Debbie C

I stopped collecting magazines and have donated all of mine to a local thrift store. That gave me several shelves for more storage, besides, I can get all the patterns/ideas online and from my QB friends - get rid of them, it'll give you a little more room. Also, if you take the time to fold and sort your fabrics and 'show' them you'll be (I am anyway) more likely to keep them neat. I thought about going the storage tub way, but I decided to do all IKEA shelving and have all my fabrics folded, sorted and on comic boards as a quilt store would show them. My FQ's are on a tall IKEA cd rack that matches the shelves. Only my 'scraps' are in small, clear plastic shoeboxes sorted by color. Now I go into my room and enjoy the view. It's not easy keeping it all neat and tidy, but it sure is worth the effort!
I'm not saying it's always this neat, because when I'm on a roll, well, you all know - our sewing rooms can look like the aftermath of a major hurricane! But when I'm between projects or just feeling uncomfortable with the mess, I do take the time to neaten things up. I often just don't feel like I can be productive when I'm surrounded by the chaos!