I've been scouring blogs and Pinterest to get creative and smart storage ideas and I have found some. The one that I put to use immediately was the open storage for fabric. I love going into my sewing room and seeing all my fabric. It really gets the creative juices flowing.
Back before my husband made me my incredible sewing room, I used big Rubbermaid totes and Ziploc bags from the small 2 by 4 inch to the large 2 gallon size. That system actually works very well if you don't have open storage. I would group my supplies by type, separate them into bags, then put that group into a large 2 gallon Ziploc. I could see everything at a glace. I used that system for years and it worked great. But now I have my big sewing room with built-in shelving so I keep it all open. I'm sharing a grouping of my storage in my own sewing room. I'd love to hear any ideas you have as well!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM:
OVER THE DOOR SHOE HOLDER - I actually bought this yesterday. I was looking for a great way to store all my spools of ribbon and this is perfect! I have them organized by width and colors. This is also perfect for those who have very little space. You could put one of these on the back of every door in your house or apartment!
PLASTIC SCRAPBOOK STORAGE BOXES: These are perfect to keep all my small scrap fabrics in. I use a lot of scraps because I do a lot of small projects as well as making appliques. I can keep everything neat and orderly and divided by type of fabrics and felt.
EXTRA LARGE MUGS FOR PAINTBRUSHES: I've used this mug for years. All my brushes at a glance. The only problem with this method is that Punkie (my cat) likes to eat my brush bristles so I have to keep it out of her reach.
PLASTIC SHOE BOXES WITH ATTACHED LID: These are perfect for storing my patterns in. I keep them in legal sized envelopes that are clearly marked. I have two of them. One I use for my own personal designs, the other for patterns that I printed from the Internet after I made the project.
HANGING FILE FOLDER POCKET ORGANZIER: Yes, I really do use this pattern of mine. I have one in my home office and this one I use for storing printouts of patterns, stencils, contracts, submission guidelines, tax papers, receipts, etc... You can make your own if you want. The pattern is available at my Etsy Shop and my Craftsy Shop.
MUGS & SMALL FLOWERPOTS: These are perfect for storing scissors, decorative edge scissors, rotary cutters, pens, pencils, and more.
PLASTIC THREAD BOXES: I got these at JoAnn's. They are perfect for storing thread. You can see right through them and they have pegs inside that keep the spools neat and orderly.
LARGE GLASS JARS: I love these! They kind of remind me of an old fashioned candy shop. I love to store my beads, zippers, and embroidery floss in them. They just look so colorful and pretty.
MASON JARS AND SMALL GLASS JARS: Perfect for storing buttons and other small things like wiggle eyes, pompoms, beads, etc...
OPEN FABRIC STORAGE: Last by not least, I love the open fabric storage! I buy the Comic Book Backing Boards on Amazon for about $15 for 100 and I use them to wrap my fabric. I can easily see what fabric I have, and what fabric I need. I wouldn't use this method if I had a window that was facing the bright sun, or I'd cover it up and uncover when sewing.
So there you have it! I'd love to hear all your ideas too.