Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tool Time Tuesday...Storing Quilt Rulers

Hi everyone! Today's Tool Time uses a few different "tools" to organize your quilt rulers...some things you might even have around the house.

The first idea is a peg board.

storing quilt rulers



Peg Board


You can buy small pre-cut pieces of peg board or you can have it cut to fit a large thrift store frame like I did.

This is great to have them on display, so they are easy to find. The only problem is...some rulers don't have holes in them to hang on the pegs.

storing quilt rulers

Here's my solution for that. My ever popular binder clip...you know I love these things. Click HERE for more clip ideas.

storing quilt rulers

 Just clip it on the end of the ruler.

storing quilt rulers


storing quilt rulers

Flip one end down and keep the other for the hanger!!

storing quilt rulers

Helps to keep all your rulers together...even the ones without the holes.

storing quilt rulers

Letter File or Plate Rack


This is a letter file from any office supply.

storing quilt rulers

Here's another style of letter holder that you would mount on the wall...

storing quilt rulers


storing quilt rulers


This is a simple plate rack found in the kitchen section. 

storing quilt rulers

Just file all your rulers in the divided sections.

storing quilt rulers

If the sections are wide enough, they will hold more than one ruler.

storing quilt rulers

Belt Hanger


This is a belt or scarf hanger that I've had for a while and don't use any more.

storing quilt rulers

The tension on the 2 metal balls keeps the belt on the ring...or in this case the quilt rulers. The ends just slip through the hole in the ruler.

storing quilt rulers

You can hang it from a rod on the end of your cutting table, in a closet or any where it's handy for you!

storing quilt rulers


I hope these storage ideas are helpful. If you have any other ideas on how you store your quilt rulers, share it in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by and...

Have a great day,
~Karen~

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30 comments:

  1. Thanks for these ideas. I'm in the process of sorting out my sewing room/ office so I will ponder on which of these will suit me best. At the moment my rulers are stored at the side of one of my bookcases and sometimes they get knocked off and I worry that they will get chipped. Have a good day xx

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  2. I just use a bulliten board with push pins in it. I have an unreasonable dislike of peg boards. What I want is a nice piece of walnut with grooves cut into it so that each ruler stands in a groove. I saw one at a quilt show once. Just have to take the time to make it....and stop my husband from taking over when I do!

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  3. Good Morning Karen, Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas for storing rulers. Like Maggie, your first commenter, I store my rulers by the side of my bookcase, but the problem with that is I have to move them all if I want to get to a smaller ruler.
    I like the idea of the letter rack..... mmm, I'm sure I have one in the loft, it is time to get the step ladders down and go hunting.
    Best Wishes
    Daphne

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  4. I am in the process of redoing my sewing room, too. I found an old ironing board in the trash. I'm figuring on putting some 2X4s on the wall in a U shape to hold up the ironing board/make a pocket. Then put the big rulers behind it and the little ones can hand from the front. I also have a bunch of old ear rings which I glued magnets to the back. My DGKs LOVE to re-arrange my magnets on the old ironing board.

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  5. Good ideas!
    I just hammered two big nails into my wall next to the cutting table. They are strong enough to hold 4 or 5 rulers and the rotary cutter. (all my rulers have holes)

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  6. I tend to tuck my large rulers on the shelf with my smaller cutting mats, and the small ones go into a basket with some of my fabric. (I have a very small sewing space so there's not a lot of stash to work with.)I love the idea of framing a peg board. They look useful, but always feel so ugly. The frame really give them a finished look.

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  7. I just have one large ruler, but it's always getting the way. Now I'll just put a hook up on the wall and get that sucker out of the way! Thanks for the idea.

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  8. I still say you need to come to Orlando Florida, no my house isn't sinking, to help me organize my sewing room. I have a peg board I have to put back up, but I like the plate rack for rulers I am currently using on a project. It would keep them from hiding under other stuff.

