Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Organizing my quilt studio - Part 2

Hi everyone:

In Part 1 I showed you my quilting studio and explained how it has evolved. In this post I'd like to examine the various areas to show you how I've organized them. I hope that you'll pick up a few ideas for your own studio!

Any good quilter has to have a few machines in her studio. I have two sewing machines, a Bernina Virtuosa 153 and a Juki TL-98Q (a straight stitch machine). The Juki used to be on my quilting frame until I purchased the B-Line 18 machine. Now I use the Juki for most of my piecing since it is so fast and accurate. I use the Bernina for any satin stitching or other-than-a-straight-stitch sewing. I have an original sewing cabinet, which I inherited from my grandmother, for my Bernina and was fortunate to find a table at Ikea that matches the finish perfectly. I guess the colours in laminate haven't changed that much over the years :) I find the L-shaped configuration of the machines works very well and allows me to spread my work out a bit more.


If you haven't noticed, I like to shop at Ikea. The price is right and I often find exactly what I need there - even if I don't use it for its original purpose!

I'm not always quilting on my frame, so I find the table useful for holding project pieces that I'm currently working on. It's also handy to drape fabric and quilt tops over after they've been pressed. Although you can only see a little sliver of it, I have several large rolling bins under my table which hold my magazine collection. It's just empty space under there, so I had to fill it with something. 
Note: I no longer have my mid-arm frame. I sold it and have upgraded to a Handi Quilter Infinity as of December 2015.
As I mentioned before, some of my fabric is stored in my cutting table - on one side. The other side has a shelf and I use it to hold books, bulky items and my trims and buttons (also in storage containers). I have cup holders on the side of my cutting table to hold my rulers. The cutting table is on castors to allow me to roll it out of the way when I'm working on the frame and to allow easier access to the back storage room. I also have metal measuring tape (Lee Valley) on both long edges of my cutting table. I find it helpful when I'm determining if I have enough fabric for a particular project as I can just measure it quickly along the edge of the table. I use the pink foam core board stored along the wall when I'm photographing large quilts. I cover it with flannel and I'm good to go.
I also use flannel covered foam core board for my design wall. It's 8' x 4' and I use it as a display wall as well. In this photo you can see one of the large wheeled carts at the right underneath the frame (blue lid), as well as the carts with drawers where I keep my thread and other supplies. The curtain rod on the wall at the end of the frame serves as a display for some of my finished projects. Again, it's from Ikea.

I have an AccuQuilt GO! cutter and several dies which I had been storing in a Rubbermaid contained (I know, bad me!). The GO! cutter is usually tucked under my quilting frame, close to the cutting table, but the dies really needed better storage. So... I cleaned out a small bookcase and moved it into the quilting area. The dies fit in it very well and it's easily accessible. Currently I have some projects in boxes on top of the bookcase where they're out of my sewing space, yet easy to retrieve when needed.


I have the labels facing out so I can easily retrieve the one I need. I know that the dies lean a bit, but I've ordered a few more of them, so I expect that the bookcase will soon be full and that should keep them all standing upright. I may put some cardboard in between each die to protect them - I have all the original die packaging still, so I'll just use the cardboard from that. 

So, that's my quilting studio. I'd show you my office where I do the computer work, but it still needs some tidying up. I'm hoping I can talk hubby into helping me with that project in the next few weeks!

I'd love to hear your organization tips, especially if you have an AccuQuilt GO! or Studio cutter. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the bookcase idea for the cutters...I have mine in a box too...course I don't use them like I should either. =(

SewCalGal said...

I love the way you have organized your sewing studio. Really looks like a cheerful place to work. Love how you have organized your AccuQuilt dies too. {and I can't get over how many you have}. I need to work on how I have mine organized, but I do have a foldable cart w/rollers, that I keep many dies in (ready to go to give demos and/or take to retreats. The rest are standing & leaning against a wall. I know I need a better solution. Thanks for all the great ideas.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Chatterbox Quilts said...

I don't have that many, do I? :) I have a few more ordered, just waiting for them to be in stock. I bought the starter set when I got the GO! and so had quite a few right from the get go. I have a hard time resisting buying more when they're on sale - that's my problem with books and fabric too! I'm afraid that someday I'll see myself on "Hoarders"!

Ric Rac and Polka Dots said...

Hi,
I'm your newest follower. Wow, your studio is really awesome. I have a sewing room down in the basement that should be fabulous, but it is jam packed. I'm like Kim, the last person that commented, I will be exposed on "Hoarders" as a person with a fabric obsession. My husband is framing up room #2 to put my quilt machine in, and then I'll have more storage to organize better, but in the meantime my quilt frame and machine sits patiently waiting in the box! I'll be happy to know someone who has a quilt machine once I get it up!
Please come visit my new blog, Ric Rac and Polka Dots. I'm brand new but have tons of fun stuff planned. I hope to see you there, and maybe get to know you a bit!
Julie

Chatterbox Quilts said...

Welcome and thanks for the comments, Julie. BTW, that's me commenting on being on "Hoarders". I think I'm going to have to do another post about what's really inside all my cupboards and drawers, but it might be a shocker! Let me know what your blog URL is so I can check it out.