I need some input on pattern organization--please

[TBM]

I have the perfect storage boxes, protective sleeves for my older/vintage patterns, envelopes for the original patterns we've made ourselves...and page protectors and binders to make my own pattern books so that I don't have to go through the boxes to find what I need. What I don't have is a clue as to how to organize the boxes.

My first thought was to separate the patterns by brand, and keep them in numerical order. Since I could divide the binders by category, it wouldn't be too hard to locate the pattern that I needed by brand and number, since the boxes would be labeled.

I started thinking that I could separate the boxes by category, then maybe divide the brands within the boxes just to have it a bit more organized within the box, but the purpose of the binders was to divide things into categories that worked for our purposes, and we could make duplicate pages and put a pattern into several categories, (sometimes we might be looking for just a sleeve, a different neckline, etc.), so that didn't make sense to me

I have been thinking about this for so long that I am sure that I am missing some obvious (or maybe not so obvious), brilliant solution that will allow my collection to expand without having to revamp the whole thing.

Any suggestions? TIA

[Deleted]

I put my patterns in those rubbermaid drawer things.