Spring Spruce Up: Progress Report

Well, I really wanted to draw a "winner" from the people who posted their links or commented on last Saturday's blog, but since it was just a small group, I've decided that you are ALL winners! So, I'm going to send you a very special Pin Cushion custom made by ME! How about that? Please e-mail me your mailing address at anna@craftygirlsworkshop.com if you have decided to join in the Spring Studio Spruce Up.

IF you are just joining us today, no problem! I'm going to do a BIG drawing at the end of the spruce up and I'm going to give you an extra entry for each comment on blog posts between last Saturday and May 1 (the end of the Spruce Up). SO there is still time to join in!

MY Progress Report:

I've drunk the fabric folding kool-aid (you know that already if you've watched my view-torial) and I LOVE it! I DON'T love having to re-press all my fabric again, but it's worth it to be able to get much more fabric on a shelf! That means, MORE room for MORE fabric!! Have you drunk the fabric folding kool-aid and tried it out? If so, please tell me and if you'd like to send me a picture, I'll post it on THIS blog. Before and afters are great, but just afters are great too.

I also tried to ribbon storage idea of wrapping ribbons on wooden clothes pins and storing them in jars. I LOVE it! Yes, I had to hunt around town for those wooden clothes pins (NOT the kind with the wire thingy) and then I had to actually wrap the ribbon the pins, but it was fun and since I don't have an overwhelming amount of ribbon, I think it looks pretty cool.

Other than that, not much else has happened on the storage spruce up front. I went to a wholecloth quilting class on Thursday and these are the fabrics I brought for my quilt. They are from Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson (and yes, we have them in the shop!) The big flower is one side (1 1/2 yd) the pink flowerish pattern is the other side (1 1/2 yd) since it's a wholecloth quilt there isn't ANY piecing involved! All we did was bring it to the class already sandwiched with the batting (I used fusible, which I LOVE) and then she showed us how to do this really cool technique to quilt it which ends up looking like PLAID!! I'll have to show you when I get it done. I have to bring it already quilted to class next Thursday so we can put the binding on, which I'm going to use the orangy-pink fabric and we'll add a piping, I'm using the stripe. FUN, FUN! Oh, and I get to use ALL the threads I have in the picture, that's the fun part!

Now it's time to LINK UP your Spring SPRUCE UP! If you've taken any pictures and posted them, please link up below. If you don't want to post pictures, just add a comment to tell me you're participating. (Does anyone think I use capital letters too much? I can't help it I'm EXCITED!)

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Spring (Studio) Spruce Up (part two): Sort and Organize

Why is it that the entire feel of a room can change if you change the name? If I call a room my sewing space or sewing room, it feels normal and sort of plain, but if I call it my Sewing Studio that completely changes the feel for the room! Just a random thought to start off my post about organizing.

You know, in honor of Earth Day this Thursday (April 22nd) I think it makes sense to be sprucing up our studios or some part of our homes. It's a perfect time to air out your linens that have been stored away in favor of heavier blankets, and to rexamine the items in your home/sewing space. I figured out how to do a mosaic! Here's a great website for that.

1. Fabric storage, 2. my sewing table feb 09, 3. Craft Space (new home!), 4. magnetic board on inner cupboard door, 5. my desk, 6. Ribbon storage, 7. buttons 002, 8. A corner in my studio, 9. craft room glitter shelf

These were just gathered from the first 10 pages of the over 9000 images in the Craft Rooms group!

I found some totally cute storage cubes (collapsible) at DOLLAR TREE!

All of these for just $5 total! And they match my room colors, isn't that too cute?! The rectangle ones have dividers on the inside I think those will be perfect for organizing small notions and the others will be great for FQs and precuts.

Here are some other great ideas for storage:

Ribbon Storage in jars (with great tutorial)

Fabric Folding tutorial (Happy Zombie)

Video Rack turned Ribbon Holder (French Picnic)

Tipnut Buncha Links Organize Sewing Rooms and Crafts Supplies (They did all the work for me!)

General Decluttering Tips (Tipnut again)

Organize a Craft Space (Home Made Simple)

Wow, these pictures are so inspiring! I'm very determined to get my sewing room organized from top to bottom this week so I have some great pictures to post on Saturday!

Question(s) of the day: How to do you store your fabric/papers/thread/buttons?

Do you organize by color? By size (yardage)? By collection? Theme such as holiday? Come on! Spill the beans!!

Happy SpRiNg SpRuCe Up!!

Anna