Sew: Key to a Good Sewing Experience

The key to a good sewing experience is Organization! nnWhen you sit down to sew you don't want to have to spend time searching for the stuff you need to complete a project. It can also be frustrating to have some spare time and be out of what you need.nnThere are some great ways to organize your space. I will share with you what we have done.nnWe are plastic container crazy!! We use all sizes from small to extra large. I have also chosen clear boxes so that we can easily see the contents. If you prefer to have the contents concealed, use labels on your boxes. n nLet's start with the first box most people buy:nSEWING BOXESnnOkay, I know those sewing boxes are cute BUT do not waste your money! Of course, when we first started I got both the girls their own sewing box only to see 3 months into sewing that there was never enough room for all of their stuff. We converted to $3-$5 plastic tubs that have worked beautifully. With paint pens you can decorate and personalize the box. nnThe girls' sewing boxes are a medium size container, which allows them to hold the project that they are working on, all the tools they need, and extra fabric that they have bought in advance from a sale.nnUse the money you save, from not buying the cute little sewing box, for the sewing tools and notions, which are much more important.nnWe use all sizes of individual boxes to help separate and organize our notions.n nSMALL BOXESnWe have three for:n1. Trims: lace, ribbon, rickrack, fringe...n2. Zippers, bias tape, elastic, and velcro.n3. InterfacingnnMEDIUM BOXESnWe have two for:nProjects waiting to be sewn. I have the fabric, and a zip lock bag with all the notions that are specifically for each project.nnLARGE BOXESnWe have three for:n1. Scrap fabricn2. Two for old jeans and garage sale clothesnnIn addition to our plastic boxes, we have other great containers to organize the little stuff:nnWe use a tool box that we got at Home Depot to help separate our button, hooks & eye, empty bobbins, machine needles, hand needles.nnIn our sewing drawer, we use regular drawer organizers to help separate additional things.nnCLIPBOARDSnOnce you have everything in its correct place, a very helpful addition to your sewing space is a clip board with a blank piece of paper. I use a clipboard because I can hang it on the wall, and that way I always know where it is. I use this clipboard to list the things I need the minute I run out of them. I actually have one of these in my kitchen too. nI also figure out, in advance, what projects we are going to be working on and make my list of supplies. If the projects come from my Idea Notebook, I include the picture of the project on my clip board. This way when I am running to town, I don't have to sit and think about what I need, I just grab my clipboard and go. nnAlthough there is an added expense initially, over time all of these things have saved me a lot of time and money - not to mention frustration!!!!nnAnother great benefit, is that you will be modeling for your children a wonderful character trait to pass on - organization.nnSo let's get organized!!