Sew Organized

For those of you who know me already know that I love to organize!  My workspace has to be neat and tidy before I concentrate on my project at hand.  This characteristic can be frustrating when deadlines are due and "cleaning time" isn't optional but can be beneficial in that I always know where my stuff is!  That is one of my pet peeves (I really don't have that many, lol) to need something and not know where to find it!  I'm very blessed to have space.  Two years ago I decided the unused "pool house" would become my studio.  I moved out of a spare bedroom and haven't looked back!  I love going out of the house where there is only a space to create!  So...today's blog is a tour of my sewing room that has morphed and will continue to change as I see fit.

WELCOME!

This is what you see as you enter my sewing heaven.  I have an old kitchen table covered with a grid board to protect it and both machines handy.  My new (anniversary gift) Brother that can be embroidering and my "old faithful" Bernina to keep me occupied while waiting on the embroidery!

My current project is spread out on the table with the purple box nearby to store any trims, threads, cut pieces and patterns when not in use.  You can also see Maggie's dog bed purposely placed near my feet to keep her happy while we sew.

[caption id="attachment_264" align="alignleft" width="590"] My sewing table.[/caption]

 

Just recently I added the cutting table area with a plastic table that was sitting in the garage.  I also took bed risers that were used a couple of years ago in my daughter's dorm room to raise the height of the legs so cutting while standing or perched on a stool was comfortable.



 

I use a Pampered Chef lazy susan to store pens, scissors, marking tools, seam rippers, etc on the corner so I can easily reach them from either the sewing table or my cutting table.  I removed the mannequin from it's stand to use sizing my current project.  A wastebasket under the table is handy for scraps.  Painter's tape is a necessity for me--I use it to mark right sides, hold trim together, tape tissue paper together for pattern tracing, taping a quilt backing to the floor and sometimes use it to mark a seam allowance on my machines.  I also put as much fabric as I can onto bolts collected from my local Hancock store (they throw them away) and I have a breast cancer ceramic cupcake that houses the rubber bands I use to keep my fabric neat and my silk pin magnet catcher.



Of course there has to be an ironing area!  It is conveniently located on the other side of the table so I can roll from the machine to the ironing board or over to the cutting table.  Behind me is where I keep all my threads, stabilizers, buttons and snaps in fishing tackle boxes and collection of sewing books.  Note the old ice cream containers that hold velcro, zippers and elastic. (I want to cover them with white contact paper and label them but haven't done it yet )





 

A basket holds stabilizer scraps that I recycle and all my AS&E and Sew Beautiful magazines are stored in white binders purchased at local office supply stores.

 

Very important to sewing is yes, of course, fabric.  And a fabricoholic  ( did I just invent a word?) I am!  I'm addicted to beautiful fabrics!  I try to store larger yardage on bolts and less than 1 yard cuts in an old shoe cubby that I keep organized by color family.  Some of the folded fabric I didn't have room for on bolts or just haven't had time to put up yet.  I also keep interfacing a batting in this area as well.  I just couldn't stand my ribbon being mixed up (kinda like some people don't like their food touching) so I separated it into plastic shoeboxes by color.  I cut mat board to fit my shelf size and wrapped all my laces onto them to store on the top shelf.  I recycled a kitchen fruit basket to hold rick rack, bias binding and piping.  You'll see my "naked" pole where my mannequin belongs....Teddy bears are from my daughter's collection when little and a gift from a dear friend while undergoing chemotherapy.



 

Oh! and yes I love longeberger baskets to store stuff in as well!  Christmas fabrics are housed in this one.  Blanks are on my bottom shelf ready for embroidery!

My daughter's garments and      

Etsy inventory hangs here.

My filing cabinet houses all patterns.

 

The counter area (which is the kitchen area of the pool house) I use for a desk space, my pleater and my serger.  I used to cut here, but the width of the fabric wouldn't fit flat on the counter and I decided to confiscate the unused table from the garage.

Quilting supplies and templates are stored here.....              
a little music and Scentsy smell.....

 

coffee and chocolate to round out the day......

and most certainly a place to sit and sip my coffee while smocking or browsing my sewing magazines for inspiration with the help of my faithful Maggie!

Hope you enjoyed visiting me in my studio today!  Next week look for  "how to" instructions on organizing your patterns and all those multiple sizes!  Till next week.....happy stitching!

Renee at

Ney Ney's Stitches