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Monday, August 22, 2011

Craft Supply Organizing

I've been drowning in a living room full of fabric and thread for too long! Over the weekend, I pulled myself together and organized my mess.

My last apartment didn't have any closets (ahhh, NYC), so my genius mom built free-standing closet doors for me. One side had shelves, and the other side had corkboard, a whiteboard, and hooks for things like hats and bags.

Now I find myself in a new space with (gasp!) three closets!! Nevermind that none of those closets are in the bedroom. I still have the free-standing closet doors, so I used one of them to organize my in-progress crafts. (And eesh, there are a lot of them. Like the blue hat. And the teal dress. Oh and the cotton lawn dress. And the lunchbag.)

Previously the thread was piled into a Ziploc freezer bag. Seriously. I was too embarrassed to even take a before picture. I organized my threads with two of these handy thread racks from Joann's. You can hang them or use them free-standing.



I used a magazine pouch to organize things like rulers, patterns, and other random items. I stuffed the in-progress projects on the shelves on the other side. As these collections grow, I'll probably have to think of another storage idea. For now, it works!



I'd be very curious to hear how you organize your in-progress crafts. (Please don't tell me I'm the only one who stacks them all on a table.)

5 comments:

  1. It must be in the air. I spent the weekend organizing what was a disaster of a craft room. Great idea to use a magazine pouch!

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  2. If I know I won't get around to it (like charm quilts that are waiting on sashing and backing, or clothes that are beyond my skill level but I just had to cut out anyway), they go into big ziploc bags, pattern and all, and sit in a giant JoAnn's plastic bag on my shelf. Not like a disposable one, but one of the reusable bags.

    I bought a 9-cube bookshelf and used a few cubes (and Ikea boxes) to box up scraps and overflowing fabric, as well as patterns. It made everything seem a bit more organized. You did a great job! I love those thread organizers!!

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  3. Your mom *is* a genius--I love the free-standing closet doors!

    As far as organizing in-progress crafts, I have a box system labeled by project type (crochet, sewing, etc.) where I keep supplies and in-progress projects. The boxes live on a tall, skinny Ikea shelf.

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  4. those free standing closet doors!!! such a clever idea!! well, when i eventually have my own place (sans in-laws) i will share my craft space. right now, my fabric stash goes into one long storage box, my crafting supplies in a few other boxes. all storage boxes piled up in my closet, and i shut the doors before they topple on me.

    *phew*

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  5. Your post inspired me to write one on my blog as a tribute to my very understanding husband. This summer he has had to deal with a month of paint brushes in the fridge while I make products for my front porch. A week of sorting bottle caps in on the living room floor for a mosaic project (the designs are still in a corner waiting for me to clean a workspace - ahem.) And last weekend I removed everything from the guest bathroom vanity to install a new faucet. I'm not even going to mention the pile of fabric I bought (on sale!) in my craft room to sew fleece PJ pants for the nieces and nephews for Christmas. You are not alone!

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