Studio Storage Tips: 6 Ways for Quilters to Stay Organized
We’re excited to share some of our finest studio-centric and organizational content with you! We know that you’ve probably been spending a bit more time than expected in your quilting space over these past spring and summer seasons, perhaps resulting in a bit of upheaval. Us too. But have no fear, we have all the ideas and solutions you need to tame your space and segue into fall and holiday quilting, sewing, and crafting. Enjoy!
I wouldn’t say that I’m nosey but will admit to occasionally stopping in to an open house on a lazy Sunday afternoon even when I’m not in the market to move. I never know when a unique kitchen floor plan or custom mud room cabinet will inspire me to improve my own home storage. The same rings true for art quilt studios. I am always looking for practical and fresh ways to set up my limited working space, store my collection of tools and supplies, and make my own home studio more usable.
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Our Quilting Arts Magazine team has been lucky enough to sneak a peek into sew many incredible studios that are organized to fit the needs of each quilter. And looking back over the years, there are certainly a few studios that stand out. So without further ado, below are my favorite studio storage tips, directly from our contributors!
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Make use of the space you have: I don’t have a dedicated place for dyeing fabric in my home, but neither does Candy Glendening. She determined it was better for her to work outdoors and designed her ‘sink of awesomeness’ where she creates her beautiful hand dyed fabric. Another benefit? “When all my dyeing materials have been put away and the sink has been cleaned and polished, it also makes a great place to set up a party.”
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Consider humble containers before you break the bank on something store-bought. Storage doesn’t need to be custom designed or expensive; it just needs to work for your space. One of my favorite examples is the charming tomato can holding Timna Tarr’s colored pencils. I have the same can in my studio, and it holds knitting needles and rulers.
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Thread racks are pretty, but are bins superior? It all depends on the type of thread you have and the amount of light and space you have in your studio. Many art quilters enjoy the eye-candy of seeing their threads, but know that continued light may fade or damage them. Lynn Krawczyk winds her floss and stores it by color in bins.
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What you see is what you use: Beth Schillig’s studio (featured in the August/September 2019 issue of Quilting Arts) has a wall of fabrics arranged by hue. She calls it her ‘fabric vault’ – for good reason! Her fabrics are always visible and she can easily find and use them without searching through bins.
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Behind Closed Doors: Minimize Visual Chaos by storing some supplies out of sight: That goes for indoor studios like mine that have drawers and cabinets to hid WIP’s and unsightly scraps. But remember Candy Glendening’s outdoor studio? She also designed space to store buckets, bins, and bowls – essential dyeing tools are always at the ready but also out of sight.
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Sort as you store: Sorting is a natural human activity. Looking for order is part of human nature, so ‘sorting’ by type of tool (all of my glass head pins are in one pincushion), color (Lynn Krawczyk’s embroidery floss, for example), or fabric style (keeping all of your hand dyes together) makes sense.
A Few Extra Tips
And here are a few more tips for studio design and storage.
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Keep it mobile: To keep your tools close… invest in a portable rolling cart. Timna Tarr, Jamie Fingal, and others found this useful.
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Have a Seat: Deborah Boschert and others have comfortable couches in their studios, perfect for hand stitching and tea with guests. (Under-couch storage is also a possibility!)
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Make a space for your computer: These days, artists need to be online and in touch with others, even when in the studio. MJ Kinman has a designated workstation for the business side of art quilting, as well as a space for creativity.
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“Store” your art on your walls: You made it, you should also enjoy it! Art quilts are meant to be seen. Consider hanging your quilts on curtain rods – they are often adjustable and are easily found at the hardware store.
Each issue of Quilting Arts Magazine brings another opportunity to peek into an art quilter’s studio! Don’t miss the next issue, or the one after that… subscribe to Quilting Arts Magazine today to make time – and space – for quilting every day! Did we miss any of your favorite studio storage tips? Be sure to let us know on Instagram, Facebook, or the comments below.
Best,
Vivika DeNegre
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I love using tin cans as storage containers- they are all over my house! Clean your container thoroughly after emptying the contents, remove the paper label if it has one, and then wrap the container in craft paper of choice with craft glue to secure. I re-purpose many sizes of cans to hold tools from small to large. Even pet food cans cleaned and shorn of sharp internal edges, then wrapped in cool craft paper, can serve as tool holders.