I folded up my scraps and store them in shallow plastic bins meant for papers and folders. They are stored folded side up and are organized by color. They easily stack on each other and it’s so easy to see what fabric I have. Best system I’ve found.
I'm always envious of those who have beautifully put together sewing rooms. I use cube storage units and bookshelves, but I'm so busy and have so much that it rarely looks so put together. It is organized, however. I sew for several dolls, sizes and makers and keep patterns according those parameters in plastic scrapbook boxes, clipping the pattern pieces together or using clear plastic bags within the box. So I may have as many as 10 patterns in one box for that one doll. I've tried other systems but this works for me. Makes it easy to put them away quickly and as I go, too.
I purchased two 12-Cubby units where I fold my fabric and stack them into the cubbies, organized by color. I started storing my scraps in clear totes by colors. Although that works, I found that I might need either a different way of storing the scrabs or an additional storage venue. I am leaning more to an additional storage. For the scraps that are too small for making a doll outfit but small enough to make into a quilt for dolls and other quilts, I am currently in the process of cutting them down into strips and storing by size of strips. squares, triangles along with adding an extra tote for Christmas fabric scraps.
Love the great tips. Love how you have the fabric folded on the shelves. Very nice tip. Also love how you have dolls on display in the sewing room. It looks so pretty . We have our fabric scraps in a wooden toy box in ziplocks.
My biggest challenge is enough space! I am thankful that my husband puts up with all of my "stuff" on our side of the bedroom, but I dream of my own sewing room someday! At least the days of all of my sewing piled up on the dining room table are far behind me! :)
I like your idea of putting a pegboard in a picture frame. If I were you, I would move everything off of the wall where you have your fabric stored, except the fabric. Arranging the things that are taking up space there now, on the opposite wall, where you have other magazine holders. It will free up (maximize) space in both areas, for ‘like kind’ containers. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, you could get clear shoeboxes for storing the small pieces of fabrics. For just $1.25. Because you make doll clothes, I assume that you probably have more scraps of fabric than someone sewing garments. One of the fun things about making doll clothes is the addition of ribbons and laces. Dollar Tree has a variety of sizes of ziplock types of snack and sandwich bags. You could organize your stash, by dividing them up into separate bags. Joann has a great selection of cardboard boxes that have been covered with beautiful designs. They change the designs at least seasonally and they have a variety to choose from. It’s an attractive way of keeping frequently used items close by, but hidden. I wait until they mark them down so low that they are practically paying me to take them. They come in a variety of sizes. The boxes themselves the are very pretty to look at, and they are functional! I use the small ones for lace. I cut a sturdy piece of cardboard in a dimensions that will fit inside the box. I wrap lace and ribbon around No one wants to waste sewing time, looking for just the right fabric. If you have a lot of small pieces of fabric, separate them first according to the TYPE fabric, unless that doesn’t matter to you. I assume that you have much more cotton fabric than any other kind. If you have enough shelf space, I would organize the cotton fabrics according to color, so that if you need a pretty pink print, you don’t have to look through a shoebox full of green or yellow. If you don’t have enough fabric in one color, to fill a shoebox, put brown on one end of the shoebox and a very different like orange on the other end. If you stack the shoeboxes with the shorter end facing you, label the end of each box. Yes, you will be able to see through the boxes to see the fabrics that are nearest you. But if you have two colors in one box, you won’t be able to immediately see which color is on the other end of each box. After a while, if you formulate the habit of putting scraps in the box where its fellow colors are, you will probably remember which shoeboxes are just one color, and which shares the space with black, or whatever. You don’t have to have a label maker to make a label. Cut construction paper into a heart, square, or rectangle to indicate the color(s) in that box. Or just write or type the word(s) and tape them on the inside, with the word(s) facing out. I sort my fabric first according to the type of material it is, because if I want fleece, vinyl or knit fabric, I don’t want to waste time, rummaging in a container full of cotton fabric. Secondly, I separate everything according to color. I also have themed crates for, batiks, patriotic, fall, Christmas/winter, children, etc. All in an effort to save time. Most of my fabric is stored in clear plastic crates that I purchase at Costco, you can’t beat the price! I fold fabrics that are larger than a scrap, according to the inside width and height measurements of a crate. I know what you are talking about, when you said that you can wrap material around acid free cardboard. I didn’t do that, I just went by the measurements and folded the fabric. I understand that including a sheet of specialty cardboard would make the folded material stand up straighter, but I have enough fabric that I could open a store. My crates are full enough that the material doesn’t fall down. Each piece is standing upright, similar to file folders. I used to store them flat, but I didn’t like having to remove everything that was above the one that I wanted. If you want to continue storing your thread on the wall organizer, I would cover it with a piece of clear vinyl, or kitchen plastic wrap, to protect the thread from dust, and to eliminate the repeated need to vacuum all of the spools. Or buy something shallow, like a shoebox. Lay the spools on their sides, so that you can see the colors as soon as you remove the lid. Another idea would be to purchase a plastic container that is intended for scrapbook paper. It’s shallow, allowing you to quickly see the thread, if you lay them on their sides. If you get on the mailing list for Joann, you will receive booklets advertising sales and giving you coupons, up to 60% of, occasionally. They sell the containers that I mentioned.
