A Bit of Sewing and Craft Room Organization

I have pondered and researched for months to find the perfect storage solution for my fabric.  One idea I checked into are those new plastic boards that allow fabric to be folded neatly to be placed on a shelf.  That is a system that certainly looks good, but it was quickly eliminated because the cost was too high.  Can you imagine, every time a piece of fabric is purchased, a storage board also needs to be purchased?  That just didn’t make sense to me, so my search continued.  Recently I saw a post about folding fabric for storage and it was definitely a light bulb moment for me.  Why didn’t I think to use my Omnigrid ruler for the task?  This is an easy method, albeit a little time-consuming, but a great idea that doesn’t cost a dime.  Check the tutorial out here at Turning * Turning.

My process was simple, I started by removing all fabric from their previous homes and viewed everything with a new eye.  Only fabric that I know will be used was kept and the rest was donated to our local St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store for someone else to enjoy.  Next I stacked the “keepers” and refolded them with my Omnigrid Ruler to optimize the space allocated.  Each little bundle measures 6″ wide by 11″ long.  I must say I am quite happy with the results.

I wish I had taken before pictures of my fabric stash, but I just wasn’t thinking, so the after pictures will have to suffice.

Organized Drawer Unit

Fabric Yardage Organized

Fat Quarters Reorganized

Shallow drawer houses Charm Packs, Fabric Collection, Embroidery & Felt

Quilt tops to be layered and finished, 1930s Reproduction Fabric & tulle

Onto my next storage problem, organizing my ribbon.  I have a plethora of ribbons that have been a storage nightmare for a long, long time.  Try as I might, the rolls get tangled and out-of-order when I work on a project so something had to be done.  I looked into different ways to keep my ribbons neat and tidy yet at the same time I didn’t want to spend a lot of money for the solution (I’ve done that before with less than helpful results).  After a lot of research (and I mean a lot), I finally opted for this wonderful system that I felt would work perfect for me.

I already had the white matte board as it was wrapped around an item I purchased from Etsy a long time ago.  This was the perfect opportunity to re-use something I had which makes it no cost to me and eco friendly too.  Each spool of white matte board is cut into 2 1/2″ x 3″ rectangles and is a good size for this purpose.  The original tutorial used a 2″ x 2 1/2″ piece of black matte board, but I felt by making the length 3″ it would work better for the larger rolls of ribbon, so that is the measurement I used.

Even though I’m only a quarter of the way through this project I just had to share the process with you.  I’m certainly anxious to finish organizing all of my ribbon and will share the end result with you.  One final note, Becca is absolutely correct, it does take a bit of time to wrap each ribbon on the matte spools.  I’ll work on this in the evening while spending time with my hubby and watching tv and before I know it, the task will be complete.

Ribbon Storage Before... Yikes, what a mess!!

Ribbon Storage, The New Solution

As you can see from the picture above, many rolls of ribbon can be stored in a very small space if the right solution is used.  So far there are 26 rolls of ribbon housed in this small storage drawer that measures appx. 12″ x 13″, and there is a lot of room to add more.  Plus, it’s easy to see each and every ribbon option at a glance.  I love this idea.  Thank you, Becca!

I’ll keep you updated on my sewing room/craft room storage solutions as I work my way through everything, but wanted to share the tips and tidbits I’ve learned along the way just in case you are struggling with some of the same issues in your craft & sewing rooms.

Until next time, many blessings to you and your family.

Linda

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On the Move…

I am so excited because after months of deliberation and my reluctance for change, we decided to tear down our spare bedroom and make it a craft room. My hubby has wanted me to do that for quite some time, but I loved the look of that room and hated to take it for myself. With that being said, trying to sew on my kitchen table and taking the machine up and down constantly was getting to be such a chore. Making my cards and paper projects down in the basement with virtually no light and no electric in that part of the basement has become a huge problem too. So even though I feel I’m being selfish by taking that space, I finally agreed with my better half that our spare room would be best served by making it my craft room. Honestly, we used the spare room once in 18 months, so it really was wasted space up until now.

