Good Morning, Quilters!
Welcome to The Inbox Jaunt! Whether you are an old friend or a new visitor joining us for the 2018 “Spring Clean Your Studio” Blog Hop–WELCOME!!!
First, a big thank you to Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com who organized the blog hop with more than 20 studios to tour over the next few weeks!
I’m really excited to participate this year and to share a few thoughts about sewing room organization!
I hope YOU will enjoy your stay. Please take a poke around and leave a comment!
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(If you are new to The Inbox Jaunt--you might enjoy these fan favorite pages:
Six Ways to Ruin Your Quilt with Quilting
Seven Steps to Machine Quilting
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
An introduction seems to be in order… My name is Lori Kennedy and I have been quilting (and collecting supplies) for more than 25 years. For most of my quilting life, my sewing room was a few tables in my basement–next to my washer and dryer. Several years ago, we moved to Stillwater, Minnesota where I finally got to move my tables to the upstairs (with great windows!)
My favorite part of quilting is free motion machine quilting. I stitch on a BERNINA 770QE (a domestic sewing machine) and on a BERNINA Q20, sit-down, long arm. (I met Cheryl a few years ago through the BERNINA Ambassador program.)
My second favorite part of quilting is teaching!
MAGAZINES, BOOKS AND VIDEOS
I write a column on machine quilting motifs for American Quilter Magazine and I have three Craftsy videos.
My latest project is a book published by Martingale: More Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 which is adds 60 more motifs (and lots of other machine quilting info) to my first book, Machine Quilting 1-2-3!
ORGANIZATION
People often ask how I get it all done.
I’d like to say it’s because I’m very organized…
But I’m not! Organization and keeping my studio tidy is a real challenge for me!
MY OLD SEWING ROOM
Until a year ago, my sewing room was a hodgepodge of banquet tables, college dorm bookcases and plastic containers. I could never keep my sewing table clean! There just wasn’t storage space for everything.
I knew if only I had more storage, I could finally get organized….
So after twenty five years of quilting, I had custom cabinets made for my sewing studio!
H-E-A-V-E-N
A place for everything and everything in its place!
MY NEW STUDIO
The truth is–my new studio includes a spacious cutting island and ample cupboard and drawer space, but I still can’t keep my work space clean! The island is a huge landing pad for everything that comes into my sewing room!
A FEW ORGANIZATIONAL TIPS
More Space/More Stuff/Same Messiness Level
With all my new cupboards, you would think I’d have plenty of room for everything. The truth is, I have allowed myself to accumulate more stuff!!!
While I thought I’d keep everything very tidy–after all–“a place for everything…”
It seems I have a tolerance for sewing room entropy.
Of course, that tolerance only goes so far…
When my sewing space reaches a critical threshold, I stop to purge and clean. When my sewing rooms was smaller, the “boiling point” was hit more frequently so I cleaned more often.
In my larger sewing room, my “boiling point” has not changed. My sewing room still gets pretty messy before it triggers me to clean.
I guess what I’m trying to point out is that the size of your sewing room isn’t a good excuse for why it’s messy–that may be more a function of YOUR quilting style!
The boiling point remains the same, but the “pot” is bigger–so it takes longer.
My Exposed Threads
Because my passion is machine quilting, I have a huge collection of thread. For years, I stored it in boxes-free from dust and out of the harsh light.
However, it was really difficult to design and quilt that way. Every time I needed thread, I’d pull out all of the boxes, throw the covers on (you guessed it!) the cutting island and made a huge mess.
I now throw caution to the wind. I have all of my threads exposed to the elements, where I can see and use them. (A quilter’s idea of living dangerously! LOL)
I am happy, happy, happy! 
Organized but not Over-Organized
As a photographer, I would love to have a picture perfect sewing room.
But that’s really not functional–at least for me.
I’d rather quilt than clean–until….
I can’t quilt until I do clean!
YOU know what I’m talking about, right!???
For example, I have three drawers for my solid fabrics. I’d LOVE to show you a photograph of perfectly folded fabric….but then I’d have to stop and fold it!
My print fabric is more organized and folded…because I don’t use it as often!
More Quilts than Skirts
I store a lot of my small quilts on skirt hangers. I combine two or three quilts on each hanger and try to organize them by theme.
Vision Board
One of the biggest challenges I create for myself is the assortment of papers I collect. My sewing island is often swamped with photos, magazine clippings, doodles and other inspirations. Recently, I turned one of my design walls into a huge vision board. I LOVE having it all together this way.
