2023 Sewing Room Makeover - Part 1 

thank you! it is real life! no photoshop world...or Walt Disney world. simply reality. bless, you are a source of inspiration and aspiration. bless!!!

Don’t be embarrassed! My sewing stuff looks just like yours and im dealing with this ❤ you will get it fixed

you are too adorable

It seems top me that you have almost everything you need.... Room space, storage boxes and drawers. I think the thing you are missing is a Dymo labelling machine!! I bought one and it changed the way I thought about storage. I assigned a box to "orphan blocks" and now they always go in there. I have a labelled box for fabric strips & another for 2.5" squares & one for 5" inch squares. All scraps get cut and put into one of these boxes. HSTs have a box (labelled)! Even "precuts" have a box. Save your nicest bookshelf for displaying folded quilts. Put UFO quilts in boxes too. For those boxes I use sticky blackboard labels that you can wipe when the project is finished and then relabel the box for a new project!! You could coral all of your labelled boxes into your smallest room and use it for organised storage. A large plastic bin for all other mixed scraps which can make a dog bed (lucky dog 💗) I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thank you so much for sharing your sewing rooms I love love love your sewing signs you have on your wall in sewing room 4 got to find me some like that. Right now I got fabric practice squares framed up on mine and some funny fabric blocks with sayings I found at a thrift shop. My sewing room is half mine and half honeys he uses it to play his guitar and work on fixing his fishing reels

Start sewing your scraps together and make an amazing scrap Quilt I've got clear sterlite boxes that stack up and empty boxes with fabric rolled around cardboard ( like a fabric store) stacked up under an old dinning room table that the sides fold down in my little room. I use that table as my cutting and ironing table. It's a little low but making it work. When I'm trying to piece a large lap quilt I'll pull the table close as I can to my desk where I have my sewing machine to help hold up my quilt so it don't drag on the floor.Its hard to explain how I have it all but I make it work for me...I'm new to quilting so I take notes when watching videos, I've made 1 complete quilt(-- binding I've yet to do) and three quilt tops so I'm still trying and learning ...glad I found your channel thru this quiltmas season.. looking forward to watching your videos and seeing what you do with the fat quarters for quiltmas...🤜🤛

If you are looking for sewing room storage solutions there’s a good page called sewing room ideas that has loads of different things. I love my Alex wide drawers from Ikea. They sit under my desk and I keep all the things I want close by in the top drawer. My threads in another couple of drawers. Cutting mats and Cricut stuff. I also use one of the Ikea photo shelves to store all my large rulers as the lip holds them in place.

Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability in this series! My sewing room was also a work in progress for storage solutions, and I had similar issues with no existing storage cupboards in my space. IKEA Billy bookshelves (the shorter height, but narrow and wide width) worked great for me when paired with cloth cube storage bins. I needed to have the bin contents out of view (and temptation from my toddler), but learned from my first attempt that the bins need to have a clear window label so that I can easily index what was in each bin. Lastly, I evaluated my fabric stash and scraps with gusto while completing Karen Brown's January decluttering challenge. The "Do I still WANT to make it?" approach instead of the "CAN I make it?" was a game changer for me. Practice and experience has changed the type of quilting that I now enjoy compared to when I first started quilting (and acquired most of my stash). With that in mind, I found loving homes for fabrics and tools I no longer had the desire to use. If it wasn't irreplaceably useful or "filled my bucket", then it was removed from said bucket. After much work, my sewing room became the haven I had hoped for all along. Is it visually pleasing or Instagram worthy? Maybe not to anyone else, but it feels welcoming to me. And shouldn't we as individuals be the ones who feel most welcomed by our own sewing spaces? ❤️ Sending you much encouragement and resilience as you reclaim your sewing haven! Also, repurposing tea bag storage for threads: PURE GENIUS.

Since you said you lack the “storage idea” skill I would recommend watching Just get it done quilts. Karen Brown out of Toronto CA. She has just done a series on “Decluttering”, she also has a series of organizing the work space. They are very good videos that might help with these issues. Having your work items on wheels (locking of course) would help with the transformation to the guest room. I too quilt in the guest room, after each quilt if finished I try to organize the scraps by color/size. I only save scraps that are a usable size 2”, 2.5” 4” etc. That way I can start each project (or couple of projects) from a clean slate. Good luck with your reorganization project. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Nothing to be embarrassed about... I live in a small trailer and my "sewing area" is a small table on wheels that I push into a corner when not in use. Lol. PS.. Love your videos And, Happy Holidays from Edmonton, Alberta Canada xoxoxo