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  9. I hang my big and long rulers on the wall but for the small ones, I found a desk mail sorter. Two slots are filled with rulers or templates and the smallest slot is where I keep the instructions. Does not take up much room and they are always handy.

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  10. I had one of the scarf hangers and got really frustrated when I had to take all of them off to get to one ruler so I gave up on it.
    I was thinking that you could put the binder clips on the hanger and just clip the rulers on and then you wouldn't have to take them all off!!! Just fold down one end just like you did in your post, Thanks for the idea. I hadn't thought of it till I saw both of these items in this post.
    pam

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    Replies
    1. With the belt hanger, you can slide all the rulers to one side of the balls until you get to the the ruler (or belt) that you need.
      That way you don't have to take them all off...just move them to the side.

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  11. Great ideas. I painted my peg board the same color as the wall but never thought of framing it.

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  12. The belt hanger is a BRILLIANT idea and I have one in the closet! I also like the framed peg board. Once I get my new studio set up in the house we're building, I'll probably go that route but in the meantime I'm digging the belt hanger out of the closet!

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  13. I bought a few Command hooks and put them on the side of the cabinet where I do my cutting. Works for me, but I only have 2 of these rulers.
    Love your ideas!!

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  14. I got special tacks that have skinny nails to stick in the wall and long skinny part to hang the rulers on and put them on the side wall next to my table.

    Debbie

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  15. Solved my problem--once again. I use a lid rack to store my rulers, however no good for the small ones that constantly go missing. Now I can store those on my pegboard. Thanks!

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  16. Brilliant! I hadn't thought about the binder clips. I hate making holes with the drill.
    Diana

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  17. You are always so organized!! Do you hire out! :) Thanks for the info. :)

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  18. Thanks for all you do by the way! I have an odd angle wall in my sewing room and designated that to be my ruler wall. I use the 3M hooks and have all my rulers hanging by those. My only worry was that after a while I would dent or chip the paint but so far so good. I love this layout and I can easily see which rulers I have not been putting away properly, or which ones have been "borrowed" by a family member.

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  19. My son made a great storage device for me. An unused/extra drawer is hung on the wall above my cutting table. Picture this: bottom of the drawer is against the wall and the two vertical sides of the drawer have 45º angle cuts aligned with each other. The longer rulers slide into the cuts on both sides and the shorter/smaller ones fit into one side or the other.
    Kay in NJ

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    Replies
    1. I would love to see a photo of it!! I think my mom (also named Kay :) ) would like it and we could build her one.

      Delete
  20. You have great ideas. I have one more idea. Ask your husband or a mechanical friend, to visit a junk yard and look for a "heat sync". They come in a variety of sizes and are used to pull heat from heavy motors. They look something like a short metal file holder. A quilting buddy gave me one and I treasure it.

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  21. For my small, specialty rulers, I use a wooden box that a set of steak knives came in. It has grooves in the bottom and I can hold 8 rulers. It is perfect!

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  22. Hi Karen, thanks for your wonderful ideas as always. Also, I just wanted to say thanks for your instructions which I found last week on how to create a blog header in Picmonkey. Fantastic instructions, so clear, especially when it always seemed to me like such a difficult process. I created by blog header really easily, it was wonderful! Thank you so much x

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  23. Great ideas! Mine are hanging above my cutting table with small nails, organized according to size and shape. Thanks for sharing the binder clip idea! I have two that I keep in the drawer because they didn't have a hole. So much better to have them all out where I can use them. Now going to check out your post on how to create a blog header that Tania above was talking about. :)

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  24. Really helpful organizing ideas! My readers at FaveQuilts would love them.

    Kathryn

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  25. Thanks again for the great ideas! I was able to incorporate using the belt hanger into my new sewing studio and gave you a shout-out on my blog. http://reddeliciouslife.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-evolving-sewing-studio.html

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  26. Mine is similar to your dish rack, but I use the device used to place homemade bread in, for slicing. The slats are spaced far enough apart to balance the rulers well, and there are plenty of slots.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!

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