My sewing room - aka The Shoe Box - has issues. I have issues. It's just one big issue.
Lack of space. Lack of will to sort it out.
Here is a little virtual tour of my 2m x 3m (approximate size) room....
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| Looks relatively organised, until you head down to the bottom shelves.... This photo is taken from the doorway of the shoebox, to the right of my sewing desk. |
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| Shelves disappearing under the disorganisation of fat quarters, layer cakes and charm squares..... |
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| That clear box used to hold all my fat quarters. Until I became addicted. Now they're everywhere. Taking over. |
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| These shelves are to the right of the door of the shoe box. Such a state of disarray. |
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| My scrap box. Well, the box they go in to before I get off my ass and move them to a bag..... |
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| Like these. Even my poor overlocker has been put in the shadows of my desk. I'm sharing this because I'm hoping it will make me do something about it. But I really don't know where to start? How does everyone else store their fat quarters and pre-cuts? How do you sort your scraps? How, how, how? Help!!! I'm linking up with Sunday Stash being hosted by Sew Happily Ever After! You can too! |
Wow what a wonderful little corner of the house you have! It's so neat and fabulously organised at the top! I wish I could be of more help, I have similar storage issues, all my beautiful fabrics are currently stuffed into a big wicker basket, it drives me nuts! There is definitely a solution for you somewhere, I can't wait to come back and see it all tidy and get some tips for the future ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have similar problems. My fabric is supposed to fit into plastic containers. I spent a few days last week sorting stuff out and it nearly all is in some kind of container now. I think sorting it properly could easily become a full time job, but what I think really helped me was to grab my most disorganised tub and set it up at the end of the ironing board, placed a bin nearby and a plastic bag to put stuff in to donate to the kinder. I went from one really full tub to maybe 20% full. I was then able to grab other fabric from around the room that belonged in the tub and so on. Ironing helps keep it all neat, it takes up less space and since I am not a great fan of ironing, then I am more keen to chuck out the useless crap. A pair of scissors to chop off the stringy bits really helped.
ReplyDeleteI have 4 levels of storage.
ReplyDeleteUnder my cutting table, I have three bins. One for odd bits, one for "strings", and one for only 2 1/2" strips. This makes it easy for me to better use these scraps based on how I commonly use scraps.
When the scrap bin overflows, I sort into small drawers that are sorted by color.
Smaller pieces like FQs I fold in small squares and store on end in big plastic drawers so everything is visible and can be quickly grabbed. Sorted by color.
My larger pieces are folded and stored on a bookcase.
I find as long as I have the discipline to put away as I go, all my fabric is easy to find.
Don't feel bad. You can barely walk into my room. I have it stacked in dressers, stacked in the closet, and in boxes all over the floor. I am envious of your stash thou.
ReplyDeleteI personally think you need to get rid of some of your stash and I could give it a good home if you liked. No seriously don't feel bad about it you should see my room it is a total mess. And I mean TOTAL!!! I have to clear it up before I can do anything ever again in there. I have boxes and a glass unit and it's full of see through boxes with fabric and then I have a wicker basket that's full of fabric too. Oh yeah and a plastic stacking boxes too that are full.
ReplyDeleteBy the time you'd sorted all that out you could have done some serious sewing ;)
ReplyDeletestopping by for the Wow Factor.....have a great sewing week.....
ReplyDeleteAnd what a wow factor it is ;P I shelve my FQs and half yards by colour, although I'm fast running out of space on the small shelf (yes, one shelf of colours). I keep my solids and AGF on top of the bookshelf, and some scraps are kinda contained to a small box of drawers with layer cakes on top of that. On the bottom shelf is yardage. Then I have a box for Japanese fabrics (silks, etc) and a few more containers of scraps (ugh). I am in dire need of more shelves and better scrap storage!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fabrics you have on those shelves. What fat quarters I have which isn;t many is kept stored in lettuce / salad tub containers from the grocery store or samswholesale club. I wash tehm and recycled them .They are long are square and are see through. I have them organized by color. I use the same bins to store scraps in....But I do not have all that many most are like chopped off pants legs from my moms alterations shop...But it works for me.
ReplyDeleteAh it is a huge dilemma once the fabric gross beyond the confines of the original system. Some great ideas above though.
ReplyDeleteMidge...I call 'not trying hard enough!' on your stash and it's level of (dis)organisation. If I could share a photo of my shemozzle you would feel justified in walking up to total strangers and telling them about your highly organised and FULLY functional sewing shoebo...errr...room - true story! (I have great IDEAS about organising my fabric, etc but as they are only half applied to my own supplies, and often not visible beneath the layer of stuff in my workroom, it would be wrong wrong wrong of me to offer any advice in that area... Now on the subject of how to BUY fabric - ask me - I got lots of tips on that handy topic!)
ReplyDelete