I'm excited to share a look into my new sewing room! We moved into a 70s split level home in November and I've been slowly building out a space for crafting. The room is part of the main living area of the house, which makes it really convenient to pop in and out of all day. I believe the previous owners used it as a formal living room. For us, it has become a room that we spend a lot of time in, especially my daughter and I. Either sewing, crafting, coloring or just playing; we are in here all day! I'm sure it will continue to evolve as we settle in, but I wanted to share how we've arranged the space for now!

See tours of my previous sewing room here: 2019 Sewing Room Tour, Big Sewing Room Changes



This room is quite a bit larger than my previous sewing room, so I've been working on adding a few more pieces of furniture. I have been able to find two great pieces for this room from a local thrift store called Centre Peace. Lucky for us, they deliver! And they have a great mission, it's a win-win. My most recent acquisition is this wood dresser! It's holding most of my art and craft supplies: paper, paint, stickers, washi tape, stamps, etc. There is a lot crammed in there!!


My fabric cabinet moved just fine and I got my quilting cotton all organized by color again. To be honest, I'd love to replace this cabinet at some point with something wood. For now though, it's what I've got! I'm really making it a priority to buy furniture that we need secondhand, which just means being patient and always having a list! I am happy to have room for my yellow vintage store display stand again. It was stored in our attic the last few years. Right now it has mostly vintage pillowcases and scraps in it!


Another thrifted piece of furniture for office supplies and pattern shop inventory. I believe this was a dresser originally, but I'm using it as more of a credenza or sideboard. A little feed-n-wax brought this piece back to life and it's been working great at containing my online shop stuff!


My two wooden schoolhouse tables fit perfectly under this big bank of windows. I immediately filled the window sill with plants and set up a cat bed for Dusty. Definitely still need to work on this corner a bit, but it's coming along!


Machine is up and running! I set up my sewing machine in a pretty similar orientation as my last space. I am missing my wall shelves behind it though, it was nice to keep the table space behind it open. We'll see if I do anything to change that in future. I am using this wooden organizer from ikea to store tools and notions for now. It was a relief to get my ruler storage pegboard up! It needs a fresh coat of paint, but I can't decide on the color!


Ironing set up is pretty basic, just my board and an ikea cart to hold my iron and water.


The previous owners left lots of ceiling hooks near the windows, so of course I had to take advantage of that right away! I ended up making all the hangers from thrifted materials or stuff I already had. They're all a bit different. They're made from colanders, plastic pots, baskets, and tins. I've never had space for hanging plants before, so this is fun for me! I used nylon paracord for the hanging part.


We repurposed the table from our office/library in our last home as a coloring table for our daughter! I swapped in adjustable legs and set them to the lowest height. We keep a sheet of paper on it all the time so she can color anytime she wants. It's been great having a dedicated space for her to play in here too.


The expedit shelf survived another move, relatively unscathed! I'm using it in basically the same way as my last space. Storage for notions, patterns, interfacing and my vintage sheet collection.


Last but not least, I hung up my thread shelf! At first I wasn't sure I'd like having it so far from my machine, but honestly it's been fine. I sew with white thread like 95% of the time, so it's really not a big deal. I am just happy to have my thread out of a box! I do have a tutorial for this shelf if you're interested: My DIY Thread Storage Shelf

That's it for now! I know this space will continue to change to fit our needs, but for now we're loving it! I am very lucky to have such a beautiful space. I think I'm most excited about all the empty floor space. I love being able to spread out on the floor and I was missing that in our last home. Plenty of room for basting quilts here! We'll see if that translates into more quilting by me!

Happy Sewing!

Tips for Keeping Your Sewing Room Clean

It's time for another post in my Sewing Room Organization Series. Today we're talking all about tips for keeping your sewing space neat and tidy. I highly recommend checking out the other posts from this series if you haven't already, we've covered a lot of topics over the last few years!

Start by Assessing Your Messes

It's important to start any cleaning/organization project by determining the problem areas. Everyone is messy in their own unique way, so take some time to think about where you're struggling the most. Where are the messes and what are they? Spend some time looking around your space and notice all the messes you see and where they are concentrated. They could be your work surface, the floor, in hidden storage like a drawer or bin. Is your mess unfolded fabric, projects in progress, or clutter from other rooms/hobbies?

I think the key to keeping your sewing space clean is to come up with a system that works for your unique space and your natural habits. We want it to be as easy as possible for our spaces to get cleaned up and stay clean! I recommend making a list of your messes so that it's easy to tackle each one specifically.

