Organizing Sewing Stuff

[fidgiegirl]

I am not happy with how my sewing stuff is organized. It's too hard to find what I need and is keeping me from finishing some projects. Right now everything is in large containers (well, shoebox size for small stuff, which has the same effect as the large bins have for fabric) - I need it in more compartmentalized organization so I can see it and use it without digging around so much.

I am planning on making a pegboard organizer for the wall above a small table, which will help. But I also want some kind of grab-and-go organizer for if I go sew somewhere else, which has been known to happen. :) I have not liked a sewing basket in the past - same issue as with the containers, plus it doesn't stay shut neatly.

Anyone have a lightning bolt idea? I have been perusing Pinterest, so I have a few things in mind . . . :)

Oh and for the fabric I think I am just going to 1) get rid of some of it and 2) fold up what's left and put it on a shelf I have available in the closet. For yarn, I am just looking either for one of those clear shoe organizers at a thrift store or soon, a garage sale, to hang on the door, or I can place the yarn in boxes placed upright on the shelf in the closet as well. I am actively working (with difficulty) to control my yarn stash and have managed to keep it to one reusable shopping bag, but would like to be able to see it all at a glance.

[Tradd]

Would one of those plastic drawers on wheels units work for you?

[JaneV2.0]

A tackle box? Also, check craft stores for totes designed specifically for sewing/quilting gear.

[Float On]

I have several of the plastic 3 drawer on roller wheel things lined up against one wall in the sewing room. Easy access and organized well. A couple of the smaller 3 drawer things sit on top and is a great size for spools of thread, small notions, my glue gun and glue sticks, etc. A bulletin board on the wall holds ideas. I do pack up my sewing machine and a bag of whatever I'm working on and go have sewing nights with a couple of friends a few times a year. Always fun and a good way to get inspired.

[Tussiemussies]

In the last house we lived in there was a closet organizer for shoes and also some shelves in the unit above the shoe section. It worked so well for my sewing material. For my bobbin thread I bought an organizer that is like a lazy Susan with drawers on it. For the thread I keep them standing up in photo boxes I bought at the craft store. I use the photo boxes for odds and ends for the sewing items.

For yarn, don't have much experience in storing that..... Do you wind your yarn up into balls or leave them as you bought them? Christine

[redfox]

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/super-special-diy-sewing-kit-f-122068

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/alissa-carltons-creative-quilt-141683

[sweetana3]

I have two rooms of sewing "stuff" and my vote is for clear containers. My things like scissors and small supplies are in a couple of plastic art totes with dividers. I can grab the smaller one for sewing in another room since it has a list of what I need if I go on retreat.

I say clear because I have a terrible time remembering what is in a closed nonclear container and then I have to open all of them to remember what they hold. A good labeling program would help with this too.

Fabric is best not stored in any large totes. You need to see it and be able to get to it to use it.

[Rosemary]

I have one of those multi-drawered plastic carts with a lot of my sewing and knitting supplies in it. I labeled each drawer so I can always find those small things without having to look in multiple drawers. It has smaller drawers at the top, where I keep the sewing stuff and my glue gun, and larger at the bottom, where i keep yarn. Fabric I store in an old trunk. I have it sorted in 2-gallon ziploc bags (cottons are sorted by color family, and other fabrics sorted by type, e.g. fleece, of which I don't have as much as cotton). I have a sewing box with all the stuff I use most often - scissors, basic thread colors, bobbins, pins, extra needles for the machine, etc. That I keep next to the sewing machine.

For portability, I like a zip-closure tote bag with pockets. I have a couple larger bags that I use for portable knitting and crocheting. A friend of mine found a smaller bag at - if I recall correctly - Target - in the hardware section. It was marketed as a tool bag and is perfect for smaller crafts - pockets inside and out. She showed it to me a year or two ago, so not sure if they still carry it, but I've seen similar bags at Menard's. If you have a zip-closure bag already, you could easily sew one of those purse organizers to make your own "pockets."
... such as this
http://www.domestic-divaonline.com/Site_1/basic-purse-organizer.html
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bag_organizer

[catherine]

If you want to go vintage there are a lot of options. After all, all women sewed back then so they kind of had the organization of it down. My great aunt passed down one that looked exactly like this--and I think it was a pretty standard design at that time.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrEW3vOKJuXTDzwlDIj-ZDxsq_MorGa5678awgxm2raMRBt9MU

Mine looks exactly like this, although it's probably not big enough for your needs. It fits mine, now that I don't sew as much, but I love how the little inside compartments fit everything perfectly and it matches my colonial decor.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJSi_TLsbTqIq9FG-1Bs_Y6raWoCkuDujKC4EbOdLixSnNRNL6

[Miss Cellane]

If you sew a lot and plan to keep on sewing, I'd say it's time to invest in a proper storage system.