For small fabric scraps, a clear plastic shoebox for each color is one solution. For thread, I found some plastic double sided tackle boxes that the spools fit in. They work great! I like your ribbon spools.
I don’t have a sewing room, but if I did patterns would be in order and fabrics tools and notions would be in their respectful space. I am a real stickler about organization. The video is really helpful.😘❤️
My biggest challenge is just having a room big enough devoted to storing & using everything I have! Love the ideas here-- I'd sort the small bits of fabrics into clear shoe boxes that can easily stack on shelves or inside closed cabinets, organized first by main colors & then within each color box also separated by solids vs. prints/patterns. I like the vertical fabric storage idea for easier access (wrapped on cardboard), but you likely need custom cabinetry to efficiently store & separate the bolts of fabrics (both vertically & horizontally). I have found stacking fabrics makes it harder to get to pieces near the bottom without the whole stack falling over & then needing refolding.
Thanks for the tour! I like to store my fabric by type & color. Cottons, knits, & fancy fabric are my main categories. My small remnants are rolled, tied with surplus yarn or fabric strips & placed in baskets on my sewing room shelving. I agree that it helps to see what I have or I forget it’s on hand.😊
I've begun wrapping my fabric on cardboards for storage, and I love the way that makes things easy to see and easy to access. I keep coming back to arranging my fabrics by color. Somehow, that is just easier for me see what I have available. I really like the peg board idea--I just need to find a place to put it!
The most challenging thing to keep organized whilst sewing is the patterns I am using and adapting. I keep each pattern in a labelled manilla envelope w/photo on the front, carefully label each piece as to whether it is a 100% original, an enlargement or reduction, and if it has been otherwise altered. This really helps when coming back to a project after a break, so I can easily pick up where I left off--or know which was my most recent version of the adaptation so I can sew another one.
Those smaller pieces I fold onto fat quarter size and have them lined up in a large shallow wire basket. They’re set on their edge and sorted by color. Works great to see what I have available.
`I work with smaller amounts of fabric so keep mine in small plastic containers with lids. I keep them in color order, which works best for me. I think this method might work well for you for your scrappier or smaller piece fabric. If you don’t have room for a lot of plastic containers, they do make storage containers with drawers or several divided spaces. If I have larger quantities of fabric, bulkier or speciality fabric, I roll it and stand it upright in a rope style basket. Your room looks nice. Thanks for sharing.
I like keeping my fabric on bolts and mini bolts (comic book boards) stacked like books, by type and by color! I think it’s easier to get what I want off the shelves easier! My fat quarters are neatly folded in clear plastic she boxes and small strips I put into sterlite drawers ! Thank you for the tour!
My biggest challenge when sewing is having what I need clear across the room from where I’m working. The measuring tape is on the ironing board when I’m at the sewing machine 😂 I love the idea withe pegboard for thread and the comment about small bags for scraps sorted by color!
My issue right now is that I have acquired sewing supplies from multiple people and really need to go through things. I've been using the clear plastic shoe storage boxes for things and that is really helpful. I also have large 1 gallon jars that had pickles and such in them from restaurants and they are invaluable for larger collections.
Enjoyed your video! You gave me many ideas on how to improve my sewing space! i don't have as much space as your room and that is what my challenge will continue to be.
For fabric storage I use products by Polar Notions. They’re pricey but they are sturdy and last forever. They sell mini bolts for large pieces of fabric and they have smaller units that were designed to hold fat quarters but I use them to hold any useful small pieces of fabric.
I store mine on bolts and cardboard depending on type and yardage. Most of my cottons are on cardboards stord like books on a shelf. I have used this way for years and love it. Heavier weight materials store on bolts. I have floor to ceiling shelves. One wall is all cottons the other is garment sewing fabric.
I store by fabric type, and then by colour. For the smaller pieces I have bins for the different colours. Mine are solid bins, but from what you said about being visual, you would probably work better with clear bins.
My biggest challenge for keeping things organized in my craft room is having more than what will fit in my storage containers, either because we hit a great estate sale deal we couldn't pass up or someone cleans out their closet and donates it to us to use for ministry. We recently tackled the overabundance of fleece by making things for the homeless and pregnancy clinic, but we have so many other things that need used or given to someone else who will do something with it.
