One of the most common things I hear from people coming into my sewing room for the first time is "Wow, I could never be this organized!" From the fabric on shelves, folded on it's mini-bolts and arranged by color, to the color coded scrap bins, the project baskets hung along the ceilling, the rolling shelving unit with ironing station on top, the big plotter on wheels, ready for printing whatever I've decided to enlarge, to the cabinets and counter top I installed last year to give myself yet another work station - currently I'm up to three that are easy to work on, with room for a child next to each station if need be - the thought being that I'd have a place for friends and their kids, if we ever got to that point. Or I can just have multiple projects going at once.
The first really noticeable thing is the project baskets. They are bright white, and hanging from 3M hooks near the ceiling to keep the dust out of them. I have about a dozen of these around the room. The important thing to note is I never have projects that don't fit in the baskets laying about. If I want to take a break from a project, it gets carefully packed into a basket and hung up for next time. I also don't mix projects. One basket currently has the cut pieces for eight penguins. That's it. No extra parts for other projects, nothing. Another basket has completed elephant bodies that just need stuffing, along with all the eyes I cut out. A third has parts for the quilted ball ornaments I like to make (that get compliments like crazy but never seem to sell). All sorts of bits and bobs, but each is project specific.
At station #3, under the stairs, is the desktop I installed so I have a place to keep my laptop and my Silhouette. There's a bookcase with all of my animal print and floral print fabrics. There are shelves with my ironing supplies, an old tomato paste can that was washed out for paint brushes, a vase full of pens and markers, and thread holders hung on the wall. I have two different peg boards set up - one has all my quilting rulers, tapes, and jewelry findings hung up and organized. The other has accessories for my sewing machine, and a shelf for my media deck for the wall mounted TV. Everything has a home, and it all gets put back away before I start work on the next project, so that I keep the room clean and organized. (Often my husband will come down to find me muttering over a stack of scraps, trying to decide which bin I would look in for a pink and orange print, before deciding to throw it in the multi-colored pattern bin.)
When we bought our house, one of the key features for me was enough room so I could have a sewing room. Our two bedroom apartment before that did not have room, so all of my crafty stuff lived in a closet, and didn't really get pulled out all that often. I got depressed if I started a project - there wasn't anywhere to put a WIP (work in progress) that wasn't in our way. When I found a five bedroom house I knew exactly which room would be my space, and I am not ashamed to admit that I spent my first evening alone in the empty house painting that room a glorious shade of purple with pink accents. I have since added some bright teal highlights, and for me it is a very creative space!
As every crafter knows, when you have a space, you tend to fill it! I was cleaning this weekend and trying to find a way to comfortably roll in an antique ironer, and there just isn't any room left. So, until A) the plotter dies or B) I decide I really don't need so much table space - not likely - I'm going to have to accept that I have pretty much exhausted the capacity of the room. What's a crafty person to do? Of course! I started researching building a garage with a room above, with idea being that would be my new sewing space. Especially if I design it with the idea that it could be an apartment, as well. Someday we'll want to sell this house, and having the extra income potential would be fabulous for someone. Or us. If we had an apartment there, then I could knock out a wall between the two bonus rooms and expand! Hmmmmm....
I know it's a pipe dream for now. We aren't in a position to build a garage yet, much less a two story affair. With plumbing. And a place to wash the dogs. And store my inventory. And maybe a set of greenhouse windows across the back, for starting my garden. Aack! Time to get to sketching!
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