I'd get an Ikea Expedit unit. They come in various sizes, and you can stack them or put them side-by-side to get the storage space you need. They have drawer inserts and door inserts and Ikea sells all sorts of bins and baskets sized to fit in the cubbyholes. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/09064/

The benefit of getting one main storage system is that you can see everything you have, instead of looking in the closet for fabric and a bin for facings and somewhere else for thread. You can put the fabric a couple of cubbies, the yarn in some more, patterns in another. Open storage, closed storage, whatever you need. If you have a serious hobby, I say take it seriously. Get the equipment you need to make working on it easy, instead of spending half an hour every time you want to sew, gathering equipment and supplies together.

Or, if you have a closet to spare, outfit it with a good closet system, one designed to hold everything you use in sewing.

As for sewing baskets, I have two. One is just a small plastic box with a couple of dividers. It's in my bedroom and it for those last-minute things where a button falls off as you are getting dressed. Scissors, seam ripper, some needles, several colors of thread, safety pins, a few spare buttons, that sort of thing. Very easy to grab it and go sew in front of the TV or wherever.

My big sewing basket was a gift from my mom over 30 years ago. It's not the prettiest, but I've never found anything that would work better. Here's one on Ebay: http://compare.ebay.com/like/130875684046?var=lv&var=sbar This looks exactly like mine, except this is nicer, because the trays are clear plastic, and mine are white. This one lets you see what's on the lower layers. There's room at the bottom for patterns or a small sewing project. The middle tray has dividers for various tools or whathaveyou and the top tray is designed for thread and scissors and bobbins. It's larger than many sewing baskets on the market, which I think makes it more useful.

[fidgiegirl]

Very helpful, all! Thanks for the great ideas.

[Mrs-M]

Don't want to branch-off too far from the original idea of this thread, but if I had the room and the money, I'd design and furnish an entire room dedicated to sewing. Cabinets, a proper workstation, an area for cutting/prepping/laying-out fabric, etc, and most of all lighting... lots of lighting.

Here is one example of my ideal storage cabinet. (Clock-makers cabinet). Notice the glass top for displaying collectibles, etc. Would be so much fun to display old antique scissors, etc, inside.

http://images.bidorbuy.co.za/user_images/025/482025_100706152542_corinne_094.jpg

Here is another example. (Merchant's cabinet/chest). I'd even try and incorporate the chest as they have done in the picture, utilizing a rotating plinth, so one could spin the cabinet when searching-out things to use, etc.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UAznxKMXGuU/TITwIymR6wI/AAAAAAAAApY/I21CZZoP26s/s1600/Merchants+Chest+1.jpg

Lastly, here is another example of a cabinet (I think) would add bang to any sewing/notions room. (Both for looks and useability). It's a Secretary desk/cabinet).

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ftv3i-0dmr8/TS31Fga-dNI/AAAAAAAADSI/2p2kA4qvcW4/s1600/secretary+desk+cabinet.jpg

Two other choices/options one could seek-out in their quest for a perfect sewing/notions cabinet, would be a Library cabinet (antique one used to file cards), or an Apothecary chest/cabinet. Both would set the stage (so well) for a classic and distinguished sewing room.

One thing I've come to the realization of Re: doing things proper and right, is when extra time and effort id made to design and layout a specialized room, whether it be a hobby room, a craft room, or even a workshop (of sorts), having at ones disposal, proper functioning furnishings is key. Sure, there will be an upfront cost to making this happen, but my belief is, the effort (and time) invested will make for a much better end result and assure long-lasting pleasure.

Imagine how exciting it would be to enter a dedicated room with a large functioning cabinet to open the doors to, and revel at all you have on hand to turn-out a job or project. Or just be in the company of a special antique piece to help pull-together/anchor the room.

[Mrs-M]

A simple cubby-hole cabinet would be nice as well.

http://www.urbanremainschicago.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2/0/20111027-016m.jpg

You could even have one custom made to be built-in style.

[JaneV2.0]

Organization porn! More, please.

[Mrs-M]

Right you are, Jane! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sex004.gif

[Rosemary]

Mrs. M's photos made me think of old library card catalogs. Occasionally I'll run across a section of a wood card catalog at an antique shop. As a lifelong lover of books and libraries, I have warm memories of pulling out those drawers, full of books just waiting to be found!

[Simpler at Fifty]

I get a lot of organizing ideas for my sewing room from this blog

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/

[chrissieq]

I know several people who have redone major sewing spaces with Ikea cabinetry.

I use an old wood doll house for small items. The doll house is on a sofa-type table with supplies like zippers, etc are in photo boxes with the item tagged on the front and stacked on the shelf below. Fabric is in clear plastic containers.

But, then there are the paper boxes filled with vintage tablecloths that will - someday ;) - be repurposed. There is also a box of quilt fabric and supplies. Oh and a handled basket of scraps.