My Studio - Part I

I’m lucky to have a room I can call my own, so I thought I’d post a few pictures of how it is organized. It’s a bit messy right now because I’m working on several projects. That’s how I work – I pull things out, I audition them, use them or try something else. Bits of thread and fabric get thrown on the floor. More fabric gets pulled out and more thread, fabric, etc. get thrown on the floor. But, once I’m finished, everything gets put back where it belongs, I sweep up and start over.

Here’s a nifty storage tip that I use for my fabric. I bought some acid free mat board and cut it to about 8” x 12” pieces(or whatever size works for you). I then grouped my fabric according to color, print, theme, etc. and wrapped them around the board making sure to move each piece down about half an inch. Then I put a large rubber band around the mat board to hold the fabric pieces together. This system works great with fat quarters and no more than 2 yards of fabric. Then I put each "boltlet" on the shelf. I love this system because I can see most of my fabrics at any given time. Yes, I still have more in drawers and a laundry bag full of scraps. I also have 2 drawers with about 100 men’s ties!

As you might be able to see, I have my larger beads stored in these little plastic boxes that fit into these binders. My seed beads are stored in small containers inside transparent plastic boxes. They are also placed on a shelf. Although I like this system, I really would like to be able to see them like I can see my fabric, so I’m still working on that.

My rayon threads are stored in the drawers on the bookshelf I bought at Ikea. The ones I use most often are on the spool rack right next to my sewing machine - my Christmas present to me from me - my Viking Designer SE. I love Viking sewing machines – they sew the prettiest seam! More photos tomorrow.