Getting Organized In the Sewing Room

I’ve shared my sewing room before but today I wanted to share some of the organization ideas that work best for me. A place for everything is the key to staying organized but sometimes all the little items and scraps of fabric that go along with sewing can be a little challenging to find a place for.

In my sewing room storage is the key. Lots of drawers and shelves so I can create a place for everything but I also use lots containers that you might not have thought to use in your sewing room.

One I really like to use is clip boards, whether it’s paper of fabric you need to keep contained they work great. I order lots of home decorator fabric samples and since there is a charge for them and I often have clients looking for a fabric I like to keep them handy. When you sort them by color it makes locating a specific fabric a quick job.

Another one of favorite storage items is covered dishes. From soup tureens to sugar bowls, these guys are great for all kinds of storage. In this one I keep extra notions like bias tape and Velcro , but it would work for all sorts of things.

My under counter storage is where I keep my larger folded fabric. Big folded pieces are stacked on the shelf while smaller pieces are put into baskets. Again I sort these by color to make them easier to find.

For the drawers I use basic divider trays grouping like items together.

My largest storage piece is this Mid Century china cabinet. The cabinets in the lower part are perfect for my spare sewing machine and my scrap booking bag which is quite large. The upper storage is where I keep things I need to get to often.

Books, buttons, embroidery thread, small cuts of fabric, they all find a home here.

One of my favorites containers are the little boxes on the right. I bought them in antique store after the filming of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (filmed in New Orleans.) I don’t think the boxes are even seen in the movie (I watched for them) but they were part of the button factory set. Each has a Button’s Buttons label and a vintage button glued to it. I add a note to each label of what’s inside and use them to store things like labels and ric rac.  I love that they have a story behind them but are still useful.

For things like buttons and thread I love to use clear storage so I can find what I want quickly. You can buy fancy clear storage jars but I used mason jars, mostly because you can buy a whole case for the same price as one storage jar. You may notice I spray painted the lids silver for a different look.

When looking for storage containers don’t limit yourself to the organization isles. I keep my tall markers in a vintage straw dispenser, thread lives in a raised trifle bowl, and fat quarter fit nicely into CD baskets.

No matter what you use to store all those craft and sewing items if you can find place for everything and return everything to its place you are sure to keep a sewing room that’s ready for a project anytime.