I have a 13x15 room but there's also along arm in it for quilting. I'm trying! I think that I need to get rid of a lot of duplicate things...great tips Cinnamon!
I have 3 small bins in my sewing for #1 work in process #2 finished work#3 projects to come. Now mind you, most of my sewing is for 18” dolls, so there isn’t an overwhelming abundance of fabric
Smaller pieces of cardboard will allow you to store the smaller fabric scraps vertically. I was just inspired to try that with a stack of roughly letter-size cardboard harvested over the years from file folder packaging. Some became disc binder dividers with pretty paper, and used others to stiffen/stabilize mailing envelopes, but now I see their potential for fabric storage...
I have mine fabric folded on the shelf like you do but my daughter has hers wrapped around cardboard and standing up like you mentioned. I definitely get more inspired to sew when I look at her fabric!!! In the midst of renovating my sewing room (17'x11') so I think I will do wrapping my pieces. I don't know how to store my larger pieces...3+ yards?? I do have pegboard hanging but its just plain...I love the frame around it! Thanks for sharing your video!
My problem is that I am a perfectionist and a procrastinator. It makes it hard to get started! But seeing all these storage ideas makes me want to have a room like this!
Thanks for sharing your room. For the small fabrics you could use a transparent shoe box (Ikea) and have the fabrics folded in small squares, kind of standind up, so you can go through like in a file binder 😊
My most challenging thing to keep organized when sewing is patterns. I always have multiple projects in different stages going on and sometimes pattern pieces can get mixed up.
Love your ideas. I have a good-sized room, but one whole long wall is windows, so it really limits my storage space. I do store apparel fabric by type and doll fabric by type and color.
Your room is so pretty. I am working on mine now. Luckily I have a great closet and I bought some inexpensive bins in which I plan to store everything and LABEL them so I can find what I need fast. I am going to get rid of a couple of excess chairs. I threw out all scraps that were cheap fabric I bought years ago before I knew better. I have my fabric on comic book cards in a pretty bookcase and I like that method. I sort by color, and holiday. I mostly quilt so I plan to cut my scraps into squares and keep in bins, ready to use. I have an Accuquilt, which I LOVE, and so that will be easy. Big cuts, or kits, will be in a wire bin or basket. It is a work in progress. I also think I may put removable labels on the comic book boards with info. I may want to know when I go to use it. That could be the yardage, or designer, etc. Then I can peel it off and reuse the cardboard. Thanks for sharing your lovely teal room, and ideas!
I mainly quilt and make bags, so I store my clothing fabrics separately in storage bags with a tall clear vinyl strip in the longest side. That way, I fold and stack the fabric largest cuts at the bottom up to the smallest cuts at the top so I can see at a glance what’s in there and in approximately what amount and they stay clean. My faux leathers and corks I store on rolls so they don’t get creased ( usually on the roll they came on) but I leave my 54” fancy vinyl’s and leathers on their bolts standing in a corner. I recommend you put what you use most often on your shelves and drawers, and your scraps in clear plastic storage bins of whatever size will fit, sorted by size and in separate bins for lights and darks. You can do this easily by labeling the boxes in size ranges, i.e. 5 inches or less, 10 inches or more. My sewing room is also small so you can do what I just described in 4 smallish boxes that can be stacked.
I make a lot of small things and I have three tier rolling carts in my room and I keep all my small bits of fabric in the cart and can just roll it over to where I'm working. I have a separate cart for lace and trims.
Besides organizing fabric scraps, I've recently had challenges keeping track of my props for vendor shows. I like to create scenes at my shows-it draws people in just to look, which is fun, but also frequently results in sales, especially from doll collectors.
Great ideas for the pegboards. I'd never thought about using the smaller frames. Also, I have concrete walls and was wondering if I could hang a larger peg board, so THANK YOU!
For the smaller pieces of fabric you have in bags, I would probably get smaller clear totes (preferably the kind that stack easily) and sort by color. I would also then challenge myself to work through it in some way. Ex. As soon as I make one item using the scrap fabrics then I can make one or two items with a new fabric I’m excited about. I found if I don’t do something like that then I will never get through it.
Love your studio. Yep I'm with you on the bags of fabrics that are just to good. I have a tote full also. I do wrap my regular fabric around comic book boards and it works great but during covid I was making so many masks and mine got a bit disorganized. I just haven't taken the time to organize it again,
I am thinking of using a photo album to organise small pieces of fabric I have. I'm not sure if the fabric pieces will fit into the pockets yet. But I like the idea of being able to flip through the fabric and see what I have.
Storing fabric by type is best for me but I'm a garment sewer. Your storage room is similar to the size of mine. Try to have one area where you store your office stuff and try and put it all in one box. Put all books and magazines in one cubby, remove the corkboard, and only have your magazine rack for your ideas. Well, those are my suggestions.
