Tips needed
 

I need some tips for setting up a new sewing room. We will be moving into a new house soon, and I will have a dedicated room for my quilting. I want to maximize the space that I will have. No closets in this room, but I have 4 sets of shelves and a couple of wardrobes. I know it will be a long process to get organized after we move, but I have started by getting rid of a lot of old magazines. Having a real problem culling the patterns and books. I have always referred to my stash as my retirement fund, and really have too much to actually use up in my lifetime, but don't really want to downsize it, as I don't know what I will use.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Debra

1. Measure and label your fabric when you store it.
2. Decide if you are sorting by color or some other method.
3. Use the comic book boards to fold them on and store them. Note that the only ones I was able to find were only acid free on one side, and there is nothing on either side to tell you whether it is acid free or not. Factor that into your decision to use or not use comic book boards. I have thought about cutting up empty cereal boxes and using them for folding and storage. I do use them for storing strips I have cut for checkerboard quilts.
4. If you see fabrics in your stash that you know you won't ever use, donate them to a local quilting guild.

I'm sure other people have more ideas.

Do you have access to the new house to measure your space? When I moved my sewing room into one of my older son's old rooms, I measured every wall, the opening of the closet, the depth of the walls of the closet, the height to the window, the height and width of the window, everything! Then I measured all of my bookshelf dimensions, the sewing table, ironing board, cutting table, even the sewing chair. Next, I drew the space to scale on graph paper. I also drew out all the furniture to scale and then cut it out. That let me play with placement to know what I wanted where. I also checked out a few books on organizing your sewing/crafting space. I got lots of good ideas there, too.

Those are great suggestions. I really like Kas's idea with making pieces to move about. But remember where you initially put things doesn't have to be permanent, that can reduce some of your stress. I have had the same sewing room for 10 years and still move things about from time to time. Enjoy the new space.

Good suggestions above. I also suggest putting your machine in front of a window with a view, if possible. Consider whether you want a pressing station that you have to stand up and walk to, or if you'd rather pivot from your machine. Will you be purchasing any major new pieces? If so, making them match gives the room a more cohesive look. (My pieces are all white.) I use the rating system for my fabric (8,9,or 10 means I really like or love it. Keep only those except for practice pieces for FMQ. They can be ugly or outdated since they'll eventually be trashed). Keep your fabric away from natural light. Consider housing it in dressers if you're the type who is easily overstimulated by a lot of stuff. Can you easily reach the shelves you're planning to use, and can you keep them fairly orderly, or should you consider bookcases? I'm not sure how much space you have, so these suggestions are all just off the top of my head.

Such great suggestions...I would add...think about the type of quilts you like and what you like to sew...Are you a scrap saver? Then by all means makes space for them...do you make your own precuts? Make space for sized bins. Many have benefited from Bonnie Hunter's system...

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/...rs-system.html

Best of luck on this new space...you will love it...

When I downsized I sold my excess fabric for $1.50 to 1.00 per yard and realized $900.00. I also sold some quilting books on Amazon and got $400.00 for those. My quilting club was thrilled to pay 1.50 yd. My local quilt show buys your fabric and resells it. So I would not give it away.

This thread of posts is of high interest to me. I am in the very early stages of planning to build a new home. I will convert one bedroom into my sewing room and have done more thinking and planning for this room than for the rest of the house :) I had been watching and wanting a line of Martha Stewart's craft furniture but would not spend the money as i thought it was overpriced. As luck would have it, on Black Friday the whole line was 50% off with free shipping! I bought all of the pieces I wanted plus one more. I got the first shipment yesterday. Yes, I will have to move them, but it was a deal I couldn't pass up. The associate I spoke to on the phone said he had never seen them go on sale for this much. I will be following this thread for suggestions in setting up a sewing room.

I just moved also and I pretty much kept my fabric the way it was. I keep FQ, charm square, and jelly rows separate from my stash. I keep my fabric divided by color, season or category like : dogs and cats, children, batiks etc. I keep all solids together in bins. I have a huge stash so it's in several rooms. I have two bookcases full of my books and another huge one full of magazines in the basement. Good Luck.