Organize All the Projects!

I spent the weekend cleaning my work space & re-organizing my fabric stash. I’ve already done the same for my yarn stash & DIY stash – yes, I have lots of stashes! Now I want to organize all the projects I have planned for those stashes. I’ve been scouring the web for crafty planners to help me out with this. I thought I’d share what I’ve found & how I plan to organize all the projects!

Putting it All Together

I’ve tried different methods for planners & I have even written several posts about it in the past. In fact, I wrote one about this very subject at the beginning of the year. It started out okay, but the system failed because it was not cohesive. Even though I need separate spaces for different types of projects, I need them to work together as well. Here’s what I need for things to be cohesive for me ~>

• One main space to keep a working calendar so I can keep up with school, blog, YouTube, social media, & personal schedules. This will keep me from over scheduling because I can see everything together.
• Separate spaces to keep up with different kinds of projects like crochet, DIY, sewing, quilting, etc.
• These two things need to work together! Then I can move what I’m working on currently to the main space & grab the new projects from the separate spaces when a project is finished.
• This all needs to happen on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper – tiny planners don’t work for me!

If you’re still with me after all of that, you might be a planner nerd too! : D

Something That Works

I’ve tried using different notebooks & binders for this, but this doesn’t work when I want to move things around. Sometimes, the order I start in is not working & I need to reorganize. This causes me to set up a whole new system & start from scratch – bleh!

After spending way too much time looking up planners, I stumbled across this post from the Polka Dot Chair. I love the way she takes a plain notebook & makes it her own. I also love her ideas for using the Cricut to make tabs & such. Why didn’t I think of that?? The only thing not working for me is the ring bound notebook because I can’t move things around. Then, I found the The Happy Planner system & I may have done a little happy dance!

I’m not affiliated with the company at all & I haven’t actually bought anything from them. I’ve just been stalking them online & waiting for the day that I can get to the store to buy it! They do sell some on Amazon {which is one of my affiliates} but they don’t have the notebooks I want.

The bottom line is ~> lots of options + disc bound + plus the Happy Notebooks + a paper punch = exactly what I’ve been looking for! Another bonus is that this system is not super expensive. Here’s my plan ~>

• Buy several Happy Notebooks, which include dividers, covers, & discs for $10.
• Get a calendar pack {$10} to use in the main notebook.
• Buy a paper punch {29.99} so I can add whatever I want to the notebooks, like all the cool printables I’m gonna show y’all!
• Use my coupons at Joann’s to save money for future stash buying. ; D

By the way, if you live near Joann’s, they have a coupon in their app good through today that gives you 70% off the whole line of products – in store only. I’m too far away from one to go during the work week – boo! And they only sell the Happy Notebooks in store too, so double boo!

Now, on to the awesome printables I’ve found to help me organize all the stuff!

Crochet Projects

I was delighted to find this printable crochet project planner {$12.99} from Petals to Picots. This planner has everything a crocheter, both new or experienced, could need to keep up with their crochet projects.

Not only does it have project planner pages in two different formats, it also includes the following:

• table of contents sheet – organize it how you like!
• Yarn weight & fiber reference chart
• yarn inventory sheet
• hook chart with column for your inventory
• crochet abbreviations reference
• U.S./U.K. Conversions chart
• common stitch chart symbols
• Tunisian stitch symbols
• turning chain cheat sheet
• laundry symbols
• standard measures & yarn requirements chart – afghans to hats!
• hat size chart & basic hat formula
• standard foot size chart
• measurements record – for those you crochet for
• favorite resources list – 4 awesome ones pre-filled!
• graph, dotted graph, lined, & hexie paper
• design charts for square, triangular, & round pattern writing
• printable tags with washing instructions in 3 different colors

If you’re a crocheter, you need this in your arsenal of yarn conquering! Yes, it’s a paid printable, but it is totally worth it! I’ve already purchased one & I cannot wait to start filling in all the empty spaces. Also, if you don’t already follow Petals to Picots, you really should be!

Sewing Projects

This section is for sewing projects like clothes, bags, stuffies & such. I’ve put quilting into it’s own category because even though it’s sewing, it just has different needs. Plus it uses way more fabric than most other sewing projects!

Sometimes you realize you already have what you need floating around in your file of lists. Yes, I collect planner & list printables much like I collect yarn & fabric. Are y’all surprised? Anyway, I found this free sewing planner from Seamwork, which is perfect for keeping up with sewing projects.

It’s designed to allow you to make a collection of clothes with a mood, palette, & criteria sheet if you want to use that. I’m more interested in the look & project plan sheets which are perfect for putting my fabric with patterns I want to make.

Also, if you like sewing clothes, you should sign up for Seamwork’s magazine – it’s fabulous!

Quilting Projects

There are lots of quilting planners out there, including the popular Quilter’s Planner which includes a calendar & such. Some of them get quite detailed, listing thread yardage used & even time spent sewing. I don’t really have a need for that many details, so I’m going with these free printable quilt project sheets from Pixels to Patchwork. A main list sheet to see all projects at a glance & individual project sheets to hold all the juicy details – perfect!

She says she created these because she likes to join QAL’s and has trouble keeping up with them. Hmmm….that sounds really familiar! Also, she’s provided an editable version as well as a PDF version. Be still my planner loving heart! : D

This will help me keep all those bins full of quilts in progress straight & remember quilts I still want to make! I think I’m going to add a “projects at a glance” page to each planner. It’s a great way to see what projects are in progress at a glance.

DIY Projects

The final category for today is for DIY projects. I’m always thinking of projects I want to do or try & it will be nice to have them all in one place. Then when it’s time for a Wednesday post, I don’t have to figure it out at the last minute. Not that I do that…ahem.

This free printable DIY project planner from pack ma home will be great for this planner. It even has a spot to fill in for “source of inspiration”. Let’s be honest, that answer is usually Pinterest!

I like the start & end dates at the top, so I can see how long something’s been hanging out in my stash. Most of the planner pages I’ve shared have that & if they don’t I’ll be adding it. The “total costs” section will be good to know especially if I’m planning on selling the DIY after it’s finished. I may add this section to other project sheets as well.

The great thing about all of this is that it’s completely customizable. I’ll be able to add what I need & change things out easily with this system. I think this will have better sticking power than the ones I’ve tried before. Now I’m counting down the days until I can put my hand on those planners! : D

How about y’all? What’s your favorite way to organize all the projects?

Pin it for later!