I store my fabric on shelves, folded so it's side by side rather than on top of each other. I sort my fabric by type, and then by color. I have jars and various pretty containers holding lace and buttons. Those are sorted by color and placed on the shelves in front of the fabric or between fabrics. The shelves I use are wooden store shelves that are adjustable. They were plain around the edge, so my husband put pretty trim around the edge of them for me. We also repurposed an entertainment center found at a thrift shop. Taking the doors off the top half, replacing the back with beadboard, and putting in fixed shelves. I use this for additional supplies as well as doll displays and the bottom for doll items like wigs, shoes, etc. I found a tall table (square countertop height table) at a thrift shop and repurposed it as a fabric cutting/work table. Hubby and I attached a smooth wood top and edged it with trim. Now I have a large work surface at just the right height.
Love your craft room, by the time I fit a sewing table, serger table, ironing board & full size cutting table there is no space left for the storage around the walls. Would love to see the whole room. Guess if you stick to doll clothes you don't need as much horizontal space.
I love you gave the dimensions of the room. Its so hard to imagine your stuff in a room but knowing you have all the necessary pieces in an 8x8 room helps understand what all you can fit in your sewing room. Thank you so much. (Did that make sense?) Where did you get the kitchen island you use for the cutting table? Did the drop leaf top come on it? The music was a tad loud in the beginning but it did get better later. I'm glad I stuck with you. The wall storage was genius.
I keep my fabric as you do, on the shelves, where I can see them. As for the small pieces which are useful, but cannot be on the shelf, I found the following solution. I took plastic bins, draw numbers on each of the bin, then photographed every piece which goes in a bin. All pics are now on my computer, each bin has is own folder with the number of the bin. When I'm looking for something, I just look through the pictures. The bins are on the garage. Maybe this will work for you too.
I bought a "computer" chair to use with my sewing machine. I can adjust the height and back and can roll from sewing machine to storage drawers for thread, scissors, measuring tools. I still have to get up to use the ironing board. I need a small pad and small iron.
My ironing boards have some height-adjustability, and they weren't pricy. Have you tried to set upmyourbboard only part-way to the standard height? Whether it does, or not, it is healthier to avoid sitting for prolonged periods. Think of the inconvenience as a health benefit?
Hello, for small pieces of fabric storage such as you have, you can use ziplock bags and clip or simply thread them on a rod like the buckets you have are on. Nice video and room.
I re-organized my sewing room in a similar manner as yours but since the room has pretty french doors that can be seen from the living area, I have to keep it as simple as possible so it doesn't look a mess. My desk is L-shaped but holds the computer and printer on one side and sewing area on the other side. Keeping all the notions stored and remembering where is probably my biggest problem
Folded all my fabric onto boards. Store it by amount. I am a quilter so anything less than 1/4 yard got processed into blocks right away for a scrap quilt.
I love seeing this light filled and well-organized space where it all happens!
I folded up my scraps and store them in shallow plastic bins meant for papers and folders. They are stored folded side up and are organized by color. They easily stack on each other and it’s so easy to see what fabric I have. Best system I’ve found.
Good idea
The Organizational course has been the single best resource for increasing my productivity.
I'm always envious of those who have beautifully put together sewing rooms. I use cube storage units and bookshelves, but I'm so busy and have so much that it rarely looks so put together. It is organized, however. I sew for several dolls, sizes and makers and keep patterns according those parameters in plastic scrapbook boxes, clipping the pattern pieces together or using clear plastic bags within the box. So I may have as many as 10 patterns in one box for that one doll. I've tried other systems but this works for me. Makes it easy to put them away quickly and as I go, too.
What a beautiful room. Finding space for all my fabrics is a great challenge for me.
I purchased two 12-Cubby units where I fold my fabric and stack them into the cubbies, organized by color. I started storing my scraps in clear totes by colors. Although that works, I found that I might need either a different way of storing the scrabs or an additional storage venue. I am leaning more to an additional storage. For the scraps that are too small for making a doll outfit but small enough to make into a quilt for dolls and other quilts, I am currently in the process of cutting them down into strips and storing by size of strips. squares, triangles along with adding an extra tote for Christmas fabric scraps.
Love the great tips. Love how you have the fabric folded on the shelves. Very nice tip. Also love how you have dolls on display in the sewing room. It looks so pretty . We have our fabric scraps in a wooden toy box in ziplocks.
My biggest challenge is enough space! I am thankful that my husband puts up with all of my "stuff" on our side of the bedroom, but I dream of my own sewing room someday! At least the days of all of my sewing piled up on the dining room table are far behind me! :)
Brilliant! Thanks Cinnamon! My biggest challenge is organizing my fabric.
