If you live in the city, space is precious. It requires skill to utilize the limited space; if you have a hobby you need a little bit more skill to manage your space. I am a sewing enthusiast; when I start working at my sewing corner I face the same challenges that every other crafter may encounter – not enough space to store all my sewing tools and accessories and it is hard to find things when I need them. All these problems point to the same fundamental issue – poor organization. I have learned some small space organization methods and skills in my sewing journey and I would like to share them with you.
Sorting
All crafters start building their work corner in their own fashion. Over time, the working corner becomes messy and cluttered. Most people (including me) simply put everything in a box and close the cabinet door, pretending everything is in the right place and “looks neat” from the outside. The truth is, we are building our own mess. The first lesson we need to learn is to sort out the useless things and organize the things we should keep. You should let anything go which have not been touched more than a year. You will be surprised by the number of things that can be discarded if you stick to this rule.
Classification
Crafters have so many tools and accessories – needles, spools, floss, buttons, charms, etc. I used to put them in boxes – needles in one box, floss in one box, spools in one box, buttons in one box. Although the individual boxes look neat, you must open all these boxes in order to get what you are looking for.
Many times, I needed to ransack each box in order to find the specific color of accessory that I wanted. You can buy some transparent boxes for your tools and accessories. For something which may have different color assortment – floss, buttons, beads, you may classify them by color tone. This will make your life easier when you are looking for a matching color accessory for your project. You can simply look through these transparent boxes and locate the things you need.
Vertical Space
Cleaning things out is always the best way to start organizing and create more space. If you are still looking for more space after this, vertical space is your solution. Look around your working area. Are there empty walls? Have you ever thought of making use of these vertical spaces for extra storage? These empty walls can be used for cupboards, shelves or pegboards which will maximize storage space for your limited area.
Shelves and Pegboards
Shelves and pegboards are an easily installed way to organize and offer the most storage space. I love to use shelves and pegboards to store my tools and accessories. I have so many different boxes of tools and materials that I must store in a way that allows me to have an empty desk for my projects.
The shelves store all my extra material, such as fabrics, plush filling, books, spools, etc. Then I use the pegboard for all the tools and accessories that I frequently use – needles, embroidery floss, embroidery brackets, scissors, buttons, etc. Setting up my own pegboard system is one of my most important and efficient tips for small space storage. It is so convenient for me to work in a small space but still able to have access to all my things at my fingertips.
Pegboard Jars
I use a lot of small accessories or tools for my projects – needles, pins, chalk, buttons, etc. In the past, I put them in different small boxes and stored them in a drawer. Over time, the drawer was stuffed with other unnecessary things and became quite messy. I had to dig out the things I needed every time I worked.
After I set up my pegboard system, I used clear pegboard jars for all my craft accessories. I put my needles, pins, bobbins, thread cutter, buttons, in different jars. They are organized by individual jar and lined up on my pegboard. I can reach any jar I need easily. These jars are especially useful because you can see what is inside the jars without searching through your drawers or boxes anymore.
Clean up
I use a lot of tools and material for each of my projects. Most of the projects I work on cannot be finished in a day. I used to leave my unfinished work and messy desk behind and continue the next day. I built more and more mess every day and eventually lost my work area. No matter how late it is, be responsible and clean up your craft corner. Keeping your space tidy, organized, and clean is important. It will not only look great from the outside, it will also save you time from searching and make you work efficiently.
It is never too late to start cleaning up and organizing your working area. Small space, unlimited creativity. Consider my suggestions and use your small space efficiently and effectively.
