Organize Your Sewing Room

Create a work space triangle with your cutting table, ironing board, and sewing station. It will minimize your walking distance, which improves efficiency, when you’re working on a project. Position your sewing table so it’s facing into the room. This lets larger projects hang over the front of the table while you're sewing or quilting and keeps you engaged with other people or projects in the room. Make the most of vertical space with a pegboard to keep notions close at hand and off your worktable. Customize it with shelves, baskets, and hooks, which can be adjusted as needs change. Create a cozy sitting area where you can relax and work on hand-sewing projects.

Customize cramped spaces like closets to fit your storage needs. We worked with the Design Center at The Container Store to make sure our closet accessories perfectly fit our space. A system of closet drawers can contain works in progress, fusibles, fabrics, and more. The see-through mesh makes it easy to find what you need. Store extra sewing machines, sergers, or die-cut machines on sturdy shelves. They'll be ready to pull out when needed, but not crowding your work space when unused. A shelf, a hanging utility board that has hooks, and office supplies let you store tools effectively. Use pants hangers to store large cutting mats, rulers, and fabric yardage. Don’t forget the often unused space on the back of a closet door. A wire rack can hold quilt tops waiting to be finished.

Kimberly Einmo's sewing room is packed with smart storage. Pullout drawers make every inch of space accessible. The drawers hold precuts and vertical thread racks sorted by color. Stackable, see-through caddies organize in-process projects, fabrics, and less-used tools. An oversize ironing board fits comfortably in a skinny broom cabinet.

This expansive 20x30-foot space lives on the main floor of Bonnie Olaveson's home. Light from windows on three sides makes it a cheerful place to work. Fabric and supplies hide behind uniform white cabinets for a clutter-free look. Taller cabinets hide an ironing board and pull-out drawers filled with fabric. A large island is the ideal place for sewing and cutting.

See more pictures from Bonnie's, and her daughter Camille's, sewing space here.

In Pam Buda's sewing room, up and away is part of the strategy. Shelves along the sewing room ceiling hold books, patterns, and magazines. Make use of a corner with shelves holding favorite fabrics and artwork. A work table and sewing machine table are pushed against the wall to maximize floor space, while drawers underneath allow tools and fabrics to stay hidden until needed.

See more of Pam Buda's sewing space here.

Paint one wall in your sewing room with chalkboard paint. You can write all the information about current projects on the wall (no more scraps of paper) and tape in-progress projects up for a design wall. Bonus: Use batting scraps as an eraser!

This room mixes items from the home improvement store with unique pieces. Modular stacking containers form a work surface with lots of places to tuck away extra machines, supplies, and yardage. Make use of vertical space by storing thread on a hanging rack, hanging in-process works on a design wall, and displaying favorite artwork for a personal touch.

This space does triple duty as a sewing room, home office, and an area to relax, knit, or do handwork. Plenty of table space allows room for sewing, serging, and cutting. A bookcase not only holds bins of fabric, but also books and yarn. Choosing white furniture and white walls allows you to continue adding pieces for a cohesive work and storage space.

Rethink vintage finds and castoffs to create original organizers capable of corralling all your crafty things. With paint and a few other modifications, an old dresser works wonders in a hobby space. Small drawers and boxes replace the top drawers to allow supplies to be easily taken elsewhere. A hinged frame holds painted pegboard and cork sheets for a place to hang supplies and pin inspiration.

A well-organized work space means less time spent searching and more time spent quilting. Whether you have a dedicated sewing room or are set up in the guest room closet or a corner of the family room, you'll find something to suit your style  and space. Adopt the ones you love!

See more pictures from this sewing space here.

A handy pullout shelf in the lower compartment of a cabinet make a sewing machine and supplies accessible, but out of sight. Stacked white bins and removeable hooks on the back of the cabinet door further maximuze the interior space.

For inconspicuous storage, hang a piece of pegboard on the inside of a closet door to organize your craft supplies. Add a bar to store ribbon and small baskets to hold rulers, scissors, and marking tools.

A work surface that has a large top allows plenty of space to cut, piece, and iron. Storage nooks on the front and back of the work surface can showcase pretty crafts supplies, books, and fabric. Corral loose supplies in jars and containers on the top of the table.

Multiple tables line the perimeter for lots of extra work space. One table gets skirted to hide more supply storage. Corkboard hangs on the wall above the work area for a place to tack magazine clippings, fabrics, and sketches. A cubby unit placed on a table gets fabric storage up to eye level. Plenty of task lighting hangs above all work areas.