By the time I find everything I need for my project I no longer am wanting to do it! I love these ideas. Dream big!
I like your idea of putting a pegboard in a picture frame. If I were you, I would move everything off of the wall where you have your fabric stored, except the fabric. Arranging the things that are taking up space there now, on the opposite wall, where you have other magazine holders. It will free up (maximize) space in both areas, for ‘like kind’ containers.
If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, you could get clear shoeboxes for storing the small pieces of fabrics. For just $1.25. Because you make doll clothes, I assume that you probably have more scraps of fabric than someone sewing garments.
One of the fun things about making doll clothes is the addition of ribbons and laces. Dollar Tree has a variety of sizes of ziplock types of snack and sandwich bags. You could organize your stash, by dividing them up into separate bags. Joann has a great selection of cardboard boxes that have been covered with beautiful designs. They change the designs at least seasonally and they have a variety to choose from. It’s an attractive way of keeping frequently used items close by, but hidden.
I wait until they mark them down so low that they are practically paying me to take them. They come in a variety of sizes. The boxes themselves the are very pretty to look at, and they are functional! I use the small ones for lace. I cut a sturdy piece of cardboard in a dimensions that will fit inside the box. I wrap lace and ribbon around
No one wants to waste sewing time, looking for just the right fabric. If you have a lot of small pieces of fabric, separate them first according to the TYPE fabric, unless that doesn’t matter to you. I assume that you have much more cotton fabric than any other kind. If you have enough shelf space, I would organize the cotton fabrics according to color, so that if you need a pretty pink print, you don’t have to look through a shoebox full of green or yellow. If you don’t have enough fabric in one color, to fill a shoebox, put brown on one end of the shoebox and a very different like orange on the other end. If you stack the shoeboxes with the shorter end facing you, label the end of each box. Yes, you will be able to see through the boxes to see the fabrics that are nearest you. But if you have two colors in one box, you won’t be able to immediately see which color is on the other end of each box. After a while, if you formulate the habit of putting scraps in the box where its fellow colors are, you will probably remember which shoeboxes are just one color, and which shares the space with black, or whatever. You don’t have to have a label maker to make a label. Cut construction paper into a heart, square, or rectangle to indicate the color(s) in that box. Or just write or type the word(s) and tape them on the inside, with the word(s) facing out.
I sort my fabric first according to the type of material it is, because if I want fleece, vinyl or knit fabric, I don’t want to waste time, rummaging in a container full of cotton fabric. Secondly, I separate everything according to color. I also have themed crates for, batiks, patriotic, fall, Christmas/winter, children, etc. All in an effort to save time.
Most of my fabric is stored in clear plastic crates that I purchase at Costco, you can’t beat the price! I fold fabrics that are larger than a scrap, according to the inside width and height measurements of a crate. I know what you are talking about, when you said that you can wrap material around acid free cardboard. I didn’t do that, I just went by the measurements and folded the fabric. I understand that including a sheet of specialty cardboard would make the folded material stand up straighter, but I have enough fabric that I could open a store. My crates are full enough that the material doesn’t fall down. Each piece is standing upright, similar to file folders. I used to store them flat, but I didn’t like having to remove everything that was above the one that I wanted.
If you want to continue storing your thread on the wall organizer, I would cover it with a piece of clear vinyl, or kitchen plastic wrap, to protect the thread from dust, and to eliminate the repeated need to vacuum all of the spools. Or buy something shallow, like a shoebox. Lay the spools on their sides, so that you can see the colors as soon as you remove the lid. Another idea would be to purchase a plastic container that is intended for scrapbook paper. It’s shallow, allowing you to quickly see the thread, if you lay them on their sides. If you get on the mailing list for Joann, you will receive booklets advertising sales and giving you coupons, up to 60% of, occasionally. They sell the containers that I mentioned.
For small fabric scraps, a clear plastic shoebox for each color is one solution. For thread, I found some plastic double sided tackle boxes that the spools fit in. They work great! I like your ribbon spools.
I don’t have a sewing room, but if I did patterns would be in order and fabrics tools and notions would be in their respectful space. I am a real stickler about organization. The video is really helpful.😘❤️
I love the idea of the kitchen island! Better height and look at all that storage space and it's on casters so can move it everywhere!
My biggest challenge is just having a room big enough devoted to storing & using everything I have! Love the ideas here-- I'd sort the small bits of fabrics into clear shoe boxes that can easily stack on shelves or inside closed cabinets, organized first by main colors & then within each color box also separated by solids vs. prints/patterns. I like the vertical fabric storage idea for easier access (wrapped on cardboard), but you likely need custom cabinetry to efficiently store & separate the bolts of fabrics (both vertically & horizontally). I have found stacking fabrics makes it harder to get to pieces near the bottom without the whole stack falling over & then needing refolding.