Use a Return Basket (or two!)

One of my personal problem areas has been fabrics I've just used that need to go back into my storage cabinet. They tend to pile up on my sewing table, especially if I've pulled a large number of prints for a quilt. Sometimes I don't have time to put each fabric back in the proper spot in my cabinet, so I added a return basket to the bottom shelf. I can quickly put fabrics in that basket so that they are off my cutting table. Then when I have time I can put the fabrics away properly. If I'm really on the ball the fabrics go straight from my table to the cabinet, skipping the basket, but I know that won't always happen. Having an in between spot works well for me!


Similarly I have a return basket for my scraps. I keep my scraps organized by color, but I don't always want to stop mid-project to put my scraps away in their designated bins. Instead, I keep a basket/bin near my sewing machine where I can quickly toss scraps as I'm working. When it fills up, I take time to organize them.

Have a Place for Everything to Go


This might seem like a no-brainer but it is so important. If you don't have a designated space for something to go, it's difficult to put it away! These tend to be items that perpetually clutter your space. For a long time this was machine needles for me. I didn't have a dedicated spot for them, so they were everywhere! Not only were they cluttering my sewing table, I often couldn't find the ones I wanted when I needed them. Carving out a spot for them means I can quickly and easily find them, and my space is neater.

Single Layer Storage

When possible, it is ideal to have things stored in a single layer. What I mean is that you don't need to move one or more boxes/bins to get to something. As someone who has previously sewn in small spaces, I know this isn't always possible. My general advice is simply to prioritize based on how often you use something. If you use a tool every time you sew, it should be the easiest thing to get to/put back. Save the storage spaces that are harder to access for things that you use less often. This can apply to everything from notions and tools to fabric and patterns.

Take Advantage of Wall Space

This is probably the thing that has helped me the most in my space. An easy way to keep items off your sewing table is to hang them. This is particularly great for acrylic rulers, which can be difficult to store. You could take advantage of a pegboard or bulletin board, or keep it simple with a few nails or screws! I love having my thread storage on the wall too because I can easily reach what I need, but also see everything I have. In my space I went a step further and hung a few small shelves above my machine so hold my most used tools and notions.

Leave Empty Space

When you're working on storage for items like fabric or thread, you want to be able to expand into them without having to start over. This means leaving some empty space. For example, when storing fabric, I leave a few inches at the top of each stack so that I can add more fabric over time without having to shuffle all the fabric to make room. Making that space in advance makes the whole process easier to keep neat.

For a full tutorial on how I fold fabric, see this post: Fabric Folding Video Tutorial

Schedule Regular Maintenance

Just like everywhere else in your home, you'll need to spend time maintaining your space. Once you have systems that work for you set up, you should be able to spend less time cleaning overall, but it is still necessary! Depending on how much you sew, you may need to set aside time once a week or once a month. Take time to empty those return bins, or refresh your folded fabrics. These small tasks will help keep everything running smoothly and hopefully stop messes from getting out of control.

I think this is a great thing to do alongside cleaning your sewing machine!

Adapt Your Systems

When you set up a new way to organize or store something, it's important to circle back a few weeks or months later to check in. Decide whether or not that organizational system is working for you. Perhaps a small adjustment could make it work even better for you! Or maybe you need to try something totally different. You'll know if things aren't working if you've ended up with a big mess again!

Want to make your own thread shelf? Check out this post: My DIY Thread Storage Shelf


I hope this post has given you some ideas for keeping your sewing space tidy. If you have any tips to add I'd love to hear them in the comments!

Happy Sewing!

Ideas for Storing and Organizing Sewing Notions

Happy Wednesday! It's Spring, which means it's time to add to the Sewing Room Organization Series with some new posts. I highly recommend checking out the other posts from this series, we've covered a lot of topics over the last few years! This post is a big one, I'm sharing ideas for storing notions. This includes storage ideas for zippers, buttons, needles, trims, machine accessories, pins, thread, hardware and more. I hope you'll find some ideas that can help improve the organization of your space!

We're going to start by diving into the bins you see in the above photo! I keep the majority of my notions in these clear storage containers.



One quick thing before we look inside my bins. I always get asked what they are and where to find them. These are the Sterilite 15qt Clear View Storage Bins*. Two fit perfectly in my cube storage unit from Ikea (Expedit/Kallax). They stack on top of each other easily and they've held up really well. Some of these bins I've had for almost 10 years now! I buy mine from Target.

