Today I'm here to talk about how I (frugally) organize my sewing room. I'm Irene (a.k.a. MammaNene) and I blog at Serger Pepper mostly about sewing, refashions and PDF patterns.
Let's start with a disclaimer: I'm not here to teach you anything, since I'm not that good at organizing (ask hubby... he has its own version of the thing).
Well, I love having things in their places but I'm not that good at putting them there after use.. so I took this Slizzin' Summer Series as a challenge and an occasion to improve my Sewing Room Organization!
Since I have a thing for Pinterest, I started from my sewing rooms Pinterest board, collecting there everything sewing room organization. My crafty hubby really loved giving me a whole room to be used as my Sewing Room, because he no more needs to see sewing machine, bolts of fabrics and other fun stuff layin' around the rest of the house and, most of all, he was tired to "help me" finding all my lost pins with his naked feet... ouch! So we started brainstorming to find a solution to create a new room furnishing spending no money... or nearly! Some time ago I talked about my Wool coated Shelving DIY, that high cutting table you see in picture above is handmade by hubby repurposing old sliding doors from a restaurant... today I'd like to show you how I try to keep things organized around here. The underlying idea is that:
You'll achieve a double goal:
...or within those finger separators (the ones you use to separate your feet's fingers while you put your nail polish on): suggestions?
The first one is dust-proof but the second is aaah-oooh! So fun and fancy!
- Jack O'PinMe, do you remember of it? Here it is, side by side with one of those candies tin boxes I use to collect pins and if you follow me you have probably seen in my step-by-step tutorials multiple times... it's everywhere! Once upon the time, it had a lid too...
- my wrist pincushion (improved by adding wool steel inside and a plastic sheet on back, so I don pin my wrist too). This is great to pin the pattern to the fabric before cutting. It's made by me only with repurposed materials (well, do not count the wool steel, that was new... )
My mum used collect buttons in "necklaces" (some times only bracelets, depending on the number of buttons for each type) made using a basting thread sewn into button's eyes... I have to admit that I'm too lazy for it, but I'd really love to find all the buttons I need in one second, instead of searching them in my tin box!
-Now, when I need a zipper, or a trim or ric-rac, I know that I only need to open my super drawer and open the right box... and that's it!
Another way to organize my sewing room while saving, is to buy the flat elastic and velcro full rolls: easier to store, really economic and you'll never need to pause your sewing project just because you need to go out shopping for them!
This one is a SuperStar in my drawer: an electric rotary cutter, that don't need a self-healing mat below him: this is manna when you need to cut thick fabric and or slinky knits or even sheers... Thanks Hubby for the gift... I appreciate :) Yes, I know, it's not really in topic... but I had to publicly thank hubby for his delicious thought... much more valued than a bouquet ;)
Last, but not least, there's one more thing I couldn't stay without: recycling and trash bins! I have.
Hugs from Italy and... see you on Serger Pepper!
Since I have a thing for Pinterest, I started from my sewing rooms Pinterest board, collecting there everything sewing room organization. My crafty hubby really loved giving me a whole room to be used as my Sewing Room, because he no more needs to see sewing machine, bolts of fabrics and other fun stuff layin' around the rest of the house and, most of all, he was tired to "help me" finding all my lost pins with his naked feet... ouch! So we started brainstorming to find a solution to create a new room furnishing spending no money... or nearly! Some time ago I talked about my Wool coated Shelving DIY, that high cutting table you see in picture above is handmade by hubby repurposing old sliding doors from a restaurant... today I'd like to show you how I try to keep things organized around here. The underlying idea is that:
before you buy new stuff, you need to shop in your house and see if something can do the trick.
You'll achieve a double goal:
- save some bucks
- use some stuff layin' around doing nothing besides gathering dust!
Anything Threads:
Serger cones:
they are stored in that two red SKUBB Ikea closet organizer you see behind my sewing machine, perfect for keeping them untangled (I don't have too many serger cones, when their number will grow I'd really love to store them this way).