I recently found some solutions in my new sewing room. Thank you for these conversations
the best sewing room organisation series i never found on youtube
Great tips! Organizing my fabric stash is my biggest challenge.
Small piece of fabric are so useful! Doll clothes or scrap quilting! I keep mine in a rolly cart so they stay clean and neat!
Thanks for the tour! I like to store my fabric by type & color. Cottons, knits, & fancy fabric are my main categories. My small remnants are rolled, tied with surplus yarn or fabric strips & placed in baskets on my sewing room shelving. I agree that it helps to see what I have or I forget it’s on hand.😊
I've begun wrapping my fabric on cardboards for storage, and I love the way that makes things easy to see and easy to access. I keep coming back to arranging my fabrics by color. Somehow, that is just easier for me see what I have available. I really like the peg board idea--I just need to find a place to put it!
Love the pegboard idea, especially using the non nail method of hanging it on the wall.
The most challenging thing to keep organized whilst sewing is the patterns I am using and adapting. I keep each pattern in a labelled manilla envelope w/photo on the front, carefully label each piece as to whether it is a 100% original, an enlargement or reduction, and if it has been otherwise altered. This really helps when coming back to a project after a break, so I can easily pick up where I left off--or know which was my most recent version of the adaptation so I can sew another one.
Those smaller pieces I fold onto fat quarter size and have them lined up in a large shallow wire basket. They’re set on their edge and sorted by color. Works great to see what I have available.
`I work with smaller amounts of fabric so keep mine in small plastic containers with lids. I keep them in color order, which works best for me. I think this method might work well for you for your scrappier or smaller piece fabric. If you don’t have room for a lot of plastic containers, they do make storage containers with drawers or several divided spaces. If I have larger quantities of fabric, bulkier or speciality fabric, I roll it and stand it upright in a rope style basket. Your room looks nice. Thanks for sharing.
I like keeping my fabric on bolts and mini bolts (comic book boards) stacked like books, by type and by color! I think it’s easier to get what I want off the shelves easier! My fat quarters are neatly folded in clear plastic she boxes and small strips I put into sterlite drawers ! Thank you for the tour!
My biggest challenge when sewing is having what I need clear across the room from where I’m working. The measuring tape is on the ironing board when I’m at the sewing machine 😂 I love the idea withe pegboard for thread and the comment about small bags for scraps sorted by color!
My fabric is folded vertically and stored in drawers. Same with my threads, stored in drawers. Keeps everything dust free. 😊
Thanks for the tips! Definitely organizing my fabric stash is my biggest challenge!
My issue right now is that I have acquired sewing supplies from multiple people and really need to go through things. I've been using the clear plastic shoe storage boxes for things and that is really helpful. I also have large 1 gallon jars that had pickles and such in them from restaurants and they are invaluable for larger collections.
Fabric has been my biggest challenge, but you have some great ideas.
Thanks for this tour. It has inspired me. My biggest challenge is fabric scraps. I do sort by color.
Keeping my fabric organized is my biggest challenge.
Enjoyed your video! You gave me many ideas on how to improve my sewing space! i don't have as much space as your room and that is what my challenge will continue to be.
Thanks! I might try that Command tape and peg board.
For fabric storage I use products by Polar Notions. They’re pricey but they are sturdy and last forever. They sell mini bolts for large pieces of fabric and they have smaller units that were designed to hold fat quarters but I use them to hold any useful small pieces of fabric.
Your room is awesome! Wish I had that much fabric and it’s so beautifully organized.
I store mine on bolts and cardboard depending on type and yardage. Most of my cottons are on cardboards stord like books on a shelf. I have used this way for years and love it. Heavier weight materials store on bolts. I have floor to ceiling shelves. One wall is all cottons the other is garment sewing fabric.
Beautifully organized working space!!!
I store by fabric type, and then by colour. For the smaller pieces I have bins for the different colours. Mine are solid bins, but from what you said about being visual, you would probably work better with clear bins.
My mom is a quilter/fabric hoarder. She used the cardboard method so when it’s finally in her shelves it’s neat and tidy.
My biggest challenge for keeping things organized in my craft room is having more than what will fit in my storage containers, either because we hit a great estate sale deal we couldn't pass up or someone cleans out their closet and donates it to us to use for ministry. We recently tackled the overabundance of fleece by making things for the homeless and pregnancy clinic, but we have so many other things that need used or given to someone else who will do something with it.
I have a 13x15 room but there's also along arm in it for quilting. I'm trying! I think that I need to get rid of a lot of duplicate things...great tips Cinnamon!
I have 3 small bins in my sewing for #1 work in process #2 finished work#3 projects to come.
