Love sewing in a sunroom too have an electric space heater for the winter but this summmer has been just to much I use felt for curtains and they double as design wall

It took me two months to go throught all my patterns, fabric, stuff I had a large garage sale and was very pleased with my evert. THEN !!!! we had water in the basement not enough to do a lot of damage but enough to hsve to move everthing and let the carpet dry. Now my sewing room looks worse then it did. I have to bite the bullet and reorganize the mess. I have been sewing but stepping over a lot and using little apces. Like i said bite the bullet and do it.

I use little spaces not apces

This is an awesome list. And if I use it as a checklist I fail it miserably.

That's great and thanks for the offer. The only problem is whether I am near to La La Land! Just kidding.....

:-P :lol: :?

My sewing "table" is an old metal desk. I use the skinny drawer just above the knee hole for my small tools, etc.
I have a drawer for thread, a drawer for elastic, binding, etc., a large deep drawer for bigger items, and a drawer for "stuff". I have my fabrics in 5 stackable, plastic drawers and 2 bins, but only the small bins the size of 2 shoeboxes. I use a single plastic shoe box for my scraps, as I don't have many yet. Being fairly new, I don't have an awful lot of fabric yet. I am beginning to get some yardage, but mostly I have taken apart clothing and less than 1 yd. pieces. I can't keep my fabric neat, cuz I'm always dragging it out for something, and have piled it here and there to sort for different projects.
I tie a grocerybag to the drawer handle on the desk and faithfully put all threads and trash in it, so I don't usually have them on the floor. Unless I am unsewing garments for the fabric, LOL, then I'm a wooly bear.

jetnica- Will you clean for fabric?

When I first started quilting, I was much more energetic. I hung up a 8 x 8 peg board and I arranged my rulers, fabric cutters, patterns, and the like all were hung on the board. My cutting mats were underneath the peg board against the wall. I used 3 drawer pull out plastic storage for pins, fabric markers, safety pins, etc in 2 of the drawers and the manuals to sewing machines in the bottom drawer.

I stored the ironing board behind the door. I also purchased plastic shoe boxes for my thread.

That was a long time ago and I've added more patterns, cutting mats (purchased with 50% off coupons from JoAnn's). It worked well for a time. Then I got more stuff and has less time to put up shelves or built in cabinets.

It would be such a luxury to have both the time and the ability to finish my sewing room project....... Maybe I will at some point.

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful ideas.

My closets are usually organized but when I turn my back all the stuff just starts creeping out to all of the flat surfaces. I don't know who is responsible, but when I can't stand it any more I clean up.

"Who, Me?" is always the responsible party at my house. Unfortunately, Who, Me's eviction notice never seems to reach them. Even the cats have adopted that particular facial expression. I'm out numbered and out flanked. I'm raising the white flag.

No lie!!! :lol: :lol: Come on down!! :-D

This is just an afterthought - I have a Janome 6600 with a built in desk and wondered what the heck the little flip open door was on the left of the needle so one day I had an aha moment and taped a baggie INSIDE this opening and now I just open the top and snip all my threads, etc. into the baggie. When I finish the project, I just reach in and take out the threads, throw them away, and close the door. No threads or snipped corners on the floor! Of course this may have been what the mfg. had in mind but they never said anything in the booklet about it. Just wanted to pass this tidbit along to others who may have similar type desk units.

When you find out let me know!!!

I only have a 10 x 10 "sewing room" and a lot of stuff so it has to stay relatively organized. Note I said relatively. It does get out of order too. I have 2 large cabinets with shelves for fabric, projects in baskets on top of the cabinets,2 bookcases for books, magazines and supplies, a nice sewing machine cabinet that has the fold out arm that looks like a desk, (my embroidery machine lives on top of this) and the ironing board always set up. I have collected my fossil fern fabrics and moda marbles into large totes also. These totes live on a movers dolly with wheels. It sits between the sewing machine cabinet and the fabric cabinet blocking the doors. But, since it is on wheels it is a breeze to move and get to the fabric store inside the cabinet. : ) In the closet I have those wire basket cabinets that are about 30 inches high and some shelves above. This is where I store rulers, templates, patterns, stabilizer, paints, gifts bags, etc. The funny thing is that I rarely sew in this room! It is my storeroom! I sew in the living room where I can be with my husband so we can watch tv together when we get home from work. I always keep my featherweight set up and a project basket with everything I need for my active project on a small table that is fastened with electrical ties to another movers dolly. I keep this in the "sewing room" by day and in the evening roll it into the living room and I'm ready to sew even if it's only for 30 minutes! Those few minutes sewing in the evening after work are what helps me keep my spirit fresh!

Gwyn here is a few of my pictures. the small containers are progets I hve material for. I got the smal containers for a dollar and they fit perfect in my cabinet.

Your room is just gorgeous but i noticed something. You have a fold up chair for sewing. Have you ever given some thought to using a rolling office chair? I find one indispensible and love it for quilting at my Grace frame too. It just may make life a bit easier, but I wish my sewing space had as much room as you. It is wonderful and good luck.

