Morning whining basset hounds. No, you cannot go into the guest room. Some people do not want slobbering hounds pouncing on them in the morning. Stop asking.
For the REST of you, let me tell you something you might already know. Folding yards and yards of fabric into 13 x 15″ squares takes a long, long time. Even if you have teeny tiny stashes like me. Like, a whole day. And it’s tedious, no matter how exciting your audiobook.
So yesterday I managed to get the nook (sans cutting table, which remains trashed) into a semblance of order. Before and afters are in order!!
Here’s where we started:
A few days ago I’d gotten this far…
And as of this morning this is what’s going on down there…
It’s totally acquiring the granny-chic style that seems to be my design equilibrium!
The most exciting part of yesterday’s projects was that I folded my main fabric stash to neatly fit in its new home!
Seriously, you emotion-addled basset hounds, this took FOREVER!! I mean, my friends who are staying with me left for a lunch date with their brother and got back at 5:30 – I was folding the entire time they were gone! But it’s well worth it. I like how it looks and since I took the time to make each fabric piece the size of the expedite cubby (13″ wide, 15″ deep) I’m using the space very efficiently. Since I can’t control myself (and someone asked yesterday) here’s closeups of each bay. Lucky for you I don’t have a very big fabric stash!
Starting on the top row, I left one cubby open for my computer, the binder I put class notes in, etc. Then I have my reds/pinks, oranges and yellows.
I considered organizing by type of fabric – at least breaking out the wovens from the knits – and then color, but ultimately, I need the space to be as visually calming as possible, and i’ts a lot easier to look at all the fabric organized by color. My general organization was heavier wovens/woolens on the bottom of the piles, chiffon/voile/silk in the middle, knits on top.
The second row’s order is denim, green, blue purple. You can see how little I like purple, although I think it’s a good color for me!
For the most part, the fabric in this area is at least 1 yard and suitable for garment-making. There may be some cuts in there that are more appropriate to home dec sewing, but most of the teeny bits of fabric are in the cutting table storage as well as ‘utility’ fabric – for making muslins, ACTUAL muslin, white (non-garment) denim, canvas, etc.
Row three is the neutral row – almost all of the darker colors are wool suiting, which I can’t resist but don’t really wear. Oh, Sigh. I broke out the blacks, greys, browns and whites. There’s wool, silk and voile in the white section – you can see how partial I am to white! It’s because of your slobbering hounds and your ever-shedding hair. And again – STOP WIMPERING!! I’m not letting you in that guest room!
The bottom row is the this’n'that row. In the first bay I stashed all my lining fabric – rayon, nasty poly and china silk. Since this stuff is hard to fold I put it all in a picnic basket.
Next I folded all the cloth diapers I have on hand (for making of burpies, of course) into an Ikea bin that apparently is meant to fit in the Expedite shelving! Yay!
The last two cubbies were filled with weird stuff – thrifted sweaters in one and odd white things in the other – sheepskin, burlap, eyelet tableclothes and part of my old prom dress. All fun fabrics to use in projects down the road.
I felt brilliant (undeservedly so) because I had two lengths of super heavy fabric that would have taken up a whole cubby between them. I raided the garage and came back with a bamboo garden pole and an extra broom handle which I used to roll those pieces. I had to fold one in half to get it to fit, but it’s much more tidy!
I have two larger, nice looking woven basket-type wastebaskets. I used one for oilcloth and laminated cotton which is better stored in rolls rather than folds. I also stuck in other stuff that comes on rolls – Swedish tracing paper, a roll of craft paper from the Ikea kids section and super heavy interfacing that’s too thick to fold up to store. You can see the demarcation line here where Mr. Bug will pick up with the acid washing and floor painting!
The other exciting project from yesterday was the organization of the sewing table and FINALLY getting the machines sitting on the table (although not plugged in yet!)
The pegboard got a lot more stuff on it too – I had the two white hanging tins already and realized they’d work well to hold paper and pens. The white plastic bin is from Ikea and meant to go on a towel-rod type thing for kitchen organization – I realized I could hang it on pegboard hooks to stash my bag of silk thread, fray check, elmer’s glue – all that kind of stuff. I have a TON of tins with tissue strips, more pens, sewing machine oil and a bunch of other stuff. I also realized that clothespins make a good way to hold stuff onto the pegboard – right now it’s all pictures, but it’d be nice for swatches as well! I’m not really happy with how cluttered this area looks, so I’m sure there’s another Ikea trip in the future. With so much colored STUFF going in the space, I want as much clean, white storage as possible!
