Saving 9 - helpful tips to keep you well organized
Profitable Embroiderer

Readers: Call or write us with your time-saving tips and troubleshooting questions. We love hearing from you! Send them to Profitable Embroiderer , 5680 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., #100, Greenwood Village, Colo. 80111, (720) 489-3225 fax.

Bonnie Landsberger is the owner of Moonlight Design, Cannon Falls, Minn. Digitizing since 1986, first as an in-house puncher, she now operates an independent custom-digitizing service and stock design shop, catering to both industry and domestic embroiderers at www.DesignsByMoonlight.com.

Start Good Habits Now

Whether you're just thinking about a new business or have had your shop established for quite awhile, it's never too late to begin good organization habits with the smallest of items. You may look around your sewing room and think there's not much to organize, but consider that your inventory of disks, tools, fabrics, threads, and all else will probably double by the next time you think to look. All it takes is one large order that will consume your room and hide important items you'll need at the most inconvenient moment. Good storage and filing habits are essential. The best rule of thumb, as Grandma might have told you, is to make a place for everything and keep it in its place. And may I add, don't procrastinate!

One problem that affects many embroidery enthusiasts is the accumulation of publications. Personally, I have a closet shelf with about 17 years of embroidery magazines weighing it down. I can't allow myself to toss any of them out, simply because I know there's at least one article in each one that I may want to refer to in the future. If not, I wouldn't have saved them. But when the time comes to find that one article for a particular project, I find myself wasting time digging and digging, often in vain.