- I'd like to thank Skillshare for sponsoring this video.
Do you dream of a sewing room that looks like this,
but yours looks like this?
Did you spend in last weekend
organising everything in your sewing space,
but this week, it now looks like this again?
Are you searching for that magical container
that will fix all your craft room problems?
(gentle uplifting music)
The key to a functioning creative space
is having the right place for everything.
Unfortunately, we all make mistakes
when organising our sewing space.
Here are nine common ones, and how to fix them.
So, stick with me, and I'll show you how to do it.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get it Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks, and strategies,
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you like what you see,
please click that Subscribe button.
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Our hobbies, whether it be quilting, sewing,
or any other craft, fills our bucket.
Not only do we enjoy doing it, doing it is good for us.
So, we need a space that is functioning,
calming, and easy to use.
But, in the rush and bustle of our lives,
it's easy to fall into these common mistakes.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
TV craft shows have these amazing sets,
and make-over videos have these glorious final reveals.
Unfortunately, that creates an unrealistic expectation
of what an actual functioning creative space looks like.
Mess happens, and that is where the fun is.
Losing yourself in the creativity, the colours,
the textures, the patterns, that's what it's all about.
It's not stressing about scraps,
or the threads that have fallen to the floor,
or wondering where your scissors have disappeared too.
So, you need to shift your mindset.
Forget about having that pristine,
Instagram-ready sewing room once a year.
Invest your time in making a well-organized space
that is a snap to clean up all year long.
And I explain how to get your supplies
and your tools in the right spots in my video,
Organise Your Sewing Space Part 3,
and I'll leave a link to that video in the notes.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
There's a reason why all those room make-over shows
start by taking everything out of the room
because you can't organise clutter.
Your space is finite,
and there's only so much that you can fit into it.
Decluttering is about getting out all the unwanted,
all the unnecessary, the broken,
the less valuable, the duplicates,
until it all fits into the capacity of your space.
And it's only when all that stuff is out the door
that you will have the space,
both physically and mentally, to organise.
I have just finished an online-21 day Declutter Challenge,
and it's absolutely amazing the changes that brings.
If you would like to try one,
I'll leave a link to the playlist in the notes below.
And if you participated in the challenge,
please leave a comment in the notes
of the changes it brought you.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
Because we have so much stuff,
we often start our floor plans with storage.
We add bookcases, drawers, and cupboards,
and then end up shoving our sewing machine against a wall,
cutting our fabric on the floor,
and banishing our iron to the basement.
And this means that your space has poor flow.
Humans are programmed to conserve energy.
So, if it's difficult to use, or makes us uncomfortable,
we will rarely do it. or not even bother.
So, before you head to Ikea for that new Billy bookcase,
take a good look at your sewing triangle.
That is your sewing machine, your cutting station,
and your ironing board.
This is the foundation that makes your sewing space work,
and the organisation of our tools and supplies
work around it.
And I talked about what you need to consider
when making this triangle in my video,
Organise Your Sewing Space Part 1.
I even showed you how it can work in a tiny space,
in Part 4.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
So typically, in a tidy up video,
the YouTuber goes to a drawer or shelf,
they take everything out, they toss the broken,
the unwanted, and the expired,
then they fluff and they put everything back.
But, they never ask the question,
"Why is it here, right here, in this spot, right now?"
You might think, "Well, it's always been there,"
or, "This is the only shelf that it fits,"
or, "This is where all my rulers go."
Your tools should be as close
to where they're used as possible,
and the ones that you use most should be front and centre.
Remember, the easier it is to use, the more we'll use it.
And additionally, the more likely we are to put it away.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
How many tidy up shows have you watched
where they gather up all the pens,
or all the scissors, are all the thingamabobs,
and then they dumped them into a container
and put a label on it?
I just want to pull my hair out
because that doesn't solve the problem.
It might look nice and pretty for a second,
but the more steps you put between yourself and the tool,
the less likely you are to use it.
And worse, if they're all dumped in the same place,
it doesn't mean it's necessarily easier to find,
so you might end up settling for another tool,
which might not do the job quite as well.