Now mind you, most of my sewing is for 18” dolls, so there isn’t an overwhelming abundance of fabric
I loved your command hook tip. I'm definitely going to use that one.
Good ideas for organizing sewing space!
This video is amazing! Someday I hope to be this organized.
Smaller pieces of cardboard will allow you to store the smaller fabric scraps vertically. I was just inspired to try that with a stack of roughly letter-size cardboard harvested over the years from file folder packaging. Some became disc binder dividers with pretty paper, and used others to stiffen/stabilize mailing envelopes, but now I see their potential for fabric storage...
Thanks for all of the great ideas! I love your color scheme too!
Thank you for the ideas. I greatly appreciate them since I'm limited on space in my small house.
thank you for sharing your ideas and solutions. Love the pegboard!! Have had one for years but never used it the way you describe..
I have mine fabric folded on the shelf like you do but my daughter has hers wrapped around cardboard and standing up like you mentioned. I definitely get more inspired to sew when I look at her fabric!!! In the midst of renovating my sewing room (17'x11') so I think I will do wrapping my pieces. I don't know how to store my larger pieces...3+ yards?? I do have pegboard hanging but its just plain...I love the frame around it! Thanks for sharing your video!
Wow, 11x17, that's a big space! Have you asked for empty bowls at the fabric store? Maybe you could use those for the large cuts...
You have a beautiful space to work in! I prefer to keep fabric types separate and organize each type by colour.
Great organization and beautiful room!
keep it tidy!
Cleaning up goes well, but then it often goes wrong again.
My problem is that I am a perfectionist and a procrastinator. It makes it hard to get started! But seeing all these storage ideas makes me want to have a room like this!
Loved the video, very organized not sure if I will ever be that organized but I still can find most things I am looking for.
I wrap all my fabric either on rolls for large amounts or on 3 different sizes of card board. 11 by 9, 5 1/2 by 9, 3 by 4. It works for me
Love the pegboard ideas.
For my smaller material, I iron them and roll them on empty paper rolls and store them in clear file storage containers.
I could only wish my room looked like this!
Thanks for sharing your room. For the small fabrics you could use a transparent shoe box (Ikea) and have the fabrics folded in small squares, kind of standind up, so you can go through like in a file binder 😊
Great idea!!
Beautiful room (love the color). #goals!
My most challenging thing to keep organized when sewing is patterns. I always have multiple projects in different stages going on and sometimes pattern pieces can get mixed up.
My sewing room needs a HUGE overhaul.
Love your ideas. I have a good-sized room, but one whole long wall is windows, so it really limits my storage space. I do store apparel fabric by type and doll fabric by type and color.
I like the curtain rod on the wall, so you can hang doll clothes that you have made.
Your room is so pretty. I am working on mine now. Luckily I have a great closet and I bought some inexpensive bins in which I plan to store everything and LABEL them so I can find what I need fast. I am going to get rid of a couple of excess chairs. I threw out all scraps that were cheap fabric I bought years ago before I knew better. I have my fabric on comic book cards in a pretty bookcase and I like that method. I sort by color, and holiday. I mostly quilt so I plan to cut my scraps into squares and keep in bins, ready to use. I have an Accuquilt, which I LOVE, and so that will be easy. Big cuts, or kits, will be in a wire bin or basket. It is a work in progress. I also think I may put removable labels on the comic book boards with info. I may want to know when I go to use it. That could be the yardage, or designer, etc. Then I can peel it off and reuse the cardboard. Thanks for sharing your lovely teal room, and ideas!
I mainly quilt and make bags, so I store my clothing fabrics separately in storage bags with a tall clear vinyl strip in the longest side. That way, I fold and stack the fabric largest cuts at the bottom up to the smallest cuts at the top so I can see at a glance what’s in there and in approximately what amount and they stay clean. My faux leathers and corks I store on rolls so they don’t get creased ( usually on the roll they came on) but I leave my 54” fancy vinyl’s and leathers on their bolts standing in a corner. I recommend you put what you use most often on your shelves and drawers, and your scraps in clear plastic storage bins of whatever size will fit, sorted by size and in separate bins for lights and darks. You can do this easily by labeling the boxes in size ranges, i.e. 5 inches or less, 10 inches or more. My sewing room is also small so you can do what I just described in 4 smallish boxes that can be stacked.
Would love to have all the shelves and drawers to organize!
Love your studio!
Looks so nice!
I make a lot of small things and I have three tier rolling carts in my room and I keep all my small bits of fabric in the cart and can just roll it over to where I'm working. I have a separate cart for lace and trims.
Besides organizing fabric scraps, I've recently had challenges keeping track of my props for vendor shows. I like to create scenes at my shows-it draws people in just to look, which is fun, but also frequently results in sales, especially from doll collectors.
