I really like to keep my sewing studio tidy. Whenever I am finished working, though, I always put my tools away. This is the drawer in my bureau where I keep the essentials. You can see my scissors and rotary cutters, pins, binding makers, seam ripper and a few other things.
I keep my pins in this big tin. I use the finest pins I can get, and I use steel pins. This way if I drop them, I can pick them up with a big magnet. The two dark areas on the cover of the tin are magnetic strips, useful for stray pins and this little pair of scissors I use to trim threads.
My cutting mat is clear, and is 24" x 36" which makes cutting crosswise strips a snap. Many years ago I bought these plexiglass strips in varying widths, from 5/8" up to 4" and 24" long. I love them. I haven't seen them available anywhere. I guess folks just measure every time, which would make me crazy. I love grabbing one of these plexi strips and just ...
ZIP. These hang on the wall near my cutting table.
I have a good selection of right triangles, too. The two large ones are 16" and 12" and are very useful for squaring things up. The small orange one is 4" and I use it most often for bindings. I also love my 6" wide x 24" long rule.
I have a small assortment of specialized rules, but the one I like the best is the Easy Rule Jr. It's 3-1/2" x 9" and it's very handy because of its small size. These hang on the side of my ironing table.
On a bookcase behind the ironing table I keep my spray bottle, a box for loose thread bits, some pencils, the pencil sharpener, a lint remover (or cat hair remover), the telephone, iron, and a measuring cup of water. I refresh the water in the measuring cup every day because my cat likes to drink from it. The yellow banana shaped bowl is a holding spot for my scissors when I need to get them out of the way when I am ironing.
No matter how busy I am, when I am finished sewing, all these tools get put back where they belong. It may sound obsessive, but actually, it just makes everything much easier to find.
I keep my pins in this big tin. I use the finest pins I can get, and I use steel pins. This way if I drop them, I can pick them up with a big magnet. The two dark areas on the cover of the tin are magnetic strips, useful for stray pins and this little pair of scissors I use to trim threads.
My cutting mat is clear, and is 24" x 36" which makes cutting crosswise strips a snap. Many years ago I bought these plexiglass strips in varying widths, from 5/8" up to 4" and 24" long. I love them. I haven't seen them available anywhere. I guess folks just measure every time, which would make me crazy. I love grabbing one of these plexi strips and just ... ZIP. These hang on the wall near my cutting table.
I have a good selection of right triangles, too. The two large ones are 16" and 12" and are very useful for squaring things up. The small orange one is 4" and I use it most often for bindings. I also love my 6" wide x 24" long rule.
I have a small assortment of specialized rules, but the one I like the best is the Easy Rule Jr. It's 3-1/2" x 9" and it's very handy because of its small size. These hang on the side of my ironing table.
On a bookcase behind the ironing table I keep my spray bottle, a box for loose thread bits, some pencils, the pencil sharpener, a lint remover (or cat hair remover), the telephone, iron, and a measuring cup of water. I refresh the water in the measuring cup every day because my cat likes to drink from it. The yellow banana shaped bowl is a holding spot for my scissors when I need to get them out of the way when I am ironing.
No matter how busy I am, when I am finished sewing, all these tools get put back where they belong. It may sound obsessive, but actually, it just makes everything much easier to find.
5 comments:
I set my studio up that way, too, but I don't seem to be able to put things away all the time. Want to come over and teach me? I need help!!
I am working on putting things away every time -- it really does help! I do it in the kitchen, so why not the sewing room? I also buy the finest pins I can (at quilt shows, my LQS doesn't carry them that fine) and it makes a huge difference.
I too try to put everything away after I've finished, but with a very small working area it's proving difficult to find somewhere to put everything as I gradually build up my quilting tools.
I loved seeing all of your tools...and yes...isn't it nice to walk in there in the morning and everything is in order!!
Thank you so much for the inspiration. DH said he might be able to get me some of those plexiglass strips :) And it inspired me to set up my sewing area(s) in a different way.
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