Here's a Way on Wednesday: Organizing Etsy Patterns Usefully

If you ask my husband, he'd tell you I'm the last person to ask about organizing my craft space, but I promise, I do have SOME nooks of organization amongst all my madness! One of the most recent additions to the actual organized areas of my craft-mess are my Etsy.com sewing patterns. I started a recent habit of buying some simple sewing projects from Etsy.com sellers and some of them tend to verge on e-book status of 12-20+ pages each, and that may or may not include the pattern pieces too. So after having about five different pattern stacks sitting on my desk, I decided I needed to clean it up a bit.... as I was clicking the button to buy another pattern.

You can do a number of no-brainer ideas to easily manage this stack. But I wanted to share what is working for me so far using what I had on hand in my office.

SUPPLIES.

2. - 3 Ring Binder (thickness depending on what you want)
3. - Clear Page Protectors
4. - 3 Ring Hole Punch

HOW TO.

2. 1.) Hole punch all your instructions (don't hole punch any cut/un-cut pattern pieces unless you just want to keep them for tracing)
3. 2.) Layer in to the binder back to front: One Clear Page Protector, then Pattern Instructions in front and so on... alternating. Basically you will end up with your instructions with a clear pocket for pattern pieces at the back of each pattern and also helps as a divider for each pattern.
4. 3.) Make a cute fabric binder cover if you so wish. I haven't made it that far (see links for resources below on doing this).

NOTES:

I originally started out with no particular order in my binder, keeping my baby/kid patterns grouped together and accessories like a pin cushion and some purse patterns together. I have now outgrown my one binder that is about 1.5" thick. Since I am having a baby in about four months, I'm assuming I'll buy and continue buying baby, child and kid clothing and accessory patterns so I am about to split up my binder in to one for accessories and things and then one for baby/kid things. I could also use my 4" thick binder but it seemed a little bulky for an all inclusive pattern holder and when I'm working on a pattern, I wouldn't want such a massive binder in front of me. Your choice.

COVERING YOUR BINDER(S).

Here's what looks like a seamstresses Pattern Making/Transfer Binder cover because it includes some extra pockets. It's a visual tutorial on making a master pattern for your binder cover and then making the actual cover: Binder Cover Tutorial - Part 1: Making the master pattern

Another, minus adding things like pockets and such, but using a quilting design (as in mixing fabric pieces) is by the ModaBakeShop.com - Binder Cover.

Now, I don't normally like, nor link to anything by About.com, but This general tutorial on making a binder cover seemed decent enough and might be more clear than the other two above. Covers making the master pattern and then sewing instructions. Free Pattern & Directions to Sew a Binder Cover.

This is a pretty cute one, mainly because of the fabric and extra embellishments. Binder Cover Tutorial by LolaAgain.blogspot.com.

You could add some sweet little tags on the binder backbone and front with Computer Printer Fabric. Which you can get in many varieties, the cheapest being a sew-on inkjet printable fabric (comes in cream or white). I got some at JoAnn's for under $10 for a pack of four sheets (Tailor brand - I have yet to have an opinion on brands for this type of product yet, but this brand seems great so far). There are fusible and other types but it ups the price. Since I already have fabric fusible products I just got plain sew-on.