You are not alone with the state of your sewing space, so please no need to be embarrassed. I am working on getting my sewing space to a better state. As others have mentioned I recommend Karen Brown’s January 21 day series as well as her other organization videos. While I do find that not all she says is stuff I want to do, I have found a bunch of her information helpful. I especially like her thoughts on working in defined chunks of time, working through the same types of things at one time so the types of decisions remain consistent, keeping a list handy to write down distracting squirrels, and deciding on the amount of space to be devoted to particular things. I don’t personally agree with some suggestions, like getting rid of items for other crafts that haven’t been used in 2 years. I do a variety of different things so it is often more than 2 years between uses and I do have the space to keep those. But I have made deliberate decisions on what I keep. For example, don’t enjoy using scraps so I have made a decision on what size piece of fabric I keep and anything smaller goes. I have gotten a lot better over the last year or so about keeping things organized. For me the key is to do a 1 minute “sweep” around the space just before I leave. I unplug the iron, return rulers etc. to their place, etc. Essentially I want the space ready to go when I walk in the next time. I do leave things in a ready state if I can so it is obvious what I want to do next and 5-10 minutes can be productive. So if I need to continue cutting the appropriate ruler, fabric etc. will be there on my cutting mat, but not in a jumbled pile. It is the items that I am done with for now that I put away. Some of the things that have worked the best are inexpensive or almost free. For example, I had tried a number of things for beside the machine tools. I didn’t like reaching up for things stored vertically, and I didn’t want them piled up so I had to rifle through. Then the type of tray they use in a dental office occurred to me. I used an empty shallow chocolate box and cut shelf liner to fit. I laid out the items I use almost every time I sew - snips, seam ripper, cleaning brush, etc. They are easy to see, easy to grab, easy to put back and best of all I have kept the habit of using it for a year.

Love your sewing room, as you were talking about your long kept items I had to giggle because I too have items stashed all around. Those birs and pieces will come in useful I just sure of it. 😊

I agree with some of the other comments about watching Just Get It Done Quilt's organization and decluttering videos. I would love to see some better images to see the room as a whole to better get an idea of what you have to work with. The first 2 steps I would take is to remove any trash and then remove anything that isn't used in that room. I noticed you have furniture in front of the bookcase. That bookcase would be best used for items used in that room. If you can find homes for books and other items that don't need to be used in that space. Then go around the rest of the room and take out stuff that is used elsewhere. Peg boards or hooks can be used to hang your rulers and cutting mats. If it not too hard to reach hang the less frequently used tools behind your monitors. Staggered Floating style shelves may be an option to store smaller items and use some of the space around the slanted ceiling/walls. Hang stuff on the back of the door. I hang my big ironing board on the back of the door when I am not using it.

Thank you for sharing. I understand how hard that must have been. Good for you for being brave enough to show your space. It will undoubtedly help YOU and many others! I look forward to picking up ideas from your organizing journey.

I started by keeping it simple, by “putting like with like”. Take a shoe box or winter boot box and from every corner, gather all your notions and tools, a couple of monster boxes for your scraps (I had better success when I gave up keeping small scraps with the matching yardage or F8 or FQ). I keep yardage from F8 to 6m bales in a 1970s 9-drawer dresser and almost all other fabric, from yardage for a specific project to 1.5” - 5” scrap squares in $3 photo boxes from Michael’s. If the box doesn’t have a spot to stick a label, I tape one to the front of the box. The boxes are pretty and stack very nicely on shelves or under a table. Once you figure out your “system”, it takes a bit of discipline to keep it from getting out of hand again. Also, don’t keep fabric because you might make something out of it someday. Keep only what you will make something out of. And if you’ve given away something you kick yourself for, don’t stress. It will come back into your life somehow.

I would make one room nothing but storage floor to ceiling shelving, you need open shelves with clear bins, you've got fabric and projects of different types tucked everywhere. Our of sure out of mind. Just an idea

If it were me I would get some boxes and sort everything first. Like with like. Make a place for your tops (not quilted yet) so you can work on them when it gets too much. You need different storage. Im not sure what you need but something different. I look forward to seeing what you figure out!

Thanks for sharing your sewing room. We all have messy rooms, and not enough storage. Could you hang your rulers using 3M brand hooks on the wall near your cutting area? Then you will see the rulers, and not forget about the slotted one. I can't wait for more videos, they are great and I have learnt a lot from you.

