How often do you tidy your sewing area
 

Do you take a few minutes everyday to tidy up?

Any tips you have on how to keep things neat as you go will be appreciated.

The only thing I do well is keep my rulers and tools in one area. I also make sure to always throw away scraps and not on the floor. What happens is I have fabric I set aside while working on a project in case I want to use it again. If I am working on several things this gets a little overwhelming.

I try to keep things out so I see them and don’t forget and then before you know it, it is untidy. Yikes!

I do a good clean up and put away after every project. Always try to keep threads, pins, etc up off the floor as I have pets that wander in the sewing room.

I tidy up each day, it only takes a few minutes. I can't work or concentrate if things are messy. I keep my projects in bins. Each bin has all the fabric I am using for it. leftover fabric stays in the bin til the flimsy is complete and binding is cut, at that point i return the leftover fabric to either be cut down or returned to stash (depending on the size). I also don't leave out more than 2 projects at a time.

When I start a project I place all the fabric, pattern, any notes about the project and thread in a small tote. It all stays in that tote until project is finished. If I change projects everything goes back into that tote, even scraps, until I get back to that project. that way if first projects in my way, one move is all it takes and everything stays together

It depends on what I am doing for the day. For the most part, if I am in the middle of a project, then I leave everything out so I can start up the next day. If I know that I am not going to be able to sew for the next few days or more, then I put away things like scissors and rulers. Clean up the cutting and ironing area but the project still is out so I can see it. Sometimes for me - out of sight, is out of mind.
I have a terrible habit of starting something new before finishing what I am working on. I have a cleaning lady that comes every 4 weeks so most everything is put away then. She only vacuums the room - but I have to get the ironing board and cutting table out of the way along with the machines I have open for use.

I tidy up the place only when I finish a project... but sometimes the project is to complete several WIPs. I like to make a bunch of tops at one time and then do the sandwiching on all of them and then finish them all up, so it may be a while between major cleaning. The feeling of accomplishment is wonderful when I see 5-8 quilts all done at one time!

BTW, they are all baby quilts for donation!

I tidy up every day, I can’t work or concentrate if my room is a mess, I also do a good clean before I start a new project and take a lint brush to my design wall to get off all the strings after each project. I’m a bit of a neat nik, and believe that there is a place for everything and everything has its place. I’m also one that can only work on one project at a time; I guess my brain only functions at a certain level and is not good at multitasking!

My quick answer is "never often enough"! But in reality, I clean up when the "mess and chaos" begins to annoy me or I cannot find that one item I need, like a particular ruler. Over time, I have found that a periodic 5 minute clean up makes a nice difference and I spend less time searching for something that is hiding under a pile of "stuff".

I have to admit, I'm like WMUTeach.

With now having a little Yorky dog and a rescued cat, I'm picking up more than usual. The dog never bothers anything but does lay at my feet, so I'm careful about pins/needles. The cat is another question. He's only been here a week, but is full grown and if he can hop up on couches and beds I know he can get to the ironing board and sewing table. I just have to be more careful and a little more attentive to what is laying around.

I tidy up every evening now. Even so far as to put away my cutting mat and cover my machines. My sewing 'room' is also the lower level family room... which is where our 2 cats spend their nights. I don't want cat hair, or the occasional hairball incident to take place on my sewing equipment. It only takes a few moments to pull things out, and the family room looks better on days I'm not sewing. As far as keeping fabrics for projects out...use shoebox bins with lids. They stack easily and keep things contained.

It stays pretty neat. I don’t have everything I own in my small room - some of it is on shelves in the basement. I don’t have much of a stash. I like to work on one project at a time at home. I sew at the local shop once a week and that’s where most of the piecing gets done. Mostly at home I like to FMQ on my Brother PQ1500. This is the first time I’ve had a room of my own - the last 3 years since we moved here. I don’t sew every day. My mojo comes and goes and I don’t worry about it. It’s a fun hobby for me

I put away rulers and whatever is laying on my cutting table pretty much every day, but I only do a big clean up at the end of every project. If I'm working on more than one thing, I'll stuff all the pieces of the easier-to-stuff project into a bag every day to keep them together.

