I’m busy making my main studio space more usable… check out my progress AND enter my giveaway!
I give you a BEFORE tour
My main studio space is where I work all the time. It has my projects in progress, machines, computer, and most of my fabric.
About 3pm I started pulling all the projects out of my studio space to resort them and put them into better size container and more effective & productive spots for my use. I did a video for you
For the post part I’m not doing fabric, just projects.
That includes all the different products I review or test. PLUS I had some UFOs in my main space that were not being worked on and taking up valuable work space. They needed to be moved.
Taking it out is EASY.
Deciding how to regroup and where in my studio should it now be, is more difficult. I started when I got up.
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For our family business we work at home, so our whole small home has become our office.
We have no basement and no usable attic. So my business takes up 4 rooms in our home.
- My studio is my main work room and what you see all the time. It is the family room of our home, it’s what in the videos with my beautiful Koala Furniture and my Baby lock machines
- The shipping department has one room as his office.
- We have 1 other rooms for quilts, batting, notions, projects not being working on, other fabric, books, etc.
- AND the ‘over flow’ room right now is our dining room as it can’t all fit in the one room upstairs. The photo above is one wall in my dining room. On the wall is my village quilt (BUY the pattern here), and the blocks are from my Triangle book (HERE)
In my studio I keep JUST what I’m working on and my main fabric. On that video I talk about it being messy. It is ‘messy’ in that projects were not in optimum work places, split across areas, and things got put in spots that took up valuable space in my small room
Now for a few photos of my ‘after’
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Keeping it organized keeps my sanity 
Hope you enjoy watching as I make progress!
If you are new here, welcome! I run a lot of fun projects
These are my 2 latest FREE sew alongs, join me!
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1,818 Responses
What to do with my scraps, a couple of years ago I put them in ziplock baggies by color and gave them to the Salvation Army. I was tired looking at them, now I’ve just started a box where I toss them all, UGH!
My biggest organizational problem is finding a place for everything…then working on more than one project at a time, I can’t keep needed items easily accessible.
My biggest organization problem is too many types, colors and varieties of fabric and how to organize them. I can sort by color, but then I want to keep a certain line of fabric together, so that creates a whole new category. I can try to keep all the fabrics I may want to use for a certain project but I will start raiding that stash for another project. AND when I’m looking through a drawer of fabric for just that right piece, I make a big jumbled mess than never gets straightened out. Ugh!
Procrastination and fabric – I want to sort fabric by color but then there that project I want to do then every thing is out of place and I procrastinate on what I should do then I attend a guild meeting or get message about a new project – vicious circle and don’t get anything done — but I’m sure having fun!😜
I have a pretty good shelving system for fabric, but I am bad about getting fabric and stacking the bags and not putting the fabric into the system because I am working on projects. Then it gets to where I am moving bags around to get to something I need and there is a lot of fabric to sort and put away. Also, the small pieces of steam a seam and I need a better way to organize my thread.
My main organizational problem is where to keep the leftover fabric and what should I actually keep, along with deciding how to sort these leftover pieces of fabric when I have very limited space. I’m fairly new to quilting but have kept fabric from years of various sewing projects, some of that fabric is now being used whereas I don’t know what to do with others. A constant work-in-progress.
My biggest problem is being a knitter/crocheter AND a quilter. I’m lucky to have a dedicated room, but stashes in both of these crafts takes lots of space. I have an area in the middle of the (very small) room which I have to walk around. I’d like to donate things to others, but can’t seem to find anyone who will take them.
I keep a list of projects or supplies that are in different boxes or tubs which helps some.
It’s interesting to see how you work, Pat.
My biggest problem is space!! Is there ever enough? lol Still working on my room, but it’s much better than it was. Thanks for the inspiration!
My biggest problem is space. My work space is a small 8X10 room with a view small closet. But love my quilting space. I have never had my own space before.
My biggest challenge is having enough room. I’ve gotten to the point that I refrain from going into fabric stores, so I won’t be tempted to buy more fabric. I recently organized my rulers on the back of my sewing room door using 3m hooks. I love looking behind the door to easily select a ruler, and it motivates me to put them away in their proper place.
