Quilting Project Organization | Tips & Tricks

October 11, 2022

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Hey y’all! I am Hilary from By Hilary Jordan and today I’m going to share Quilting Project Organization|Tips and Tricks with you! I am a social media manager by day and a quilter & sewist by night. For the past 20 years, I have been quilting and sewing, which honestly feels so surreal. I was in Elizabeth’s very first group of Quilt Pattern Design Course participants. Quilting brings so much joy to my life and it is truly a passion of mine.

Quilting Project Organization | Tips & Tricks

I am excited to share my favorite methods for organizing works in progress and UFOs (because I know we all have them ). I’m a perpetual project starter, and part time project finisher, so keeping track of all the projects is a must.

Tracking WIPs & UFOs

Before you can organize your projects, you need to know how many you have. I’ve created a handy quilting project tracking sheet that you can download to keep up with all your WIPs & UFOs. You can get the project tracker here.

The benefit of having all the quilting projects written out like this is that I can see exactly what I have in the works with a quick glance. I hang this clipboard on the wall behind my sewing machine so it’s a constant reminder to finish the projects on the list before starting something else. 😅

WIP & UFO Project Storage

There are a few different project storage methods I recommend if you find yourself with a growing number of WIPs or UFOs. First is for the super old UFOs… I like to keep them in these plastic storage bins. I originally bought these to transport my stash when I moved a couple years ago, but they ended up being a great location for project storage.

Using bins makes it easy to access the different projects, plus it keeps everything inside protected from pet hair/dander, accidental spills, etc. One addition I need for this storage system is to attach a list of projects that are inside each box. That way there’s no digging through each box because you can’t remember what is inside. 😅

For more recent projects, I store them in these zipper document pouches that I found on Amazon. Just like my storage bins, I originally ordered these for a completely different use. Then I realized they work great for keeping projects bundled together. I keep them on a bookshelf next to my cutting table/workspace. This allows easy access for when I’m feeling the urge to switch projects.

Last but not least is quilt top storage. Since a longarm is still a wishlist item, I tend to finish quilt tops significantly faster than getting them quilted. To keep everything nice, and mostly wrinkle free, I like to hang finished quilt tops on hangers in my sewing room closet.

These velvet hangers are a great choice for this, because they prevent the quilt tops from sliding around or falling off the hanger. I previously used basic plastic hangers and I had so many issues with quilt tops falling off the hanger or shifting to one side in a terrible clump.

I hope some of these ideas for Quilting Project Organization | Tips & Tricks have inspired you to organize and keep track of your WIPs and UFOs. The first step to finishing WIPs/UFOs is getting them organized. Don’t forget to download your project tracking sheet.

I would love it if you’d follow along with me at @byhilaryjordan on Instagram, and you can find my blog at byhilaryjordan.com.

Happy quilting!

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