Sewing Room Organization – Drawer Research

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

22 Responses

  1. brownj6610 says:

    Do you have a Container Store near you?

  2. BijouxBaby says:

    Have you looked at the Target organizing cubes? They have an interior space of about 13 inches cubed. You can get horizontal dividers to fit up to 4 shallow bins or one big cube or 2 medium bins. the big cubes are great for fabric storage and the medium bins are perfect for fat quarters or thread. I like them because you can change the configuration completely on a whim. They are relatively inexpensive and you can always find more. I started with some for my son's legos, the shallow bins means no dumping on the floor to find the right part, but discovered they are fabulous for organizing quilting supplies.

  3. Alberta says:

    I have IKEA's Alex and absolutely love it. The drawers are so smooth. I made a large ironing board to fit the top for those larger pieces.

  4. Jo says:

    Great post, Leah..i tend to buy storage for what i need now, with no thought to the future…not good. I bet i have 50 shoebox size bins that i have outgrown. You got me thinking! Btw, the Between Michaels and AC Moore at the Chapel Hill store, i found 15 cubes. With coupons the price was manageable. Thanks!.

  5. Leah, I live about 20 mins from Ikea. This is a blessing & a curse as I also suffer from "container-itis". LOL I love to play with containers of all sorts but have learned to evaluate my space and THEN purchase the needed container, instead of the other way around. My space is a perpetual WIP but that's ok for me too. Love your tips!

  6. Kira says:

    What Ikea trofast? It's a combo of both of your other options. And less expensive than both.
    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/19027/

    Also check google idea hackers if your or hubby are handy with tools for thinking outside the box.

  7. Paula Y. says:

    Have you considered mixing pieces – some of one kind, some of another to really customize?

  8. Thanks Leah for sharing your process for organizing. Making a room functional all the while keeping it pleasing to the eye can be a challenge. While I have been planning my studio storage wall for some time in my mind, I am keeping your posts as reference for when I get to put it on paper in the Spring. I was planning a wall of cubbies floor to ceiling for my studio, with baskets to slide in and out instead of drawers. The hardest part is planning the size/height for each units cubbies. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
    Godspeed,
    mary

  9. Leah, I enjoy your thought process on such such practical issues that any quilter encounters, and your concern for the budget is always valued. Every person has a different way of decision making, and your detailed explanation adds a new perspective to an individual's own arsenal of decision making abilities. Thank you for taking time to share the way you do, it is quite helpful. I am currently on an my own organizational mission and will be posting on my blog in a couple of days the messy details if you care to jump over and check it out!

  10. Nancy says:

    Interesting post. Storage is always an issue! One of my favorite tools is a label maker so I know what's in those cubes.

  11. Frog Quilter says:

    I definitely recommend the Container Store. It's where I have been buying my storage stuff.

  12. catspec says:

    One word: ArtBin, oh and another word – CUBES!! I have two ArtBin cubes and wish I had two more – each hold several ArtBin storage boxes, and they are so wonderful – I am a Super Satchel addict. They never have a smell, nor do they exude any gases like some plastic containers I have purchased. LOVE ARTBIN!!

  13. Barbara says:

    You can significantly reduce the cost of the ArtBin setup by waiting for a sale on plastic containers at Joann's. They typically do 40-50% off.

  14. Rebecca says:

    my Michales will order stuff in for me so that I am not running all over the state to find what I need….I am sure yours would also…Also JoAnns and michales carry a lot of the same storage or art merchandise and there are always coupons…

  15. a1angiem says:

    I can't believe you haven't posted that your craftsy class is live!!! Leah, it is soooo good! Everyone is going to go crazy for it – like your YT vids on steroids! So…much…Leah! I feel so proud and honored to have 'known' you before, congratulations girl! it's a FANTASTIC course!!!!!!! (P.S. You look REALLY beautiful in your lessons too!!!)

  16. B says:

    I only found Craftsy because of your blog and now you are on it – yipee.

    Also not sure if you have Muji in the US, but love their container storage.

  17. Jessim says:

    So much to think about and so much money- no wonder my sewing room is such a slapdash mixture of sewing solutions!

    Great article

  18. Anonymous says:

    Leah, not on topic – but I'm an avid student at craftsy.com and am so proud of you that you have gained a teaching gig.

    You; your partner and family must be so pleased and also proud of you after all your hard work and your success with your blog.

    Congratulations!
    Mal from Cessnock NSW AU

  19. pcquilter says:

    Have you checked out the Trofast unit at IKEA. We don't live near an IKEA and the most useful one is the tall one. I love the tubs that fit as you can mix sizes. I use the tubs for WIPs, magazines, fabric… And one day I'm going to drive 6 hrs to IKEA in a pickup and bring some back!

  20. AmyDe says:

    I just bought myself some longed after elfa bins/carts from the container store. I LOVE them. I got four four-runner systems and stacked them to make two 8-runner units. These are now 36" high and serve both as storage and my cutting surface. I am still packing them up and deciding what goes where.

    What i like most is these carts can go anywhere in the house if i ever outgrow them in the craft room.

    AND I got them 30% off as out Container store is having a moving sale.

  21. Elli says:

    I use the 3 drawer bins which are available from Sterolite (sic?) at Walmart, they hold fabric, thread, patterns, and suppplies well. I've also discovered that I can take them apart and reconfigure them (as long as you keep the top and bottom pieces). I also love the artbin cubes.

  22. Leah – I have a wonderful solution for my sewing room! I bought sturdy wire shelves from Lowe's. They are 18" deep, 34" tall, and 48" wide. You can stack them and double the height, arrange the shelves to suit the labeled clear boxes you put in them, and they come in white, nickel, or black. They cost about $75 per unit. I have them all around the perimeter of my sewing room. The beauty of these is that when I moved to a different sewing room, I was able to change the configuration of the shelves to meet my needs. Plus! I cut thin plywood to fit the tops of the shelves – WORKSPACE all around! AWESOME!!! Couldn't be happier with the arrangement! And very reasonable!

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