I’m lucky to have large, framed cork boards in my sewing room, but a bulletin board or piece of foam core would work as well!
Quilting is an Invasive Species
Here in Minnesota we are always fighting the dreaded Buckthorn. It’s a pretty plant but very invasive!
The same is true with quilting. Quilts, fabric, thread, notions–they are all very pretty, but beware! Quilting is very invasive! Every closet, every box, under every bed…
Beware and purge frequently!
I hope YOU have enjoyed today’s stop at The Inbox Jaunt and will join us again!
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And be sure to follow along for the next few weeks as we see more clean studios!
Follow the Blog Hop:
April 23 – Lori Crawley Kennedy – https://lorikennedyquilts.com/
April 24 – Jennifer Thomas – http://curlicuecreations.blogspot.com
April 25 – Robin Koehler – http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
April 26 – Andi Barney- https://www.andibarney.com/
April 27 – Misty Cole – http://www.mistycole.com/blog
April 28 – Carolina Moore- http://alwaysexpectmoore.com/
April 29 – Heather Pregger – https://heatherquilts.blogspot.com/
April 30 – Linda Bratten – https://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
May 1 – Lisa Reber – https://www.dippydye.blogspot.com/
May 2 – Teresa Coates – http://www.crinkledreams.com
May 3 – Lisa Chin – http://www.lisachinartist.com/
May 4 – Jamie Fingal – http://www.jamiefingaldesigns.com/
May 5 – Sam Hunter – www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 6 – Jessee Maloney – www.artschooldropout.net/blog
May 7 – Rhanda Parrish – http://www.sewartsyfartsy.com/
May 8 – Sarah Vedeler- https://meaningoflifedesigns.com/
May 9 – Jessica Darling – https://jessicakdarling.com/
May 10 – Melody Crust – http://www.melodycrust.com/
May 11 – Debby Brown – http://higheredhands.blogspot.com
May 12 – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com
45 comments
AnnieO
Great tour and topic! I can’t seem to keep my cutting table clear either! My quilting area is the family room of our house, has one full wall and a fireplace on the other, and is open to the entire downstairs. It has no closet or cupboards, making it really hard to keep tidy. I use a repurposed tall lingerie chest for fat quarters, organized by color/theme. A passed-down Hoosier cabinet holds books, tools, patterns, and project boxes. When the pullout tabletop is clean, I store my die-cutter on it. My cutting table is a 6’ folding banquet table on risers, with storage bins and drawers under it for yardage and scraps. I have a king-size sheet covering it. My sewing desk can be closed up and moved if we need the room for family events, as can the cutting table. There’s not much floor space, but plenty of light and I’m able to be close to my hubby while he’s watching TV. I’d love to have a design wall but there’s no place for one!
Julie C.
Lori, I think you and I work in a very similar style. I will quilt and work on projects in a state of disarray until I am forced to clean and purge. Organized chaos is a good day! I appreciate your tips and the idea that the size of space doesn’t matter. The more space, the more stuff!
Robin Koehler
Excellent space, Lori!!
Allison in Alabama
Love your studio – mine is never that clean!!!!!! your threads are amazing and inspiring!!!
Marjorie
I have sewn for more than fifty years now, in grandma’s and mom’s bedroom, borrowed spaces, a proper sewing room, and back to borrowed spaces. Reconfiguring things to support the process has become second nature and it gives me a chance to think through the process of any project and make my own improvements on any pattern or process.
Now that you make me think about it, every organization or reorganization was designed to work with a certain limitation. From ages 13 to 38, my limitations were primarily spatial. Once I went to work,married, had daughters and owned a house
my limitations became time, once I am retired it became money, now that I am old it can even be attention span, or focal length, or less nimble fingers.
I have always made some space, time or money available to the process, but like most of us, can only wonder what more would mean. but not for long because I want to work on whatever comes to me to do, however it comes to me to do it.
So I organize all I can to make things as easy as they can be, but since I am a multiple project person, I too create little kits for pending projects in those plastic zipper cases that sheets and pillowcases come in, or bins, or bags, or plastic organizers.
Fabric that does not yet have a rendez-vous with destiny, is folded and filed DeLoa Jones style in plastic tubs, where I can see the colors. Scraps get the little drawers in the 8 by 11 three drawer sets sold everywhere, and rulers all live in a drawer that is big enough for the biggest square up ruler I have. Applique tools have a drawer,
quilt packaging tools have a see through bag, stencils have a flat artist portfolio,
and I have one bin for unconventional items I use to mark quilt tops, such as Ball jar rings, and heart shapes from valentine candy boxes.
