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An organized and tidy sewing room lets you feel more creative. If you’re avoiding new projects because you dread walking into your quilting space, you don’t need expert organizer Marie Kondo to tell you it’s time for a spring cleaning. Get ready for the change of seasons and check out these tips to help make your sewing space the place you and your projects deserve.
Tip 1. We Need to Talk: It’s Not You, It’s Me
If your sewing room is overrun, it may be time to take a break from all the excess. A good way to start is by letting go of your multiples of multiples. Having two rulers of the same size is practical, but six is a few too many. Get rid of the extras!
Ok. Take a deep breath and let’s move on to those piles of fabric. A stash of fabric lets your creativity soar, but too many piles does the opposite. As you go through pieces you haven’t seen in years, be honest with yourself. Why haven’t you used this fabric? Is the quality not great? Did you buy it on sale, but it doesn’t seem to work with any project? It might be time to let it go. To take the sting out, donate instead of throwing away. Bundle your multiples and unwanted fabric and give to a charity thrift store.
Cut the fabric that's left into commonly used shapes like half square triangles so that they take up less space but are still perfect for multiple projects. Just think, finding your extras might be the inspiration a new quilter needs to get started.
Here are some of our favorite scrap busting patterns:
- Seasonal Scrappy Wreath using the GO! Strip Cutter-1½" (1" Finished)
- GO! for it Quilt Pattern using the GO! Value Die
- GO! Qube 8" Cardtrick Baby Quilt using the GO! Qube Mix & Match 8” Block
Tip 2. What’s Your Room Vibe?
Now that you’ve made some space, revamp your room into one that inspires. Heirloom pieces and classic colors make it vintage. A mix of bright floral, stripes, and paisley patterns bring out a freestyle bohemian aesthetic. Distressed wood and metal with pretty details speak to a relaxed farmhouse. Wood dowel legs and pared down silhouettes lend a mid-century vibe. If you prefer clean, clear and simple walls, that's a style too. The point is to create a space or room that supports your work. Once you find your style, keep it in mind when searching for storage pieces and paint colors.
Tip 3. If You Build It, They Will Come
You’ve got the look, so when adding furniture, find pieces that coordinate with your sewing room style and offer smart storage, too. Bookshelves, storage cubbies, and cabinetry keep piles off your floor. Repurpose a dining hutch and fill it with small decorative chests and sewing boxes that double as notion storage. Yarn and scraps can be displayed in baskets or big glass jars.
AccuQuilt offers a mobile cutting cabinet that is a multi-use storage and work space. It's built specifically for our fabric cutters with two drop leaves for plenty of room to work, shelves plus dividers for organizing GO! dies, and lockable casters. It even comes in 3 different finishes to match your room:
Featured: GO! Quilt Block Center Cutting Cabinet in Sunrise Maple (#50911)
Tip 4. GO! Forth and Accessorize
Whether you like to keep things under wraps or have it all on display, you’ll love the GO! storage solutions found on our website. We offer enclosed GO! die storage cubes to tuck into cupboards or shelves, wire racks for a tabletop or wall, and even fashionable fabric totes that let you take your cutter, dies, fabric, and more with you on the go.
Featured: GO! Die Storage Rack (#55115)
Tip 5. GO! Vertical
Stack your fat quarters in shelves so they’re easy to see and access. Make better use of cupboard or cubby spaces by using file folder dividers to stack flat items like rulers and cutting mats. Mounting thread racks on a wall is an easy way to see, organize, and access all your spools. Instead of leaving your ironing board set up, install a wall organizer that holds the board, iron, and spray bottles. Peg boards aren’t just for the workshop. For a finished look, frame your peg board with molding that’s painted to match your space.
Tip 6. Get the Hang of It
Maximize closet space or wall space by hanging up items. Clip ruler mats to dress pants hangers. Repurpose hangers designed to hold multiple pairs of dress pants by neatly folding and clipping fabric onto each level. You’ll be surprised how many yards you can store and how easy to is to see and access them.
Tip 7. Put Your Personal Stamp on Organizing
If you see something that you love, but it doesn’t quite match your look, remember you can always paint it. Or swap out the legs to ones that better fit your style.
For organization with character, make and tuck the GO! Sewing Machine Organizing Mat under your fabric cutter or sewing machine. Three big pockets and your choice of fabrics make this mat a personalized way to keep your working area tidy.
All you need to make the GO! Sewing Machine Organizing Mat is the GO! Square-2" (1½"Finished), GO! Half Square Triangle 1½" Finished Square and GO! Baby Strip Cutter-2½" (2" Finished) 2 Strips with Angled Guide Lines.
Show Us Your Space!
Is your quilting area always ship shape? Did we help inspire you to get organized? Share your tips on keeping things tidy to help fellow quilters and post pictures of your work area to inspire us all.
Remember, sharing is the binding that keeps our quilting community pieced together. Find and follow AccuQuilt on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. And be sure to subscribe to our blog so you'll always be the first to know about useful tips like these!
