Snuggles Quilts

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Recycling for the Sewing Room

Have you ever heard the phrase “make do or do without'”? That’s ingrained in my personality! I really, really hate to throw something away when I think I can find another use for it. Now, I’m not a “pack rat” because that would drive the super organized part of me crazy… but, if I think I can use something in my sewing room, it ends up there whether it’s from a garage sale, a big box store or from somewhere in my house. I’m going to share a few ideas I have come used in my sewing room in this week’s and next week’s posts. Hopefully, these posts will give you some interesting ideas for things you can give a “new life” to. Here we go!

Unique Sewing Room Storage – Fabrics, Wool, etc.

As many of you know, I like unusual things to create storage in my sewing room. Some of them are antiques, and some are just “cast offs” found at garage sales. Here are some old library card catalog files (remember those days?) that I found at a junking sale. I though they would perfectly fit my rolled fat 1/8s and I was right! 

I lined the drawers with acid free paper to keep the fabric protected. You can also seal the wood with a sealant from the hardware store, if you prefer. Now I can easily find the fabric I am looking for in my fat 1/8s!

I found this old tool box that I thought was so cool looking that serves the same purpose as the card catalog above. I couldn’t pass up this gem at the junk sale!

Another great storage find is this old file cabinet that I got from a school sale. I use it for my shipping station. It stores all my shipping supplies from envelopes to packing tape and my postage scales rest on top.

Of course this would also come in handy as a file for your patterns and ideas, threads and other extra sewing tools like small rulers, templates, etc. You can even paint it a prettier color to match your decor if you like (I’m lazy!).

So… I have a lot of wool and was looking for a good way to store the scraps (as any wool worker knows… we keep the smallest scraps!). I have large pieces folded in storage tubs, but wasn’t sure what to do with the small scraps. Here’s my solution:

These smaller tubs I found at the big box store are perfect for my small wool scraps and fit into this shelving unit perfectly (another junking find!). I actually measured the shelves before I bought the tubs to make sure they would fit. They’re clearly labeled with the scrap colors so I can quickly pick the tub I need for my project.

Unique Ideas for Tool Storage

Now for the sewing tools like rulers, scissors, etc. Once again, I like to turn to antiques, garage sale finds or something from the big box store. My first challenge when I set up my sewing room was how and where to store my rulers. I like to hang them because I do not have a lot of counter space. So, my solution was this peg board I found at the hardware store.

If you do not have a place to hang a pegboard on the wall, you can use a hanger made for belts and jump rings that are found at the craft store to improvise:

To keep my scissors and rotary cutter handy, I use this old mug holder I no longer needed for coffee cups.

For additional supplies I need while designing and cutting, I employed this old sewing machine drawer as a catch all for things I can’t hang. I love collecting these cast off drawers. Anytime I see one at a sale, it’s mine!

Finally, here’s a few ideas for storage near the sewing machine. To store pins, I re-purposed a magnet like the type you get at a souvenir store.

I think used some packing tape to tape the magnet to the table by my sewing machine. It’s an easy catch-all for the pins as I pull them from the piece I am stitching. And since I just used some packing tape, it’s easily removed if I want to move it.

To store my scissors and other small tools I use often while stitching at the machine, I have re-purposed a shower soap dish. I attached it to the edge of my sewing table with a Command strip so it’s easy to remove if I no longer want to use it.

So, that’s all for this week. Share your ideas for unusual things you use in the sewing room in the comments below. You will be entered into a drawing for my new pattern, Star Crossed Scraps.

Come back next week for more quirky ideas! There will be another chance to enter this drawing. The winner will be drawn on Monday, December 6th.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Sewing Room Uses for Everyday Items

Since I’m stuck in the house like I’m sure you all are, I was looking around my studio to see if I can share some inspiration for using everyday items creatively in the sewing room. We quilters and sewers are really creative people! As they say: “necessity is the mother of invention”. Also, I like to re-purpose things because I do not like to throw out things I can not recycle. So here’s a few things I do with everyday items.

#1 

Are you forever piling up scraps as you snip and cut while stitching? I used to and would often end up knocking it on the floor and scattering it. My sewing area is not too big so I do not have room for a garbage pail on the floor by my sewing table. I found this little tip to be handy. An empty, small square tissue box!

I fill it up and then I can dump it in the garbage pail when I am done sewing for the day.

#2

I wanted to keep a small amount of pins handy near my sewing machine for piecing so I did not have to keep my large pincushion out taking up space. How to keep them in place? I took a rectangular refrigerator magnet that can be found almost anywhere and secured it to my table right by my machine using double-sided tape.

This keeps the pins close at hand so I can easily grab them to assemble pieces for stitching. And since it’s only secured with double-sided tape, it’s easy to remove.

#3

I came up with a great way to keep some of my smaller items that I use a lot easy to grab while stitching. I use this plastic soap holder that can be found at most stores in the bathroom aisles. I secured it to the edge of my sewing table using Command strips so I can easily remove it if I need to.

I thought the suction cups that came with the soap holder would work to hold it in place, but the counter top I used for my sewing table is a surface that does not cooperate with those. After it fell off a few times, I took the hint!

#4

If you have lost the small cleaning brush that came with your sewing machine, use a small, clean makeup brush to dislodge the lint from the bobbin area and the area under the throat plate of your sewing machine. Yes…. those areas do need to be cleaned!

I clean it and oil my machine (following manufacturer’s guidelines) every time I fill a new bobbin. This lint build up can cause problems with your stitching and can eventually cause your machine not to function properly. Someone had to help me clean this afternoon…..

#5

You know those plastic sign holders you can find at any office supply store? You can use those to hold your pattern by your sewing machine. You can slip the pages inside or clip them to it with a binder clip.

It will also hold magazines and thin pattern books!

Start digging through the everyday items in your house and see how you can re-purpose them for use in the sewing room. It’s fun to see what ideas you can come up with. It’s a plus when you don’t have to throw something out! I’ll be hunting around for other ideas and present them next week. Until then, leave a comment below on the tips I shared or on some everyday items you use in the sewing room. You’ll be entered into a drawing for my latest pattern Twinkle Twinkle:

Drawing for the pattern will be on Monday, April 13th so you will have two blog posts to comment on to increase your chances… this week and next week! **We have a winner! Congrats, Margaret Wertman!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne