Daily Preparedness

After organizing your laundry system, it is important to organize the way you store and retrieve clothing. Depending on your lifestyle, organizational personality, number of children and storage options, you may need to be creative in approaching this topic! Finding what suits you and then making it work is key to being able to quickly put away and then locate what you need.

The first step is to analyze your organizational personality. Regardless of what many closet organizers will tell you, there is no one system that works for everyone. In order to figure out where you are on the spectrum of organizational personality, ask yourself a few questions:

1. Are you someone that folds things with military precision, stacking items neatly and using every inch of space?
2. Are you more free spirited, preferring to simply group items by category?
3. Do you like to organize by outfits? (this works particularly well for children)
4. Do you prefer to separate by color? Function? Type?
5. Do you tend to leave clothing lying around?
6. Do you change your clothes when you come home from work?
7. Are you short on space?

Honestly answering these sorts of questions, and taking a hard look at how you function best, will help you determine the best method of organizing your clothing in the space you have available. Regardless of which system works best, the first step is to:

1. Sort through the clothing you have. Discard what you will never wear again. Be brutally honest about this, but also don’t be so over-zealous that you discard items you may indeed use. If there are items that might be out of fashion but serviceable, think first of your ‘Bug Out’ Bag.
2. Separate clothing that needs repair. As you organize look for items that need repair, cleaning, etc.
3. Look hard at the space you have available. Look up, look down and be creative in expanding the space.
4. Separate out-of-season clothing and store separately. Again, be creative. Decorative trunks, hat boxes, higher-than-you-can-reach-easily shelves and cabinets, under the bed, at the back of shelves, etc. are spaces that might hold out-of-season clothing.
5. Separate clothing that you rarely use, but should keep such as formal wear, ‘funeral clothes’, etc. If you have an extra closet, move those items there.
6. If you can’t find a mate for the sock, take the loners out of your sock drawer! If nothing else, they will become great dust rags.
7. Donate what is still good but you know you won’t wear. Keep a receipt for tax day!

Now that you have the clothes separated, think about the space you have available and what will work best for you. Here are some options for different personalities:

• Military Precision Personality. You are the perfect personality for drawers, either a free standing dresser in the bedroom or smaller drawers in the closet. Each drawer should hold one type of item, such as socks, underclothes, t-shirts, etc. Your closet will most likely make you happiest if your clothing is separated by type, color and season. Hanging as many clothes as possible will make your job easier and you might consider putting together a week’s worth of wardrobe at a time. You do not need a lot of extra ‘closet organizing’ paraphernalia as you are naturally precise. Extend your storage capability by utilizing multi-hangers for slacks, belts, ties and other accessories. Give yourself places to put small items such as jewelry, change, watches, etc. A cutlery tray in a drawer is a great way to organize those small items. Your biggest weakness may be that you think any item neatly folded is worth keeping, such as neatly fold odd socks, worn clothing, undies better off in the trash and even dirty clothes. Be certain that you analyze what you are saving and why. Likewise, you may find yourself stagnated in your methods. You are the type that will find it hard to change to a better solution!
• Middle Of The Road. You aren’t determinedly precise nor a complete free spirit. You lapse between organized and not-so-organized depending on life’s happenings. You may find yourself behind the power curve! For you, hang up as many clothes as possible. Utilize the multi-hangers for anything you can and group them by categories, such as casual wear, business wear, dress clothes, etc. Hang your clothing by types and pull out empty hangers whenever you can. Give yourself as many over-the-door hooks as you have places for. Utilize them for items you don’t have time to hang up or items you use frequently, such as robes and night clothes. Hanging shoe bags are another great option not only for shoes but for small ’stuff’ such as ties, scarves, socks, hair accessories, belts and other small items. Wall-mounted hooks can help to organize jewelry. Don’t be limited in options for storing folded clothes. Shelves may work well for you. Cubicles and open storage, such as toy bins placed in closets are great for frequently used items. If your closet is big enough, don’t store out-of-season clothing elsewhere. Simply group clothing by season and purpose. Always select your clothing, including accessories & shoes, for the next day before going to bed. For special occasions, set aside the complete outfit and store together. When traveling, take a tip from stylists and snap a photo of the outfits you will wear.
• Free Spirit. (Or you are a parent with too much to do!) You are the highly creative type whose mind jumps from topic to topic or you simply can’t be bothered with the mundane of life. However, all of that creativity and ‘chilling’ can be disrupted by spending too much time trying to find something to wear. Don’t waste precious time trying to find your sock or trying to be Military Precision, simply adapt your storage systems to you! Be certain to first organize your laundry process and then follow through with how you store your clothing.  You need a lot of divided, small containers with easy to read labels. You might try baskets on shelves, shoe bags, cubbies, tubs and, my personal favorite, the small shelf units with tubs designed to hold toys. Place any and all of these in your closet. FORGET BUYING DRESSERS as you will probably never be able to close the drawers. OR limit the drawers to holding one type of item with plenty of room to spare. If you are okay with it, some items really don’t need to be folded. Undies, slips, stockings and other small items can simply be divided by type and then placed in their ‘container’. You needs LOTS of over-the-door hooks, shoe bags, and shelving. If you can’t be bothered placing an item back on the hanger, just toss it on the hook! Set aside one time during the week to clear off those hooks. Organize clothing within your closet by type. Make certain that any sort of organizing device you buy is really easy to use. For instance, if you are buying multi-hangers for slacks, buy the kind with clips, not the kind that require you to carefully drape the slacks over a small rod. Try to buy non-wrinkling clothes that require minimal care.

