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
My biggest problem is starting a project and then seeing a new project, getting excited and abandoning the first. I don’t seem to get any of my projects finished. I always have good intentions.
My biggest problem had been those fabric scraps left over from projects and handed down to me. But thanks to your post about sorting and cutting those scraps into useable precut sizes, I am conquering the fabric scraps! It feels awesome! I should be able to go from 4 messy bins to 2 precut bins that are ready for a scrappy quilt.
My space Problem is I have no space I don’t have a sewing room I sew in the living room I have a fold up the cabinet my storage spaces in a tiny closet.
Oursewing room has collected soooo much junk that when we go in to clean it we are so overwhelmed that we usually end up leaving without cleaning. I sew on the dinning room table.
My biggest organizational problem is finding space in our small house
My main problem, along with too much stuff and not enough space, can be solved by removing the recumbent bike and the futon from my sewing room. That would free up a lot of space. The second problem I have is spending too much time looking at quilting things on line, not your stuff, Pat, I always have to see what’s new with you! I seem to fall down a rabbit hole each day and before I know it I’ve spent a couple of hours just looking at pretty things I would like to make. I had been thinking about tidying up this room so now that I am properly inspired, today is the day! See you later, Pat! You can be sure I’ll be on line looking again, I’ll let you know how I did.
My biggest problem is to much stuff in to small a space, but I’m working on it. My husband has agreed that I should spread out to another area to give myself more creating space.
My biggest challenge is that my machine is in one room and my fabric and notions are in a closet in another bedroom. Oh well, I do get a lot of steps in going from one room to the other.
To keep things sorted and pretty at the same time.. I like every thing to look nice but clean.. I also can`t stand spending all my time looking for things.. waste of time rather be sewing and creating…
I just ordered my roll cart.I think this is really going to help me keep things in one place and not all over the place.Thank You for the info.Looking forward the seeing the end result for your room.
Too much stuff for a small room and how to sort little pieces for scrap quilts. Also to put things away when I get done with a project.
My problem area is pattern and book storage organization. It’s time for me to straighten and group my fabric too.
I don’t know where to start just with fabric first and then prioritizing ufos.
My biggest problem is, I like it all and I want it all, but I know I need to be realistic. If I don’t use it within a reasonable time, I probably won’t.
My biggest organizing problem is actually cutting and sorting my scraps so that they are usable. They get stuffed in a drawer and then there is no easy way to dig through them when I need small pieces for another project.
My problem is I like to work on several projects at once. I end up with piles on my cutting table and then can’t find things and don’t have enough room to cut fabric.
My biggest problems is getting rid of the scraps. I recently made a scrap quilt using 2″ strips I had precut. After I was finished the strips seemed to multiply instead of decreasing.
Hi Pat, I love your organizational skills with your space. A tidy room is always so refreshing and encourages me to immediately swing into a project. Searching for the “right” fabric, a certain ruler or color of thread is frustrating and I come to a dead stop – and then the sorting and reorganizing Must start. So much wasted time when I have to do that! I am much fortunate over the past several years and been blessed with a wonderfully good sized home with a full size live in basement and attics. Plus a lovely bunk house over the garage with 3 bedrooms so space is not the issue so many others seem to have. The one issue I struggle with keeping quilting items organized is the little time I get to spend at home. I work mostly on the road and spend 2 weeks up to 3 months away at a time and stay for 2 nights, so when I show up…. I tend to dump and run out again. My intention is to take my bunk house or one of the basement rooms to devote totally to the “storage” room much like you have in your upstairs room. So the results would be a lovely organized studio to work in when I do come in! Thanks for sharing your frustrations and endeavors with your office/home studio. I always enjoy reading and watching the personal side of your business. A nice little quote by Frederick Douglass – “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
I start too many projects and they are all over the place. I love it all! I am trying to slow down and enjoy the process.
My biggest problem is space. My sewing space is in a bedroom with everything stored in boxes. Everything is spread around and fairly easy to get to until we have overnight visitors, and have to pick everything up and store away under my cutting table. In the process of getting storage cubes, and sorting everything.
My biggest organizational problem is that I have multiple projects in process – but no system to separate/store/maintain the components to be productive when I do get time to sew.
I need to organize my sewing room. Good job
Space is my biggest storing problem. I started out with a very small room, and quickly out grew it. Then I took over a spare bedroom, and it is rapidly filling up. I’d love to buy a long arm, other than 1) cost and 2) space. Oh well, I can always make do with what I have, but trying to sort it to make it more manageable is really a problem.
My biggest problem is storage ! Uhg
Mine is space.. Right now I sew in the kitchen, all my current projects are in bags or boxes in the bottom of my closet and every thing else is stored in the garage. If I get 10 minutes to sew, I use that just setting up my machine and everything I need. I am working on carving out a sewing space, but, it’s taking forever to finish..
