We live in a very small apartment and unfortunately I have a lot of quilting stuff. I really need to get it under control and need some suggestions for storage of everything. Does anyone have any suggestions for thread, bobbins, scissors, etc?

Anyone want to share a picture of their space?

My sewing machine shares a space with a double be, cutting table and bookcase. The closet is full of fabric and so are two small plastic chests. I am the LAST one to give advice on storage because no matter how large the space, I will fill t up as soon as I can! :lol: :lol: I am a pack rat and never met a piece of fabric that I didn't like. the only way to control my spending habit is to stay out of the fabric stores and stay off of ebay. I am hooked on quilting and want and convince myself I need everything I see, so I try not to look! :lol: :lol:

Melissa, that sure is a challenge! I'm lucky enough to have a room devoted entirely to sewing now, but I wasn't always this lucky. There were many apartment years with limited space, sometimes just a corner of a closet. I used a lot of stackable storage boxes with labels for everything. Most of our quilting rulers have holes drilled in them, so I hung those all together from one wire clip ring hooked over the clothes rod. The cutting board and quilting hoops hung the same way. Magazine clippings, downloads, pattern templates...those all went into organized notebooks. There were thread boxes, fabric boxes. You name it, it had a box!

Hi Melissa. I am very, very blessed to have a room devoted to all my quilting and I have plans for shelves and whatnot, but I haven't made it that far yet. I do have pictures to share, but they are not from my quilt room. Every year one of my local quilt guilds has a Sewing Room Tour. I go and take LOTS of pictures. I found a few that deal with sewing in small places and I will post a bunch of them for you. I hope they help.
~Tiffany

PS. These pictures are posted with permission.

Here are a few more. Hopefully something here will help.
~Tiffany

I was watching simply quilts this morning and she had a bunch of tips on there this morning and one of them was to use the silverware basket out of an old dishwasher for scissors, rotary cutters, etc.. and also an office desk organizer that rotated and held alot of stuff like that..... I think I have one of those dishwasher baskets around here somewhere! I thought it was a great idea!

Tiffany, great pics and great ideas for storage!

Great pictures, Tiffany. I dream of having a whole room to sew again.

Melissa,
I don't know if you're familiar with this company or not. They have some really clever storage ideas, very inexpensive too. I have two "spice shelves" from them. They are meant to be mounted by their tops under cabinets, but I didn't put the piece to do that on them when I assembled them, instead I attached screw eyes and picture wire and hung them in my storage room to hold thread extra containers of pins and such. There are also pegs down both sides which i use to hang embroidery hoops. (sorry can't take pics for you) I also have a small vanity with 3 drawers on either side where I keep trims etc. I store my machine, a mail organizor for my scissors and rotaries etc, one large and a couple smaller sewing boxes. On the back wall of the storage room (about the size of an apt. bathroom) I have a bookshelf where I keep my fabric, also I have a couple rubbermaid tubs to store what won't fit on the shelves batting and fiberfill etc. Any way...here's the site (I'm looking strongly at the slack hanger to put larger pieces of fabric or cut strips on. it would hang nicely in one of the corners or on the back of the door.)

http://www.lakeside.com/catalog.asp?N=36+461&IDXPG=2

Hope it helps...maybe I can talk my oldest into using her new digital camera to take pics for you :)

http://www.younge.com/sewing%20rooms.htm This site has some very interesting rooms in it.

Hi, I'm new to quilting. Like you, I have limited space. Here are some of the things I'm using to try & get track of my things. All of my cutting items are in a clear plastic shoe box. Most of my rulers are in a clear container. Threads in another clear plastic box. As for my fabrics, I take a picture of each one and have them on a disc. My fabrics I place in a space bag. And since I also do beading and needlepoint/cross stitch, I use the larger tote boxes, to keep similar items together. Along with keeping a list on my laptop. And, the locations. :-) I hope that this will give you and others, some more ideals.

Have fun. :) :)

And now I want to go throw rocks at my sewing room!

This is a great web site and there are lots of neat ideas to use. Thanks for sharing!

I'm so jealous I could spit tacks, with the following qualifier:

My space are the kitchen and coffee tables in a small one-bedroom apartment. Funny thing is I give thanks each and everyday for the space, and means to be able to quilt, stay sheltered, and survive fairly comfortably when others do not.

Sometimes then it's not about things we don't have, but those we do. Got fabric, will sew!

Here is my quilting space......no it is not always this clean!

More of my space

As Yvonne said, "I'm going to go throw rocks at my sewing room!" LOL! Still laughing at that, Yvonne! Connie, your studio is so cool! I wanna come over and sew.

Here's another link that shares sewing rooms from the members on this board:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/1371.page

Chele, You can drop by anytime.

Thanks everyone for all your pictures and suggestions! And Yvonne, I agree, after looking at some of those beautiful sewing rooms I want to throw rocks at my space too! :)

Connie, your sewing room is the tidiest one I have ever seen! Are you sure you are using it enough? LOL

My sewing area is in the basement now. I don't have pictures yet but maybe will soon. Its a little cold in the winter but I love it. I still have alot I need to do to it to get it like I want it but for now its great. I have to share the room with my sons pool table but I use it to lay my quilts on when I need a big space. It works out great.
Judy in Ohio

:lol: LOL!!! :lol: Too funny!

