Managing Projects with Trello

Are you familiar with the Trello website and app? Trello is a tool for project management and organization. I keep reading about it and, since individual accounts are free, I decided to try it. (No affiliation.)

While most of my sewing adventures lean toward quilting, I’ve made a lot of Halloween costumes as well as a few basic garments. I’d like to sew more pieces for my wardrobe but I’m still a beginner in that arena. If I come across a fabric that I love, I never know how much to buy or whether I already have a pattern that will work well with it.

How I’m Using Trello

This is where Trello comes in handy for me. I can make Boards for general categories. Within each Board, I can create specific Lists. And within each List, I can create individual Cards.

I’ve set up Boards for different types of sewing patterns, such as Pants Patterns. I also have Boards for woven and stretch fabrics. In the future, I plan to start a Projects Board.

Each Board holds a number of Lists. In Pants Patterns, as shown in the photo below, I have Lists for Pants, Shorts, and Leggings. My fabric Boards have Lists based on the type of fabric, such as Cottons, Silks, and Knits.

The Lists hold Cards with information about individual items. For each sewing pattern that I own, I made a Card that includes photos of the pattern envelope, any notable pattern details, and a Checklist for yardage and notions. For each fabric, the Card includes a photo of the fabric, details about the material, and yardage.

Each Board can have its own set of color-coded Labels. I set up identical Labels across all of my Boards for woven, stretch, and ranges of yardage. If I have a pattern I’d like to make, for example, I can search the yardage Label in one of my fabric Boards to quickly find appropriate fabrics that I already own.

The Boards, Lists, and Cards can be edited, duplicated and/or moved. For example, after I entered all of the information for New Look S0184 in the Leggings List shown above, I duplicated that Card then moved the new Card onto the Tunics List on my Shirt Patterns Board.

When I’m ready to make a pattern, I can move a duplicate copy of the pattern Card onto my Projects Board. From there, I’ll be able to edit the fabric and notions Checklist for the specific item that I’ll be making, then check off the supplies as I acquire them. I can link the fabric Card to the project Card, make notes for myself, and give the project a deadline. And those are only the features I’ve use so far.

While it was daunting to itemize everything, the site is intuitive to use. Now that the set-up is done, I think Trello will help me use my garment patterns and fabrics more efficiently. And because the tool is cloud-based, I’ll be able to reference those patterns and fabrics while I’m at the store for better planning. Going through everything to take photos and measurements has already improved the organization of the physical sewing space!

What tools do you use to manage your projects and stay organized?