Okay. I have struggled for 50 years to have a neat and clean sewing area. Yesterday, I finally struck floor for the first time in forever. How do you keep your fabric organized? What do you do with all that thread that is clipped off your creations? and finally,
How can I keep from having my sewing space full of stuff that falls on the floor and my ironing space is only about the first 12 inches of the ironing board?

I fight with this problem all the time, too!
It takes will power! and a good organization plan to start!
I think you just have not found the 'just right' plan for you yet!
You must come up with a comfortable and easy way FOR YOU to keep and store stuff. After that...it will be a piece of cake!!
Some use tubs to store fabric, but because I could not see everything I was always having to dig around--messing everything up---so that did not work for me. Then I tried dresser drawers--better!! but not enough!! Still had to open all the drawers to see what I had---too much work!!
Then I found my first cabinet (with glass doors!!!) on Craigslist!! What a difference!!! It almost looks as if I am a neat freak!! So proud of myself!!
So put your thinking cap on an figure a way that might work for you and just try it!!!
Good luck!!!!

If I haven't used it in a year it goes to a better cause.
If I don't need it, get rid of it.
If I can't make good use of it, give it away.
Clean up as I go. If I put things back in their proper place, I use less time looking for things and use that time to be more creative or to relax.
Don't buy it just because I can or I like it.
I only buy quilting magazines if I really like three or more projects in it.
Keep my stash to a workable size and do not take over any other part of the house with my hobby. Keep it in the sewing/quilting area.
Just cuz it is cheap, pn sale, or I can get oodles of fabric from a thrift store/yard sale/auction/whatever, does not mean I will use it or need it.
I don't need all the gadgets and machines only what I can make good use of.
If it does not have to do with my sewing and quilting, it does not belong in my sewing area.
Hope this helps Gwyn. I'm sure I can think of more.

I have one bookcase with individual glass doors on each shelf. This works pretty well. I just have one and it doesn't hold anywhere near all the fabric.

What do you do with all the little tools and this and that?

Hi Gwen, I go to the Dollar store and buy a roll of clear packing tape. It's really not strong enough for mailing but good for what I use it for. I roll it around my hand several times sticky side out and then pat and lightly brush the carpet with your hand and it really does a good job. It does a good job on the ironing board /area also. Don't forget you can clean up all the thread off yourself the same way. it will take several tapings but I find it easier than picking and pulling the thread from the rotating brush on the vacuum cleaner. Anne

If you find out let me know!!! My sewing area is a complete disaster!! In one way its good, shows I'm being productive, but its gotten to the point that I just keep sliding things over!! :lol: :lol: Piles are all over even on the ironing board. Wanted to sew, went in there and decided another time. Needs to be reorganized before I sew again.

My kitty also assists in this diaster. Plays with anything and everything I leave on the table!! Spools of thread have been batted around knocked on the floor and trying to rewind the spools was a job he got it twisted around chairs and everything else. Simply amazing!!

Need a sewing fairy to come by and clean things up! :thumbup:

well, after filling a clear tub with "scraps" without doing anything with them in the past 3 years, I would say have some idea of what you want to do with scraps after a project. Like, the long strips that are not exactly straight...do you want to do a string quilt? Then, when you finish your project, sew the strings on a foundation to get them "organized" or cut little squares out of bigger pieces and store all the same size squares together...in a bin, drawer, whatever...just so all the same stays together. Maybe a sock drawer divider? I dunno...

And I second the "do not get" just because it's a mile long of fabric. If you don't love it or have a use for it, don't get it. If you score 10y of muslin, you KNOW you can do backs with it....but what can you do with 10y of cat fabric? :D

I am not very organized as a rule...and I'd like a "wall of thread" or something to put that somewhere handy, but I just haven't done it yet.

I say keep the ironing board JUST for ironing/pressing. I know I pile my WIP blocks on there, but only for one project at a time.

And, I think I need a bookshelf to put quilting books on. Right now I only have a few, but they're stacked on the containers of fabric. If I had 5 more books, it would be very inconvenient to get to some things, kwim?