The final swap I made was to clear out the dollhouse of jars of trim and put more fun stuff in it. The raggedy ann my grandmas made me, my favorite christmas ornament, tea cups, a bowl of this’n'that and my toy sewing machine. You can also see my jar of vintage hats and trimming flowers, snoods, stuff like that. If I see things like that for a good price in shops I usually buy them – I LOVE the flowers on vintage hats, although I don’t wear them.
I put the jars with the trimming and buttons over on the Billys. I like them better at this height, rather than in the dollhouse which is above eye level. It’s easier to see what I have, so hopefully I’ll use the trim instead of forgetting I have it!
That folding is a thing of beauty.
K-Line recently posted..By the Numbers
Hi MrsBug! The reclaimed sewing space is gorgeous—Definitely a cover story for “Better Homes & Basements.” My parents (in Mich) run a dehumidifier in their basement (they also have a sump pump). They do not have issues w/smell, mildew, etc. The dehumidifier makes a huge difference.
–bethS
I was thinking that we should start running one as an extra precaution. They’re pricey though and I’ve kept MOST of my stash down there for the last year or two and not noticed any basement-smell in the fabric!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
I am experiencing a serious case of envy now! Wish wish wish I could do this sort of thing for my sewing area…. although my fabric stash would not look nearly as pretty as yours!
Gabrielle recently posted..Hey, she pushed in!
well, those pictures were snapped immediately after folding, we’ll see how they look in a few weeks!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Thankyou so much for showing us your sewing room. I especially loved seeing your stash – lots of nice things coming up. Your sewing room looks so inviting .Congratulations on doing such a great job. By the way – I`m not sure that is a small stash !
Thanks! I know how much I love seeing other people’s stuff! Plus, I’m not doing any real sewing, so this is my blog fodder!!
OK, it’s not the SMALLEST stash in the world – but there are much bigger ones out there!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
I am so gonna get the shelf! Too cool….thank you so much for the great pics. They did it for me. Saturday, I will be at Ikea.
yay ikea! I would like to go today too!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Patty – I cannot remember if I’ve commented and written this link for you before, but check out The Domestic Diva blog – on the right hand side of her blog is a menu with tonnes of stuff on organising a sewing space, so for anyone out there needing idea’s she’s got some cool stuff to read
Claire (aka Seemane) recently posted..Liberty Time in London
Oh my gosh. I LOVE granny chic. And I love your folded fabric color cubbies. And I love the picnic basket. And I love the chair and rug. I totally have an old stuffed chair and an old wool rug in my sewing room, too!
Lynne recently posted..Baby’s got the blues.
Yay for granny chic! The rug was a total find at a garage sale – a couple was super into antiques and were downsizing!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
You crack me up!!! I LOVE the photos of all your fabric neatly folded
I also really like the pegboard idea! So fabby!
Debi recently posted..It’s a party….
The pegboard is super awesome – I’m a wee bit obsessed with finding out what little doodads work with pegboard now!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Beautiful, Patty. It would be very motivating to be able to sew in a wonderful space like you have. You’ve done a great job thinking of fun and inspiring ways to organize your sewing necessities. I’ve been following along since the beginning, and I have a lingering question – what of your grandmother’s desk? I love the idea of antiques set in amongst all of the new, which is why I love that you’ve also used your old dollhouse. I think the chair is a great addition, but I do hope there’s still room for that desk somewhere!
Amy recently posted..Fits Like a Glove
well, right now it’s around the corner from the sewing table – I think I included it in the floorplan I posted a few days ago. I haven’t, as of yet, put anything in it because it feels like it’s out in the hinterlands. I LOVED the idea of including it, but I’m definitely more happy with the chair – we’ll see what happens once everything gets tidied up!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Okay I’m so green with envy now I can barely stand myself! My sewing room is still waiting for someone to vacate it and I will begin this process hopefully during the month of September. You are giving me some good ideas and now I need to find a comfy chair to add to my room.
BTW, what will you sit to sew at the machines?
Carolyn recently posted..Signature Work Style
I’m SO happy we scored that chair – I even love the way it looks in the space!
I have a GIANT black office chair that was Mr Bug’s. I’m clearly going to have to make a cover for it – it’s not very attractive!!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
MmmmmmmMMMMmmmm thats what i wanted to see. Fabric stash! My fave is the orange pile. Love that top one. I approve of the colour arrangement of fabric. It looks beautiful and everything seems very easy to find. I reckon even if it gets really busy in there at least you’ll know the general vicinity its in. Kudos on the roll ideas. It looks like a magazine photoshoot.
