There's no way around it. Quilting makes a mess (just ask my hubby who spent a good hour trying to get all the threads out of the central vac brush) But, I make a mess as I'm sewing but can only stand the mess for a short time. Sometimes I just have to stop and put away a few things so I can clear my mind. I am not a neatnick but I have to have some type of order. Some days I walk in my sewing room and wonder why I didn't hear the bomb. I absolutely have to have my stash orderly...that's a must. To each their own: we just want to sew.