It is no secret that if you have chosen sewing and/or quilting as a hobby… you are going to amass a rather large collection of gadgets and tools rather quickly. And no matter how many you have… there is always more that you COULD add to your collection! Today I’m going to give you a quick tour of the items I keep close by and what I have around me when sewing.
If you prefer to watch the video to get the rundown, you can catch that and a few other side notes from me in the video below. 😘
Follow me on YouTube to keep up with the latest modern quilting tips & tricks.
In my sewing room, there is quite a bit that can be considered “occasional use” items. A few tools have their specific purpose and that is it. They have their moment to shine and the rest of the time they spend waiting around in a drawer.
The tools that I use most often and find myself reaching for over and over again have a special place right next to my sewing area.
So, let’s dive into the tools I have around me when sewing…
This is where I sew = where the magic happens 😍
I have a large table area that is roughly 30″ x 60″ (exact IKEA Linnmon table top is 59″ x 29.5″).
My table is held up on one side by an IKEA Alex drawer set that hold a lot of my sewing machine tools. The other side has a small 4 cube shelf that holds… what I like to call my oddball crafts – jewelry making, beading etc. The things I don’t get into very often, but I still enjoy having it around and accessible.
On my right hand side is where most of my cutting and ironing is done at a counter height table so I have access to that via my spinning chair if I run out of counter space or need a little more room to spread out.
If you’d like to see a full tour of my sewing room and the setup, check out this post! Sewing Room Renovation! – Before & After Pics
I also have details on the furniture and organizational products I use in these posts:
- My Favorite Ikea Products for the Sewing Room
- The Best Way to Fold and Store Your Fabrics!
- Organizing your sewing/craft room with Dollar Store back to school sales!
- Office Supplies you can use in your Sewing Room
The top of my work area…
I do require a lot of space to spread out while working. (I don’t think that it’s a bad thing, is it? 🤷♀️🤣)
This table area was designed with SPACE in mind so I keep what is on top of my table to a very minimum. (It doesn’t always look like this… sometimes if I am in the middle of a large project you wouldn’t even know that there is a desk under all of the mess!)
Creativity can get pretty messy, can’t it?
Usually the only things that remain on top of my sewing table (when it is clean) are these items:
I know. It isn’t much… The only reason I can get away with these few tools is because I have the drawer set to my left that holds and organizes a few more of my tools!
I tried to find the equivalents of my favorite storage items on Amazon for you.
Most of them were purchased from either Amazon or Target.
If you’re wanting to make the cute little fabric baskets that I keep my scraps and my little plastic clips in, you can view the FREE full tutorial post below. The Perfect (Easy!) Catch-the-MESS Fabric Bin
I use these bins all over my sewing room because 1) they are useful 2) I get to display my favorite pretty fabrics where I can see them – and 3) I can usually make them using scraps of batting so it is a way to save money on organizing bins. Win. Win… and um… Win!
Ok let’s look down into the drawers that I keep on my left-hand side!
The top drawer holds my MOST used items – bobbins, extra thread spools, all of my sewing machine feet, my seam rippers etc.
The second drawer holds the lesser-used items, but still, things that I want to keep close – Pincushions, thimbles, safety pins for basting, and a few other tools.
Where do I keep my other tools?
Just to clear up any confusion… no, this is NOT ALL OF MY SEWING SUPPLIES! It is however, the MOST USED tools of my sewing supplies.
I do have other tool storage solutions around my sewing room.
For example, this drawer that lives over by my Embroidery machine. It houses my thread collection that at one point used to hang on the wall.
I have found that finding/making drawer space for my tools not only drastically reduced the clutter in my space but allowed for a more streamlined and open canvas for creativity to flow too.
My embroidery machine/area mirrors my sewing area in my “T” shaped work area. So it is set up similar to my sewing machine area but with the IKEA ALEX drawers on my right instead of my left.
The desktop is also similar with just a few essentials on top, but because I tend to need less workspace here than on my sewing machine where I do a lot of my quilting… I have a few extra knickknacks and treasures on display that I like to keep where I can see them.
And that is pretty much it… I have a few other areas where I keep tools organized and stored but I like having only the essentials around me when sewing.
I also organize my tools based on where I use them within the room. Example: Cutting tools are stored with the cutting table, embroidery needles are stored by the embroidery machine, seam rippers are stored… everywhere! haha, just kidding, but I do have several of them around.
What about you? what do you keep on hand and within reach while sewing?