From Dragonfly: Locker Organizers

I've written a bit about our tiny lockers and, also, about how I've made locker organizers. These are an important investment during your prison time. Most are made using the plastic canvas. What is done is that the canvas fits perfectly on the doors of the locker (as long as you cut out enough room for the locking piece if you are putting it on the right side). On top of the plastic canvas, we make small, medium, large, horizontal, vertical, etc pockets using more plastic canvas. Everything is held together using yarn. Some are quite boring, with no design, just pockets on a blank canvas. Some are very colorful and full of design. I have one of each - one was given to me early in my stay and the second, nicer one, was the first one I made. It has my name at the top, the entire thing is white and red yarns. I even crocheted the bra (the piece that goes around the top of the locker so it stays put. My best organizer is the one I made Lola - it's like the grand-daddy of all locker organizers. Every pocket has a unique design, as does the background. It is all in red, brown, and ayren yarn. There are roses and swirls, and even Lola's initial on a pocket. It took me weeks to complete. A simple one can be completed in a day or a weekend.

I've been even more creative with locker organization. I made myself a "soda tray" for all the cans of beverages I buy. They were constantly falling out of my locker, but the tray stops that from happening. I also have a three pocket divider on the bottom of my open side to the locker - where I keep my mail, cleaning supplies/hygiene, and socks/underwear/bras. Many people crochet a door organizer with three crocheted pockets for their socks/undies/bras, but I like have more pockets for my other needs - like batteries, pens, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair ties, medications, mailing labels, commissary receipts, hobby craft permission reports, miscellaneous items, etc. That's what the door organizers are good for - organizing the little things. I built one for a friend that even has a place for her mirror that she can slide in and out of.

In addition to the above items, today I built a shelving unit with two shelves and a top flat surface. It hangs in the open side of the locker by connecting two hangers. Now, I can see everything in my open side of the locker, instead of just stacking everything on top of each other. The shelves currently hold my hobby craft - yarns, embroidery stings, and current projects. Now, I can see my organized books at the bottom and also the three dividers that I had mentioned above. I never considered myself an engineer, but I really like making functional items out of the plastic canvas. I have pride when I see it work. I've made several things that I call "proto-types," like an mp3 player cover for Lola, a bookmark that holds reading glasses for Nurse, and a couple of failures. It comes with the territory.

So, I'm doing my best to stay organized and am constantly a work in progress. I guess I'm a hoarder... at least now I know how to build something to help ease the mess.