What a wonderful place to create. You have wonderful light and everything is so organized. Not only can your see your carpet but it is clean! Enjoy your sewing space.

The table just below my original long post is the table I have strapped to the movers dolly! Great quilters think alike don't we! :)

Well, I don't have tons of material to worry over yet! I have accumulated some fabric and have scraps from projects I have made and some scraps that were generously sent to me. I do know that it could or can be a constant chore to organize and keep things in their place for later use, I have that already with my small amount of stuff! All I do is clean up after each days sewing and try to keep things in their place. One day I would like to organize an actual room for sewing, at the moment I am using the basement and seem to have spread out there quite well :) ! I love the suggestions and pictures that people have posted over the months of their rooms, so by the time I get to that point I will have some great ideas to incorporate. Keep them coming and Gywn, good luck with your endeavors!

Thanks everyone now back to sewing those baby quilts.

Cookie

I keep plastic bags attached to my sewing tables and I "try" to put most of the thread in those. I saw someplace in one of the sewing mags or books I have a method of making fabric out of pieces of thread. That's another of my "someday" things. :lol:

I don't have a lot to begin with, but I have platic boxes from the dollar store, and I have to sew in the living room, so I cant leave anything out. God bless. Penny

I have a friend that collects all our scraps from out ladies home bureau projects( yes there is still such a thing ), then she makes doggie beds with the scraps. Cute.

I got so disorganized yesterday I could NOT quilt. I had to take about two hours to get everything put away again and then I could work!

This happened to me Friday! I was happily sewing along when all the stuff I had tossed on top of the shelves fell!!! I took a bit and cleaned and organized and went back to work.

Not perfect, but better. Would be perfect if I stopped buying and finished up some projects.

That must have been SOME stuff!! You make me feel so much "at home."
:lol:

lol - theres not a lot of stuff - but i had haphazardly tossed stuff up there for a few weeks. I stacked it correctly and made piles of stuff to do in the order it needs done.

of course, today was supposed to be a sew-in - but my new nephew came yesterday! Instead of sewing I'm going to the hospital to cuddle with him. =)

Welcome to my world

I was reading this blog in Friday, Saturday my DH came looking for me and laughed his head off. I was sitting in the corner of my "craft room" with boxes all around me. I spent more than 2 hours organizing. Whatever it takes to motivate!!

The plastic containers are the greatest, but I have found that I MUST label them, or I end up looking through four or five before I find the one I want. I use a sharpie to write on the label, and put a new label on when I change the contents. Thanks to everyone for all the hints.

...of course, today was supposed to be a sew-in - but my new nephew came yesterday! Instead of sewing I'm going to the hospital to cuddle with him. =)[/quote]

Jessica, you have one of the better reasons to put quilting aside, those little ones never stay little long enough! Enjoy! :-D :-D

Gwyn,

I saw a tutorial on how to fold fabric, that makes it look like it lays neater, and flatter on my shelves.. You use your rulers for quilting to pull taut the fabric pieces you want to have folded.. I wish I knew where the tutorial was, but I am sure, since it was a You Tube sort of thing, you could type in a search on how to fold fabric .. it was simple, kind of brainless ( which I need ), but my shelves with the fabrics I have, stay neater with less bulk.. As for thread and scrappy stuff on the floor... I keep a large plastic tote thing ( the kind that you can store stuff in ) under my sewing table, which is actually an old office desk from a company I used to work for.. I bought it for $10 years ago as we were getting new office stuff.. It has one large drawer, and one smallish drawer on one side, and 3 other drawers on the other.. I place a basket in the large file drawer to catch my ends that I can still use for scrappy quilt projects.. the drawers, I keep my cutting stuff, and needles, and so forth..
The first photo is showing my fabic I have to work with, and the purple bin on the bottom of the bookshelf holds some of my batting scraps I use when making string quilts.. its got a removable inner top, which I hold my other scraps leftover .. All neat and contained, because someitmes on owygen here, I trip over the cord, and need things picked up, and in thier rightful places. ( sorry long winded here :roll:

I think we must be related! You sound just like me. Always trying to improve my setup! Just love it when things are in their place. Only then can I sew.

My sewing room gets messy but I try to re-organize before i leave so the next time i go in there I'm not spending hrs cleaning up.. But here's a few suggestions that I do:

~keep an empty square (not rectangle, that one is too big for me) kleenex box next to your machine. When clipping threads n such toss them in. When its all full just toss the whole thing away..

~buy an over the door clear shoe organizer- Use to hold your notions, thread, whatever you need put away but close at hand too. Even a Christmas one works. ( i use both) the center that holds the rolls of wrapping you can store stabilizer and such instead. Got them both at the dollar store.

~ I use the metal multiple pant hanger with the clips to hold my strips on the back of a door on a door hook. My MIL had a dozen of these so they came in handy.

~Keep clear packing tape to remove , threads-lint-fuzz off carpet/floor/and you- just tape your hand - sticky side out- and unstick away.