So, split them up
to the stations where they will be used.
If you use them at your ironing board,
have a tool spot at your ironing board.
If you use them at your sewing machine,
put them where they are easily at hand.
If they are a tool that you only use occasionally,
get them out of the front of the drawer
and move them to the back.
Be sure to use dividers and shelves,
so not only does everything have a home,
you can immediately see if something is missing.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
Have you ever stood in the container aisle
of a big box store, and just think,
"I have found the solution to all mine needs.
I'll just buy 25 of them, and I'll never need one again."
The problem with the container-first approach
is that our stuff comes in all shapes and sizes.
So, you either buy a variety of container sizes,
or you'll have half empty containers,
or you'll end up filling up a container with whatever fits,
often leading to containers within containers,
within containers,
and your sewing room function and flow goes out the door.
Once you have your sewing triangle foundation,
then you understand what tools go where.
Then, it's time for the storage discussion.
You want storage that both fits your tools
and is easy to access.
And it's very unlikely that one container
is going to solve all your problems.
And it might even be best not even to use containers.
Consider dividers in the drawers.
You can even make your own containers out of foam board,
and I showed you how in my video,
Sewing Room Hacks with Foam Board,
and I'll leave a link to that in the notes.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
You might have the best-arranged sewing room in the country,
but if you can't see your work,
it will be difficult to get good results.
Unfortunately, we often think of lighting
after the electrical outlets are blocked by furniture.
In addition,
you will need power for your sewing machine and iron,
not to mention charging stations for your iPad,
your iPhone, maybe even your computer.
Power cord management is a real issue,
as most of us cannot have the electrical outlets
where we need them.
You need to get the right extension cord configuration
for the job.
We often have transformers to accommodate,
and USB connectors,
and it needs to be the right length of power cord as well
so it's not a tripping hazard.
They need to be tucked away with channels, Velcro, or ties,
to prevent them being a tripping hazard.
And you want them easy to access
and not taking up valuable counter space.
As you are reclaiming your space,
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I've enjoyed Skillshare membership for several years.
And just recently,
I was enjoying Samarra Khaja's Designing Patterns That Work,
so in the future I can produce fabrics around a theme.
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(gentle uplifting music continues)
There are so many times that we have tools,
furniture, and storage solutions, that just kind of work,
and we just live with the shortfall.
But with a little thought and creativity,
we can make some adjustments or do a work around,
and they make such a difference not only in your flow,
but how you enjoy your space.
That's where my DIY ironing board station came from.
I made my own ironing board
that sits on top of a rolling rack,
that I cut to the exact height I needed for me.
It has all the storage.
And since it's on wheels,
I can move it anywhere in the room, or even to another room.
And with my cordless iron,
I can be totally untethered from the wall.
Now, this is a fairly big change.
There are lots of smaller ones that you can make too,
like this accessories caddy
that came with my sewing machine.
I found it really fussy,
I didn't really find it that stable,
and it came with these doors that took up a lot of space
and were quite fiddly to open.
So, I took off the doors.
Without the doors, everything is easily accessible,
and it's so much better.
Here, my chalk used to fall on the floor all the time,
so I had my husband print me a 3D ledge.
I added double-sided tape, and ta-da!
As I've moved around my space,
I've asked him to make several other things for me as well.
Find the pain points in your flow
and find solutions to make it work for you.
(gentle uplifting music continues)
Just because you organised your space one way last year
doesn't mean you need to organise it the same way this year.
Our skills change, our equipment and tools change,
our tastes change, technology changes,
and just life in general changes.
So, put yourself first.
How does your sewing space need to work for you right now?
It might need to accommodate a new machine,
it might be a new accessibility issue,
it might mean that you need to declutter your space.
You're sewing room is where you go
for calm, clarity, and creativity.
So, make the necessary changes
so that you can get back to filling your bucket.
If you want to check out the other videos in this series,
I'll leave a link to the playlist right here.
Take care, and I'll see you next time.
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