What tabletop organizer do you keep supplies handy in?
 

Do you use any kind of organizer near your sewing machine to keep things like scissors, seam rippers, bobbins, pins etc in?

Hi Becky,

I keep a small open tray near by. That has my chalk markers, spare needles, thimbles and little bits in. Then I have 2 open ceramic containers. One sets right on my sewing table, it has pencils, screwdrivers, stilettos, etc in it. The 2nd one has all of my fabric markers, so if I want to do a quick label, they are handy. I also keep my scissors, rulers and rotary cutters on a small strip of pegboard that is mounted just above my ironing board. My ironing board is to the right of my sewing table, setting at the same height so I dont have to get up to iron, just swivel in my chair. I made a big board for it, so I have plenty of room to spread out! This arrangement has worked very well for me for years. I listen to books on tape/cd, so that makes me get up occasionally to swap them out, which is a good thing :)

You know how Rachael Ray uses a scrap bowl? I use a catch all basket. Everything I use while sewing goes in the basket next to my sewing machine. I have one by my cutting table and ironing board. If I use it it goes in the basket. I know where every thing is even if I have to dig in the basket to find it. This is the only system I've found that keeps me from looking all over for my seam rippers, scissors, rotary cutters, pencils, pin cushions, tape measure, small rulers, thimbles, thread spools, anything I use for a sewing session.

Now don't laugh, but I have three empty (yes I ate them) oreo cookie trays for scissors, pencils, small rulers, seam rippers, glue sticks...they are just the right size!

I never thought of this, those divided cookie trays would be perfect. Funny thing is my DH gave me Oreo cookies for Christmas (I got my big present earlier in the month and he wanted me to have something to open!) I still have one pack left and I may need to save the trays. Great idea!!! :) MMMM oreo cookies!

I have a large coffee mug. Several years ago I took a class where we made a thing that leaves the mug part open and has pockets around the outside. That mug holds everything...2 pairs of scissors (Ginghers for fabric and pair of Fiskars for paper)...between the middle and the pockets I have everything you can imagine. When I go to a class, I simply set the mug in the bottom of my tote bag. It works out great for me!

I have two open mason jars for scissors, seam wrippers and writing utensils. I just tuck a bit of fabric in the bottom to cushion the pointy things.

I love my See & sew light with compartments and scissor rail. It has a spool holder and I love the storage for feet, rippers, etc.

Sandy

http://www.joann.com/scrap-essential...te/xprd150553/
use to use it for my sizzix dies, got something bigger and this kind of became my sewing desk storage,holds lots of scissors, rotary cutters, fat quarters, pin cushion, etc.

I also have a coffee can with pockets that I used to use on my cutting table when I had room for it which now I don't.

Wonder how easy this would be to decopage (sp?) with some pretty fabric?

I bought a couple mesh pencil holders from Dollar Tree. They don't take up much space and work for me.

I covered several of the ready made frosting cups (?) with some fabric I used to make a sewing machine cover and use them to hold my quilt basting pins, regular yellow tipped sewing pins and the hair clips I use to hold my bindings in place. I also bought a small yellow basket from the dollar store to hold several filled bobbins for each project, and the attachments to my sewing machine. A sewing machine mat/caddy holds little scissors, a seam ripper (which has gotten a bit too much use lately) and extra needles for the machine. everything is close at hand as I need it.

I use a muffin tin in my drawer for all of my small stuff like the different feet for my machine and bobbins. I have a ceramic container for seam ripper, cutter, scissors, etc.

I have something that goes under my machine and hangs down in front. The part that hangs down in front has pockets. The part that lies under the machine extends to the right. There is a pocket that holds scissors and a pin cushions.

I made it myself. I quilted a large rectangle of fabric. I bound it and then folded part of up and sewed lines to make pockets. I put on the pin cushion and the pocket for the scissors

I have what looks like a silverware tray, only deeper and much larger, I bought in the stationary Dept. at Walmart. It has different size compartments. Holds scirrors, rotary cutter, pencils, sticky notes, calculator, small straight edge, chalk markers, seam ripper, tweezers, everything. You can get them at any office supply too. Desk Organizer.

I use the cup orgainzer, that the earlier post was talking about with the pockets. When I move to a diffrent machine I take it with me. A silverware tray works great also!

I have a small table top plastic 4 drawer thingie that I keep my scissors, rotary cutters, extra pins and needles as well as a couple small rulers in. My pens and pencils, seam rippers, tweezers, lint brush, etc I keep in a cup that I made an organizer for. Now that I say that, it reminds me that I really need to clean that out! It's gotten very full...

I have a wire rack above my sewing machine and added bent paper clips across the back bottom and hang all my scissors, cutters, and other small tools from them. I love having them all in sight and in reach and it is a snap to put them away when finished.

