If you are a designer or you love sewing and have been doing this for a long time, you realize that you need a system to organize your sewing patterns. Otherwise, you will experience problems such as a messy pile of pattern pieces and difficulty in retrieving your pieces when you need them. When you start sewing, you do not have many pattern pieces and storing them in boxes seems to suffice. However, as you grow your art, you begin collecting many pattern exceeding a hundred. You now realize your pattern collection is out of control, mixed up and your storage boxes and binders start to bulge and tear. It is time you find an effective system of organizing your sewing pattern.
A good organizing system will help you:
- Store your patterns better
- Preserve the quality of the patterns
- Protect the patterns from damage during handling and retrieval
- Make it easy for you to search, access and retrieve your patterns
- Makes it easy for you to grow your patterns as you add new ones
Comic Book Storage for Sewing Patterns
Comic book enthusiasts know how to store their comic book collections in their original quality. They are unbeatable in saving their collection. Most sewing patterns can fit the size of comic books. The size is beneficial because it allows you to store and similarly organize your patterns like comic collectors.
The benefits of using comic book storage
You store patterns in flexible bags so you can access the pattern anytime without having to destroy the container. The bag protects your patterns from dirt, dust and dirty hands, so they remain clean. With this organizing system, an acid-free board backs your patterns and prevents them from aging and changing color. Another benefit is that your patternsare held in place, so they do not bend or get torn. comicbook storage protects your valuable vintage patterns allowing you to handle them without causing them damage. The system also makes uniform the size of the patterns,so they are easy to store and catalog. What’s more, they look very appealing once organized.
Comic book storage requirements
The comic book storage requires the following:
- plastic bags
- plastic dividers
- cardboard boxes with lids
- cardboard.
How to store your sewing patterns
Place one cardboard in a plastic comic book bag. Gently Slide the pattern envelope in front of the cardboard and the pattern pieces behind the cardboard. The cardboard provides backing for stability allowing you to move your patterns without ripping or damaging them. After you are done, seal the bag. For more convenience, you can put a colored dot that corresponds to the pattern in the bag on the top right corner of each bag. This is optionalthough. Remember to label the bags with the name of the pattern. The most convenient way is to purchase bags that already have tabs for labeling. If you cannot find these, you can improvise and add your own tags.
Proceed to store your sealed patterns in comic book boxes for easy storage and more protection. Some people store their patterns in file cabinets, but comic books remain the best for the task.
Cataloging your sewing patterns
You want to organize your patterns in a systematic way such that you find it easy to search, access and reference them. There are various ways you can hold your patterns. For example:
By types such as pants, dresses, and skirts or by time, for example, categorizing patterns by the year they were fashionable in the market. You can also group them according to sex like men’s wear, women’s wear and unisex patterns. Other special categories you can use include kids, baby/toddler, maternity, lingerie or pajamas, swimsuits, and accessories. Some people organize the patterns in alphabetical order. You can use whichever method that suits you. You can use plastic board dividers to separate the categories in a box. The plastic dividers also make it easy to locate the pattern you are searching for.
Label your boxes
You want to know the contents of each box at a glance. This means you need to label each box according to what it contains. The tip here is to use scrapbooking paper and tape the labels on. This way, if you need to change the contents of a box, you can just peel it off and create a new name.
Where to get storage supplies
Numerous online sites sell these supplies thanks to the countless comic book collectors that create the demand. eBay is the right place to get the comic storage supplies. The supplies come in different size dimension. So you can order the size that suits you or different sizes according to your needs.
About the Author
Annabelle Carter Short is a freelance writer/editor and seamstress of more than 7 years. Annabelle writes for Wunderlabel and you can check her blog here: https://wunderlabel.com/blog/