I measured out my sewing room. It is 17'x24'. I love how big it is. The president of one of my local guilds was over sewing on Friday and we were talking about having mini-classes down there. My quilt room is in the basement and while it could use a few more lights, it isn't bad. I think I'm just getting old and my eyes are not what they once were. :roll: I also have a guest bedroom so anytime any of you are passing through the Idaho Falls area, definitely let me know! :!:
~Tiffany

Wow Connie, how do you stay so organized? I don't konw if I could work in such a need place.LOL Right now my "sewing room" has a computer tower, moniter and keyboard (that I am "cleaning up" for my grandson to use to play games) setting in the floor, a stack of clothes that need mending, a big box of papers I took out of the filing cabinet that I have to sort through before destroying,a chair that we can't find a home for and did I mention this is my home fooice too. I know that somewhere in there is my sewing maching.LOL Thats why I do not post a picture.

I would throw rocks at my sewing room too but there isn't any room for the rocks to get in! :))

:mrgreen: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :lol: :shock: :lol: :lol: :roll: :lol:

Connie love your sewing room also my daughter loves your Washington Redskin pennent(shes a redskin fan like her dad)

To All : This is what my sewing space looks like most of the time. I took this Pic this morning. Yes I am a Redskin Fan as is my Son and Grandson. Hubby is a Denver Bronco Fan.

Here's some pics of my sewing space. I want to get someone to build shelves in my closet so it will a little neater and more accessible. Those big plastic drawers aren't sturdy enough. It's hard to see, but the basket behind my chair is full of yardage fabrics, and there's a plastic box on the floor I throw scraps into. I'm thinking about cutting my scraps into 2" and 4" blocks for scrappy quilts later on.

I'm with you, Loretta. Plus, it is the kids play room!

I have the space if I wanted to use it BUT it is upstairs and we don't use it so I am afraid if I made a room up there it would be out of sight out of mind....know what I mean? We have 2 bedrooms upstairs that is just junk and storage so we close it off. Therefore, my space is right smack dab in the middle of my living room..... :) Son is usually in his room and hubby is usually in our room on the computer so I clutter up the living room. We don't entertain or anything so it is no big deal. I don't have alot like some of you...(yet) but when I need to clean up I just take my table down and put all the stuff in the cabinet and push it up against the wall. Just looks like a microwave stand....lol. Anyway here is my pics, not that great.

more pics

Well I am organized but messy, like many of you some of my space doubles as other things. There the white rack glass tanks are snakes, big tubs are rats and mice, rat cage on top of plastic drawers (stuffed with fabric. The two tables in an "L" shape are stuffed underneath with fabric. The cubby affair is a rack for hatchling snakes (holds 30 snakes), but they all just moved up, so it's a mess. The table with blue tub usually holds fabric I am working with but those are snakes in the tub mating. I love my room, but am a little sorry it is such a mess today. This time of year I am spread thin so just get sewing in when I can, don't look at the mess and have fun. There's also a sewing machine and computer in this room.

Newquiltertoni! I have a spare bedroom AND a sewing room but both are filled to overflowing! I have to bring my sewing machine into the livingroom to use it. :oops: Honestly thinking about getting rid of the double bed in the spare room to move in my quilting stuff but just thinking. Like you we don't get any company to speak of so really don't need the extra bed. If anyone DOES stay we have a sofa, cot, and (for the summer) a pop up camper we don't use anymore for camping. Plenty of room so why not use the spare for a quilting space? :D

bj - it would appear some of your sewing space is being taken up by a rather attractive boxer. Is he your helper?

Toni, I love your sewing table! I'd say you are off to an excellent start. I have to tell you though, I laughed and choked on my water (I was taking a drink) when I read how you can just put it all in a drawer and push it up against the wall. The thought of my trying to do that with all my stuff is what caused me to laugh/choke. Yeah right! :roll: Don't worry, you'll get there and someday you'll have a ton of stuff that has consumed your living room. I can't wait to remind you of this several years down the road; together we'll have a good laugh. :lol:
~Tiffany

Lois,
We got rid of the twin bed in my sewing room and bought an big air mattress for the kids when they come home. I've not regretted the loss of that bed one minute! That being said, I still have drug my sewing machine into the living/dining room to do the quilting on my latest quilt. It helps to have the dining table carry the weight of the quilt while I'm working on it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Marieg - Um, you don't actually quilt with the items in that last photo, do you? I must tell you, I have a mental image of an art quilt with some very realistic parts on it. *gulp* :lol:
~Tiffany

Tiffany! I have the same sewing table. Comes from Wal Mart! I got the one that came with a sewing stool with storage and wheels! WWWHHHHEEEEE!!!! I love my sewing table! (PS> Didn't we ALL start with a neat little space at one time???)

Oh my, now that brings back memories! I started quilting on the coffee table in my living room. That is where my sewing machine rested and I hunched over it from a chair in the living room. I had a box crammed with fabric and my stuff and that was all the room there was. I look back and cringe when I think of that dark corner in the room and me hunched over for hours at a time and my back twinges in remembrance. I've come a long way since then. (Yay!) I know from talking to quilters from all over that many of us started with humble beginnings. I think it's part of the common thread amongst the quilting community and helps bind us all together. (Okay, sad attempt at a pun there. :roll: )
~Tiffany

Memories for sure. I did not quilt on my coffee table, but when I first got married I still made a lot of my clothes (19 and both of us in college...no cash for store-bought). I sewed sitting on the floor (no dining room) at the coffee table and operated the pedal with my knee. Those were the days! And yes, Tiffany, the boxer is Gus, my quilting buddy.

These spaces are really cool!! Giving me lots of good storage ideas , thanks all.

marieg, I especially love the Tootie Fruities :D. Good stuff aren't they? LOL

connie1948 that is a heck of a sewing room.. I really need to finish my basement so I can be as lucky as you ladies and have a sewing room.. they look great ladies!!!