Patterns are in binders in page protector sleeves that keep the cutout pieces, because I sometimes like to do more than one of a particular design, tweaking the colors or trying fabrics that are different.
Anyway, I think cleaning a sewing room is a great chance to talk with my inner creative person. It is a special time, and rather fun.
Project by completed project, I have created who I am, and I never know who I will be next.
Best to all!
WordPress.com Support
You are very organized indeed! Your comment about cleaning as a chance to talk to your creative side really resonated with me!
Marta
Marjorie, I feel like we are twins after reading your post. .. so much in common. You said it all so succinctly, no need for me to repeat. A few months ago I was working in my messy space and suddenly felt angry. I looked at the things in my way and said, “What are you doing in my way? Why are you here?” I shoved it all in a box and finished my task. Later that day, I went thru that box and vowed that I will no longer be a party to sabotaging my own work by not cleaning up as I go. Life is too short.
I really enjoy my work now much more than ever before in all the years of messiness. I have organized the empty drawers which had waited for the filing to be done for long weeks. LOL! The new satisfaction in sewing has been immeasurable. At age 76, here’s to 25 + more years of pleasant quilting!
Cheri
I am so with you Lori! Many “things” get dumped on the main table, but I am trying to be more mindful to put away my items, so when I do sew, I am ready to go. It hasn’t been easy picking up a good habit, but I’m working on it.
Jenny Garcia
What are these “comic board” you are talking about and how do you use them? I’m intrigued…
Denise S
Comic board fabric storage
Marcia Nobles
Thanks for the video. I wondered what comic book boards were also.
Lucy Brown
Love your post, this is going to be a fun month seeing everyone’s sewing spaces. I am blessed to have a huge room in the basement. my sweet brother put in LED light across the whole ceiling for me, so I have lots of light. My center island which is two adjustable height folding tables does get cluttered during projects, but I like to get it cleared away and put things back in place as I finish projects. I retired early due to illness, but my quilting keeps me going. I love finishing projects and giving them away. All that fabric I gathered over the years is being put to good use now. I was also a big collector of quilting books and magazines. I have cut that down significantly, I was usually making up my own designs, and with the internet so many ideas are at our fingertips. I sold some of them to a second hand book store, and gifted many to annual Library book sale. this freed up more space for organizing fabric and projects. When I manage to stay more organized, I actually get more quilting time, since I don’t have to search for things.
Richard Howard
I loved today’s stories and comments. It’s so easily to identify with each one. I have a great sewing and quilting room and separate card-making room; thus lots of supplies for each and am fairly organized with appropriate furniture and many machines. My stash takes a 9 ft. wide closet with shelves floor to ceiting. Nothing could be more enjoyable then being in my “happy place”. It seems alot more fun to start projects than to finish them, so I won’t even make a list. If they get done, they get done. Since I’m in my later years of life I just enjoy each day and am blessed whether I get alot done or not. Well, I’ve got to end this now……….my “happy place” is calling me.
VickiW
Yes, quilting and accumulating quilting necessities is all consuming. Any flat surface, including the Big Board is a landing spot! It goes from the quilting table to the cutting table to the ironing board and circles around again as one flat surface is cleared for use just to land on another flat surface. I do have my thread in boxes by color family, projects in Art Bin boxes – marked and label with who it was designed for. I’m learning to FM very slowly as I never seem to make time to practice. Thanks for the tour. I feel right at home!
Linda E Greenwood
You could make a clear plastic roll up shade to install above your thread wall to help protect from dust.
mindi
Hi Lori. Thanks for the tour of your diva den. It’s fabulous! I have a much smaller landing table, and I can’t remember what the top of it looks like anymore. Time to shuffle some things around again. (One day I’ll purge)
LOVE your thread collection!
This hop is starting out with the best blog first!
🙂
Ellen H McGrath-Thorpe
I was storing fabric in the tub of the 2nd bathroom, so my husband enclosed part of a porch to create an 8 × 15 ‘ room…already a mess…just have to stop biying!
