Downsizing

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Old 05-01-2017, 03:47 AM
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I am moving my sewing space from a 10X10 room with a closet into a 4 X4 walk in closet. Has anyone ever done something like this? Any advice is greatly appreciated. I am kind of flipping out as everywhere I look I see stuff I need. I also run a sewing business. So need most of my stuff. One of the walls is slanted as this is a space under the stairs. Just call me Nikki Potter lol.
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Old 05-01-2017, 04:20 AM
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I ran an embroidery business for 10 years in a 5 X 5 room. It's possible, you'll be surprised how inventive you become. Wishing you much success!
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Old 05-01-2017, 07:10 AM
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Put lighting on the wall or ceiling. Look up and put shelving over your head. Do anything you can to save floor space for your sewing machine and chair.
I hope you have other places in your home to store supplies such as under beds, closet shelves, etc.
Good luck. I'm sure with a bit of creative thinking you can make it work.
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Old 05-01-2017, 07:20 AM
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Check out google. I lsearched at " photos of under stairs sewing spaces " and found some neat looking spaces. Pictures can some times help more than words.
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Old 05-01-2017, 01:08 PM
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I used to do a lot of fashion sewing and sewed in a 6 X 6 (approx) "breakfast room" in our townhouse. I had things stored on shelves. I have one set of plastic drawers that you could stack and mine were stacked about 5 ft tall. I also had a drop down ironing board that fastened on the wall that was good enough for pressing small pieces. I used to make all my suits I wore to work (back in the day when we wore suits to work) out of the small space so it's doable. I cut large pieces of fabric on the floor (we had no dining room table because my husband was running a business out of the townhouse at the time.
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:17 AM
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Floor to ceiling shelving and bins. When I moved, I took the extra time (and it is time consuming) to sort thru items and organize. I purchased 2 of the plastic stacking drawer cabinets (4 thin drawers and 1 larger drawer)and sorted notions and tools in them. They stack on top of one another. On the backside of the door, I mounted pegboard and have my rulers on it and 2 wooden thread caddies at the top. I stapled a thin vinyl at the very top and this lays over the thread for a dust barrier and yet full visibility. Mark on the outside of the bins what is in them and use the very high shelves for those items rarely used (keep a footstool inside the closet). A side tip is that I have a stack of medium size pizza boxes (the local pizza shop gives them to me). I stack them with orphan blocks and write on the cardboard edge 'black/white', 'patriotic', 'childrens', etc. or WIP. They stack easily and have everything in one spot (also the cardboard is great for items you are working on and may have moisture from your hands). Once done, you will be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to be productive and how GREAT you will feel about your accomplishment. Also, good idea to have some wine chilling in fridge!
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:21 AM
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I just mounted a 16+ shoe bag (clear plastic) on the back of my closet door to put my smaller sewing notions in; I got tired trying to remember where I put things when I lost my sewing room. This way I can find my Rippit, scissors, tape measure, and some of my few remaining rulers.
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Old 05-03-2017, 02:41 AM
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I like the clear shoe bag so I can see my supplies.
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Old 05-03-2017, 06:12 AM
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i recently downsized my whole house, including 3 bedrooms of sewing space (what was i thinking???) - anyway, most of the fabric is now stored in recently purchased bathroom & kitchen cabinets with a formica countertop...purchased from a home improvement store...books, etc. are stored on several of those wire shelf units, different heights, b/c i too have the slant....my ironing surface is now attached to the wall collapsible legs & can fold up & out of the way when not used...my embroidery machine sits on a cupboard meant for a bathroom...yes, get creative & use every space you view...also, clear storage boxes are my new, found friend...all my threads are stored & sorted in them....GOOD LUCK
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Old 05-03-2017, 12:42 PM
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You will need to be super organized. My bedroom growing up had a slanted ceiling, so I had my dresser and bed there. It didn't slant all the way to the floor. The wall that was perpendicular to it had shelves and they were went to the wall so they were different lengths. Are you able to store items in another room? In my current sewing room, one wall is a murphy bed so I cannot store anything up against it. But I store my projects in the project boxes that are 14 in x 14 in and pull them out as I work on them. The biggest thing I would have trouble changing is the roll of batting, it takes a lot of space. Once I have a quilt top done, I sandwich it and quilt it - but you could wait and do several at one time so when you buy batting you can buy a larger piece to save a few dollars.

Good luck with your move - it will take time to adjust but you will.

Last edited by quiltingcandy; 05-03-2017 at 12:44 PM.
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