Children’s clothing is often best sorted into small, easily accessible containers. Again, a traditional dresser may be nothing more than a catch-all for the riff raff of life. Little hands may have trouble opening and closing drawers without pinching their fingers. Instead, think creatively and try to analyze your little one’s organizational personality.

• Plastic tubs labeled with contents that sit on shelves work well for most children. If the child cannot read, draw a simple picture that shows the clothing inside each tub.
• If the child is old enough to take clothing off hangers, hang a secondary lower rod that they can reach. Save the upper rod for less-often clothing.
• Be certain that hangers fit the child’s clothing.
• Consider assembling a week’s worth of outfits at one time. When my daughter started school, we organized everything down to hair accessories and placed on hangers with simple wooden tags that displayed the day of the week the outfit was going to be worn. This system allowed us to avoid the early morning scramble to find the right scrunchy or hair bow! She was free to scramble the days within the week if her mood changed, but the outfits stayed relatively intact.
• The same separation technique works well for Sunday or special occasion clothes. Laundry them early in the week and reassemble, including necessary accessories.
• Provide children with places for accessories, shoes, etc. Hanging shoe bags are great for everything from barrettes to socks to shoes. Use the ones at child’s level for items they can use independently.
• Provide low hanging hooks or bins for frequently worn clothing, such as pjs, coats, etc.
• Store out of season or clothes in larger sizes out of child’s reach. Clearly label containers with contents and sizes.
• Teach children early how to use a laundry hamper. Place a hamper where they actually undress!
• Your laundry will go easier if you keep socks and undies in the same color range.
• If you have multiple children, initial their hard-to-tell-apart clothing. A permanent marker on a tag will save time when sorting undies, socks, etc.
• For babies, keep the items you use frequently close at hand and easily accessible.
• Restock diaper bags with clean clothing when you come home.

Whatever system works best for you, just remember to use it! Keeping your clothing organized, accessible and ready-to-wear will smooth over many of life’s frustrations. Treating your clothing properly will extend their lifetime and your budget.

Happy sorting!

Even if you never aspire to create great fashion, knowing about the differences in fabrics, how to care for them, mend them and recognize quality will allow you to stretch your clothing and home decor dollars.  Having on hand a few basic sewing supplies may allow you to significantly lengthen the lifespan of your favorite outfit or produce an entirely new one! Regardless of whether you ever intend to sew a runway masterpiece or not, it is most provident to acquire a basic set of skills and supplies

First, the skills:

1. How to identify and care for fabrics. When shopping in a retail store, can you recognize the difference in quality between one fabric and another? Do you read care labels and follow them? Do you understand the wearability and expected lifespan of a thin polyester versus silk? What about the safety factors of wool versus fleece? (Did you know that wool self-extinguishes when removed from a fire source or that fleece is not only highly flammable, but spews bits of molten fiber as it burns?) Which fabrics will fade or wear out quickly in the sun? Which fibers are best for insulating?

2. How to make simple repairs to clothing and household items. Can you sew on a button? What about a snap? Repair a hem? Re-enforce an area that is showing wear? Stitch a seam before an item is ruined? Know which iron-on products you can use to make simple repairs? How to re-enforce the buttons on a new garment?

3. How to sew a straight seam on a sewing machine. You do not need an ultra-expensive computerized embroidery machine. But, you should be able to thread a sewing machine and at least sew a straight seam.

The supplies: (For all items, watch for sales. Sign up for the JoAnn Fabrics mailers or email notices. Also check Freecycle, thrift shops and other venues for free or cheap items!)

1. Hand sewing needles. Store a variety of betweens, sharps, quilting and curved needles. In general, the short thin needles are the easiest to use with most fabrics. You should store thin and thick curved needles, as the thin ones can stitch up a cut human while the thick ones can repair leather and other thick fibers.

2. Needle threader. The sturdiest needle threader I have seen is made by Fons and Porter. Having a needle threader is a a true aid to anyone attempting to sew by hand!

3. Scissors. Set aside a pair of scissors that will only be used on fabric. Mark the scissor handle as ‘fabric only’ and sternly enforce the rule. Fiskars and Gingher are both good beginner brands. A medium length scissor is good for most applications.

4. Measuring tape. Purchase a sturdy, coated one intended for sewing. Measuring tapes will stretch over time.

5. Ruler. Store at least one 12″ ruler, A transparent one is the easiest to use while sewing.

6. Fasteners. A supply of snaps, hook & eyes, buttons, velcro and a few all-purpose zippers. If you are going to throw away a piece of clothing away, cut off and save the buttons first!