Dawn Spero
I hate to clean and I love to quilt, so nothing more needs to be said! However, I live with a long-haired Samoyed…… and two long haired cats who think I put fabric on my cutting table for them to nap on. I do a very quick sweeping or vacuuming and even tidying up before piecing/quilting. I can’t enjoy my leisure time with a room so messy. It’s a guilt thing. Another issue is my daughter, after 7 years of college, moved in with me and she is also a quilter so we just have to be more organized than we would like. Having said all of that, we do make creative messes and can’t really understand how anyone can possibly finish one project before moving on to another. I do wish I could be more like them!
quilter1522
Great post, Lori! Loved seeing you new space. I try to keep my quilting space neat and tidy as I share it with family space but you’re right, it gets out of hand quickly! Happy quilting!
Caryl
Moved into my new basement quilt room in January 2018. Had it pretty organized, although not finished. Daughter coming to visit tomorrow. Had to clear off guest room bed. Two cartfulls to basement. Quilt room now has to be reorganized (getting more boxes today). Projects are (mostly) in individually, marked Artbin boxes so I don’t borrow something crucial from a project (once was enough). Keep several computer lists of projects so I don’t forget them:
QUILT PROJECTS
12 Days of Christmas
Baubles and Beads
Boutique Items
Winter Table Runner
Fall Table Runners
Easy Striped Table Runners
Chicken Patch
Christmas Wreath
Christmas Countdown 2017 AQS-Retreat Project
Dance of the Dragonflies
English Paper Piecing Bits & piece
FABULOUS FLOWER
Fold and Stitch Wreath
Fox Chase Run
Garden Maze BOM king size
Garden Maze Throw
Home Sweet Home
Lotus Table Runners–Henna, Amazon
Making Friends
Mary’s Challenge
Midnight Glide Owl
Moroccan Mystery Wallhanging BOM 2017
My Cat’s Garden
Kyoto Mystery BOM 2018
Lady Montague Stack ‘n Whack. 24 blocks 11”+ 1 Engl pieced block + 5 borders
Lady Montague Wallhanging
Owls
Parasol
Radical Roosters
Sackett Wallhanging
Sewing Machine Covers
Spirit Animal 2
Sticks & Stones–treadle
Sumatra Argyle–make king-size
Sumatra Argyle Throw/Wallhanging
Sunbonnet Sue
Tula Pink Prisms
Wilderness Wildlife
Not saying how long some have been in there, but they are NOT forgotten!
mindi
This is kinda funny…because….me too. This looks like my (really long) list. Everything filed away in it’s place. Waiting for attention……
🙂
We redid the floors in all the bedrooms and the hallway, and everything that could, landed in my diva den. Some of it is still there. So, I keep sorting and moving….and….shhhh…..adding new fabric.
Caryl
Oh, no! Not MORE fabric??? Tsk. Oh, ok, so at least one cart load was new fabric, but I don’t have to tell just everybody.
Rosemaryflower
I am normally… usually a clean freak about everything, but life is different now, I am just keeping up,
I have “inherited” a lot of fabrics and so much lace making etc supplies from mom.
I need to find good homes for the lace making supplies.
I try to give away fabric I am not in love with anymore. I have two sewing schools near me and I give them a box or two of things, patterns, thread, fabric about twice a year.
My sewing space is the morning room off of the kitchen, I keep that area as neat and tidy as possible bc I do not want anyone to think I am a slob ????????
However, hubbs and I have a very large master bedroom….. and I have a moderately organized state of chaos up there.
It is always inspiring to read the other comments shared here, and your advice
Lorraine Doyno Evans
I am the same as you, Lori. I feel like I am constantly cleaning but it is always a mess! I need to purge more.
Linda
My organization is thwarted by three things that I cannot seem to shake off. 1. I cannot part with fabric. 2. I cannot part with quilting magazines and books. 3. I have too many unfinished quilts. Resolving any one of these would make all the difference in my efforts to be organized!
Pat knight
I love your thread wall
Mrs. Plum
Oh, Lori, I can SO relate! I like organization, but rarely achieve it. Often, new ideas come to me because of serendipity—something left out, next to a current project, and a connection is made. Sometimes, though, like you, I can’t stand the mess, and have to clean it up.
Jennifer Thomas
Your thread collection is to die for! I enjoyed seeing your vintage cameras, too. Thanks for the tour. Have a fabulous day!
