Friday, January 15, 2010

~Reorganizing Project~ Inside and Outside of the Sewing Cave

Sew I've been talking about my fabric and supplies reorganization project since the beginning of December when I got my new storage cabinets for my birthday. We got them half price at Lowes at Thanksgiving time. We've got a ranch style house with a full basement. In the basement is a separate room ("cave") that's used for my sewing and teaching quilting. It's a wonderful room with great lighting and lots of room to spread out. See before pics of the cave below (when I was crazy with sewing gifts for Christmas) and the after pics when Christmas was over and I was able to get it back in order. You can click on the picture for more of a close-up.

What a mess!



Now doesn't this look better?




Here are some of the lovely things that surround me when I sew...You will see that many of my lovelies were given or made for me by my wonderful friend Pat. We have many things in common...one of the major ones is our love of sewing and quilting.











The outside (one whole side) of the basement is devoted to SewHappyDesigns. The classroom/sewing room is a room by itself. Outside of that room the whole side of the basement is dedicated to my fabric/supplies storage and cutting area, and other tables for creating.

The cupboards sat around until after Christmas because there was just too much to do with the making of many of my Christmas gifts this year. We had a week off after Christmas so McStevie put the cupboards together (exclaiming, "wow, these really fit together well"....thank you Lowe's and Black and Decker) and my part of the organizing project began. Fabrics were brought out from several large clear plastic boxes and sorted, some by color, some by theme. One large container now has several pieces to donate to a worthy cause. There were stray patterns, tons of applique patterns I often use, books and more that had to be sorted so that I could find them more easily. Most of them now have a home in the old file cabinets that were partially empty at the end of the room. Clippings and appliques and misc. all have a home listed alphabetically, much easier to find. (Now I just have to keep it that way!) I still have a few things in files in another room upstairs that needs to be incorporated, but saving that for another day.

These are the BEFORE pics of this area....one cupboard is together, just hangin out in the mess.














And here is the AFTER. This picture is taken from the bottom of the stairs...at the door of my "sewing cave".




















So, with more moving help from McStevie, (my hero)...viola....the rest of the outside of the cave looks great...awesome even.

Keep in mind this is an unfinished basement, so it isn't super pretty cosmetically.

8 comments:

Amy said...

Holy Awesome Fabric Batman!!

Ok...that's it. I knew I wanted to move in before, but now?? MOM IM COMING HOME!!! :)

I LOVE IT! You and McStevie did great!!!
~~amy

Tami Abiuso said...

Great job and you get an A for Feng Shui for the New Year! Fabulous, fabulous organization.

Anonymous said...

For goodness sakes look at that room, now that's a sew cave.

I'm moving in with you then we could really fill up your cave.

We would never leave...lol

~~Sew Happy Designs~~ said...

You all need to come and sew with me!

storybeader said...

you have a great space there, and the cabinets are perfect! Everything looks sew professional... like the display for the students - great idea. {:-D

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

Mess, or no mess - great cave! :D And ya know ... and I feel so deeply about this ... the best part of tidying up a workspace (or playspace, as I prefer to call it) is messing it up all over again! Even Nature does this. For me it's a reminder that it's about the journey ... not the destination.

Merry creating!

Unknown said...

Cindy - You are always so sweet to comment on my blog!! You have inspired me to work on getting my craft room cleaned up for the millionth time!!!

~gloria

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Wow - I love your studio - great organizing!!!