Dose any body out there, Have any good ideas for storage and organazation? When you sew for a while, you start collecting alot of sewing tools and fabrics, What are some of your ideas on organizing it and storing things?

Cabinets/space savers. You can get them cheap at Target. I have also gotten damaged cabinets from an outlet store that are good quality with dings. Can't beat the price on them. I use the small, plastic milk crate containers that clip together to form shelves to put my fabric in. I also have CD stacks for fabric. I have a table that doubles as an ironing board. It is not the best height so if you have a bad back it is not a good option - but it helps me to make my sewing area more efficient. My sewing table is big enough to hold the large rotary mat. I have shoe racks for fabric. I also have an over the door shelf where I hang backings and larger pieces of fabric. Also, sweater boxes that hang in the closet can hold fabric. My rulers hang on the wall.

For my rotary mat rulers (we all collect several sizes) I bought an inexpensive file folder holder that sits on a dresser I have in my sewing room. There are several slots at staggered heights like steps and I set the rulers in there. Some sit upright and the long ones sit horizontal and I can see all of them. Seems to work for me.
Now thinking I need the top of that dresser for something else, I have been thinking of the "metal ring" I've seen lately that hangs on a rod like in a closet. With the rulers having the hole punched in them you can put the ring through the hole and then hang it on a rod. I didn't have a rod or closet in my sewing room till last week when I did install one across a doorway that I wasn't using to hang my stackable shelving that I use for fat quarter storage now. That seems to work out well.
I'll see if I can get a picture in here to show.

Theresa, thanks for the storage tips, and the pix I will use your idea of the top of the desk plastic holders, so far I just look on the floor of my sewing room to see where I've dropped the ruler!

I have metal storage shelves similiar to the plastic ones pictured, they used to be shelves from a yarn store, I picked them up at a yard sale. I just love them, plus I have shelves on the inside of my closet and a upper shelf across the top. I cut the rod down to half of my closet for hanging pant hangers for my blocks I am working on. Doesn't take up much room and I have hanging space. Also got those rolling carts at Wal mart to store cut scraps and gadgets that I don't want or need everyday. I also have the file things for my rulers, have a banquet sized table that I have under the window, which also has all my mats laid flat and ready to cut at any time and my small ironing table, which is arms length from the sewing table. It works real good. I love my space. If I had a lot of money and could have one built, I would have done the corner space also and built a horse shoe shape that would include my TV, computer sewing machines, and all be on one wall. That would have been my dream but hey I like what I have too.

It works well. Of course I am sure we all have the stackable plactic bins of all sizes, they work great too.

Rita

Thank you so much for all of your great ideas, I have never seen or heard of them before, showing again what precious people quilters are to share their ideas, I'm diffentley into the stackable shelves, and the organizer for the various rulers, I really like the rod idea to. Gosh now I've got to lay out my floor plan and focus on organizing my sewing rm. Yes I wish they would have a contest to win a dream sewing room, Again Thank-U so much,

Backs of doors work well! For years I used a shoe organizer there, and all the little patterns and notions that like to play Run Away And Hide when we need them got their own little labeled spaces. I even used sticky Velcro to close the plastic slots so they wouldn't escape! :lol: One of my best gifts ever is a super-large pegboard mounted on the wall behind the door. All kinds of storage for rulers, hoops and scissors, etc on that. I have a corkboard over the sewing machine to pin up strips of fabric, photos, pictures or orphan blocks for inspiration. Magazines get the shelf closet. The fabric stash stacks nicely in a glass-front antique china cabinet that BF was gonna toss because it was so out of style! I've an overstuffed chair that the largest cutting board slides under nicely. No room for a table...gotta steal the living room floor for major basting projects and the kitchen countertop for ironing. We quilters always find a way!

Theresa...check the office supply stores for metal hoops that clip closed. They're hinged and come in assorted sizes. You could bend a bit of wire to hook over a rod and maybe save a bit of $$$ for fabric!

I have 2 peg boards in my sewing room that I use. The one behind my sewing macine I use for thread, marking tools, scissors and rotary cutter. The other one on the wall behind the door I use for rulers, patterns, quilting stencils and templates.

I have a dresser that has top and bottom drawers and shelves in between. On the shelves I keep plastic shoe boxes filled with buttons, trims and such. I can fit 4 shoe boxes on each shelf.

Judy

Hi, I have pertty much got my sew/quilting room organized. My question is I have (per what the pro's say?) my fabric all organized by color dark to light solid and prints, as best I can - BUT I can't figure how to organize my fabric that has many colors and prints, and some have the same amout of colors, not a dominate color. Any ideas? Thanks, Donna Rae