Keeping a reasonably tidy shop

[bobbin]

OK, HogRing's post of shop organization/tidiness elicited several replies.  I work in total -hit hole and I absolutely hate it.  I see the time and effort wasted coping with others' inablility to pick up after themselves. 

What's the hardest thing for you when it comes to tidying  your space?  Me?  it's scrap material.  Maybe it's my yankee frugality, maybe it's my creativity... but throwing out scraps of "useful" size is really hard for me.  I can see "use" and value in just about anything and my pea brain has visions of cool craft-y projects that would use them up nicely.  But, like everyone else, I have only 24 hrs. in each day and rarely do the projects come to fruition. 

Your turn.

[sofadoc]

I keep all the scraps from a job for a period of time. Just in case there's a problem later on. But a remnant/scrap that seems really important to me today won't seem so important 6 months from now. I purge my leftovers every few months. Some I use to tack over springs, or line the outsides of furniture with. Others I just toss. If it's a solid plain fabric, I'll use it for a deck under the cushion if the color is a good match.

I'm not into crafty projects. The work I do now satisfies any crafty urges that I might have dwelling within me.

My junkiest problem right now is probably mech parts for recliners. I just can't force myself to throw away a mech that might have some parts on it that I'll need later. But a pile of old mechs can become a nuisance real quick. Every now and then, I'll break them down and keep only the usable parts.

I have a 50 sq. ft. nook hidden from view where I toss foam/batting scraps. It's really nice to have a place for that stuff. It's out of the way, but it's there when I need it.

[Mike]

I have a verry small sewing room sbout 250 sf. And for me its the scraps on the floor.
Sweeping the floor is a pis my broom dosent move the pieces i need a rake  but thats to big maybe ill find a goot stif broom.  I keep my leftover from roll o. The roll overhead on a rack pieces large enough for a repair end up under ny table. Once he job it done and oaid tuem i clean it out.

[Ihavenoname]

It was getting depressing.

After years of neglect and my shop growing smaller and smaller, I took every last thing out. I then Patched walls, taped textured and painted. Put up new shelving and peg board also painted to match the walls. Installed 3 times more lighting, tossed anything that was not upholstery and work related. Added a small TV and updated my Stereo (yes a tv, working by ones self for 8+ hours a day has it's draw backs. It's more like radio with some pictures form time to time.) Anyway it took about a month to get it all done and a few hundred bucks but man it is much much nicer and cheerful to work there. Now I feel I work in one of the best places anyone can work. I don't mind at all having customers come into my work space. Production is up to boot.

IF I have to spend all year in that shop, I may as well like it. And I do more then ever. It stays cleaner, it's well organized, well lite and very comfortable and enjoyable. Some times I even find my self singing or humming along to the radio as I work. "In a gadda da vida, baby In a gadda da vida, honey, Don't you know that I'm lovin' you..." You get the point.  How many can say that.   and I feel better every time I walk though the door. 

[gene]

You mentioned in another thread about putting up with "the trickle".

I had an older gentleman drop off a chair yesterday. His license plate had the letters of a local college, and the numbers 58. He had graduated from college in 1958.

At one point in our conversation he said, "You really like your work.!" I realized that I was indeed enjoying our discussion about his chair and the fabric that I was going to use. (His wife was there also.)

Anyway, your above post was a good reminder that there are many perks and benefits to putting up with the 'trickle', even though it may not be as financially beneficial as other work.

There's a corporate comedian who used to work in the corporate world. He said that he dropped out of the corporate rat race because he realized "Why make $400 a week when I can do that in a month?"

gene

[Mojo]

Hi.....My Name is Mojo......and I am a fabric Hoarder.......:)

I save all the scraps and once or twice a year I bag them up and take them to my wife's high school and give them to the art teacher. The kids use them up on art projects and since most art class budgets get cut every year they appreciate the donation.

The bigger scraps I save. I have had this idea and am going to talk with Miami Corp about supplying some foam and I am going to take the scraps and make some dog beds for the local SPCA. I would like to see the big pieces go to some use rather then just pitching them and so many charities need donations of things.

We also have a goodwill shop near us and they actually sell fabric scraps so I may donate to them as well.

I believe I posted a while back that my good friend built me some fabric racks that are on wheels. This has been a real space saver for me since my shop is like Mikes, limited in space. Instead of storing them horizontally which takes up alot of floor space he built the racks so they store vertically. The racks are basically big plywood boxes but have dividers in them for rolled up fabric to slide into.

I feel it is imperative that I keep my shop clean, neat and orderly because of the space limitations.
If I keep things tidy as I go along then my shop stays clean. In other words I do not wait a week or two till I have things piled high. I take care of my messes right away.

Chris

[bobbin]

I have made it a habit to clean up after every job.  The job isn't finished until the debris has been cleared and the customer has been billed.  When I've finished one job I move on to the next one. 