Watson

At the end of the day, I straighten what's on my cutting table, throw the small scraps away, get things ready for what I want to do the next day. After I'm to the point of putting it onto the quilt frame, I'll actually vacumn the floors so when it comes off and I'm trimming and adding the binding I don't have to worry about little thread snips attaching themselves to the quilt as its usually a large one so dragging on the floor as I glue my binding on.

As Popeye says, “till I can’t stands no more!”

I'm with zozee! But I do have a question...how many of the previous respondents that clean upreligiously are retired with no other "work" commitments. It seems I squeeze sewing time in between work, my off the farm PT job and my on farm PT job.

oksewglad ~ You have a point about being retired; however, I am retired and still have a problem keeping the studio tidy. Two major issues for me are not having enough space left to put everything (yes, I need to purge), and another tidying issue I have is that once I start and get the first space cleared off, I get inspired to start something else, and off I go! One year, I resolved to tidy up after every project and it helped tremendously. Apparently it didn't become enough of a habit though. I can barely walk through the studio at the moment, and not a clean surface in the room, including the floor! Bad DJ!

I have to clean up daily as my sewing room was turned into a bedroom when my daughter and 3 granddaughters moved in. They have been here for 8 years but now looking to buying a condo. I am pretty anxious to get my fabrics out of storage and organized. I sew in the dining room so cleaning up before preparing a meal is a must. But...my dh and myself gave her and her daughters a safe place to live for awhile.

There is an old saying which goes ....a place for everything and everything in its place. I would love to have all my sewing stuff nicely arranged, but I do not have a place for everything. So....I have a tendency to move things from one table to another. When I need that table I have to push stuff aside or place it on a chair some other holding area. :)

I am in a constant sate of cleanup so someday I might get some more shelves....

Ha Ha...sounds like we are birds of a feather!

My thoughts exactly.

I'm in the "not often enough!" group. I fact I think I'll take 10 minutes and clean off my cutting table right now...or maybe later...see what I mean?

Tidy?! That's a four-letter word! : )

I should tidy much more often than I do - I have workspace in my kitchen area and try to contain the chaos to one half of the kitchen island or on my sewing machine table. I am bad about putting things away as I go but even 5 minutes makes a huge difference (though sometimes I can't recall where I put an item or forget about a project if I can't see it regularly).

I'm being much more careful now that we have two kittens that love to hop up and see what kind of "toys" they can find. The male also likes climbing my design wall - Yikes!

I'm terrible at cleaning up! And it doesn't serve me at all since I can never find what I need. You'd think I'd learn by now......... :)

In the “not often enough” category.

Rob

I work full time and long hours so even more reason for me to tidy up completely after each session. Generally I can only sew at weekends so everything goes away during the week. Sometimes if I have been sewing late on a Saturday and I know I will start again early on Sunday I will leave some bits out but mostly things go away. I share the room with my husbands painting hobby and we have a cat (who is always trying to get in my fabric cupboard for a snooze) so there are other reasons for being tidy as well.

oksewglad-I am "retire" but have a part time/on call job, no set hours/day/night etc. In October, I had 176 hours, dh came over to the sewing room and wanted to know when I was going to start working part time? LOL I also have a separate sewing room, so there's not any desire to clean up before I leave the room. LOL

.............. and your kids, and your grands, and your volunteer commitments, and and and and .......... :)

My excuse is that I don't clean up often enough, as I would far sooner spend the time in working on a quilt in one way or the other, than to do all that tidying and cleaning!

Maybe we need a different thread ..... Best excuses for not tidying up your sewing room???

HaHa QE...when I saw that you had commented, I thought, "Oh she's a tidy upper!" What a surprise! Yup we need a new angle on this thread...haha.

Oh and this morning I ran over to a friend's house to look at her "new" sewing machine she bought for $10 that she couldn't get stitching right. It's a Singer Stylist (copyright in book was 1974). Oh my it was so clean inside when we looked inside to oil it...she got a bargain. A little messing with the tension, changed the needle and put some good thread in ...she had some Walmart bad stuff in it.. and it was sewing very well. I left her with 2 packets of Schmetz needles (80 universal and 100 denim). She can mend to her heart's content now. And what a good excuse to spend the morning with her!

Oh and thanks for everyone's reply to my query.

..... and to not clean up at home! :)


Yup not a tidy-upper indeed ....
....probably from all the years of being a good-farm-wife that was too busy!!

