| A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN IT'S PLACE. Don't know who said it, but, whoever it was, was a smart man, oops, person. That wasn't always my motto. In my younger days, I had stuff all over the place.I always thought I'ld be able to remember where I put whatever, but when push came to shove, I'ld draw a blank even though I probably bought 17 of them already. I hear they call it CRS. It took a while, but after several years, I learned to put things in an actual spot.
So, I guess we'll start with storage. Proper storage will keep your materials in good condition. There is a large variety of materials out there and they can be quite costly to replace, especially if you just throw them onto a shelf or in the sock drawer. One nice storage way are those plastic drawer towers. Those, plastic shoe boxes, large and small clear plastic lure boxes, and resealable plastic bags, both large and small, and your in business. There are even lockable hook boxes available, incase you have small children. Use a marker to label drawers and boxes and things, and you'll be able to find things easily, won't bend any feathers, and keep your materials in a more stable condition.
Speaking of storage, always remember to store any pelts or feathers you bought away from anything that you found or someone gave you. There are parasites like lice and others, that could infect your store-boughts. Ducks and geese are loaded with lice and other stuff.
There are a couple of ways to try and kill them off, though.
One way is to try freezing them. That will kill the bugs, but it probably won't destroy any eggs. For that try the micro-wave on low. Do it only for a short time, taking care not to start cooking any flesh left on a pelt or burning any feathers.
Another way is to wash them with soap and water. Just soak them for an hour or two in soapy water, making sure the pelts are completely wet, rinse, and set on paper or something to dry. Don't mix dyed materials in together. They might bleed ruining something expensive.
The next idea is to bomb them with mothballs. Use large enough bags and jars not to damage anything, seal them up with mothball or crystals, and let them sit for a while. You'll have to air it all out after they've been treated to remove the odor. Failing that, wash and dry to remove the odor.
Next is the work bench. Make it simple. A flat tabletop or piece of plywood is fine. Use fork and spoon trays for your scissors, bobbins, and the like. At first it was a real pain for me, but now it seems like 2nd nature. It's nice to be able to reach over and have something readily available. Just be sure to put your things away when your finished so the kids, or the dog, doesn't take off with anything.
Lighting is important also. A small task or reading lamp with a flexible head will enable you to see and gaps in your wraps. Not to mention being able to match colors more better.
Then there is the thought pattern. The thing to do is to think about the tools and materials you'll need to tie a particular pattern. Place the items in a group, not a heap, on the bench. If you plan to make more than 1 fly, make another group. 1 group for each fly. I think this method will save you time by having everything handy and you probably won't forget things, or steps for that matter, that are rarely used.
I hope that these ideas help. Keep smiling and Happy Fishing.
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