Once upon a time, I tried to store my used patterns back in the tiny envelope they came in. Talk about an exercise in futility. It was never a pretty scene trying to cram all that tissue paper back in. Then Judy showed me how she stores her patterns in manila envelopes. It was a life-changing moment and I never had pattern storage issues again.
I pull out the pattern pieces and instructions from the pattern envelope, and then I cut up the envelope.
I have a stack of 9″ x 12″ manila envelopes just for patterns. I tape the cut up pattern envelope to the outside of the manila envelope, and then I stick all the pattern pieces and instructions inside. And now, even after I’ve opened up the nicely folded tissue paper pattern and made a big mess of folding it back up, I will still have a nice roomy envelope to put everything back into.
The best part is that the manila envelopes can be stored in filing boxes. I got these boxes from Target and use filing folders to categorize my patterns so it’s easy to find what I need.
My house is really small so I have to put my pattern boxes in the garage. I might have a few too many patterns…
I’ve also seen people store patterns in large ziplock bags, so that’s another option if you don’t want to use manila envelopes.
Anyone else have any good pattern storage suggestions? I’d love to see/hear about them!