Sewing Machine thread:
I used to have all my thread spools knotted together inside a paper bag... really practical (not really!); lately I've found those nice strawberry little crates are perfect for this purpose: no tangles, no unrolling spools and choosing the right color is easy and fast.
Bobbins:
Still not sure if I like keeping them inside a clear pill-box......or within those finger separators (the ones you use to separate your feet's fingers while you put your nail polish on): suggestions?
The first one is dust-proof but the second is aaah-oooh! So fun and fancy!
Pins:
To help hubby's feet, I've decided to use pincushions and pin boxes instead of the entire floor, actually I have 4 in use: - this multiple appetizers dish is great for collecting pins I pull off while sewing at the sewing machine and/or the serger (and I really don't know why the heck I've bougth it... never used to serve appetizers!). I've seen a lot of pincushions stuck to the sewing machine but, for me, is so much easier to toss them into a box than pinning each one into its cushion while sewing... is that only me?- Jack O'PinMe, do you remember of it? Here it is, side by side with one of those candies tin boxes I use to collect pins and if you follow me you have probably seen in my step-by-step tutorials multiple times... it's everywhere! Once upon the time, it had a lid too...
- my wrist pincushion (improved by adding wool steel inside and a plastic sheet on back, so I don pin my wrist too). This is great to pin the pattern to the fabric before cutting. It's made by me only with repurposed materials (well, do not count the wool steel, that was new... )
Buttons:
They mostly come from no-more-refashionable clothes: I simply cut off buttons and put them in a big cookies tin box (from IKEA too); some are from ebay (the ones you see in clear plastic sachets), one of my favorite sources for inexpensive buttons!My mum used collect buttons in "necklaces" (some times only bracelets, depending on the number of buttons for each type) made using a basting thread sewn into button's eyes... I have to admit that I'm too lazy for it, but I'd really love to find all the buttons I need in one second, instead of searching them in my tin box!
Sewing Travel Kit:
PREMISE: I work outside home 6 days a week, 9 to 5, therefore time for sewing is usually a luxury for me! My way for having things done in time is a sewing travel kit always ready! When I'm sewing a project, I usually leave off all hand finishings, like knotting tails and hiding them between the fabrics, or sewing on buttons and so on. I simply need to throw my garment into an always ready bag, containing an IKEA (again, but this is not a sponsored post!) plastic box containing: needles, thimble, little scissors and some thread (this is white, if I need anything different I have to remember to put it here). When my "lunch break" comes, I can finish my project and be ready for tomorrow's photo set!
...drumroll please! Entering now:
My super new handmade drawer
Crafty Hubby to the Rescue: he made me this huge drawer (32" by 47"): we only had to buy side rails on ebay for something like 15 Bucks and he made it with the welder, than painted in black. On the inside you can see a lot of different boxes, some are from IKEA or the dollar store, other are repurposed. My suggestion here is: salvage sturdy durable boxes from everyday's life and reuse them to keep sewing stuff separated (shoe boxes, cookies tin boxes, coffee tins... anything goes!).-Now, when I need a zipper, or a trim or ric-rac, I know that I only need to open my super drawer and open the right box... and that's it!
Another way to organize my sewing room while saving, is to buy the flat elastic and velcro full rolls: easier to store, really economic and you'll never need to pause your sewing project just because you need to go out shopping for them!
This one is a SuperStar in my drawer: an electric rotary cutter, that don't need a self-healing mat below him: this is manna when you need to cut thick fabric and or slinky knits or even sheers... Thanks Hubby for the gift... I appreciate :) Yes, I know, it's not really in topic... but I had to publicly thank hubby for his delicious thought... much more valued than a bouquet ;)
Last, but not least, there's one more thing I couldn't stay without: recycling and trash bins! I have.
- a regular trash bin where I put anything I can't recycle (like old clothes no more refashionable, after cutting out any buttons/hardware reusable)
- a "paper only" (that in winter goes to light the wood-burning stove that heats my sewing room in the cheap... since we live in a wood, literally!)
- a "plastic only" huge bin
Hugs from Italy and... see you on Serger Pepper!
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