She's got great ideas
Great ideas for the pegboards. I'd never thought about using the smaller frames. Also, I have concrete walls and was wondering if I could hang a larger peg board, so THANK YOU!
For the smaller pieces of fabric you have in bags, I would probably get smaller clear totes (preferably the kind that stack easily) and sort by color. I would also then challenge myself to work through it in some way. Ex. As soon as I make one item using the scrap fabrics then I can make one or two items with a new fabric I’m excited about. I found if I don’t do something like that then I will never get through it.
Love your studio. Yep I'm with you on the bags of fabrics that are just to good. I have a tote full also. I do wrap my regular fabric around comic book boards and it works great but during covid I was making so many masks and mine got a bit disorganized. I just haven't taken the time to organize it again,
Fabric organization and storage is my biggest challenge.
easy access to fabric, store vertically. it's what works for me
I am thinking of using a photo album to organise small pieces of fabric I have. I'm not sure if the fabric pieces will fit into the pockets yet. But I like the idea of being able to flip through the fabric and see what I have.
Great idea!
Storing fabric by type is best for me but I'm a garment sewer. Your storage room is similar to the size of mine. Try to have one area where you store your office stuff and try and put it all in one box. Put all books and magazines in one cubby, remove the corkboard, and only have your magazine rack for your ideas. Well, those are my suggestions.
Love your studio!
Thanks for the great ideas and tips. I sooo need to be better organized.
Thanks for the storage ideas!
I store my fabric on shelves, folded so it's side by side rather than on top of each other. I sort my fabric by type, and then by color. I have jars and various pretty containers holding lace and buttons. Those are sorted by color and placed on the shelves in front of the fabric or between fabrics. The shelves I use are wooden store shelves that are adjustable. They were plain around the edge, so my husband put pretty trim around the edge of them for me. We also repurposed an entertainment center found at a thrift shop. Taking the doors off the top half, replacing the back with beadboard, and putting in fixed shelves. I use this for additional supplies as well as doll displays and the bottom for doll items like wigs, shoes, etc. I found a tall table (square countertop height table) at a thrift shop and repurposed it as a fabric cutting/work table. Hubby and I attached a smooth wood top and edged it with trim. Now I have a large work surface at just the right height.
Love these ideas! I'd love to see what it all looks like!
Love your craft room, by the time I fit a sewing table, serger table, ironing board & full size cutting table there is no space left for the storage around the walls. Would love to see the whole room. Guess if you stick to doll clothes you don't need as much horizontal space.
What wonderful ideas and helpful tips Happy New Year!
Thanks for some great ideas for storage
Some very useful ideas.
Wish my room looked as great as yours!
The most challenging thing to keep organized when sewing is thread matched with their bobbins.
I love you gave the dimensions of the room. Its so hard to imagine your stuff in a room but knowing you have all the necessary pieces in an 8x8 room helps understand what all you can fit in your sewing room. Thank you so much. (Did that make sense?) Where did you get the kitchen island you use for the cutting table? Did the drop leaf top come on it? The music was a tad loud in the beginning but it did get better later. I'm glad I stuck with you. The wall storage was genius.
“My biggest sewing organization challenge is finding a good way to keep all my trims and fabrics organized.
I keep my fabric as you do, on the shelves, where I can see them. As for the small pieces which are useful, but cannot be on the shelf, I found the following solution. I took plastic bins, draw numbers on each of the bin, then photographed every piece which goes in a bin. All pics are now on my computer, each bin has is own folder with the number of the bin. When I'm looking for something, I just look through the pictures. The bins are on the garage. Maybe this will work for you too.
I bought a "computer" chair to use with my sewing machine. I can adjust the height and back and can roll from sewing machine to storage drawers for thread, scissors, measuring tools. I still have to get up to use the ironing board. I need a small pad and small iron.
My ironing boards have some height-adjustability, and they weren't pricy. Have you tried to set upmyourbboard only part-way to the standard height? Whether it does, or not, it is healthier to avoid sitting for prolonged periods. Think of the inconvenience as a health benefit?
Hello, for small pieces of fabric storage such as you have, you can use ziplock bags and clip or simply thread them on a rod like the buckets you have are on. Nice video and room.
That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing :)
I re-organized my sewing room in a similar manner as yours but since the room has pretty french doors that can be seen from the living area, I have to keep it as simple as possible so it doesn't look a mess. My desk is L-shaped but holds the computer and printer on one side and sewing area on the other side. Keeping all the notions stored and remembering where is probably my biggest problem
I keep samll scraps of elestic in baggies by elastic width. Easy to grab, find and use it up.
Folded all my fabric onto boards. Store it by amount. I am a quilter so anything less than 1/4 yard got processed into blocks right away for a scrap quilt.