I have a few different things I use, everyhting from apple juice cans covered in pretty wallpaper to baskets and boxes from the Dollar store. I also have a few large Rubbermaid totes under my sewing table to keep scraps in. Vases from the Dollar store keep all my knitting needles in one place, a wicker laundry basket holds my wool/yarn.

I bought a cheap lamp that had a base with a bunch of small spaces for storage of pens, seam rippers etc. It quit working but saved the base and its great. Also have one of the small drawer units for all kinds of stuff like post its etc.
My sewing machine table also has lots of storage bins in the doors. So everything is handy.

I use a long narrow basket to keep my scissors and cutters. I use the tops of Tide detergent in the top drawer to hold my seam rippers, binding clips, safety pins, some homemade pin moors, etc.
And I have some pencils, used pin container, magnetic pin finder, and anything else that fits in a tabletop carasol type pencil holder with about 8 compartments.

I have a ''pampered chef'' revolving holder for kitchen tools...many compartments, double tiered. It is great and cost me $1.50 at a church yard sale.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I love coming here with questions as there are so many ppl here with so many different creative ideas! Now, to just decided what to use lol. Btw several of you talk about cans or coffee cans with pockets...I'm assuming there is a pattern somewhere for that?

I use a plastic tray thing that fisherman use..it has variable size areas that are just right for the stuff I use all the time. The fishing dept of stores has great stuff! ( I use fish line to hang my wall hangings)

I have the same as Dolphngyrl works really well. I also have sever pencil holders I picked up off the dollar table at Target.

A form meat tray and a pin cushion by each of my machines. The meat tray holds a pencil, small square ruler, scissors and seam ripper. Pin cushionhas pins and needles.

Me, too! I just have the coffee mug. I have two pair of scissors, snips, a stiletto, tweezers, two seam rippers, a small tube of machine oil, some markers, some #12 disposable surgical scalpels, and a 1/4" ruler for marking HSTs. I have a great Horn machine cabinet with lots of storage just down at my right side so lots of stuff is there and handy but this mug stuff is right at my fingertips on the window ledge. Beside the mug is my small pile of fabric scrap "spiders" that I use to sew off on when chain piecing.

Many years ago there was a product called a Ruler Roundup...I got one of the original ones that were sort of a mottled beige, then they made clear ones....it holds rulers up to 24". and also has places for scissors, pens, pins, etc. I have it sitting on my sewing table, but it can also hang on the wall. It has 3 divisions so I have my longer rulers in back, mid size rulers in middle, and shorter rulers in front. We had them at our quilt shop at each cutting table...we could have sold many of them after they stopped making them.

I have a six section handled container, like a silverware carry-all. My husband works for a pharmaceutical company and it was one of the "give aways" that they used to supply doctors with. I am thinking the doctors probably used them to hold vacutainers for drawing blood, or maybe to hold stationery items on the desk. Well, when the government changed the law, none of the pharmaceutical companies were allowed to give things to doctors anymore! So his company spent about 6 Fridays giving out tons of brand new items with drug logos on them to all of the employees, anyone could get anything they wanted from tables set up in the cafeteria. DH thought I would like it. I didn't particularly like the drug logo on it so I painted it with pink krylon paint and it now matches my room. The logo didn't cover as well as the rest of the carrier, so I made a pretty label that says "Sewing" and stuck it over the logo section. It works GREAT!

I use a metal pencil cup, I got them at the dollar store, I have one at every sewing station.

I have a mug with pockets for my rippers, stilletto, and small scissors, my box of bobbins and a mug for chalk pencils.
I also keep two plastic boxes next to my sewing machine for staight pins.

I use an old ashtray especially for pins, bobbins, small things.

I have a specialty plastic and fabric binding edged carryall. It's about 15" long and about 7" wide. It has pockets all around the outside of it and a big opening in the middle. I put pens and pencils and chalk in the pockets, plus numerous odds and ends, and everything else in the middle. It has a strap to carry it, also. It's purple bound. It is very nice looking. I found it through Google about a year ago.

LOL, I know for certain you've never peeked in my window. My table top is my "organizer".

Actually my two magnetic pin trays snag most small items--seam ripper, nippers.
And I've got a couple coffee cups and a couple cans for longer items.
But most just lay on the table.

I'm always making little things--------------I need to make a coffee can pocket thingy! Might do that tomorrow. WITH BOAT ANCHOR SCRAPS!

I bought the largest silverware tray I could find and use it to hold all of my smaller sewing supplies and tools.

I have a small clear container to keep all the little stuff. Marker, chalk, seam ripper, extra bobbins, needles, little scissors.

Two coffee mugs, two metal divided containers just for sewing I bought at Walmart years ago and a small flower pot my son decorated when he was in second grade.