I love fabric and quilting supplies, and I try to keep them contained. But sometimes I look around my studio and think, who let the hurricane in?
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Many of my quilting supplies are
stored in this cupboard. |
That’s when I set aside time to restore order. Although on the messy days it may not seem like it, I do have a system.
I use baskets and jars to store small items; one jar doubles as a scrap jar for materials for my nests and a pin cushion. I keep my scissors in a utensil carrier made for picnicking.
Frequently used fabrics are stacked in baskets on my shelves and hidden in the drawers of a dresser. There isn’t room for all my fabric: I have 15 – 20 bins of yardage stored remotely in the basement, organized by color.
Of course, no matter what the state of my studio, there is always room for my pug, Elvis. He’s my studio mate!
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| Elvis is in the building! |
These strategies work for me, but everyone is different, and I don’t think there is one right way to organize quilting supplies.
I like to peek into other people’s studios to see what techniques they have for keeping their supplies accessible and the creative work flowing.
I was looking through Inside the Creative Studio: Inspirations and Ideas for Your Art and Craft Space by Cate Coulacos Prato, and I picked up lots of quilt supply storage ideas for my next studio re-organization.
Here’s just a sampling from the book:
Vintage and contemporary fabric storage:
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Stacked on shelves by color or randomly
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Folded and stacked in wire rolling bins
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Scraps mixed in open bins like laundry baskets
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Folded and piled in enamel or ceramic vintage bowls and basins
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Rolled and put into cubbies
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Mary Hettsmanberger uses shelves and cubbies
to house her jewelry and quilting supplies.
From Inside the Creative Studio. |
Quilting thread storage:
Quilting tools storage:
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Scissors laid in segmented drawers, stored in vintage flower pots, and hung on pegboards
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Paintbrushes stashed in recycled cans, vintage pails, and flower frogs
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Stamps and stencils laid in flat baskets and blueprint drawers
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Dyes and paints held in colorful dishpans, plastic cutlery totes, and on shallow picture shelves
There are plenty more ideas for arranging and organizing your quilting supplies in Inside the Creative Studio. It was a lot of fun to page through and see how creative fellow artists can be when it comes to their workspaces.
Do you have some innovative, creative, or just plain efficient ways of organizing your quilting tools, fabrics, and other supplies? Share with me and the other readers in the comments section below.
