Cleaning up my patterns

I've been feeling a little sensitive since being called a hoarder, so I have been cleaning and organizing like crazy! One area I had to conquer was my desk drawer that holds all of my patterns. Clearly, I wasn't storing my patterns properly or effectively. Totally an embarrassing photo, but I'm not going to lie to you guys!

Last week I went to the store and bought four plastic bins. Just on a random note, growing up I worked in a deli and these bins were used to store cheese, so I think of them as cheese bins :) When they're not storing cheese they are perfect for holding patterns and I had a spare shelf to hold all four.

I organized my patterns into four groups (left to right): modern dress patterns, vintage or vintage reproduction patterns, separates, and random stuff (dog coats, bags, etc).

Doing this clean up forced me to take a closer look at my patterns, which was good. It is now very clear to me that I have lots of dress patterns, which isn't the most practical because I don't wear dresses on a regular basis. One of my goals will be to make more separates.

Sorting through patterns forced me to get rid of the ones I didn't even want. You guys know how it is, people will give you stuff "because you sew" and sometimes you don't even really want it. The 90s patterns that I was "gifted" went to the thrift store. Trust me, if there were any cool ones you know that I would give them to you guys!!

How often do you go through your patterns and organize? Hopefully this system will last me for a while.