafts in mind while you think of how you're going to put everything back. What I mean by the order of your crafts is simply that you should make a time line.

You can organize your timeline in whatever way suits you the best. I have found that keeping "due dates" (birthdays, events, gift giving get togethers I'm making something for) in my daily planner to remind me of when a certain project needs to be done by is helpful. The order of everything else depends on how you craft. Do you want the large projects out of the way first? The small ones? Do you never have multiple going on at the same time? Make a list that helps you organize these priorities, and then stick to it.

This list can then be used when putting things back into your space, with the projects that aren't going to be worked on in a while being put the furthest from reach. After this you can start placing the rest of your supplies in designated places. If you find that you need some extra bins or bags to place these sorted supplies into, DO NOT rush off to an expensive store.

Instead go to the dollar store. They often have a plastics isle of bins. A large variety of bins in different styles and colors. With this you can color code and if you would still like to label the bins you can go over to the school supply isle and look there.

Also, while you are cleaning and purging the craft space:
DO NOT start a new craft or let yourself be side tracked to working on one you havent seen in a while.
DO NOT give it all up for lost. You will get through this.
DO go slowly. You really need to think critically about these things. If you're anything like me, you need to ask yourself "Is this scrap too small to keep?" If you're not making a scrap quilt, and all its good for is a Barbie size cuff, the answer is yes.
DO take small breaks. Remember to not push yourself too hard.

So that is all for now. Some in's and out's of cleaning that should help you stay organized.

May your stitches be straight and may your thread  never tangle.