Good Morning Lovelies!

Today’s blog post will be a little different! Today, I’m going to talk about the Top 3 Things that make my very little, very limited, sewing/crafting space tidy, efficient and happy. I decided to do this because each day when I check my sewing groups and forums, there is always someone asking for tips on how to store their fabrics and tools.  It seems 90% of us in the groups are SAHM ‘s (Stay at Home Moms) and so our space can be somewhat limited especially if we have small kids and/or pets;  which also means there are special precautions we have to take when storing our fabrics and tools from these curious creatures. lol  So let’s dive right into my first tip!

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TIP#1 USE CLEAR PLASTIC BINS AND/OR DRAWERS: Right now, I’m sharing my space with the dining room, so really all I have is one corner and one wall. With this very limited space, the #1 thing that has made my sewing space more efficient is using CLEAR PLASTIC BINS and DRAWERS.  When I started “collecting” fabrics (No, I’m not a hoarder – there is NO such thing as a fabric hoarder, I just have a deep, intense appreciation for fabric okay? lol) I had two solid colored plastic bins and I would make such a mess trying to find a specific fabric because I couldn’t remember which one they were in. I soon learned that clear plastic bins were the way to go! With the clear bins and drawers, I can tell what’s in there with just a simple glance.  The drawers and bins also stackable, so they make wonderful space savers. Another great point is that they protected the fabric and tools from dust or smoke and/or pet hair for those who are exposed to those kinds of elements. However, the main reason I love them so much is because they keep the spirited one out of my fabric, and out of trouble. haha =)

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TIP #2 USE COMIC BOARDS TO CREATE MINI FABRIC BOLTS (DIY): I just recently did this and ohhhh what a wonderful thing it was! A sew sister in one of my favorite sewing groups called Fabric Destashing for People Who aren’t Cray Cray (haha love that name!)  shared with us that she uses comic boards (or magazine boards like I did, if you want them a little wider) as mini bolts to store her fabric, and as soon as I read about that, I ordered me some! (You can find them here: Magazine Boards). Since my quilting cottons are significantly less (in yardage) than my apparel fabrics, I wanted to store them differently, so this was an absolute genius idea! (side note: The most I have wrapped is four yards, and I used two boards just to make sure it was sturdy enough)

The Comic Boards were inexpensive and they worked out beautifully! All you need are the boards, your fabric and extra pins (or tape) to secure the fabric. Now, I can see everything all at once, and when I pull one bolt out, the others are left undisturbed! I was also able to store twice as much fabric in one bin by folding them this way, which blows my mind! It’s like looking at a mini fabric store right?! I sometimes just open the bin to take a glance and then go about my day, because looking at them so neatly set makes me happy. =)

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Speaking of happy, here’s my third and final tip:

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TIP #3 CREATE YOUR OWN HAPPY SPACE: I read somewhere once, “If you want to be happier, you have to decide you will create more happiness for yourself” – and I couldn’t agree more! I strongly encourage creating a happy space in your work environment, wherever that may be. In my case, since I work at home 5 days a week, I have a #happyshelf! It’s right above my sewing table and its consists of things that make me happy and that make my heart smile.  A favorite book, a gift from a friend or just a meaningful keepsake…it could be anything that makes you happy! It might seem like just a random shelf of things, but having this shelf right above my sewing table has worked out so well for me! For example, whenever I find myself frustrated that I have to rip out a seam for the 10th time, I reach up, wind up my Willow Tree music box (gifted to me by my husband last Christmas) and continue to rip out my seams as I watch and listen to it go, it really makes me calmer. =)

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So there you having it folks, the Top 3 things that make my little working space tidy, efficient and happy! I would love to hear your Top 3!! And if you have a #happyshelf or happy space I would love to see it too!!! Tag me on IG or Facebook, or comment here on the blog! Looking forward to hearing from you all!! Have a wonderful week!

love-candice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “3 Tips to Make Your Tiny Sewing Space More Efficient & Happy

  1. LOVE this post! I love how you stored your smaller pieces of fabric. Very neat and also very pretty to look at. Your happy space makes me smile 🙂

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