Whether you are brand new to sewing, have been at it a while, or took a break and are getting back to it, I can help. As the sewist, quilter, and content creator at theruffledpurse.com, my goal is to support, empower, and inspire quilters and sewers to organize and take control of their time, space, and resources so they can spend more time making and creating.
Snappy ✂️ Rolling vs. folding, a gift idea, and 2025 sewing printable
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Hi Reader, Have your thoughts ever bounced around so much you can't focus on any one thing? One of my favorite things to do when I feel like my wheels are spinning and I can't seem to get anything done is to work on a puzzle. Spending even just a few minutes in front of a puzzle, sorting colors, hunting for a piece, or challenging myself to put in 5 pieces before I walk away gives my brain purpose and helps settle my thoughts. What makes a puzzle even more enjoyable is when it has a sewing theme. I enjoy the images of the following puzzles so much, I've done each of them multiple times. These puzzles can be found online and in stores. Doing a search by title and company, will allow you to compare prices and availability.
I'm currently working on puzzle #4. The last time I did it, I took it apart carefully and put the pieces to each quilt in separate baggies. It has been so satisfying to work on one quilt at a time! Tip: When you're ready to put a completed puzzle back in it's box, remove the edge pieces first and put them in a baggie. This way you don't have to sort these pieces when you're ready to do it again. Rolling vs. foldingDo you wish you had more storage space for fabric? The fact is you can't change the capacity of any given space but how you organize the items in that space can determine how much you are able to fit in a specific area. Several years ago I experimented with rolling fabric vs. folding fabric to figure out how to make the most of the space I had for fabric storage. (You can read the article about what I discovered here ➡️ Storing Fabric to Maximize Space and Reduce Hassle or watch the video here ➡️ Maximize Fabric Storage with Rolling and Wrapping.) Through this process, I developed a fabric storage system that works well for how I like to sew and move around in my sewing space. While my sewing space has evolved (and is still evolving), my fabric storage system has, for the most part, stayed the same. I've been going through my mom's fabric stash and it has been a process. There is no way I can absorb it all into my stash so I'm forced to be selective. I want to make room for as much of her fabric as I can. In November's newsletter, I shared a way to manage and store odd-shaped garment scraps by rolling them into bundles. This reminded me of the roll vs. fold experiment I did years ago. I repeated the experiment this week with one section of my fabric storage system to see if I could make room for some of Mom's fabric scraps. In my stash, I use plastic bins the size of shoe boxes to store quilting scraps that are large enough to fold but too small to wrap around fabric boards. I pulled a blue bin off my shelf and removed all of the folded scraps. After I rolled each scrap, I used a pin to hold the roll together. Taking before and after photos, I was surprised to see how much space there was left in the bin with the rolled scraps. Whether the scraps or folded or rolled, I'm still able to "shop" my scraps the way I like (easily look through and take out the fabrics I want while the remaining scraps stay contained). It took 40 pins and almost 20 minutes to roll the fabric scraps but the amount of space I gained for an additional 10-20 fabrics in a bin would be worth it to roll scraps in the other bins I have of this size. I encourage you to try the rolling vs. folding experiment if you have been wanting more space for fabric storage. If you're looking for inspiration for different ways to store fabric, check out this article Successful Ideas for Storing Fabric. You'll see some of the ways readers of the Snappy Scissors newsletter keep their fabric organized. A gift ideaNeed a gift idea for someone who has a lot of tools? A while back, my husband came to me with a request to make something he could use to keep similar items together in his tool bag that held his most frequently used tools. His tools were tossed into the bag with no method of organization and there were no pockets or dividers to assist in keeping items separated. The solutions we came up with were zippered pouches with boxed corners and divided storage that could be rolled up and fastened with velcro. While I don't have a tutorial on how to make these tool organizers, a quick search in your favorite search engine will produce many results to help you make these practical gifts.
A few details about the organizers I made:
If you decide to make these tool organizers and have questions, please email me and ask. Even though I didn't have time to make a tutorial, I'm happy to help you in any way I can. 2025 SewingSince 2021, one of my most popular freebies is the My Sewing Projects printable. It's a 5-page document and can be used in multiple ways to motivate and inspire you to accomplish what you want with your sewing. You can:
Even though there are 11 days left of 2024, it's not too soon to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2025. Click here to get the 2025 My Sewing Projects printable. To read about the different ways you can use it, check out the article Better Than a Sewing Planner. Let 2025 be your best sewing year ever! That's all for now. Until next year... P.S. Are you new to the Snappy Scissors newsletter? You can check out past issues HERE. |
The Ruffled Purse | Discover the Joy of Sewing
Whether you are brand new to sewing, have been at it a while, or took a break and are getting back to it, I can help. As the sewist, quilter, and content creator at theruffledpurse.com, my goal is to support, empower, and inspire quilters and sewers to organize and take control of their time, space, and resources so they can spend more time making and creating.
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Hi Reader, Have you ever been able to NOT stop thinking about something but life and circumstances keep you from taking action? That's what most of 2025 was for me. As this year ends, life has, for the most part, returned to my new normal. I've started to put many of my thoughts and ideas related to my business, The Ruffled Purse, into a plan of action for the upcoming year, and I can't wait to share them with you in the coming months. If you find yourself in a situation where life has...
Hi Reader, Have you ever felt like you're living in a fog? I have felt like that for the past 12 months. Handling my mother's estate required a lot of mental bandwidth. I wasn't prepared for how much was involved to wrap up someone's life. Everything has seemed like a struggle. That's the main reason why you haven't received a newsletter from me since May. It's been almost a year since she passed away, and during this time, I unintentionally put sewing on hold as even the simplest projects...