Sewing can be a fun hobby, a great small business idea, or even a way to upgrade your wardrobe with homemade flair. However, sewing supplies can also generate a lot of clutter. Whether you want to organize your existing sewing room or dedicate a space to sewing in your craft room, art studio, or home office space, here are ten helpful ideas for sewing room organization!
Declutter Your Sewing Room
Decluttering gives you a clean slate to begin organizing your sewing room. Sort your sewing supplies into different categories, checking for any duplicates or outdated, worn-out supplies that can be thrown away. Then sort items according to what you’ll do with them after decluttering—deciding whether you’ll keep, sell, donate, or toss them. This is a good time to assess what you actually use in your sewing room and what’s just adding to the clutter. When it comes to where to donate fabric and sewing supplies, consider local community centers, schools, or libraries that offer crafting clubs. You can also list sewing supplies for free on social media, or donate large fabric scraps to an animal shelter to be used as blankets.
Designate a Sewing Workspace
One of the first things to consider when organizing a sewing space is the best layout for the area you’re working with. If you have a spare room you can use as a sewing room, designate different zones for your sewing machine, fabric storage, ironing board, and cutting table to create an efficient workflow. If you don’t have space for a full sewing room, you might invest in a sewing table or sewing desk that’s attached to a sewing cabinet, allowing you to fold your machine into a hidden compartment when it’s not in use. A durable folding table or repurposed kitchen table also works—just make sure to use a cutting mat so you don’t scratch the surface! For larger projects, such as quilts, position your sewing desk away from the wall to more easily feed fabric through without bunching—or place your sewing table closer to the middle of the room so there’s space over the back.
Install Shelving for Sewing Supplies
If you don’t have much floor space available, incorporating shelving is one of the best ideas for sewing room storage! Floating shelves maximize vertical space and can be strategically spaced to fit supplies of all shapes and sizes—plus, you can use them to display your cutest sewing supplies so they double as decor! Need a more renter-friendly solution? Push a slim set of freestanding shelves up against a wall as an alternative for storing sewing supplies. Opt for taller freestanding shelves for floor-to-ceiling sewing storage—though keep in mind that heavier shelving systems may need to be anchored to the wall for safety.
Add a Pegboard
Another great vertical storage solution is to hang the sewing supplies you use most—like scissors, measuring tapes, needle threaders, seam rippers, and spools of thread—on a pegboard right above your sewing desk. A sewing pegboard can be incredibly versatile, as you can customize it by installing shelves, hooks, or even baskets to meet your specific needs! These pegboard ideas for your sewing room can streamline sewing supplies storage, making sure your most-used supplies are always within arm’s reach. Another benefit of the pegboard is that its components can be easily rearranged, allowing you to adjust it to suit your workflow.
Take Advantage of Closet Space
Have an unused closet in your space? Make it your sewing closet! Hang spools of ribbon on clothing rods by feeding them through the center of the spool, then simply roll and cut from it when needed. Maximize the space by adding an over-the-door organizer or a set of shelves and some clear bins. If there’s no built-in closet space in your sewing room, create a makeshift closet by adding an armoire or dresser that can be pushed against the wall or tucked into a corner. Utilize drawer organizers to keep sewing supplies and fabric reams in order, and add labels so you can locate your items easily.
Store Small Items with Care
Sewing supplies like sewing thread spools, bobbins, needles, zippers, pins, and buttons are small, easy to lose, and—for sharp pins and needles—potentially dangerous if left lying around. Organizing sewing thread and other small elements near your sewing machine, in your sewing table, or in your sewing closet in sorted and labeled containers keeps everything easily accessible. Buy some pin cushions—or make your own—to house stray pins, and keep needles secured in a sturdy case or needle storage tube. Glass jars are perfect for buttons and extra bobbins if you’d like to store them separately. But if you’d prefer to keep all your small sewing supplies together, use clear, labeled organizer bins in the drawers of your sewing desk, or keep them in a small cabinet or set of baskets atop your sewing table.
Figure Out Fabric Storage
Of all your sewing supplies, fabric has the potential to take up the most space, so having an organized fabric and fat quarter storage system is essential. Start by learning how to fold fabric for storage. Once neatly folded, choose how to store your fabric. Lay the fabric horizontally in drawers or bins, or stack your fat quarters on shelves so that you can easily see all the colors and designs. You can organize fabric further by color-coding or sorting different fabric types into separate bins and drawers. Another useful way to sort fabric is by using clearly labeled bins to house in-progress or prospective projects. Whether you choose to store your fabric in a closet, under your sewing table, or in dresser drawers, stay consistent with your system to help streamline your workflow.
Decide What to Do with Fabric Scraps
Fabric scraps can end up all over the place when you’re cutting, sewing, and serging, so you need a good system for catching them before they clutter your workspace. Reserve a small can or bin to catch leftover fabric scraps so you can easily sort them later based on what’s still usable and what can be thrown away or recycled. When it comes to scrap fabric storage, try using small containers like mason jars, zippered plastic bags, or clear baskets to sort them by color so they’re conveniently organized for your next project.
Consider Sewing Pattern Storage Ideas
A primary source of clutter, sewing patterns can easily rip if they’re not stored properly. If you can’t store them in their original packaging, one of the easiest ideas for sewing pattern organization is to store them as if they’re important documents—keep your patterns in plastic file organizers, binders with protective sheets, or clear plastic envelopes. This will help protect the patterns from moisture or tearing, and it makes it easy to see the contents at a glance. You can even slip notes in to keep track of your ideas for how to use each pattern! To keep sewing patterns from wrinkling, fold them carefully before sliding them into the folder or envelope. Then put your file organizers and binders upright in a drawer or bin for easy access.
Get Creative with Sewing Storage
If your sewing space or organizational options are limited, there are still a variety of ways you can maximize your space and creatively arrange your items. Use a portable cart to organize your sewing supplies or sewing machine if you need to move your items to and from a closet. Don’t hesitate to repurpose organizational supplies from other rooms in the home—such as using a spare lazy Susan to organize your tools or spice racks for spools of thread. Store sewing supplies, sewing patterns, or in-progress sewing projects in shallow bins under a couch or in an ottoman to keep them hidden away. A sewing table with storage built in can also help when trying to organize sewing supplies in a small space—or you can add visible storage nooks on top of the table instead. And if you’re up for a project to create more desk space, try creating a DIY pull-out desk top!
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Running out of room in your sewing space? Extra Space Storage has storage facilities across the U.S. to help you organize and declutter. Find a storage facility near you!