Many years ago I worked with an amazing woman who taught me pretty nearly everything I know about clothing alteration and she was meticulous in her approach to work.  She would sort the work into categories:  hems, zipper replacements, fit alterations.  She would mark and cut all the hems and then pin the trimmed fabric to the waistband of the garment in question ("proof" of what had been cut off).  She'd remove broken zippers and immediately put them in the waste basket along with the thread.  Every single time she touched a garment and took out thread it was thrown out.  Not on the floor, in the wastebasket!  Her reasoning was why touch the stuff twice when you can deal with it one and for all the first time around.  I watched and learned.  And her fine example has stayed with me all these years.  Later, working "piece rate" I really learned the lesson of "time and motion" and the importance of not wasting effort... sooo... I clean as I go and before I shut the lights off in my own shop I make sure the place is picked up. 

As One. pointed out, it's much more pleasant to work in an agreeable place.  Like Mojo, too much clutter and grime makes me uneasy.  I'm not a neat freak by a long shot but I really do feel my creativity is drained by surrounding chaos.   It is particularly difficult for me to return to "the man's" shop after having worked a couple of days in my own.  One of these days it will become too hard and I will longer be willing to do it.  But until the trickle returns to a steady stream I dare not...  sigh. 

[DDandJ]

Bobbin,
Your post made me throw away some scraps I'd been hoarding.  Thank you.  I also put all my threads in one location.  I even dusted the unused sewing machines! 

I generally clean my work stand and sweep the floor in between projects.  I'm not a neat freak either but I like to start each project on a clean slate. 

My workshop is what used to be my double car garage.  Once I thin out some of the furniture jobs a rearrangement will be in order.  My shop is a work in progress.  I added heat and air last year.  Additional insulation and lighting will be next.

I have a 10' table for drapery making.  I got it for free when a local drapery shop changed locations.  I knew the owner well and had done work for her in the past.  I knew better than to pass it up.  It has seen better days but really only needs to be recovered.  Since I'm not currently making drapes it becomes a catch all.  However, I did tidy it up this weekend.  You can only eat the elephant one bite at a time...

[rustyeod]

I also save everything until the job is complete.  Larger pieces go under the cutting table but anything still on the roll goes under the sewing table.

[sofadoc]

This topic hit home for me today.
I absent-mindedly put a tool in a place where I'd never think to look for it (kinda like when you find your car keys in the refridgerator).
I was right in the middle of a project, and desperately needed to find that tool. I had looked for it where I mistakenly put it 49 times........the 50th time I looked there........VOILA!! 

[kodydog]

This topic hit home for me today.
I absent-mindedly put a tool in a place where I'd never think to look for it (kinda like when you find your car keys in the refridgerator).
I was right in the middle of a project, and desperately needed to find that tool. I had looked for it where I mistakenly put it 49 times........the 50th time I looked there........VOILA!! 

That's the work of those little shop gremlins. I find lots of bright lights and leaving food around after midnight will get rid of them. Good luck.

[byhammerandhand]

I got a book yesterday, "How to Cheat at Organizing" by Jeff Bredenberg

The 8-Point Storage Master's Credo

1. Orderly, functional storage in the home is the foundation for an orderly, functional home.

2. Making organizational improvements - even small ones - makes my life better, both immediately and long term.

3. The more often I use an item, the handier it should be.

4. Like things should be stored together so they can be found easily.

5. I will always leave a little room for expansion.  If I need two containers, I will buy three.  If I rearrange the CD shelf, I will leave 20 percent empty space for future acquisitions.

6. If I stick to one brand of containers, they will be compatible and easier to manage.

7. Storing a daily use item does not mean making it inaccessible.   Whatever is out of sight and out of mind will not get used, and I'll end up buying another one.

8.  I will quickly review stored items once a year to see that they're still organized and decide whether they're still worth keeping.

[gene]

Have you ever noticed that the last place you look is usually the place where you find what you are looking for?

I still say that 'organization' is for people who are too lazy to get up and look for stuff.


gene

[bobbin]

Hammer., "You da man!". 

I have a semi-snippit about handling a piece of paper on your desk once rattling around in my head.  My desk is not bare by a long-shot, but it's at least recognizable, lol..

For years "the man" has twitted me about being too "regimented" about how I have chosen to schedule my work week.  I've always smiled and ducked the accusation by saying that my responsibilities have dictated the hours I may work, and for several years that was true.  But those years showed me that adherence to a schedule opened untold opportunities for my "free" time!  I was not slow to exploit those opportunities and quickly found I rather liked the freedom! 

It's all about organization!

[byhammerandhand]

That ALWAYS happens with me.   I guess I just quick looking once I have found it??

Have you ever noticed that the last place you look is usually the place where you find what you are looking for?

A guy used to work for me that if you asked a question, he pulled out his green  notebook look up, decided he needed to go to notebook 12.  He'd put back the green notebook, grab notebook  12, look at tab 1 to determine via the table of contents, he needed to go to tab 8, go to tab 8 and sort through its contents in chronological order.

I kept thinking, just how much are we paying you to be a file clerk all day??!?