I have wall to wall; ceiling to floor shelves; one wall is for patterns and books; the rest is for FABRIC Stash and my projects are in 2.5 gallon plastic bags with the pattern for the quilt(leave bags open so air can circulate) ready to piece together. my cutting table is in the middle of the room with sewing machine and a small space for the ironing board next to the wall. Have fun creating your sewing space; I measured the room and put all on paper with the shelf measurements first.

Thanks so much for all the advice..I can see how my disorganization has created problems ...Now that my daughter is giving me an entire room in her new house for sewing, I think I will be able to get things set up better, as you all have advised! I know the hardest part will be getting it all set up before I begin to work...I usually get tempted to dump it all in a box and keep going..It's amazing how much duplication I have because I couldn't find something!

I can relate to your problem, as I don't even have 1/8th the space I had in my sewing "room" before we had to move from a 3-bedroom home with full basement to a 2-bedroom apt. where my sewing area is about 6 feet. Get a good table for your sewing machine, a place to cut fabric and if you are fortunate enough a large folding table to use for sandwiching quilts. I still have some work to do, but I wish I had one of those labeling machines, instead I used large 4x6 index cards to write what was in each box, and it goes a long ways toward finding things and I really try to put everything back when I'm finished with it. But I've found that clear plastic "boxes" large enough to hold quilt magazines but about 6" high have been the best for storing things. I have clear shoe boxes for thread and lots of other smaller items, which work great. Start with a clean slate, try to map out your space and go from there. Lucky girl to have your own sewing room.

if you have some space, get transparent plastic containers and label them as you go, then start filling the containers with the appropriate stuff. I just moved back to my sewing room/laundry room in the garage and I found that all my stuff was put away in no time, and easier to find.

Linda Miller creates beautiful quilt tops monthly. She taught me to put things away each day before you leave the room. By putting things away neatly, I am welcomed into a bright and cheery room each day. My creativity has increased, as well as, mood improved and time spent sewing is truly a refreshing delight.

I only kept those things I use and shared the UFO's that I had decided not to finish. This made organizing much easier. Also, I use pretty dishes in unconventional ways as containers in my work area. One turquoise clear bowl is the home of my rotary cutter, postette note pad, pencil and small scissors. The beauty of the bowl brings a smile to my face each time I look at it. Not all storage has to be purely functional....

I have purchased folding, plastic top tables which are very sturdy and flexible in the design of the room. The six foot table (3' folded) is resting on bed risers for a perfect height for cutting. The four foot table (2' folded) serves double duty as a work base near my machine when managing a quilt which would normally drop to the floor when I am sewing.

Happy New Year in your home!

Sort through things as you box them. No reason to take stuff just to unpack it. Many things can go to resale shops.
some stuff to the trash. Have fun putting together your new sewing room. Remember orgainization, organization, and organization, know is the perfect time to get organized.

Put shelves on the walls BEFORE you move in. Put up MORE than you think you'll need, because you'll use them. Dollar stores have $1 clear plastic shoe boxes - great for FQs and thread and all sorts of things. JoAnn's has 12" square plastic boxes on sale right now - perfect for current projects.

Good luck. My stuff never stays organized no matter where I move it.

oh DEAR! i am doing the same thing! i have 4 totes and BAGS all in the closet. for Christmas hubband decided to make me shelving for the closet. OH I AM A HAPPY GIRL! but i have spent going on three days now cutting out blocks for a scrappy quilt, making 1.5 to 2.5 in strips and blocks of all sizes from 2 to 6.5. thats only of the stuff that i have pieces of. the bigger pieces are on the floor. i have NO clue how it's going to turn out. i know that when i get done with something i say 'oh ill fix it later' and throw the scraps all in a tote and shut the lid. now its time for me to organize that mess. i am going to take shoeboxes and label the box 1.5 strips, 2.5 squares, etc, and aim for control that way. im sure it will be a mess in a month! good luck on your endeavors!~

When I moved from one spare room to another larger room, Hubby bought the cubes organizing system from home depot and set it up into the closet. The upper cubes store fabrics and the lower cubes have fabric drawers and that made a big difference in my storage woes. He then put upper cabinets above the sewing area and attached a tube light for better lighting while sewing. A true help for me old eyes. I have the stacking plastic drawers in one corner that holds threads, quilting accessories and the like. Under the quilting table there are also drawers that have individual plastic covered boxes that hold current projects and accessories for the quilting table. A bookcase for the books and booklets a seperate small table for the serger or embroidery machine.

I think that if you go in organized, you can add on as you find the need growing. It is a very personal thing and you will know where to put what as you know where you use it.

It took me two months to originally set mine up, but, I also washed and pressed all of my fabric for the change.