How to Organize a Quilting + Sewing Space

Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing ideas on How to Organize a Quilting + Sewing Space. I’ve had a few different sewing spaces over the years ranging from my dining room table to a corner of my bedroom to a dedicated room for sewing and quilting. In setting up any space, large or small, there are lots of things to consider.

How to Organize a Quilting + Sewing Space

Sewing, Cutting, and Pressing Areas

The first things to consider when setting up a quilting and sewing space are the location of your sewing machine, your cutting area, and a place to iron and press fabrics. Once you’ve decided the location of these three areas you can begin to plan for the storage of all of your quilting essentials. Some things to keep in mind are:

• Think about the lighting in the space and how it will affect where you plan to sew, cut, and press. I love natural light, but there are also terrific lights available now that work for every space.
• I like to have my pressing area close to my sewing machine so that I can easily move between the two areas.
• I love having my cutting station in the center of the room so I can access it from all sides.

Fabric Storage

After your sewing, cutting, and pressing areas are decided, then it’s time to decide how you want to store your fabric. I love being able to look at my fabric and have it as part of the room’s decor; however, natural sunlight can definitely wreak havoc on cotton fabrics. I store my most frequently used fabrics in the open and longer-term fabric storage remains in cupboards and bins.

Notion and Tool Storage

I’ve always found it helpful to have my most-used notions and tools within easy reach. I have a few drawers in my cutting station and in the cabinet behind it where I keep almost all of my frequently used rulers and notions. Lesser-used rulers and notions are in labeled bins in my closet or other cupboards. It’s also helpful to have a list of where out-of-sight notions are stored so you don’t have to hunt for them.

Book and Pattern Storage

I’ve used a lot of different ways to store books and patterns. I actually keep a lot of my favorite quilting books in my office. But I do store the majority of my patterns in my sewing room. I have some of my favorites stored by type (bags, runners, holiday, etc.) and I have others stored by designer. Currently the majority of my patterns are stored in two file drawers which are part of my cutting station. I have some others in a decorative box.

Quilt Storage

Another thing to think about is where to store your quilts. I love having a quilt storage cabinet in my sewing room and also store others in a closet. Every so often I go through my quilts and donate many to charitable organizations (or to family members who request a certain quilt).

I hope some of these ideas have been helpful as you set up or reorganize your sewing space. Summer is such a terrific time to clean up, organize, and make changes.

Happy Quilting!