In an effort to organize, I keep trying different systems. So my biggest problem is using one system & converting totally to it. I enlisted my sister-in-law to help get my books re-organize. So I think the key is to have someone help you.
storing fabric in a way I can look through it – my space is in my garage.
My biggest organizational problem is the lack of space in my sewing/spare bedroom.
Sorting quilting from clothing sewing from calligraphy from painting from general arts and crafts etc. I have a ton of hobbies (quilting takes up most of it). Keeping it all in the closet space and not occupying my husband’s office is kinda hard. My sewing machine spensa a lot of time in our dinning room .
My biggest problem is working on too many things at once and then finding a project with a deadline, like right now, I am making memory pillows for each member of my hubby’s family from his father’s shirts. 13 of them to embroidery, make pillow forms for and sewing them together. I am even using scrap batting to stuff the pillows. WHY do I do this to my self? Last year I decided to make all the grandkids in the family sleeping bag quilts (started this in October) for Christmas, 19 quilts later and I was finished by December 23rd.
Mylene
My biggest challenge is making the most efficient use of my space. I am currently working on reorganization and plan to move some of my fabric to a spare bedroom. I am also giving some fabric and projects away because I have made the decision I will never get everything done that I would like. It seems like a continual process that most likely we all have to address time to time.
I have 2 much fabric and I have very limited space. I received Koala furniture for Christmas and it is to big for my room
After retirement a year ago, we moved to a our hopefully permanent home. We took a closet out of one room and turned it around to the adjoining room, my sewing/quilting room. It is partially done. The walls are that yucky fake board wall that is warping and gaping and needs taking down. There is an old rug that is just disgusting on the floor and needs taking up because when I spill pins on it I can’t find them and eventually step on them. Another-wards, there is a lot of things that need to be done in this room. My fabric are all in different see through plastic containers with tight lids so our Country mice won’t get into them. My room needs so much overhaul that it spins my head. Yet where my cutting table, sewing machine, and ironing board is set up in a good spot, I can still look outside in our forest and see nature and smile. I am blessed to be here, mess and all.
I share my home with my son and his 2 children. I quilt in the diningroom. It was manageable before, but now I have amassed so much stuff, I don’t know where anything is. I need more space!!!!!
My biggest problem is coping with scraps. What size do I cut them and how do I store them.
One of my problems is sticking with one project (area) at a time! I gt distracted easily and often end up far away from what I started organizing. Then my mind goes to a totally different area, like what should I make next, etc.
My organization problem is when I reorganize items to where it makes more sense to put them, I end up forgetting where the new place is when I need it.
My biggest problem is ME! Had I been born 20 years later I am pretty sure My parents would have had me medicated!…ha! Now I just have to manage my 63 unfinished projects(it was up to 133 last year) and continue to use my stash…I am a continuous “work in progress” type of gal…
I am very bad at putting things back as I work. Then I have to devote several days to “clean-up” in order to work again.
My organizing problem is: TOO MUCH STUFF: after 50+ years and moved a few times, sorted, gave away, etc…. still I have too much stuff. I love to make quilts for charity, but, can’t use the stuff up fast enough. But I love it all.
I don’t have a space for planning. It seems I am constantly moving things from cutting table to the back of my sewing machine while is the process of planning.
I need to sort my fabric by either color or type; ie floral, solids, masculine, seasonal etc. Can’t decide which would be most efficient
what a fun post. I have one small bedroom for my sewing, but it is a space I didn’t have before (which was on the dining room table). I cant complain. My biggest problem is that my space utilizes both sewing and stamping greeting cards and too many times I work on both at the same time so I have to consciously clean up after each time I go in and do something. Ah well, life is good right now so I wont complain. i will be grateful for what I do have.
My biggest problem is how to organize scraps and other pieces of fabric that are under a yard. Thank you for this opportunity!
I have a small space so storing my rulers for easy acces instead of having to pull them all out just to find the one I need.
My biggest organizational problem is ME! I organized both of my rooms, one that has my longarm, and the other which holds all of my sewing machines which haven’t spilled out to the rest of the house! The problem is I keep reorganizing them because they don’t work. It seems like, that with every quilt I make, the rooms have to change in order for the rooms to be functional.
Too many great projects, too little time.
My biggest problem is my sewing room has started having way too much things that aren’t sewing related being shoved in there by my husband. It needs to go somewhere. Anywhere but not in my sewing room. And my next biggest problem is I do not have enough shelving or bins to organize my projects effectively.
I recently cleaned up and gave away a lot that I wasn’t using. My room is 10×11 and is packed I think that’s my main problem. I’ Reorganized and it’s much better I still have a pile to bring to the church and then I’ll have more floor space. Funny thing is as soon as I have more floor space my 95 lb. rough collie (Ginger) likes to keep me company as I sew. Good luck I hope your reorganization goes well.
I want to keep it all because “you never know when something will come in handy”. I moved this summer and got to reorganize everything. My room is bigger than where I was and I am still having to store the bin of batting in the downstairs bathtub. (It’s not my only bathroom!)
Space! There are just sooo many beautiful fabrics, patterns and books to collect
Having any additional space to even organize! My sewing machine is already set up on the dining room table (not a separate room in the house). I need a She-Shed just for me!
Space is always an issue, but I think my biggest problem is that I seem to buy fabrics/patterns/notions faster than I can complete all the projects I want to do….My grandson says I’m a very good starter, but not a good finisher. So as a result, I have waaaayyy too many UFO’s. But….hey, I’m having fun!
My biggest organizational problem is thinking I am Wonder Woman and that I have time to do everything. I start off making something manageable like two Christmas stockings for my younger kids. Then I think, well I really should make two more for my adult kids, then for my grandson, oh, but then a friend stays over and I don’t want to leave her out. Life would be perfect if each day had 30 hours to sew! 🙂
My biggest problem…I hate to throw away anything.. “it could be useful” I have sorted though and put stuff into a bag…only to reopen said bag and pull stuff out … I have given one bag away so is that progress??? I hope so. I found totes work for the projects for me…
My biggest hurtle is keeping the fabric, notions etc thAt I have bought for a quilt.
Then when I go to start the quilt i forget what I bought for that one . I must have over 20 quilts like this. But boy is it fun when I buy it.
I can’t seem to stop storing things on my cutting table. I need supervision!!
I never can finish anything. I make notes of measurements that truly meant something when I wrote them but have to refigure everything so that takes extra time. Right now I have ten tops that need backing, batting, layering and quilting. I have my scraps partially under control so the piles are more organized. I am finding lots of patterns to use up the scrap collection and half of the quilt tops are a result of using up my scraps. I am beginning to feel good about what is transpiring. Have fun with your reorg!
My challenge is sorting scraps and what to consider a scrap or a more useable piece. Have tried buckets and baskets than I get overwhelmed/frustrated and dump it all together till next time
Boxes and boxes and bags and bags of scrap fabric of all sizes and magazines!
The biggest organizational problem? I guess it would have to be that I’m limited to one room that’s about 11 x 11. I would love to have a longarm but, with only 1500 sf in my home, it’s not possible. I’ve got 4 floor to ceiling bookcases, my cutting table, my Horn sewing cabinet, a 5 ft banquet style table and my computer desk & hutch. There’s just no more room. ~sigh~ Guess it’ll be in my next life. I’ve already put in the order…
A year after I moved into a new house and was still trying to get my things organized, my mother passed away. I inherited her sewing and embroidery machines, and tons of fabric and notions. I am trying to figure out how to get all of it sorted and placed in a sewing room that was made available when my youngest moved out. Currently, my sewing machine is downstairs, my embroidery machine is in the laundry room upstairs, the majority of my fabric is in the “sewing” room, and I have crafty stuff scattered around the house depending on which project I am working on. Hubby is getting frustrated, as am I.
My problem is I try to keep everything and store it. I just don’t have enough room!!
I dabble in a lot of things…so….I have a lot of stuff. I inherited a lot of wool and fabric from a friend who passed away. I just need to sort through all of the bins and boxes and combine hers with mine. I may need bigger bins.
Trying to sort all my crafts into one small room! It’s like trying to put 10lbs into a 5lb bag!