Mess Busters for Your Workspace

Apparently, I should have been watching Oprah earlier this week.  She had a team of 'mess busters' who would enter a messy home and organize it for the occupants.

Now I have to admit that I'd really rather not have a team of people rampaging through my studio workspace.   But I think it's a great reminder to take a good hard look at how we arrange our workspaces.

First of all - we all need a well organized place for our machines.  Of course we can (and have) make do with a dining room table or anything else that will hold up our machine.  In one apartment, my sewing space was a closet with the doors removed and a desk put into the space.  A 'cubicle' style overhead light was bolted onto the closet shelf.  It worked.  But now that I have the luxury of more space (and more machines) I have to approach the challenge a little differently.

Furniture matters.  Now is a great time to check out those Koala cabinets featured by Quality Sewing at the Northwest Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival going on right now at the Puyallup Fairgrounds (Gold Gate).  In order to be able to sew comfortably for long periods, you need a workspace that is ergonomically suited to you and what you are doing.  That includes a chair that fits you.  This applies to cutting and other tasks as well.  Is your table the correct height?  Even a folding table can be height adjusted by slipping pieces of PVC pipes over the legs.  Working at the wrong table height gives you a terrible backache!

Secondly, where are your tools and basic supplies, such as threads and stabilizers?  Are the items you need most close at hand?  There are many solutions to this challenge.  Personally, I am a huge fan of pegboard.  I'd rather have it hanging on the wall in front of me than almost anywhere else.  Sewing cabinets generally have a nice range of drawers, shelves and other cubbies to hold your necessary items.

Then we have fabric storage.  I like to use large clear tote bins.  It's important to have some sort of system, unless you really like digging through your stash.  Some people keep their fabric sorted by color.  This makes a lot of sense to me, especially if you are a quilter.  In my case, I sort my fabric bins by fiber content.  So I have bins of silks, woolens, cottons, lining fabrics, interfacings, etc.

Pacific Fabrics carries a large selection of various organizational tools as well - everything from bobbin keepers to thread racks.  Did I mention thread racks?  Another life saver - in my case, they're hung on the wall to save precious work counter space.  Lately I've found that paper management is becoming a problem in my workspace.  I found a great vertical paper organizer with drawers underneath.  It has a small footprint but has multiple openings for storing receipts and some very basic filing.

So - how do you keep your sewing space organized?  I'd love to hear any good solutions you have to share. 

--Katrina

Comments

[Anna-Beth]

My hot tip is not actually for organizing your sewing space - it's about those thread organizers. I was given an extra one - so I used it as a jewelery organizer in my bathroom - so fabulous! Everything is on easy display. I highly recommend this - Pacific Fabrics sells a few models by June Tailor - all wood and totally useful.
Thanks for the organizing post - as I have my FIRST CRAFTROOM EVER in our new house, I am getting to put lots of thought into organizing my space.
Katrina, it was a treat to meet you at the Sewing Festival in Puyallup!