Organizing the sewing space - Phase 1

Do you thrive in clutter or do you need a neat space to work? I need a neat space.  I can handle a bit of clutter but when things get too disorganized and I cannot find tools or fabric or I find cats in odd places, then I know it is time to clean up!  This week, I decided not only to clean up but also to cute up my space.  More is coming!  But, for now, take a look what I have done. I am very pleased with it!


First up, some bad pics of what it used to look like.  This is chaos, in my mind.  When it looks like this, I have so man things piled up I cannot find my tools. Sometimes, there is a cat in the corner. Sleeping. On my fabric. Bins are disorganized. Fabric is missing. It is not fun. The bad lighting is the result of the sun setting at the 49th parallel in January. This is what it looks like every afternoon that the sky is not grey!  I can't work in this light! I have awful, rouge-colored metal blinds, bent in places where the cats have walked through them repeatedly, but they make the room too dark. It is a daylight basement and lighting is an issue.

So, I cleaned up, organized and made it look cuter! Check it out. This is Phase 1.

First of all, I found this adorable Robert Kaufman fabric in my stash and had the perfect amount to make a curtain. Because my sewing area is in the basement family room,  I want my decor to be cute and family friend. My 6 and 10 year old daughters love this fabric! And it goes well with the colors of the wall. Behind the curtain, my bins of scraps and thread and my filing cabinet of patterns are hidden away.

I also made a dust cover for my serger. I winged it on pattern. To do that I just looked online and got an idea of how to trace the shape and create a pattern. It was not hard. I didn't line it or anything so it is just a soft cover to keep dust off my serger. Did you know you need to do that? Dust is harmful to machines! I have a dust cover for mine, a vinyl one, but I have not been able to find it in about six months!! Uhoh!!

Above the sewing area are cupboards where I am starting to organize fabric, ribbons, and Ottobre magazines and notions.  No, that one fabric does not represent my entire stash.  Teehee.

Phase two will begin soon. I got peg board from the hardware store, the kind you use in the garage to hang your tools on pegs.  I am going to paint it bright red and mount it on the wall between the cupboards and the cutting table.  The pegs will hold my scissors and other large tools and I have a collection of small, metal pails to use for smaller tools. That should free up more space for cutting and pinning!!

My sewing machine is currently on a rather unattractive old sewing desk I inherited. It is functional, but not my style. Hence, it is not included in this photo session!!  Phase 3, which will come later in spring, will be getting new shades for the large windows and either painting the old sewing desk or getting something "new."

More pictures will come!