When she's done at your house, send her to mine, please! :)

I'm still waiting!! :lol: :lol: Checked this morning, still nothing yet. :lol:

Well Gwyn, I'm with you and some of the others. If you view me in there from either door, you'll sometimes see my fuzzy head in the middle of it......well, it isn't that bad but some days it's worse, garOOOteed. My sister had a mother inlaw who was "Throw-away Thelma". She bought new every time she made something and she surely did sew a lot. I asked her once what she wanted me to do with all the meticulously folded pieces and she said, the garbage can in the kitchen, thanks. I am sure there was about two yards but only about a half yard was in tact. I like little pieces. That was about twenty five years ago and I think there might still be a scrap somewhere! I just can't throw anything away. And I'm as happy as a pig in mud.

Blessings,
Ruth

Hey Gwyn, Glad to see you online!!! My stash is anything but arganized I have stuff stuffed everywhere!! As for clean not much is in my house! :hunf: And as for the threads I was thinking the same thing, what to do with them? well instead of putting in the trash Pick them up from where they may be which is of course everywhere and store in a decorated can or jar until full, use to help stuff dolls in case and pillows in mine. I have decided to do the same with tiny little pieces of fabric that you really can't sew, so why use them with the threads as added stuffing to your projects?? :shock: :mrgreen: :thumbup: or :thumbdown: I hope this helps some!! :-D Later, Ms. Shawn

Keep a scrap (after trimming your quilt) of warm and natural batting beside your machine & cut your threads onto it, use it to wipe an area, the threads stick to it and you can throw it away.

I'm normally a stacker and a pack rat, but I've found that having a very limited space in which to set up for quilting - corner of my bedroom, I'm forced to pick up after myself. I do have a bucket that I keep on the floor under my machine where I wipe up the scraps as I trim and snip. I'm still trying to figure out the perfect organization system.

Cheers, K

I will clean and organize for you!!

could you show us pics please

after buying plastic containers and stacking them up I have decided to buy a bookcase and fold everything neatly and display it as you would in a shop that way I can colour code things and see at a glance what I have or need, the containers will still be used for future projects as I can cut odd bits into different sized squares or whatever and store them in a container that way they will at least stay together. till I have an idea of what to make with them. the scrappy little of cuts as said before on here make wonderful stuffing, I have found a couple of toys that I would like to make for my GD so it will cut down on the cost of filling

I can't work in chaos, so I keep my work area pretty neat. I'm lucky to have lots of cabinets in my laundry room, so all my fabric goes there (the shelves are lined with acid-free paper). Small notions and thread go in my sewing cabinet. I bought a plastic rolling storage bin with a thick, hard top at an office supply store, I keep a small cutting mat/pressing surface on it near my machine. I'm always looking for better ways to organize!
Oh...as for all those little snippets of fabric and thread...I pin a piece of scrap cotton batting to my shoulder and put it there. Just don't walk out of the house with it!:D

Okay Turtle, you are hired! I'll make a doll and a quilt for you if you will just get my stuff organized. Some people just have the knack. Gwyn

I can't help you with the clean and organize <grin> but for the thread, I keep a plastic grocery bag under my machine and all thread cuts go in it. HTH

I could send you a thread catcher. :)

I'm a container freak, so it was no surprise when I kept the little plastic containers that beef bouillion cubes come in. I didn't know what I'd do with them, but when I got into quilting, I found they work perfectly to keep by my sewing machine and drop all the clipped threads in.

As far as organizing the rest of my 'stash' and all my quilting supplies - I haven't quite figured that part out either! I've got fabric all over my dining room, some in my living room, and some in the bedroom too!!

Turtle, how far is la-la land from southern Oklahoma? LOL!

LOL -- I'm in WV - so I'm kinda far from OK and UT -- we may have to find some airline miles to use up or something!