Your wish is my desire ............... :)
https://www.quiltingboard.com/missio...ml#post8217923

Go there and post your little ♥ out! :)

I pick up threads and trimmings from the floor as I see them. Sometimes I put things away and sometimes not. When I change machines I dust sewing cabinet and clean dust etc, from under cabinet and around it as I can reach. We are retired and I sew everyday. I use to be a clean freak when I was working and raising kids. Not so much now.

I'm in the a place for everything, and everything in it's place group. I cannot be productive in chaos. I vacuum and dust weekly and tidy up when sewing inbetween by putting things away after I have used them. I do a deep clean every spring,including windows and moving the furniture to dust and clean under it. I have a cat that frequents my studio and DH and I heat with wood, both of which add to the usual dust.

My sewing studio is on the second floor ( I claimed my son's bedroom when he went off to college 8 years ago) which does allow me to leave projects out when working on them and not worry about how it looks when company comes to the house. Previous to having my own space, when the kids were still home, I sewed on the dining room table for many years. I do find I am more productive in my own space where I can leave a project out and not have to pick it up and put away it after each sewing session. And when it comes to quilting, I really like to be productive. :D

I am in the semi-retired group and have no excuse not to keep my room tidy... I spend about a half hour each Friday afternoon or Saturday morning putting things in their place, empty trash bins and dust/swift the floor. I usually only have one or two projects going at a time, so it’s not too chaotic in my sewing room.

I never drop things on the floor and leave them there. Old habit from having animals in the house. We have two Goldens now who are gated out of the hall and sewing room(s), but old habits die hard. I prefer to clean up after every project or I spend more time looking for things than sewing! My room is a mess now from too many on-going projects and it drives me crazy as I don't have enough space. One is a BOWeek, one a travel quilt that got put aside for other more pressing things and now a baby quilt for a baby that arrived a month early. Fabric is starched and ironed and on a drying rack; finished areas of the travel quilt are on my long table, the baby quilt sections are on the guest bed etc. etc. I can't wait for at least one to be done (the baby quilt) so that I can finally restore some order.

I have a decent sized sewing area.....only downsize is I share it with my cat’s litter. Not as bad as it sounds as he is an outdoor cat and only uses it when we are away or it is -20. But....won’t risk closing the door just in case and therefore cannot leave any fabric, partially completed or completed projects anywhere he can access. He can not resist laying down on fabric and quilts no matter how much he needs to contort his body to do so. Therefore everything gets put away.....sigh.

My sewing room is the only room in the house that I have100% control over, with no one else leaving messes. But my sewing room is my sanctuary and alsothe cleanest and tidiest room in the house, so I spend a great deal of time inthere.
I tidy it up everyday, projects neatly organized, all toolsput away, floor swept and surfaces dusted (at least around the sewing andcutting tables) – takes me all of five minutes at the end of each day. When any project is completed, then all theleft-over fabrics are sorted (by size) folded and put away and the whole roomgets a thorough dusting, sweeping & lint rolling (design wall).

I think I will try setting a timer for 5 minutes after I’m done for the day and see if I feel more welcomed to my sewing area the next day.

It is a balancing act isn’t it and i love the thread for excuses.

I usually have 5-6 projects going simultaneously so that there’s always something to work on to fit my current mood. Sometimes I just don’t want to think and need something simple to work on. Therefore there’s a lot of stuff out all the time. It doesn’t bother me though. I have a large room in the basement dedicated for sewing, there’s no pets to worry about, the kids are married, the grandkids have moved away, and hubby doesn’t mind my mess, so...I clean up when it gets piled high and deep and I can’t find anything!

for me it is usually some other event that triggers a "tidying up" episode.....I have lost something and have to search for it, the end of a project that was particularly messy, and just the other day I spilled a glass of water on my computer desk (which is in my sewing room) and in cleaning that up, saw how dusty it was so wiping the dust down, the serger sits on the corner of the computer desk, that area was dusty, next to it is my 6600, everything is along the wall....you really can't dust without picking stuff up and while you have it in your hand might as well put it where it belongs........anyway, the whole thing got out of hand and I dusted the whole room with a slightly damp cloth from wiping up the spilled water.
I need a lid for my glass!!!