Looking forward to your serie, to see how you works things out. Having a nice sewing room is an ongoing project for, tidying up, decluttering, reorganising all my stuff. It is good for my sojo. My room isn’t Instagram picture perfect, but a workspace that’s get used and messy,. The videos of Karin (just get it done quilts) were of great help and inspiration for me, but as I said, it is ongoing. An idea ….In your video I notice you have stuff in four different rooms. Would it work for you to make one room for storages? Put some good closets in it wall to wall. That way you could get your sewing room more space for a good sewing- and cutting table. Succes and thanks for sharing your “mess”

I’m looking forward to this series. I’m looking forward to solutions that will make my sewing/quilting life more workable and efficient!

For the last six months, my bookshelf next to my sewing area was stuffed with the fabric of the BOM I was doing (I really mean stuffed - like in between the small spaces between books and the next shelf up). I finally finished the quilt top and cleaned up. Suddenly, the room looks really different 😀 I think your space does not look particularly bad, just like it is being used. Some years ago I bought many nice boxes, all the same size (for reduced visual clutter). DinA4 comic book boards fit perfectly in those. So now all my fabric (FQ and up) is stored on comic book boards (I pin a little piece of paper noting the size on the fabric) and the fabric in the boxes is sorted by "themes", labelled on the side. I.e. Christmas fabric, solids, backing fabrics (they are actually not on comic book boards but display more KonMari style because they stand by themselves), ... you get the idea. This way, when I take off the lid of a box, I can see all fabrics in that box. I used to have them stacked but since I had to move my sewing space into my bedroom, they are now under my bed. I find this system very helpful for organisation. Once I finish a project, I cut the rest down right away in the regular precut sizes and have dedicated boxes for those too (I am switching to just cutting everything down into stips of 2.5 and 5. inches). I have only little time and space, too many ideas so I do not keep all that many smaller pieces.

Thank you for sharing. you have more organization than you realize. I look forward to Part 2.

Thank you for sharing, I'm fighting with my room as well. Hopefully we both succeed.

Very interesting. I agree with the suggestion to use Clutterbug’s questionnaire to see what your organization style is or should be. Organizing videos often irritate me because they want me to get rid of things. I don’t want to do that. I just want to organize what I have. I want easy access to my most frequently used items, and for everything else, I prefer to store like with like whether it’s fabric, rulers, other tools, or books. I don’t have a dedicated sewing room. I sew in one room where my sewing machine cabinet fits, cut on the kitchen table, iron in the kitchen, and store fabrics in an extra bedroom that is basically a storage room. Good luck with finding a system that fits you and your home.

Thanks for posting this video, we are So Alike 👍😁 We live in a 3 room apartment, no sewing room, I use my dining room. I have all these boxes and drawers and hidden spaces too. I loved that you also find surprises in your own stash.

Good Afternoon Tom, I have many and more of the same issues as you. I share my embarrassment of the shape that my room is in with you. I will be following along with you on your journey of organizing your space and hopefully I will be doing the same. I know that you have said you follow Karen Brown and she has put out her de-cluttering videos for 2023 that I now wish I had taken part in. But she says it’s never to late and those videos will be there. My goal is to try and tidy up my space without bringing in more fabrics. Good luck for both of us and thank you for sharing. 🥰 Chris -Raleigh area of North Carolina. (I don’t always put where I’m from as I get lazy writing 🤣)

I too sew in my guest room. I find if after each quilt is finished, I cut 4",4 1/2",5" and 10" squares. The rest along with any trimmings go in a gallon baggie and is donated to the senior center quilting club. I don't do scrapy,crumb! Folding fabric is a must for me. I really look forward to how this all comes together for you.

It sounds harsh, but it is very functional: turn 1 bedroom into a closet/pantry. (Build shelves or bookcases and then sort it all out (I keep projects, yardage, cuts & precuts, batting, and supplies on shelves). Look into Murphy beds, inflatable mattresses, etc for guests. There are comfortable options.

Very brave to show your sewing space and admit it's not pristine and beautiful. I've tried a few ways to organise my scraps. Presently I have a shelving system of 9L Useful box company boxes - clear, with different colour scraps in; a different box for a couple of colours - various size scraps. I also had a fad of cutting my leftover fabric at the end of a project into various sizes. For instance, 2 1/2" squares, 5" squares, etc etc but find I very rarely use them. Plus they are all piled into three boxes so I never seem to open the right box. I do have various strips of fabric, some width of fabric others various lengths but again stuffed into boxes that I never seem to open the right one. Most of my fabric is stored outside in the garage which my husband calls the haberdashery. Those boxes are sorted into over 1 metre, 1/2 metre to a metre and fat quarters (and a separate box for my hand dyed fabric). I am gradually going through a labelling how much of each of the larger pieces of fabric I have. And when I buy it I label it. However like you I have box and baskets under my cutting table with all sorts in - on going projects, scraps of fabric and batting. It all sounds organised but it really isn't. I have the added issue that my sewing room is south facing so I have everything covered with calico to stop it getting attacked by the sun. I will be really interested to see what solutions you come up with and people suggest in the comments.