Lianne recently posted..Country Garden Miniatures
ha ha ha! A magazine shoot – is there a better house and basements out there? I should subscribe!!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Organizing your fabrics by color is the best way I think, mixing colors to sort by fabric type will resemble dogs breakfast, too busy, too disorganized. You have really done a great job. When I had my studio in a basement space (read no windows) I had lots of little lights around the room. These were for atmosphere, darn cozy actually. Of course your task lighting has to be intense but the little lights make it a nice place to work. Love your little lamp.
Corinne recently posted..Turning Twenty-done
I’m super excited, because I got the hanging halogen lightbulbs from Ikea to use as the ‘big’ lighting, but we haven’t put it up yet! And those little lamps will likely be swapped out, as I have smaller ones upstairs that I think I’d rather have downstairs – their the Ikea frosted glass rectangles – not as cute, but better at taking up space!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Organizing the stash by color is the best choice to my eye. Mixing up the colors to sort by fabric type sort of looks like dogs breakfast! I organize bookshelves the same way
Corinne recently posted..Turning Twenty-done
You did a great job on your space. It looks inviting and organized. You have inspired me to keep working at mine.
Sandy recently posted..My Life Map (the scenic route, please)
How does your basement smell? Despite the fact that mine is finished with tile flooring, drop ceiling with pot lights and finished walls, it still sometimes smells damp and I’m constantly afraid that my stash will also end up smelling like basement.
Tabatha recently posted..Dresden Pillow Done
Our basement is very fresh, dry and not-basement smelling. I think this is partially because we have a tuck-under garage, so there’s direct access. Also, from what I understand from our plotting to finish our basement, that basement smell can sometimes come up AFTER you finish it, as it can be hard to get the air moving INSIDE the walls, causing the smell to intensify! I know the contractor we met with recommended getting a sump pump, built in ventilation/dehumidifier to help out with that, especially since I will have textiles down there. Do you run a dehumidifier? That’s supposed to help, I guess!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Thanks for the reply! Yes, we have a larger sized dehumidifier which drains directly into the… um… drain. Our house is too air tight, we had an energy audit performed and the technician was amazed. It’s most likely an air flow issue.
Tabatha recently posted..Be still my beating heart!
Ah! That’s what Dan was talking about with the whole air-tightedness! Apparently our leaky 50′s ranch is good for SOMEthing!!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Finally! A finished…. tote bag?
You are making great progress and inspiring me to rework my sewing room. Do you have a method/trick for folding your fabric consistantly?
Not really! I folded on my cutting mat so I could see how big the squares were. You want your piece to be the measurement minus a smidge.
What I did was -
* fold so that the fabric was manageable and even (so if it was 3 yards long, I folded in half a time or two so I could hold it easily)
* fold so one measurement was twice the depth of the cubby – for me 15″ This is so the last fold I make is the one that will face outward so you’ll just see a fold of each fabric, not lots of edges. If the fabric was less than 30″, I just left it.
* Fold the other way to get to the width of the cubby (mine was 13″)
*Make the last fold so the outward facing part is a fold. If I didn’t have enough to fold right in half to get to 15″, I just folded over enough to get to 15″, so at least part of the fabric reached all the way to the back. If I just folded, say a 20″ piece in half so it was 13″ wide by 10″ deep it would use more vertical space and make the pile ‘tip’ towards the back.
Some things I learned
* the goal is to keep the piles and flat as possible to use the space the most efficiently
*It’s better to fold a little bigger than a little smaller – even one piece of fabric folded a little smaller makes the piles tip
*Folding into thirds is my friend
*You get a sense for how to fold each width – 45″ or 60″ Since I was aiming at 15″ and most fabric is 45 or 60″, I generally folded lengthwise first (so, say for a 3 yard cut of 45″ wide fabric, I folded to 13″ by 45 first, then folded into thirds to get to 13 x 15.)
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Organizing my stash. Part of the story.
Maybe a piece of strong cardboard/hardboard cut to the right size (minus the smidge!) could be used as a template to fold fabric around it… (I used to remember seeing store assistants in fashion shops do this to make all the shirts line up prettily!
Claire (aka Seemane) recently posted..Sleeve Pattern for the Sorbetto Top
I totally thought of doing that! I used my clear quilting ruler to help make the folds nicely!
Patty The Snug Bug recently posted..Finally! A finished…. tote bag?
Your space is really looking amazing! You’re starting to make me jealous with all of your neatly folded squares of fabric.
Liz recently posted..Ted Talk: Angiogensis and Eating To Starve Cancer
Wow!! You’ve done a great job – from a really rough type of reality to perfection! Great job – I don’t know how you could have done better!!