Real-Life Organization

"A piece of 1/2" plywood, cut slightly larger than a roll-around cabinet, is covered with multiple layers of cotton batting and topped with off-white cotton canvas to make a movable pressing surface. (Canvas is stapled into underside of plywood.) Drawers below pressing surface hold all pressing aids; lowest drawers contain fusible web and interfacing and applique pressing sheets."

--Jill Abeloe Mead, editor

"I use a portable tool caddy to transport all my supplies to and from retreat. I have purchased tools and gadgets that always remain in the caddy. The wheels make moving it in and out a breeze. I leave everything in the tool caddy, so when it's time to go to the next retreat I don't have hunt and gather tools to take along. They are already in the caddy ready to go."

--Jody Sanders, editor

"A handmade soup bowl holder is the perfect size for holding thread and embroidery floss. When I'm doing handwork, I stick my needle through the side of the holder to keep it in reach."

--Lindsay Mayland, assistant multimedia editor

"This is a vintage 1972 kitchen utensils holder from Denmark. Originally I used it for paint brushes. I loved the funky old plastic. Now it holds sewing tools I use all the time."

--Nancy Wiles, design director

"A standard-size ironing board hangs from over-door hooks in the closet, along with the quilts hanging in place waiting to be quilted."

--Linda Augsburg, editorial content chief

"3M command hooks hold acrylic rulers and templates on the side of a storage cabinet. The hooks can be easily repositioned, as needed, to accommodate a growing collection of rulers."

--Jill Abeloe Mead, editor

"Kitchen storage solutions - a rail, hooks, and flatware caddies - keep rotary cutters and other tools easily accessible."

--Linda Augsburg, editorial content chief

"I work on lots of projects at once, so I store all of the pieces for each work-in-progress in large plastic bags and put those bags in large plastic boxes. Since I've gotten better at labeling each bin with what projects, blocks, and kits it contains, I've been a lot more inspired to work on forgotten projects, because I can see at a glance what is in each bin."

--Elizabeth Tisinger Beese, senior editor

"Roll-around commercial baker's rack (aka bun rack) holds projects under construction. Limit it to one project per tray. Each tray (a full-size commercial cookie pan/tray) contains everything needed to complete a single project. This rack holds 20 trays. That's a lot of UFOs."

--Jill Abeloe Mead, editor

Find a similar baker's rack here.

"I like to shop vintage shops and found this wire tri-level paper tray. It can hold several fat quarters, notions, and books or patterns. It keeps the clutter off my sewing table."

--Jody Sanders, editor

"The cubbies in an Ikea storage unit help contain and organize sewing and knitting supplies. Pantry and canning jars hold collectible wooden spools, embroidery floss, tape measures, and specialty threads. Colorful photo storage boxes contain buttons and beads. Yarns and fat quarter bundles sit, color sorted, on open shelves. Baskets hold glues and adhesives and many UFOs (unfinished objects)."

--Jill Abeloe Mead, editor

"After I choose the fabric pieces I'm using for specific blocks, I stack them all together and store them in tightly wrapped plastic bags, so the pieces don't move around and get mixed up. Plus, this way they stay flat and don't get wrinkled. I can just pull out the stack of pre-sorted pieces when I'm ready to chain-piece."

--Elizabeth Tisinger Beese, senior editor

"A narrow bookcase fits at the end of a tall storage unit to hold quilting books and clipping files. Atop the shelved unit sits a compartmented lazy-susan style with drawers for pins, paperclips, and small findings and divided niches for tools, pens, pencils, and brushes. At right, on the top of case, is an oversized pincushion made by my Dad."

--Jill Abeloe Mead, editor

"A table with two fold-down sides can easily be rolled against the wall when not in use, maximizing the floor space in your room. The oversized covered pressing board lets it be placed where needed when pressing larger items, such as quilt tops, while the addition of fold-down table legs means it's easy to tuck away when floor space is needed."

--Linda Augsburg, editorial content chief

"Buttons are so fun and colorful, I store them in decorative jars."

--Nancy Wiles, design director

"Add a punch of color or organize smaller pieces of fabric in bucket-shaped flatware caddies."

--Linda Augsburg, editorial content chief