Way to organize all of my sewing and scrapbooking supplies?

Question

I have loads of fabric and patterns and sewing supplies and tons of scrapbook paper and stuff that I hope to scrapbook in the future. Right now, I have a small desk with my sewing machine and a few unorganized boxes of fabric and patterns. I also have an ugly black plastic scrapbooking cart which I don't really need (and would love to get rid of) Any suggestions on ways I can take up less space and keep all my stuff organized?

Answer 1

Without knowing more about your space, I can not make specific recommendations, but I can supply you with an abundance of sources for you to get some ideas that could work for you. Here are some great sites with ideas for storing your craft supplies.  Many have some great images that may give you additional ideas.  

http://tinyurl.com/5gwnmo - some great images & ideas for scrap booking with a little sewing added in. This site is set up so that you can zoom in to any section of the room. Just mouse over anywhere you would like a closer look.

http://tinyurl.com/572re3 - specialty furniture & room examples

http://tinyurl.com/6bbavl - good images for ideas.

http://tinyurl.com/5fhrvr - scroll down to read the comments.

http://tinyurl.com/6lu66l

http://tinyurl.com/6pvab7

http://tinyurl.com/5j8v3o

http://tinyurl.com/5f7qw5

http://tinyurl.com/6h9x2o

http://tinyurl.com/6yqcmn - notions storage

http://store.scrapbook.com/totor.html - scrap booking storage search

http://tinyurl.com/576urf - many great sb storage ideas

http://tinyurl.com/6koece - OrganizeIt.com - all kinds of containers, shelving, and more

http://tinyurl.com/5vvmv2

In addition you can also look at several of the big chain craft stores online to see what specialty containers they have available.  Now that Martha Stewart has a line of craft storage supplies (I believe they are at the Michael's Craft Stores) I anticipate even more options becoming available over the next several years as others jump on her band wagon.

I hope this helps without overwhelming you.  If you would like some more specific ideas, feel free to e-mail me through my profile.

- Laurel Plum

http://laurelplumonline.com

Answer 2

ArtBin makes great plastic storage containers that are stackable and they lock closed. You can get small jewelry bags very inexepensively at a craft store- these are great for ribbon, buttons, etc.  You can also purchase little boxes call Cropper Hopper boxes. These come in a variety of sizes and fit perfectly in your ArtBin. These are great for small embelishments. I labeled my various ArtBins and my Cropper Hopper boxed with an inexpensive lable maker from Costco. For scrapbooking and sewing, you may also consider a tackle box, that's right- a tackle box. You can get this in the sporting good section at WalMart, Target, KMart, etc. for a reasonable price.  We use rolling stacking drawers for our quilting supplies. We lable all of our drawers to keep things from getting cluttered. You can easily seperate patterns with folders in your drawers. We also put some shelves into our craft room, this could greatly increase the amount of storage space you have. There are even thread holders that you can mount on the wall. If all else fails, go through and minimize- only keep what you really need. Get rid of the rest on www.craigslist.com .

Answer 3

For my sewing stuff I use plastic totes and zip-lock bags. The totes come in so many colors and sizes and stack together really well (you should see the rainbow stacks I have. Sorry tho no pics). I color code mine with different fabrics in different totes (denim, cotton, quilting, flannel etc). And inside the totes I keep the different fabrics in individual bags (I'm sure the space bags would come in handy here too). Somewhere I acquired some really large bags but can't remember where. Two or three yards of nicely folded fabric can fit in a standard one gallon bag tho.

As for project's I'm currently working on....I keep everything in a tote just for that. I have fabric, pattern, thread, notions,....everything in there. It keeps things clean and together. When the project is complete I empty the tote and start with a new project.

Oh and if you have space on the wall to put shelves, brackets and boards from a local hardware/lumber store work great.