7. Sewing machine. A good, basic machine is all most folks will need. Some of the older pre-computer-days machines are sturdier than the more modern ones. With the machine, store the manual, some sewing machine oil and spare needles.

8. Sewing machine needles. Always purchase needles packaged in a hard plastic case. Needles packaged in paper/thin plastic-type packaging often have microscopic bends and knicks in them. Schmetz is a good, readily available brand. Store a variety of sizes. Sewing machine needles can also be used to remove splinters (sterilize first), hang pictures on walls and pierce a variety of materials.

9. Iron-on interfacing. A good quality iron-on knit interfacing can be used to mend small tears, re-enforce worn spots and buttons in ready-to-wear garments. If applied carefully, it can give new shape to a sagging sweater or soften rough seams.  Always store with the instructions and away from heat, moisture or dust. Cover your ironing surface before using and place a piece of white paper between the interfacing and your iron.

10. A few basic patterns. Look for a variety of multi-sized skirts, dress, blouse, elastic waist pants and nightwear patterns. Patterns go on sale monthly and can often be picked up for free at community events as well as freecycle. Additional patterns are available on the internet.

11. Fabrics. Not everyone needs a true ‘fabricaholic stash’, but it would be wise to have a supply of cotton flannel, broadcloth, denim, cotton cheesecloth and wool. Sheets purchased from the clearance rack can provide a lot of yardage at little cost. (thrift store sheets are less wise to store as they are often worn unevenly and have been repeatedly washed) The flannel can be made into diapers, bedding, nightwear, re-usable sanitary products, as an insulator and for cleaning. Broadcloth can be made into garments, burial clothes, bedding and household items. Denim is nearly indestructable. Old jeans can be recycled into a variety of items. Wool is self-extinguishing, insulating and it breathes. 100% wool blankets can be used for a variety of purposes, including clothing. If you want to experiment, try felting wool by washing it several times in an electric clothes washer. Follow with a spin in the dryer. The resulting fiber is nearly water proof and incredibly warm. It won’t ravel and can be washed.  Cheesecloth is used in many areas of cooking, gardening and can be turned into gauze bandages. If you want to expand from those basics, add some colors, prints and a variety of textures.

12. Thread. Store a variety of hand sewing, hand quilting, buttonhole and machine quilting threads. Have on hand at least several spools of basic thread in white, beige, black, navy and red. Purchase a good quality thread such as Gutterman or Mettler. Hand quilting thread is stronger than ‘regular’ thread and can even sew up a human cut in an emergency. It is coated to make it resistant to breaking and can tolerate more stress than regular thread. Buttonhole thread is one of the strongest threads and can be used to repair heavy-duty items. Machine quilting thread (different than hand quilting) is again coated to tolerate more times going through more layers of fabric. Remember, though, that hand quilting thread should NOT be used in a sewing machine. Thread is another item that goes on sale frequently.

13. Elastic. Store some elastic in a few widths varying from 1/4″ to 1.5″.

14. Seam ripper. Un-sewing is a part of the process! Seam rippers are good for cutting loose threads from ready-made garments, as well as picking out the thread left behind when a button falls off. The sharpest seam rippers have curved blades and were based on disposable scalpels.

15. Thimble. A leather one with a metal tip is the easiest to get used to.

16. ‘Wonder under’ and similar products. There are a variety of products on the market designed to fuse, either temporarily or permanently, two pieces of fabric together. Steam-a-seam, stitch-witchery and wonder under are all brand names of these type of products which serve different purposes. Fusibles will allow you to quickly hem an item, repair a seam, make decorative items, hold items in place while stitching, as well as a variety of other useful purposes. LIke the interfacing, cover your ironing surface and put a protective layer between the fusible and your iron. Store with the instructions, away from heat, moisture and light.

17. Pins. Straight pins — my favorites are the long ones with the colored plastic or glass heads. You can iron over the glass heads. Never sew over a pin with your sewing machine! Also store safety pins.

18. Marking tools. Plain white chalk, tailor’s chalk in blue or pink, and a sharp #2 pencil are the basics.

19. Book. Find a good, basic ‘how to’ book such as Nancy Zieman’s “Let’s Sew: A Beginner’s Sewing Guide,” which was written for children in the 4-H program. If that is too basic, add Ms. Zieman’s ‘10-20-30 Minutes to Sew’ or her “Sewing With Confidence: A Beginner’s Guide.” The next level would be “Pattern Fitting With Confidence” or “Fitting Finesse”. Nancy’s books are always clearly written with great illustrations. All of her titles can be found used or at very reasonable prices. She has been on PBS for years, her shows are repeatedly shown and always informative. (And she is a genuinely nice woman!)

20. Containers. Store all of your supplies in labeled containers away from dust, heat and light.

A bit of sewing know-how can save you countless dollars and, maybe, provide you with a wonderful creative outlet that has proven to have significant health benefits. If nothing else, hauling bolts of fabric around is aerobic exercise.