If you don’t organize your stitching projects, yarn and needlework items, it can soon overwhelm you where you don’t even enjoy your hobby. However, if you’re like most right-brained creative people, organizational skills don’t come as easily as they do to left-brainers.
The key to setting up a craft room is having a place for everything so you’re able to find what you need. First, you need to find a central location for all your projects and supplies.
Designate a Space
Not only does having an area all your own help you organize your yarn, embroidery floss, and other needlework tools, but it also allows you a relaxing retreat from the rest of the family. What ’s more, you can feel free to be messy without infringing on anyone else in the family.
- Spare bedroom – If you’re an empty nester, you’re probably fortunate enough to have a spare bedroom for crafts. An old dresser is perfect, especially if you’re a cross stitcher looking for drawers for your floss and supplies. It’s easy to sort your DMC floss by numbers into drawers. Then, when your grown kids or other out-of-town company visits, you can always temporarily store your floss in a large container.
- Dining Room – If you have a dining room that’s rarely used, why not convert it into a craft area. This is particularly useful if your dining room has a door that you can shut. When unexpected company calls, you can always convert it back into a dining room.
Divide into Zones
If you have several needlework crafts, divide them into different zones. For example, place a sewing machine on a desk or portable table in a sewing area, another area for cross stitching, another for quilting, etc.
- Clear containers– These are ideal for storing fabrics for quilting or sewing. Use large containers for bulk fabrics and smaller ones for squares if you do watercolor quilting.
- Shoe organizer – These work well for sorting yarn and fabric.
If you’re a knitter or crochet, it’s not so important to have an entire room for you hobby. What you really need is storage space (such as a closet) because you can knit and/or crochet anywhere. Gather some clear containers, sorting yarn according to colors and types. For unfinished projects, use tote bags and hang them on hangers in a closet.
Bookcases
Use cheap bookcases to station wire (or laundry) baskets, which can hold supplies such as yarn, fabric, thread and floss. Use extra shelves for craft books.
Organizing patterns
Use an accordion file and organize your sewing and/or cross stitch patterns according to theme, etc. Or, take sheet protectors and organize patterns in a three-ring binder, using divider tabs to sort them into categories.
Use Tips from Sewing/Needlecraft Websites
“A picture is worth a thousand words”, as the old saying goes. Bookmark Sewing.org as each week this helpful website offers pictures of other crafters’ sewing rooms, as well as useful organizational tips.
Declutter
Finally, learn to throw out what you don’t use. Just as you have to clean out your refrigerator, you also have to declutter your yarn and/or needlework stash. One of the biggest challenges of stitchers, knitters and crocheters is a surplus of unfinished projects. As hard as it may be to toss them out, it’s necessary if you want a tidy and organized craft area. Then once you’ve thrown away those projects (you know you’ll never finish), determine not to start new projects until you’ve completed old ones.
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