Okay, now that we've got that bit out of the way, let's look inside the bins and chat about a few different ways I store notions.

Zipper Storage

My zipper bin is overflowing with color! My storage solution here is really simple, but it has worked well for me for years. The key is, it's easy to keep up with!


I cut up some index cards and punched a hole in the corner of each piece. The zipper length is then written on the card. A simple length of ribbon or twine holds all the zippers in place with the label attached. Each time I add zippers from the bin, I can find the size, untie the ribbon and add them in.

Machine Accessory Storage

This bin is a bit random, but the common thread is that I don't grab for these groups of items very often. It holds my leather supplies, serger accessories, accessories for my backup sewing machine, plus extra glue, basting spray and basting pins.


For my sewing machine and serger accessories, I like to store them separately so they are easy to grab when I need them for a specific machine. I've used a plastic container that came with the machine and reused a padded zip bag for the other.


For my main machine, I keep all the feet in a tin that sits on the shelves above my machine. It's nice to have everything within reach of the machine! I try to keep bobbins and other notions out of here, to keep it neat.

Tool, Rotary Blade and Glue Storage

This is my tool bin. I've used a variety of containers here to keep things organized.


Take-out containers hold rotary cutter blades, binding tools, and extra pins.


A handmade storage bucket holds glues and iron cleaner.


Zipper pouches hold extra scissors, tweezers, marking tools and hand-sewing needles.

Buttons, Hardware, and Floss Storage

This bin holds a ton of different small notions, hardware, and my button collection. This is probably one of the most organized areas in my entire sewing room!


These little storage boxes from Harbor Freight do most of the work in this bin. Each box has 25 little boxes that fit inside. I have buttons separated by color and type. Another box has all my snaps, eyelets, and other similar sized notions. This has made it extremely easy to find what I need quickly.


My embroidery floss is all wound up on spools and stored in a clear storage container. I bought my container at a craft store many years ago, but don't forget to check the storage section of your local hardware store or even a fishing section of a sporting goods store for lots of container options!

Trims, Ribbon, and Webbing Storage

I have a bunch of bins dedicated to trims, ribbons and elastics. This particular bin holds pom-pom trim, cording, hand quilting thread, and elastic. I've reused some ziploc bags here to keep things somewhat organized!


Another trim bin holds nylon paracord. Not super organized, could improve this one for sure!


The last bin of trims holds webbing, twill tape, and some ribbons. Some lengths of webbing are simply tied together with some twill. Others have been wrapped around a piece of cardboard and pinned in place.

Twill Tape Storage

Speaking of twill tape, this is how I store tapes I'm currently cutting off of for sale in my shop! Since they're on a dowel, they can easily spin as I pull lengths off.

Thread and Bobbin Storage

My personal preference for thread storage is to have it on the wall! You can of course use a ready-made thread holder for this, but I built my own a few years ago and still am loving it. I added nails along each shelf to hold bobbins which has been extra nice. Want to make your own? Check out my tutorial for it here: DIY Thread Storage Shelf

Sewing Machine Needle Storage


For needle storage, again I like to keep things within reach of my machine. I used this little chest of drawers to store mine, separating by needle size. It's great to be able to quickly grab what I need and keep an eye on what sizes I'm running low on.


I made a long scrappy pincushion (and a tutorial for it too), to hold my lightly used sewing machine needles and sits right in front of my sewing machine. It's empty in this photo, but is full of needles as I write this post. Find the tutorial here: Long Scrappy Pincushion Tutorial

Clip and Basting Pins Storage

For wonder clips and basting bins, I prefer jars and tins to store them. They look cute sitting on my shelf, and I like that I can easily grab them to travel with if I need to.

Miscellaneous Notion Storage

I like to have a place within easy reach where I can keep a few random items. I use this metal baking dish to hold batting tape, lip balm, extra pins, chalk, extra tape measures, glue, etc. Any small notion that I want to be able to get to quickly!

I hope this post has given you some ideas for how to store and organize your sewing notions! My biggest advice for organizing in general is to start with that you already have on hand. Look through your recycling bin, throughout the rest of your home (or apartment or room), or even consider sewing some storage containers! I find I need to buy much less when I look for solutions I already own first. Better for my wallet and for the planet, so a double bonus!

I'd love to hear how you store any of these items in your space. Let mehttps://www.incolororder.com/2022/03/ideas-for-storing-and-organizing-sewing.html know in the comments if you have a storage idea or storage product that you're loving!

Happy Sewing!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.