Originally Posted by Donna Mare
WOW.. thank you . I copied them ALL ! That is so much help and I appreciate it. I will go back a few pages too and look.
I have been working all morning getting my stuff set up and in another area so it is "in my face" and make me get on it!!
thank you sincerely for all your help!!!
MOST important, "Lighting"...space and being organized is a great idea too. I like things 'around me' like a space saver kitchen...have my embroidery machine on a big old lawyer desk I found $20 at a yard sale, has two pull out side wings, one has a sm. iron board & tiny iron for block cut seams, the other side has a tiny cutting board and tiny rotary for square up blocks. I have my larger iron board behind me and lowered so I could iron either standing or sitting. I have a large office chair, more comfortable for long hours quilting and rises to make right height for arm reach to machine. I have a little utility table from Walmart ($9), with my smaller piecing machine beside me also. I have clamp on extension desk lights over my larger cutting table (from JoAnns on coupon, tall, collapsible sides to thin size, no back ache cutting), also on my office/sewing desk, and my tiny table sewing station. I have this in a spare bedroom without the bed, and another desk for my printer, CD/radio. I have used office file stand for holding my larger rulers on my cutting table. I have a pretty pot I store small tools. I have a letter/desk organizer for sm. rulers and a lg desk organizer for files again larger mid rulers & templates.
I have a couple tiny shelves for my gingher scissors asstmt., and put mug cup hooks to hang my Olfa rotaries from. I have a closet with 1/2 rod, and hang 'projects' on hangers..then other half is shelves I have my fabrics organized by type in piles. I have a book shelf I have a TV/DVD player (I don't like total quiet, need someone talking to me), and my quilt books, and 14 binders full of patterns I've printed off free, or from magazines so I don't have the bulk of the mags in storage, I tear out patterns & tip sheets I like, put in plastic sleeves, and binders are by Christmas, Baby, Table Runners, Wall Hangings, Men's, Log Cabins, Bargello, etc.
A photo of my quilt room wouldn't look totally "tidy" but it is organized. I also have a kitchen garbage (new) for fabric scraps (used to just toss these until I realized they are 'gold' for applique, Paper piecing, log cabins, scrappy & crazy quilts), and another can for those that really are tossible. I even save my salvages now, found a cute idea pattern for them, and have several friends who collect & use these, so I cut & toss them into a box.
If you know anyone starting into a new home, buying curtains, table clothes, bedding...get these zipper bags these items are stored in, they make great project bags. I sort precut pieces, smaller yrdg & the pattern in these bags. If I do hanging yrds I pin the pattern to that fabric now so I don't loose why I bought the fabric (happened to me during a move, patterns got separated).
Get the BEST tools you can afford, from cutting mat to rotaries, rulers to iron. Learn your machine well. Invest in good thread. And have fun, when it becomes mistakes and tension, STOP, break and return.