Sew Organized!
Designing Sewing and Craft Areas
by Cynthia Townley Ewer, Editor
OrganizedHome.Com
Do you sew, quilt, stamp or craft? You know the problem! Seldom do so many create so much in
such little space--and the stuff! Without proper design and
organization, sewing and crafts areas quickly become clogged and unusable.
Save time, energy and frustration by designing an efficient sewing or
crafts area for your special hobby. Whether it's a corner, a closet,
or the luxury of a whole room, use these concepts to organize your favorite
sewing spot:
Cut it out!
Save wear-and-tear on floors, furniture and your spouse: design
your sewing or crafts area on paper, first.
Measure the available area's floor space, and chart it on gridded graph
paper. Next, measure each piece of furniture or equipment.
Whether a 60-by-24 inch sewing table, a 20-by-52 inch ironing board, or a
24-by-24 inch dress form, draw each item's footprint on another sheet of
graph paper. Label each piece and cut it out.
To design on paper, juggle furniture on the chart of the room's floor
space. Use the model to try out different layouts before you move one
tiny yardstick. Can you place a table in the center of the room to serve as
an island? What about using the ironing board to create an L-shaped
work area? Be creative!
Mind your "T"s and "U"s
For efficient workspace design, remember the alphabet! Workspaces
arranged in an L-, T-, or U-space function better than a single,
straight-line surface. Cutting islands, ironing boards, or L-shaped
desks all help create easy-to-use workspaces.
 This
T-shaped double workspace provides easy access to pressing tools from either
sewing machine or serger workstation.
The ironing board is set level
with the desktops, to allow construction pressing from a sitting position.
Chairs with casters roll smoothly on plastic floor mats designed for office
use. Put an end to the old up-and-down, up-and-down of construction
pressing!
Find your center
Arrange sewing or crafting space with an eye to function by planning
space as activity centers. To determine your centers,
list each activity necessary to sew, quilt or craft. Someone who sews
clothing might have the following list :
machine sewing
cutting
pressing
fitting
hand finishing
Each
center requires a different constellation of tools, materials and
supplies.
A machine sewing center, for example, needs a work surface,
chair, sewing machine, thread, bobbins and feet, lighting, and visual access
to pattern directions.
A cutting center includes cutting table, lighting, scissors and rotary
cutters, rulers, and rotary cutting mat. Don't forget supplies for
pattern alterations!
Pressing centers require iron and ironing surface as well as pressing
tools, spray bottles and spray starch.
 Fitting
centers feature mirror, dress form, hem marker, pins and measuring tools.
Hand finishing is more pleasant with a comfortable, low-armed chair, lighting, needles,
pins and thread, and measuring tools. An adjacent television, VCR or
radio can speed hemming and mending chores.
Use activity centers to cluster materials and supplies as you design your
sewing or crafts area. Even if centers overlap, staying
"centered" creates a sewing or crafts room that's easy to use and
maintain.
Keep storage to hand
The "center" concept applies to storage as well as
workspace. Sewing machines and sergers call for manuals, thread,
bobbins and specialty feet within reaching distance. Keep pattern
alteration tools like freezer paper, tape, and marking pens near the the
cutting table. Hand sewing centers work best when supplied with a
basket holding scissors, pincushion, needles and gauge tools.
Once you've sorted out your tools and supplies? Find our best ideas for efficient sewing and crafts storage in Sew
Organized! Sewing and Crafts Storage Tips.
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