Spring Ahead.

We set our clocks ahead on Sunday. A sure sign that spring is coming. It's been raining for two days, the snow is almost entirely melted, and the temperature has started a slow climb. Spring is in the air.
I used my free weekend hours tackling household chores. Between work and running around, we're still trying to get ourselves washed, folded and put away following vacation. In the process of playing catch-up, I seem to have caught a very desirable and long sought after case of spring (cleaning) fever.  

You see, I have these piles that never disappear. They drive me absolutely crazy. To be more precise, they are tote bags. Three Large Tote bags. Full. Filled with yarn/fabric/pattern overflow and  abandoned WIPs. These bags are constantly relocated but never properly addressed.  They're out of control. They're an eyesore. And, their existence is completely, 100% my fault. 

We don't have a lot of living space in our one bedroom Chicago condo. It's absolutely imperative that everything in our physical possession has 'a place' or things get chaotic. Consequently, I run a pretty tight-ship. (In the interest of full-disclosure, it's worth mentioning, I would NEVER, NOT EVER let Mike get away with the type of accumulation I've amassed.) So, why haven't I cleaned up my mess? Like so many small problems, there's a bigger problem buried underneath. In order to empty my tote bags, I need to completely overhaul and organize my stash(es). Over time, they've become unkempt; disguised by the cubbies that contain their masses (Out of sight, out of mind, right?). As a whole, the idea of sorting and organizing my supplies is an insurmountable mountain. There's so much to do. 

Ideally, I want to do this once; completely and orderly enough,  I never need to do it again. So, with a divide and conquer outlook and the accountability that this blog demands, I've started. 

The first mole hill I managed to climb is the organization of my trim.  

I came into a quantity of lace trim during a fabric acquisition last year (never blogged- more on that later). I'd never purchased trim before- I'm lucky I can produce a wearable garment. Adornment is still beyond me, (but not out of reach). Some of the pieces are really beautiful, and I can see finding uses for them in the future. So, after I washed and hung each piece, it got carefully wound, placed in a bag and, you guessed it, landed in one of those wretched tote bags of torment. 

I didn't have a clue how to go about storage. I knew that I wanted to be able to easily see what I have. It's very difficult to work from a stash that doesn't readily present itself. I also knew I wanted my trims to be well contained and have a small footprint.  

I took a cruise around Pinterest looking at some of the solutions other crafters have posted, but I don't have the space to to create some of the set-ups I saw (here,  here, here, here), and as my craft space doubles as an office/dining area, I was looking for a solution that was less of a focal point. At the fabric store, trims are spooled. I liked the concept and borrowed the idea. 

To create the spools, I used a gift box/shirt box leftover from the holidays. First, I cut away the sides. Then I cut the center rectangular portions into two halves. Using no exact science, I notched the ends to create a spool shape. And, Voila!  One gift box yields four spools. I'm pleased with the result. One project down....