ORGANIZING YOUR SEWING STUDIO

I am convinced that organization makes you more productive. The hardest part of being an organized person is getting that way in the first place! Once you get there (where everything has it's place and every place has it's thing) it is really easy to maintain your clutter control.

Over the years of quilt-making and (especially) fabric collecting, I've figured out some very economical and functional organizational strategies that some of you might find helpful as well. Many of these ideas revolve around the use of standard pieces of inexpensive furniture and easy-to-find office supplies and storage containers. My studio is actually in a very visible part of my home (the first room you see when you walk in the front door) so it also serves as the "piano" room. Other than the piano and small sofa, everything else in this room pertains to sewing and quilting, and it's actually an appealing room (much to my husband's surprise) regardless of the floor to ceiling fabric, sewing machine and related notions.

In random fashion, here are some organizational ideas I use:

FABRIC STORAGE

I resist storing large quanitites of fabric in those big plastic totes. I love being able to see my fabrics and select them easily without digging. I use standard book shelves (just like the ones in my shop), and have found that if you fold/roll your fabrics using an 8 1/2 acrylic ruler, you can make the best use of the shelf width/depth and stack lots of fabric on each shelf. It's easy to see, and easy to select. I do sort my fabrics based on color, print, etc., and since you are distributing the weight evenly over each shelf, you can really load the fabric in there. I have 4 of these shelving units in my studio that hold every piece of my stash PLUS much more. You will be hard-pressed to ever find a greater amount of storage that only takes up 3 square feet of floor space. PLUS I think the fabric itself provides the color and decor for your room! Kept neat, it's actually very pretty!

SCRAP STORAGE

Here's one we all have a hard time with. Ever notice how fast those scrap baskets fill up? When was the last time you made a project with your scraps? Many people collect every tiny scrap then never use them. No point in saving them if they will only take up valuable space - never to be used in a project. Consider giving your scraps to a friend who will use them, or donating them to a group who makes charity quitls. To organize scraps that you just can't part with, first sort them by size. My rule is toss anything smaller than a 3" square. I will keep strips but they must measure at least 2" wide (without selvedge). One of my good friends and customers (yes you Martha) told me she cuts her scraps into squares after every project then stores them for later use. She's made some gorgeous quilts using nothing but her leftover scrap squares! Scrap storage is what I use those smaller plastic totes (with lids) for. These stack nicely (even under the bed or in the closet) and they are so easy to label with a sharpie or sticky label.

NOTIONS STORAGE & ORGANIZATION

Small, countertop nail and screw organizers with drawers make the perfect storage for small notions like needles, buttons, pins, snaps, embroidery floss, sequins, thimbles, rotary blades,trims and laces. These organizers have many drawers and some even have more than one size drawer. Get the ones with clear drawers so you can actually see what you put in them - you don't even have to add labels.

Longer items like scissors can be stored in pretty flower pots that sit near your machine. I also picked up an old Tupperware serving bowl with divided compartments at a yard sale that I use near my machine to hold small scissors, pins, seam ruler, tape measure, seam ripper - and all those smaller items you need at your fingertips when you're working on a project.

Bobbins can be stored neatly using one of a few neat (and very inexpensive) organizers that are made just for this purpose. If you like to keep your matching thread and bobbins together, try Bobbin Mates. These are little plastic "sticks" that you snap into the top of your spool of thread, then pop your matching bobbin on top. If you'd rather keep all your bobbins together in one place, try the BobbinSaver. It's a soft plastic ring that will hold over 20 bobbins in a neat and secure fashion - nope the bobbins won't fall out and roll all over the floor if you drop this one! It's shaped like a donut and you can literally fill it with bobbins and hang it on the wall.


CHECK BACK LATER FOR MORE MORE ON ORGANIZING YOUR STUDIO!


Here's one view of my home studio. And here's a view of the other side of the room.

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Granny's Attic ~ 1712 East Broadway ~ Campbellsville, KY 42718 ~ 270-465-7455