Declutter. That is the hardest for me. My sewing room is a corner of a room in my house that is used daily, and so I try very hard to keep it tidy. I have a "Husky" table that is 62"x24" that is long enough and deep enough to do most of my cutting and sewing on. It is adjustable so I can raise it to cut on and lower when I sew. Otherwise, my storage is a smaaaall antique glass front cabinet and some fabrics live in there and old cubicles my dad made for my mom and her sewing space when I was a kid. My denim and fabric that my mom had for years live there. I try very hard to NOT buy more until I use what I have because I just do not have the space, and I'm not 100% convinced this is my craft.🤣

I suggest you to watch RU-vid video called Just Get It Done Quilts as she do declutter stuffs every year in beginning of Jan. I watched her videos, and it helped me with this. I thought it might benefit you, too

Always a timely discussion, with you. :) I find myself going through this every New Year. Trust me, for many of us 'more room' just means 'more disorganization'. I want to make better use of my space, too. I would like to see what you do with your scraps. This is an on-going issue for me, mostly because I'm not really a scrappy quilter. I spent a winter trimming a huge bag of scraps into standard sizes, and then ended up giving most of them away because I don't use them.

Please tell me the color of the quilt behind you, looks like a butterscotch. Thank you

write down all your needs for the space, watch Karen like others have mentioned. You feel you lack creativity for choosing a really efficient options, bring in a professional organizer to assist you. they can evaluate the space, your style of working & needs & help you make a game plan. wanna go in full on by yourself, draw space to scale by hand or use free tech options available, this will allow you less dragging around and give you a feel for how the space can work for you. think door, window & outlets. let go of any trash, goal should be get everything into the one space so you are not wasting time ,energy & effort running around your house. my new big thing, invest in those castors on anything you can. your older self will thankyou lol. it will make reconfiguring & function serve you without strain. think multi-use , cutting/ work surfaces with storage. you have slanted walls so toss pegboards on the ends of tables/desk/ cutting station. it'll help with rulers & other things , plus keep them close at hand. we all struggle with our spaces, make your process slow,plan the space so you can make the best investments possible and be happy with the result. my 60 ft space isn't ikea or pinterest perfect but awfully close to having a decently functioning space.

My bedrokm for sewing is worse than yours, honestly. So please dont be embarrassed. As someone else suggested, make one room for storage and the other for the things your needing and using. I dont petsonnaly have that option, i dont have a spare room. I hang rulers etc on the wall, and i have recently purchased a 4x4 kallax, i have one bin for xmas fabrics, seperate bins for scraps and fabric in the others. I dont quilt, i only make clothes. But all my patterns and fabrics need a good declutter and sort out to be honest. They are so mixed up . Ill declutter and sort all mine out, while you sort yours.

Oh honey, you really need to work on your fabric stash. Yours is MUCH too small! 😂

I think many of us would cringe if our work spaces were filmed. I think a problem is we just want to go on to that next project so don't take time to wrap up after we finish one. Although I am working on multiple projects at the same time I TRY to put away all fabric, scraps, rulers, etc when I complete something. About scraps, Karen Brown @justgetitdonequilts says begin with the end in mind...before you save something have a plan for it. I find that helpful. I have a defined space I save batting scraps for cat beds to donate. Once there is no more room it is time for me to make cat beds. I also save fabric that I will use for them in my scraps. It is a good place for some orphan blocks you otherwise might not use. Currently I don't save anything smaller than a 2.5 inch square or a 1.5 inch strip. I have a place I put my scraps when done with a project and when that box is full I have to deal with them. I cut them in sizes I know I will use and put them in the designated place for them. Someone gave me fabric this year that was folded along the selvage and then folded lengthwise again, wrapped around a file folder and pinned. It changed the way I store fabric. My 1-3 yard cuts I wrap like that and stand up in a bin so when I look down into the bin I can see everything there. I keep my fat quarters together in a plastic case, also folded and stacked on their side so I can see what I have. I have a container for width of fabric scraps and two more for medium to smaller scrap that are larger than precut sizes I save. It is very helpful to know where my fabrics are by size so I can shop my stash for fabric. I look forward to following your journey and learning new tips for myself.