Ann Lindquist
Like Denise S. I try and put all things back in their proper space when done with a quilt top. I recently did a “deep clean” and donated 8-9 boxes of patterns, scraps, and notions to a resale shop for teachers, labeled all the quilt projects I have earmarked (pattern & fabric) in their respective totes and WROTE THEM DOWN in a book, so I can cross them off as I do them. This gives me a sense of accomplishment in checking them off the list. So far so good. What I really struggle with is scraps. I decided to cut all my scraps as soon as the quilt is totally finished, to make sure I don’t run out in some aspect of the process. For me, it is 5″ squares, IF it is under the size of a FQ. FQs are folded and stored in ribbon boxes by color, 1/2 yds or larger are folded on comic boards and sorted by color. The 5″ sqs are stored in 15″ x 15″ sq. totes with dividers, and sorted by color. I found out that I will not rummage through boxes looking for the correct color or size, but would rather go buy something, so this is my solution. Hope you find your solution!
Lori Kennedy
Wow! You sound very organized! Thanks for the tips!
June Neigum
I have made a rule and have pretty much stuck to it. Most of my projects are in boxes as I work on them to keep extra fabric and stuff together. When I complete a project I empty the box and put away all the fabric and supplies I hauled out to work on it. I cut and organize the strips and squares from the leftover pieces to small for another project and and I must clean off my cutting table/quilting table before I can quilt the quilt as they are one in the same. My problem . . . I usually have more than one project going at the same time. I still haven’t found a good way to store my batting I have accumulated.
Lori Kennedy
I agree! Batting is difficult to store! So bulky!
Lorraine Doyno Evans
My batting is on the very top of my bedroom closet. That shelf that runs the length of the closet that is really high that I can’t reach without a stool, but it fits the bolts of batting perfectly!
shoshana
lori, thank you so much for being honest!! by nature, im extremely organized, but when it comes to my quilting stuff……..i’d rather use it than look at it and once it use it, it gets messy and then i’d rather keep using it than clean it up and on and on and on. your post allows me to feel not rotten about it!!!! my suggestion,live life to love what i’m doing, and do what it love. when it gets toooo messy, i do enjoy cleaning it up so there you have it!!!
Lori Kennedy
What a gift–to be naturally organized! Do you live near Minnesota???LOL
Shasta
You have a beautiful space! It is hard when you just have too much stuff for the space, but I have trouble giving things away. I bought it to use and I need to use it up before I buy anything else.
Eula
I finally took the time to organize my fabric. Now I can find what I need for my project, but I also found fabric I forgot I had. Oh, joy.
Marti Morgan
One thing I have fallen in love with – my MIL’s TV wall unit. She had one of those full wall cabinets and we could not sell it – no one wants one anymore. So hated to get rid of it and in a dream I saw it in my sewing room as a fabric storage – it has glass doors so everything is protected from dust, etc. I would like to paint it to match my room, but my husband wasn’t too keen on that idea. Of course my room is upstairs and we had to remove the banister to get it up there. My husband says it goes with the house if we ever sale. Iit has worked perfectly for me.
bbquiltmaker
I agree with everything you said. My studio is 450 sq.ft. The need to clean SO I can quilt is real. Acquiring more stuff is a bad habit. Just finished a big project so you have inspired me to do an overhaul by putting away the clutter.
Mary
Finally getting my master bedroom closet finished freed up dresser and bookshelf for my studio (which combines painting, sewing, quilting, needlework, crochet, various random crafts!) I’m happy if tools for each endeavor have their own separate space! Looking forward to seeing how others do it.
Denise S
I’d too would rather quilt than clean. I do make better progress with a few rules. Everything (no exceptions) goes back to its assigned home when I complete each quilt top. All scraps also get put away. New purchases must be stored within 48 hours of arrival (not left sitting out.) The one thing I did that had the biggest impact was folding all my fabric so it was the same size. You can fold the fabric around a ruler or use comic boards. Now my fabric looks organized and I can easily find what I want.
Kay
I use comic boards also: fold up the fabric on a board, file it in a banker’s box with the color on the outside of the box. I can easily find “red” fabrics easily. My daughter resides in my former sewing room so my sewing “storage” rests in a walk-in attic. The banker’s boxes can be stacked along one wall. My sewing machines are nestled along two walls in the master bedroom next door. I also try to put everything away at the end of a sewing session. Fat quarters are stored in under the bed boxes. I will have a sewing room again in our new house sometime in the future. Being creative with the storage options now helps. I am taking notes on what and how I can store my treasures in the next house.
Bette
“I’d rather quilt than clean—until…I can’t quilt until I do clean.” Lori, I think I’m going to print out that saying, frame it, and hang it in my sewing room! It fits me so perfectly!
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