Thursday, March 10, 2011

My Quilt Room is Coming Together

Remember a while back I asked for advice about wire baskets for fabric storage? Well this is what I got, an Elfa system from the Container Store. Even though each drawer is loaded pretty full, they still pull out smoothly, and the drawers come all the way out which is nice.

The 9-cube unit on top is from Target. I've always loved the look of yarn displayed like this. And 3 vases for needles and crochet hooks. Oh, the possibilities! (I bought the smallest vase to hold my crochet hooks for $1 at Goodwill this week.) Up on top there are some more needles in 2 antique Japanese vases, a wire dress decoration from Pier 1 Imports, and my sewing box, which you may also recognize as the Online Quilt Museum's Suggestion Box. Haha. Adding a little color to the scene is a chair that I painted just for fun.

The fabrics are sorted in categories like: solid red-yellow, solid green-blue, solid neutrals, Dots Stripes and Plaids, Kaffes, Pre-cuts, Novelty, Silk, Floral, Batik etc. One small drawer is just for greens and foliage prints! Some kind of jungle/garden quilt is on the horizon for me.

I still have a lot of plastic boxes though. Above you can see my selvage stash. Three boxes full and an empty one on top for new additions. I have some wire wreath frames in there that I may cover with selvages. Not sure about that; it seems like a waste of good selvages.

Hopefully these boxes of backing and quilt tops will be processed this year, reducing the quantity of stacked boxes. We'll see. The 7 boxes on the far left are scraps like one-inch strips and orphan bits (as opposed to bigger folded pieces).

There's still a long way to go to get organized after all these years of having stuff in storage, but it's coming along. My lower back is hurting this week. I wasn't careful about lifting, but I will be in the future!

Thanks for visiting me in my new quilt room. More photos to come as I make progress.

34 comments:

Karen said...

Your sewing room looks very nice and so neat! I love the way you stored the yarn. The pull-out drawers below look interesting....where are they from?

Karen

Açafate dos Retalhos said...

O que eu gostaria de ter um espaço como este, o meu é mesmo muito pequenininho. PARABÉNS pela organização.

Unknown said...

i'm drooling over those boxes of selvedges

orsolya vanessza kiss said...

WOW !!!! :)

Char said...

Oh my, your room looks great! After more than 20 years with the same shelving its time to change mine. you've given me a great place to start.

The Cozy Quilter said...

I would love to come and play with you in your sewing room...mine needs a major clean up. I like your new storage drawers. I have one very full (overflowing) drawer of selvages just crying out to be made into a quilt! I have another idea percolating...

Unknown said...

Wow!! I love the new system. Just wonderful and so neatly organized. I just can't believe the amount of bins either. I want to come and play...

Ladydy5 aka: Diane Yates said...

Anytime you are ready to purge those plastic selvage containers just let me know.

Jenny said...

No wonder you have a sore back after all that work! Everything looks so nice and neat. Does it stay this way once you start stitching? And drool, drool, over all those crates of selvedges!

Nedra said...

Your yarn looks so organized and lovely. Great way to display colors. Isn't it fun to have things looking so tidy?

Unknown said...

OH WOW I'M SPEECHLESS!

Kate said...

That's EXACTLY how I would like my room to look - clean, neat, fresh - ready for anything!!!

Quilt Rat said...

Well Karen, I have to go change now caused I drooled all over myself :-)

This is looking like a fabulous place to live, create and just plain hang out! Love it.

Abby and Stephanie said...

How neat and tidy and so pretty. I need a walk in closet of bins. This makes me want to organize my stash. Perhaps I'll wait while my machine is out for cleaning and service.

Nancy said...

Oh, my gosh. Such organization and so pretty. I love it. Thanks for the inspiration. I need to get busy.

free indeed said...

That new unit is nice with the translucent front..it makes things look cleaner and uncluttered. Regular wire racks would not have been as nice. Love the yarn storage too..nice visual. I'm getting my stuff sorted slowly. I need some uniform boxes or something...I want to sort scraps right now; triangles, crumbs, strings. My strips, fqs and yardage is done.

syocom said...

wow that is looking good!

Helen said...

Karen, I think you deserve a full day at the spa for your accomplishment! Great job!

FlourishingPalms said...

Ah-ha! I am showing the picture of your bins to my DH! He says I have too many bins and have to reduce my stash because we're putting our house up for sale. Now I will show him your bins because you make me look great! Thank you very much, Karen!

Jill said...

Fantastic!!!!!!!!

Jocelyn said...

Love your new sewing room. And whew.... I am so glad I am not the only one with tubs full to the brim ;-)

Anonymous said...

wow, it's coming aong nicely (and neatly!). I wanna play in those bins... looks like fun.

:-)

WoolenSails said...

I like those pull outs, lots of space and clean look.

Debbie

Shannon said...

Oh man, that is one he'll of a fabric stash! Thanks for commenting on my blog - if I was in new York I'd take you up on that cup of tea!

patty a. said...

I just am thinking about the treasures you will be finding as you empty your totes! I can't wait to see what you find that you forgot about.

Greenmare said...

wow I want to come visit!!!!

Rachel Schell said...

I want a quilt room! all my fabric and yarn is stuff in various place all over the house. usually baskets that I can tuck away.

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen, What a great process - and to have dedicated sewing and storage space. Bliss. Enjoy. It is looking great.

JoAnne in southern California said...

Wow, Karen! So nice! I can't wait to show your photos to my DH, he thinks I'm the only one with lots of fabric! Good luck with it all and when you're finished there's a couple of rooms here in southern CA you can work on!

Have a nice weekend!

Little Island Quilting said...

OMG - that's more like a quilt shop you've got going on there rather than a personal stash!!

Patty said...

So jealous....and a weekend quilting in NY with Victoria and friends! You are a lucky duck :-)

Elle Kay said...

Your Quilt Room is absolutely inspiring! I'm itching to reorganise my own room now!

Jacqui's Quilts said...

Love your Elfa storage system!! I have mine in plastic drawers, but the wire mesh ones would be so much nicer so they breathe...so far I haven't had that dreaded yuckky plastic smell, but I'm keeping an eye on it :-).

Heather Louise said...

Your space looks so amazing. I would love to be that organized. I have to wait until daughter #2 leaves the nest in a couple of years and gives me my super sassy sewing room (previously known as her bedroom). Looking good.