Well I do a major clean up and put away every monday morning!
this gives me a good start on the week!
also lets me slide the rest of the week!
I vacuum every morning! you would not believe how much dust the cutting of fabric creates! When I have been cutting black kona all day it is everywhere, even blck when I blow my nose!!LOL sorry but true!
also dust off the cutting mats,sewing machine,die cutter and the dies I used the day before.

Just wanted to let you know that this thread MADE me go in there and wade through things this morning!!! The fairy never came, she's fired!!! :evil: Took me a while, but everything is back to where it belongs and now I can get back down to business. Does feel good. Yeah momma!!! :-D :-D

Gwyn, I'm probably the worst person to give advice on this. I have a grocery bag on a c-cup hook next to my machine that I put thread and unusable stuff in (besides what lands on the floor :shock: ) I purchased some smaller totes at WalMart that I keep projects in, that way all the material, etc. is in one container (hopefully). I'm sewing in my sunroom so there's not a place for all my material, just what is in progress plus my muslin, some backings, etc. the rest is in the basement in huge plastic containers that I run back and forth with.

I use shelves to put my fabric in color stacks. This really helps keep my fabric in order. Get yourself a new toleit brush for the threads on the floor it works great, just rub it on the floor and it gets all the threads and debree stuck on the carpet. I put all my projects in Plastic containers so I can keep all the fabric for a project togeather. I keep a trash can under my cutting table so I can throw the cutting scraps into it. I have two Plastic storage shelves from wal mart to put all my plastic bins on with my projects. I have shelves for my books pins and so on. I have several three draw plastic draw bins from wall mart to keep my sewing needles and sewing machines things that sits right next to my sewing machine. I have a trash can next to my sewing machine for threads. But I still have to clean my sewing room all the time or I would not be able to get in it. So I think that no matter what we do it is always going to take work to keep it up. But I can't wait to make my next big mess. Happy Quilting.

Me, too! So thanks for posting the subject! I use an old drop-leaf cherry dining table for my sewing table and have been meaning to extend the other leaf and turn the table for what seems like for-EVER and I did today. Put away the miscellaneous, too. So, it looks so inviting to go and sew-sew-SEW!!!

(Too bad in all my cleaning frenzy, I broke the leg on my chair!)

:oops: I don't :cry: LOL

I'm glad I'm a Lab Fairy. I don't do that organized sewing thing really well but I try. My tools are hung on a pegboard, cones of thread in a plastic bin, regular thread in a thread holder hanging on the pegboard. I write everything I need to cut and have cut on a dry erase board in a color code (sue me, it is the way I work). I am still working on a good arrangement for the rulers. I still feel so disorgainized. I put the last pieces cut for a quilt I'm working on in a "safe" place before I left on my trip and can't remember where that place was. I might just recut the darn things since there were just 7 pieces left.

You need a thread catcher for the sewing area. As for the fabric... I don't have any good answers for that. She who dies with the most good stuff wins?

I got the $30 or so tall bookshelf unit from good ole wally world to stack my quilting fabrics on. Works pretty well for folded fabric, but just a bit too narrow for bolts to fit into the bottom shelves.

For the odds and ends of little tools, etc. I have a multi-pocket shoe organizer hanging near my over the door ironing board.

So far sounds great doesn't it?

The rest of it is in miscellaneous boxes, totes, bags...WIPs are stacked anywhere and everywhere...chairs, ironing board, other end of dining room table...

Someday...

I have a way to keep my stuff put away and believe me it works. I share my sewing room with 4 cats and if I don't keep everything put away, they will lay all over it and get hair all over it. Or they will knock it to the floor, easier to keep things put away then to clean hair off. I sweep the floor everyday too. I have kitchen cabinets, upper and base w/drawers in there also and a 48x72" cabinet and built in closet, I could not sew or sleep knowing it was dirty or messy. I know my kids think I'm off my rocker.

It seems I have opened a can of worms for some and some really creative organizing tips from others.

I wish there was a way to have stuff orderly, like at the fabric store. I love that wall of fabric at JoAnn's where every color is in a special place and it looks like a rainbow. If I walked into a fabric store and it looked like my sewing room, I would leave.

I have found a wall organizer pattern that looks very much like a shoe hanger, but the pockets aren't so deep. My ginghar rotory cutter box is metal and holds the cutter, my scissors, my tiny scissors and a few other things.

I have a bookcase with glass doors and a china cabinet that I can bring in to hold some fabric.

I could really use a small square table (24" - 40"). If it was one of those old ones that tilts up and sits next to a wall when not in use, it would be perfect. Then my ironing board wouldn't have to be my cutting and working area too.

I love all your suggestions. Keep them coming. My room looks better today than yesterday.

BTW: Walmart has clear plastic shoe boxes on sale this week, 6 boxes and lids for $5.00. Great for holding projects cut and ready to sew.

My sewing space is the corner of the dining room and my sewing machine desk is always full of everyone stuff. Sigh.

I wish I could organize fabric by color. It always frustrates me. When there are several colors incorporated into a fabric, I have a really hard time deciding which one to go by. Of course, I just learned what a color wheel actually looked like. Can we just hijack a color coordinator and hide them in the closet with the rest of the stash no one knows about?

I too used to have the problem with all kinds of stuff accumulating on the ironing board. It got smaller and smaller as time went on! I don't have that problem any more, as my ironing board is door mounted and I have to fold it up after use. I have a wall mounted rack for my iron, and hung a flat back basket below it for scissors, fusing tape, sprays, etc. Works well so far. Didn't want to use up the space a full ironing board takes sitting on the floor all the time.

Hi gwen,

Hubby just filled my sewing closet with these nice cubicals by closet maid. The nine and six fit perfectly on top of each other. Then the shorter ones fit great up above. Oh and the fabric drawers are the cat's meow!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_163236-362-8...cts&ddkey=http:SearchCatalogDisplay

Red: That sounds like a wonderful idea. I bet those shelves are great for sorting everything out. Of course, I would first have to FIND my closet.

I really enjoy hearing all your ideas. These are really good suggestions. I'm really glad I am not the only one that struggles to keep my sewing stuff under control. Thank you so much. Keep the ideas flowing.

We haven't got to keeping patterns organized and available yet. I knew one lady that took her pattern pieces out of the envelope and put them in large yellow envelopes filing them in numerical order. The envelopes she kept in those planner size binders. Seemed like this plan looked too much like work to me, but it worked for her. She NEVER purchased fabric unless she was using it for a particular project. Too uptight for me... 8-) :roll:

Thanks for all the great tips ya'll! Here's my contribution...I keep an empty tissue box on my sewing desk where I put cut thread and lil pieces of fabric. And thanks to Ms. Shawn I will now save it for fill! lol

Tidied up this weekend, back to shelfs etc now can see the top of the table again !! Rearanged a few things, and removed, non-quilty/sewing stuff. Don't worry about colors all being in order some, are chosen to go together, don't want to confuse the chaos :)
Have a large trash that gets tugged around for out-a-here scraps, and thread, wheels on the rolling chair catch a lot, whats left over seems to make it to the hall carpet;). Have no carpet in sewing room, hate to snag my toes, if a pin gets dropped!!
Took off doors to closet and built shelfs that can be removed later if needed, tins for assorted notions, also made room seem bigger, need to make curtans to help cover fab from light and dust, really do like just looking at it though, Could I use double the space, Yes, do I really need it No, :)
Cluttered but Cozy..... Happy Quilting :)

The best thing that I found is in using an oversized bookcase for my fabric. I can see everything (as long as they are folded) and projects are kept in those plastic containers you get at the Dollar Store. I taped a baggie on my sewing machine table and threads go there. I cut out possible projects from my magazines and keep them in folders - wallhanging, bags, scrappy quilts. My sewing room is also my bedroom so space is at a premium. Books and magazines are in book holders on a table I got at Campers World. Large cutting mats are stored behind my bed and the others stored behind a dresser. Rotary cutters are in a jar. A desk also helps a lot if you have room for one. It all depends on how much space you have - good luck!