How to Organize Your Sewing Equipment

Ready … Sort … Sew

Sewing is a great way to spend your time, creating new clothes, quilts or craft projects, but it can also be frustrating trying to keep it all organized. Here are some ideas for getting all those notions, patterns and fabric organized.

Seems like with every sewing project, our collection of notions multiplies. Sewing boxes are never big enough. Spread out all the notions on the table, and sort the types: buttons, snaps, thread, zippers, elastic etc. There are many inexpensive options for storage, especially with the new reusable/disposable containers that come in a variety of sizes. Label the boxes, top and sides. They can be stored in a larger box, or on a shelf, and still easy to find. Plastic bags with zip closers are good to keep things organized within each box, such as all the white buttons in one bag.

If you have a lot of thread, it might pay to invest in a box made specifically for it. They usually have pegs to hold the spools, and it helps keep the thread from getting tangled. It’s also a good idea to buy extra bobbins. Keep some bobbins filled with the basic colors that you sew with all the time.

Try to keep your sewing box just for the things you need for every project like scissors, rotary cutters, seam rippers, pins, needles, tape measure, rulers, tape and marking pens and pencils. Keep a couple spools of thread in it for quick hand sewing projects. Think of it as your toolbox, and not a supply closet. It’s too easy to just keep putting more things in there that you eventually find yourself without room for your scissors. Pins are a challenge, even with a pincushion. I like to use a magnetic storage box for them. It is easy to make, by buying some of the craft magnet sheets, cutting it to the size of the bottom of a small box with a lid, and place it on the bottom. I also like to have a small magnetic strip stuck to my sewing machine to hold a few pins, for those times I forgot the pincushion or box at the cutting table.