We recently sold our home in MA where my sewing room was 11’ X 21’. We now live in our RV for 8 months and will live in FL for 4 months. I have several bins of fabric in the RV as well as in a storage unit a couple of miles away. I’m trying to organize enough to sew outside at our campground and then haul everything back in to put it away. I picture my space in FL and I am trying to figure out transport of everything I need/want/havetohave and i’m getting overwhelmed at the thought of not being organized enough and leaving something behind in MA. I have several UFO’s with dreams of finally finishing all of them. I definitely need organization!
I sew on a table in my tv room. Stuff overflows onto every available surface. I can’t find anything when I need it.
My biggest problem is a fabric eating dog! Little pieces, things from the trash can, items pulled off the table. Actually that’s the second biggest problem. Biggest problem is space. My sewing/computer room would be 9 foot by 9 foot if it was square, but the doorway is at an angle and takes off space.
My biggest problem is organizing my fabric. I like to keep collections together but then they aren’t sorted by color.
My biggest organizational problem is picking up after myself, after each project and block I make. Have to learn how to take a second to fold my fabric and put it back in its place. For some reason that seems harder than sewing. I guess i like sewingbetter than picking up after myself, lol. Have a great day everyone.
My problem is space. I dont have a designated space for sorting my specialty tools (backing, batting, fusibles) so I have them all over the house. I think I find a spot and then forget where k pt it, move it or the little one decides to reorganize things FOR me.
Too much stuff in a very small basement bedroom. My things are organized until I begin working on more than one project at a time.
My biggest problem is sharing space – my sewing has to fit in with other space in the house. Someday I will have a dedicated sewing room…. Until then, I need to find good ways to have material and projects accessable and yet not in the way for others.
My biggest problem is I have too many things going on at once, multiple sewing projects along with Cricut ideas. I shove everything in piles and all of a sudden,the piles take over. Lately I’ve been trying to focus on one project at a time, which has helped. The only thing getting in the way is my love of “deals of the day” and ordering more stuff, which I pile on my cutting table.
I sew in a spare bedroom, so not really a designated sewing room – that would be my absolute luxury! I use a large bookcase for fabric and book storage but apart from that there are quite a few piles of ‘stuff’. When we have visitors I have to have a massive clean up!
Biggest problem is room is small and I sew quilts and clothing, which requires different items, thus too much! Mary Ann
Love your patterns, Pat!
My biggest problem is storing the 3-4 active projects in a way that I,sent a pain to switch between which project I am working on. Somehow a piece from this project migrates into the pile for another project.
My biggest organizational problem is lack of space! My grandson has moved into my sewing room and my fabric has moved into several enclosed chests and dressers in my room! This means that each time I need a fabric….I dig through multiple fabrics to find the right one! Yes….an organizational nightmare!,,,
My biggest organizational problem is living in a small bungalow and having to make every space do double or triple duty. My sewing desk also has the bill paying binders and the tv is on top of my fabric shelves. I’d love to have a dedicated sewing space, but we’d have to add a room to the house for that to be possible!
I have been trying to sort my fabric, i have some done but now it is time to iron them all. And iron my scraps to make my scrap bowl.
My biggest organizational problem is that I can’t decide how to sort fabric. By color, by size, by collection?
Then when I start, I find a forgotten project and get sidetracked.
Mine is too small of a room (maybe too much stuff, maybe too many UFOs…). But it is fun when I try to organize & I find something that I thought was lost, or a piece of fabric that I bought because I loved the design-and still love it, or a project almost done that can be finished in a few short hours!
I would say all the extra stuff. Organizing fabric isn’t hard, books easy-book case, patterns-file cabinet OK. It’s all the misc that drives me nuts. I have a whole wall peg board for rulers and anything with a hole to hang.
Too much stuff is the biggest problem and not enough space for every thing. Letting go of projects that done work out is another issue as they take up valuable space
My biggest problem is too much stuff hastily thrown into a small space and trying to keep everyone from throwing more stuff in
Biggest problem for me is sorting and saving scraps.
My sewing room is my basement I have a lot of room but do not have very good skills on how to organize.It is always so cluttered and messy.
My biggest problem is organizing the leftover scraps and not living long enough to do all the projects I get so excited about!
My biggest problem with getting organized is just starting. I know what to do, I just can not make myself do it.
My biggest organizational problem is space is too small. The only space I have available is dining area, which is small. Everything is crowded. I have to keep fabrics on a bookshelf in living area. I have to set up ironing in kitchen. Space is congested & tight. The biggest problem is the separation of each work space (ie. sewing machine, ironing area, cutting area, fabrics shelves).