Take a peek...

 Okay, I realize most people aren't as curious nozy as I am, but I love looking into other quilters' sewing spaces. I think it's fun to see how some people organize their supplies and set up their work spaces. I have a laptop that sits on my sewing table until I start quilting something big, then I move it away. But it's nice to sit and write while I'm surrounded by my favorite things. Here are a few of the things I do in my quilt room:

The top two shelves of my bookcase are shown above. I have some fabric bundles and jars with buttons and trims, as well as a stack of my favorite magazines (and the ones my work has appeared!) There are also some children's quilt books and a basket of misc. trim, ribbons and embellishments. The binders hold patterns that I've torn out of magazines to save for future use.

These two shelves hold most of my books. I will admit that there are several stacks in various places (like my bedside table) that I'm currently reading, but for the most part this is it. Also, the basket of pearl cotton thread and a jar of batik scraps. I do organize my books by author's last name only because I usually know which book I'm looking for and generally I know the name of the author.

I have a work table in the middle of my room (that was in the photo from last week) and it is filled with these bins from the Container Store. This side of the work table holds all of my smaller fabric cuts. Anything less than 1/2 yard in in a bin sorted by color. The top bin has all whites, creams and light backgrounds, the one below it has all yellow and browns, below that is the pinks and reds and the bottom has orange and blacks. The right side has misc. scraps from current projects in the top bin, the next bin has 30's, dots and brights. The bin below that has greens and the bottom bin has purples and blues. 

The opposite side of the work table has kits and pre-cute in the top two left bins and backings and borders (large cuts) on the right. The bottom bins hold leftover batting pieces and quilt tops waiting to be quilted.

This little bin holds my favorite magazines and is getting very full so I'm going to have to re-think this one. I'll probably put these on a shelf and just toss my newest magazines into this bin until they are ready to toss or store.

This is the large laundry basket on a stand that I ordered online. I use it for tossing my selvages into. There may be a few stray bundles or scraps, it needs a regular sorting. You know how that goes.

This is a pile of strips waiting to be sewn on my cutting table. They've been there for a few months because I keep changing my mind about what I want to do with them.  Chances are, they will be there for a few more months too. I'm a realist.

This basket sits on my sewing table and has the most reached for items that I use. Scissors, snips, pencils, pens, tweezers, and a seam ripper. Tissues and lotion are always nearby too.

This is the top drawer of my sewing table. It holds threads, bobbins, pins, extra feet for the machine and various tidbits. This is the drawer I open most, so it's the easiest to reach.

The second drawer has some other necessities like machine manual, ruler direction cards, extra parts for my machine, and pipe cleaners for frequent cleaning. Also, notice the chocolate, a necessity of course!

As I'm sitting at my machine, this little bookshelf is to my left. It has a pincushion and extra bobbins on top along with all of my rulers. The bins contain smaller scraps and strips sorted by type: wool, plaid, brights, batiks, strips only, and novelties. The basket holds all of the ironing supplies and extra note pads. The five drawer set holds pencils and marking tools, needles and notions, extra post its, etc. These I my supplies that I use to replenish what's in my sewing drawers or are not used quite as often but still need to be handy. I can easily pull a bin out and bring it to the ironing board when I need a few extras of something. Sometimes, when these bins start to get really full, I'll sort through them and use them to start a new project.

I do have one more basket of magazines and I have lots of thread in the printers trays on the wall, but the only thing I have in the closet is a large roll of batting. I have a couple bins of finished quilts that are waiting for shipping or publication, but that's it. I don't have a wall of fabric or a walk in closet of bundles. I think that might feel overwhelming, (but I would be willing to find out if someone wants to donate! LOL)

I do have a small shelf unit that houses all of my patterns, pattern supplies, and files for my business. I like to keep that very organized and in one place. It makes it feel more manageable to have all the important stuff in one binder that I can find quickly. Once the year is over, I do all the paperwork, file it, and start the binder fresh for the next year of contracts, calendar and events.

If you're still reading you deserve a prize! That was a lot of information about one little sewing room. I hope it gives you some ideas about how you might better use your space or organize your sewing things.