We spent part of the weekend moving the bed out of the room and packing up my craft supplies to move upstairs. I decided to keep the dresser, night stands & small shelves because I like them so much and thought they would be perfect for storage. I hope they work because I’d rather have those than my Iris carts and miscellaneous other bins and totes. We’ll just have to play it by ear and see.

We would have progressed more with the move but I had to take Sunday afternoon off to watch the Rams/Redskins game. I’m happy to report the Rams won with a not too shabby score of 30 to 16. Oh, did I fail to mention that I love football and the Rams?

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, my craft room. I am excited about having a dedicated space just for me, but I think I’m most excited about having my sewing machine at the ready to make the many projects that have either been started or waiting to be cut and sewed. Having light to see what I’m working on will be such a blessing. So without any further discussion, I’m off to get everything moved and in place and then I’ll share pictures of the before and after once I’m finished. As always for me, it will be a work in progress and I’m sure I’ll shift things around many times until it feels right and works well.

A very special thanks to my hubby of 40+ years for all of his encouragement, love and help each and every day. I love you honey!!!

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A Challenge Times 2

I just discovered a new networking site for those interested in the world of digital images for paper projects. The site is called “Crafters Digital Art Center” and it is fabulous. I believe it’s a fairly new site, but it appears it’s growing by leaps and bounds. There are many talented artists who are there to share their love of paper crafting via the world of digital images. I would highly recommend this site if you are a card maker or paper crafter.

I noticed a few challenges and thought it would be fun to participate. I don’t recall ever being part of a challenge before, but 2 of the categories intrigued me so I jumped in to make one card last night and the other today.

The first card was made for the “Color Challenge”. The Color Challenge is being hosted by Steph Hughes at Glitterbabe’s Art. The criteria for the challenge was to use red, yellow, chocolate brown & glitter on the card. The card below is my take on those instructions. I used glitter on the badge the chicken is wearing. Credit goes to Steph Hughes at Glitterbabe’s Art for the image I used.

The second challenge is entitled “Other Theme Challenge” and is being hosted by Vickie Duffill at Nana Vic’s Digitals. I was smitten with the image from Vickie Duffill at Nana Vics Digitals and just had to participate. When all is said and done, I wish I had added some pearls around the scalloped edge of the circle, but since I already submitted the card I’ll leave it as is. I enjoyed using the silk ribbon I’ve had in my stash forever, the colors were perfect for the papers I chose. I have also had the clock face paper clip for years and never had an appropriate card or project to use it on, this seemed to be my chance to add it to this card.

Now while I’m on the topic of Digital Images, I want to make mention of a few very important issues. First and foremost, if you use a digital image and post it anywhere, please give credit where credit is due to the artist who designed the image. It takes just a moment but I feel it is only right to let the artists know how much you appreciate their art work. Second, if you are planning on selling your project or use the image commercially make sure you receive permission (a license) from the artist. I only make projects for friends & families so I’m not sure exactly how that works, but I would suggest you email the artist to be sure you are adhering to the copyright policy correctly. I do feel very strongly that artists always deserve the credit and receive payment if you are going to use their images for commercial purposes.

This brings to mind another issue, organizing images on your computer. My first downloads were saved in a folder called digital images. I didn’t even think to make folders for each individual artist because honestly I didn’t think using digitals would be my cup of tea. Was I wrong or what??? Anyway, I do have a few images that I have no idea who drew the images or the site where they came from. I feel bad I don’t have any way to recognize the artist in those cases. Please accept my apologies. Now, I have started making folders indicating the artist or web address in order for me to know where the image came from. This is a system that may not work in the long run because I have to open each folder every time I need to find a specific category of image. i.e. flowers, holiday, etc. I’m considering making folders for each category and then within each category folder make individual artist folders. I’m not sure if that is the best way to organize, so if you have any thoughts on organization while making sure the artist name/web address is kept with the image I’d love to hear about it. All I know is I want to be sure that I can give credit to the artist if I use their design on a card or project and need to find the best way to organize to accomplish this.

Well I better close this long post for now. Until next time…

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