~keep a small box (priority mailer box perhaps- they are free at the post office) to toss in scraps from your project. When project is done decide if they should be put away back on your fabric shelf or in the scrap bin (will discuss this further down) Plus if this becomes a WIP put your project in box, with scraps, that way should you need that one little extra needed piece of fabric its there..

~ use clip boards, mount them on hooks on the wall, to keep your patterns at hand.

~ keep a shoebox sized basket at the cutting table to toss in your cutter, pencils, snippers, ect., when your not using them. And when you need them, Quick reach and there they are.. also get a smaller one for next to your machine..

~ Go to Quiltville.com they have a great way to organize scraps - I currently have 5 of the 3 drawer sterilite plastic see thu drawers for my 'strings n scraps'

~ use clear shoe boxes to organize smaller 'cuts'

~ Use See thru stack-able labeled gallon tubs to store fabric

~ use infant ponytail holders around unused bobbins to keep the thread from being unwound


That's All I can think of right now.. My room is by no means perfect but I cant stand when I lose things....

I fight it, too....My solution tht works for me...I will NOT start a new quilt without cleaning up the room. I toss stuff around when putting one together, but it has to be clean when starting a new one.

well, since I'm compulsive, I place all clipped threads and snippets of fabric in a plastic ice cream bucket. When that gets full it goes into a plastic bag. These clippings, along with snipped foam from old bed egg crates, go into pillows and such.
I don't waste much of anything if I can help it.
I have to constantly go in there and throw out paper towel roll cardboards, cereal boxes, any kind of box.
I have to make myself throw stuff in the garbage, or I would keep the garbage too.
I think it comes from having my stuffed pilfered through when I was a kid. An only girl with no space of her own!
Now dh says I have taken over the house.
His garage is bigger than our house and he has two buildings...uh, honey? I don't think so.
Anyway, I wish I had some sage advice...all I can say is:clean often.
I have a pegboard for notions, shelves for books and shelves for fabrics. Everything has its own place and if I move one thing,...it leads to a dozen more and then you can find me: cleaning!
I know mice don't usually clean, so I am a conundrum.
...and that's the way, ah huh, ah huh, I like it, ah huh, ah huh ;)

ok, I can't leave you hanging in there like that...here is what works for me:
I have tried all bins, boxes, you name it for fabrics over the years, and the thing that takes up the least amount of space but you can see what you have is shelving!
I keep a curtain over mine to keep out dust and light (fading).
hmm...here's a list of words to make this shorter:
- shelving
- more shelving
- pegboard
- over the door hanger for ironing board
coat hooks on walls...make cloth bags, one for each color of scrap per bag and hang on hook...just make bag the color of the scraps.
- men's screw, nail, bolts boxes with drawers...great for OUR safety pins, buttons, all kinds of little notions
- lazy susan with covered cans hold a bunch of tools and you turn and there it is.
- LABEL everything LARGE and you won't spend hours digging.
- zip loc bags are the best thing since sliced bread bc they are see through.
- men's big magnet from auto supply store to pick up pins...keep away from your computerized machines!
- carpenter's tools are cheaper, accurate, and don't move when you use your rotary cutter.
- Plastic folding files hold info on a project and you can separate the directions from templates, etc.

I have two garbage cans for convenience in sewing room. Lots of scissors and tape and pens, pencils, so I don't have to keep going back and finding one. If there is a chair, there is a roll of Scotch tape, masking tape, scissors, pen, marker, paper, pins, too!
Saves time, steps and energy and patience.
Of course you could make yourself an apron with pockets and put these tools in it and put it on every time you sew.
I get too hot for that monkey business.
If I can't shelve it, it goes on the wall.
If I can't do either, it goes to somebody else.
I keep an address book and all my quilting buddies are in there for that *day*, when I need to share. ;-)

I found two book cases at a yard sale. Fifty dollars for two that are both over seven foot tall. It's true that they hold an amazing amount of fabric and you can really see it. I think the idea of putting fabric over the front is a great idea to prevent fading and dust.

Some of you are very wise. I have 2 cabinets with glass doors and a bunch of clear plastic cube containers. I have found works in progress fit really well and look put away when stored in those new zippered plastic covers that sheets and blankets come it. I put dolls in large ziploc bags when they are in process. each bag is tied to the arm of the doll it goes with. I have also scheduling my projects so I don't get all caught up in new things and partly done projects.

For scraps that are too small for me to use (remember, I don't see very well) I keep a priority box taped to the side of my sewing table. I put the scraps in the box, when it is full, I offer it on this forum and pick a new box.

Also, I cut the next day's projects during the night when it is quiet. I clean up and go to bed. I love getting up to a cleaned table with all my projects set up ready to go.

It isn't perfect, but I now have my book shelves with glass doors set up like a rainbow. It seriously looks like the back wall of JoAnn's and I love it.

I've decided to look for a small vacuum to use in my sewing room. One with a small hose end that will fit around my machine and iron and little stuff without knocking things over.

Keep after it ladies. We win this fight 15 min at a time.

Thanks for the tip Gwyn, I have small containers in a cabinet that way, my room still stays a mess until company comes to visit, one of these days I will get organized.

Cookie