Pretty fabric panels hide this space's hardest worker: a closet lined with assemble-yourself storage components. These stackable boxes and drawers organize everything from fabric to notions. Pegboard puts even the smallest wall space to work stowing tools and essentials so they are orderly yet within reach. Best of all, you can close the panels to conceal the creative clutter.

A standard desk fits a sewing machine and cutting space. Pegboard on the wall holds scissors, thread, and marking tools. Paint the pegboard the same color as your wall to keep the design clean and hide clutter. Closed desk drawers and nearby storage cubes hide messy fabric collections and unsightly sewing supplies.

Carve out a corner of a spare bedroom or office for your crafts supplies. A desk holds smaller sewing tools and fabric. A pegboard on the wall keeps frequently used supplies on hand. Use the top of the desk for a sewing machine, a cutting mat, or a place to store books, patterns, and marking tools.

Take advantage of the space you have! An extra tall bookshelf fits in the corner of the room to store fabric, supplies, and cute decor items. An L-shape desk provides more surface to fit a cutting space and sewing machine. Store in-progress projects and cutting and marking tools in pretty desk sets. A rolling cube can hide supplies and act as seating.

You don't need a ton of space to create a functional sewing area. A fold-up table can easily be put away if the need arises. Pegboard painted the same color as the wall blends seamlessly with your decor. Use it to hold cutting and measuring tools. Wall shelves can hold books, patterns, or even fabric bundles. Use smaller jars and baskets to hold supplies for your current project.

If you're struggling to find sewing space, consider making a room do double duty. This sewing space carves out room in a laundry room. A desk with pull-out drawers, shelving up the wall, and baskets to hide the clutter are just enough room to hold a sewing machine, fabrics, and necessary notions.

Personalize your sewing space. A flea market table, vintage sewing machine, and jars full of buttons and thread keep necessary items on hand. Add your own artwork or crafty store-bought items for a touch of color.

Eliminate clutter by stashing fabric and quilting supplies in an armoire. Hang fabric swatches and inspiration from the doors, and use upper shelving for organizing fat quarters and boxes containing quilting notions.

A rolling table with storage underneath can fit a sewing machine, a cutting surface, and baskets to store fabric and supplies. Roll it away from the wall when you need extra room. A nearby closet can stash an ironing board and unsightly supplies.

If you don't have room to spread out, think about spreading up. Stack storage compartments on your sewing table to keep supplies at hand. Open shelving hold fabric, while closed drawers stash rulers and scissors. Place clear jars filled with thread and buttons on top to create a bright and organized space.

Liven up the walls by stapling on layers of batting and fabric. This turns your walls into design walls for pinning up in-projects and ideas. Two sheets of 3⁄4"-thick particleboard set across adjustable sawhorses make an affordable cutting station.

You don't need a whole room to corral your sewing supplies--turn a small nook in your house into a sewing space. Fit a table against the wall, add shelving, and hang a curtain across the opening to hide the space when it's not in use.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on storage. Put baskets of fabric or a little storage container under a card table and cover it with a table skirt to hide any clutter. Cereal boxes hold books and magazines, while a cork board is great for pinning inspiration and patterns in sight. Nail colorful metal containers to the wall for places to stash fabrics, notions, and scraps.

Every inch of space is put to work in this armoire. Frequently used books are organized between bookends atop the armoire. Metal panels and magnetic clips on the left door hold a calendar and cards. Cork tiles hot-glued onto the right door are fitted with hooks to hold scissors and stencils, and fabric is stashed in closed drawers and extra shelving.

This sewing nook lives at one end of a family room. A large work surface and plenty of storage-savvy cabinets and containers are key to keeping a hardworking room clutter-free.

A rolling cart can provide a sturdy work space. Add a piece of durable plywood to restaurant-style metal shelving to make a portable cutting station.

A small kitchen island makes a useful craft cart. Store magazines and patterns in boxes, fabric in a wire basket, and hide small quilting notions behind a door. Post notes and inspiration on a bulletin board surface inside the door.

Transform a cabinet into a self-contained storage area. Store fabric, rickrack, and embellishments on one shelf and your sewing machine on another to keep supplies out of sight (but not out of mind!).

If you have a large space, use a corner desk and long tables that can serve as cutting and sewing space. Make sure to use the wall space to store magazines, patterns, and other supplies.

For easy access, stash fabric for current projects in tiered wire baskets on your cutting surface. Maximize wall space by hanging tools from a pegboard.

Create a sewing corner anywhere in your house with a work surface and storage. For a colorful inspiration board, glue a fabric remnant to a magnetic chalkboard. Slide a woven basket under a desk to hold fabric scraps, and place a small wire shelving unit in the corner to stash larger pieces.