My Sewing Area

I always think it is helpful to see how other people organize their spaces, be they creative spaces or otherwise.  I enjoy getting ideas on how to make better use of my space, and hope you can get some ideas from me!

I use a Baby Lock Creative Pro and have been incredibly happy with it.  I always leave it covered when not in use, and it has been a workhorse since I got it.  It uses all metal parts, and doesn't need to be oiled.  The only maintenance needed is to get the dust out, which I try to remember to do every time I wind a bobbin.  It also performs better with a sharp needle.  I need to remember to change these more often! I also like the stitch choices and that the bobbin threads itself.  The digital choices of stitches make it a lot easier to repeat a stitch, and to remember what I did and to do it again.  It should have a 25-year life span.

My computer shares a table with the sewing machine.  This makes it easy to follow online directions, and I feel good about the paper I am saving by not printing everything.  I can also look up what I need as I need it, and more easily switch back and forth between activities.  My Kam Snap Press sits on the desk as well, but mostly because it is so heavy and I don't want to move it around every time I need it.  Items strewn about include some notions I need to put away that I bought today and my water bottle, glass, and a few coasters.  The coasters double as pattern weights.

I have a shelf on my desk, and on it is the landline, my finished projects and gifts in waiting (you see two of the Mei Tais I just made and a couple of burp cloths and a tin container I am waiting to use to wrap a gift in), and my scrap bin. Scraps only go in here until they can be cut into soakers or given to my 2.5 year-old for his scrap bin (he likes to cut them into small pieces and carry it around).  Under the shelf is my cutting mat, metal ruler, and projects-in-progress (that is a stack of Katrina's fleece soakers).  In the desk drawer are my office supplies.

My nook used to be a bar.  The shelves and fold-out table stunk of liquor when we moved in, and had sliding doors on them.  I quickly repainted and moved the doors to the garage.  I originally thought I would put my stash on the shelves and hang a cover of some sort, but I like the color and I like being able to see everything.  It helps me come up with ideas.

The shelves are categorized by type of fabric and then by color.  The largest bolts of fabric (i.e. Zorb) sit on the floor in the corner.  Everything else tucks in.

You can see knits on the bottom (just barely), and this includes old t-shirts.  The middle bottom shelf is fleece.  On the far left are new t-shirts in my son's next size up that I am intending on embellishing somehow.  The next shelf up is quiliter's cotton and flannel, and my soaker bin is on the far left.  The cotton is stacked by color, and the flannel is all together (I don't have that much of it).

On the middle shelf is my office.  There is a cork board you can't see, and it has coupons and keys on it.  Checkbooks, a hole puncher, and my stapler are next to my 3-tier in-box.  The top is for pending items, middle is for chocolate at the moment and sometimes it has a purpose, and the bottom has project folders in it.  Currently one is a house remodeling project folder and the other is a medical folder.  You can see envelopes and stationery in front of my receipt box (similar to this), which is next to more envelopes and sheet protectors.  I use sheet protectors inside those black binders to hold patterns I have printed.  In my part-time job, I do a lot of mailing and organizing.

The next shelf up is very tall.  On the left are art and crafting supplies like modeling beeswax, freezer paper, heat 'n bond, and fabric paint.  The bins hold my notions like buttons and vest buckles, then zippers, snapping supplies, and elastic.  The last two hold my labels and size tags, and sewing machine supplies and thread.  Then come my pattern binders, organized by category (baby, kids, bags, adults) and sewing machine manual. My idea pattern books are on the bookshelf, which is close by.

Above that are interfacing and batting and fancy linings, wicking fabrics, heavy denim and cottons, and waterproof fabrics.  The top shelf holds wool, heavy cottons, and old sheets and curtains.

The wall just to the right (you can see orange scissors) has four small bins attached to the wall.  These hold extra pens and markers and a short ruler and paper scissors, postage stamps and return address stamp, label maker.  Sewing scissors and my rotary cutter go in the top bin.

This system of organization is based on usage patterns and my limb length/ how often I can reach versus what I need to get up to get.  I like it so far, although it gets refined somewhat consistently. Pin It