sewing & blog organization

Whenever I feel creatively stagnant, rearranging and organizing my physical workspace is the best way to refresh my energy. That or online fabric shopping, though that's more of an addiction than anything so I'm not gonna endorse it.

First, I've updated the tutorial page on my blog, which is hopefully beneficial for you guys (gals) most of all. Instead of browsing through pages and pages of lengthy posts tagged "tutorial," you can now simply scroll through a gallery view to find what you're looking for. Find the gallery by clicking the Tutorials button at the top of my blog. Screen shot:

It includes tutorials you've seen here as well as those I've written for the Craftsy sewing blog. I have been posting fortnightly tutorials over there but I don't wanna spam you every time one of my Craftsy posts goes live. So if you're interested in seeing all the tips & tricks I've been covering lately, just check out my tutorial page and it will show everything in order starting with the most recent, which happens to be about how to store printed PDF patterns. HOORAH STORAGE. I'm digging the three-ring binder method with side-zip sheet protectors. Any of you do the same?

I curated my fabric and pattern stash and gave away two full IKEA-blue-bags of stuff (!!) to an enthusiastic beginner sewer via Freecycle. I tried to sell on Craigslist but I received no serious inquiries, so I figured I'd just be gone with it all at once and make someone else happy. Most of it was hand-me-down or $1.99/yd Jomar fabric anyway. Then I reorganized my sewing room, buying crafter requisites like white cube shelves (though not from IKEA), and switching the location of my machines, iron, etc. The rearranging didn't really serve much of a purpose other than to make my room feel new-ish again so I'd be happy to sew in it. I'm just naturally messy, though, so my floor and cutting table are already covered in work and personal sewing projects. At least there's now a place for everything when I get around to cleaning up, yea? Haaaaa.

Have you been organizing your sewing space (or blog) lately? Any "aha" storage solutions you'd like to share? i.e. How to make or where to buy non-tacky cube storage cubbies for my new cube shelves that don't cost $10+ each?

simple sewing: fabric-covered pencil cups

Here's an easy breezy sewing project: turn your lunch into pencil cups.

I've never done anything with tin cans besides toss them in my recycling bin, but I can now say they're pretty much a craftswoman's dream since they're so accessible and versatile. They have such a practical shape and size, and are still cool-looking just on their own without their labels.

I can't cook, so I eat a lot of canned soup. It's about time that I used all those cans to enhance my life in other ways. Why not pencil cups? I probably spend as much time per week looking for a frickin' pen in this apartment as I do eating soup, so I need them to be more accessible.

OK. Step 1: Remove the label, which comes off easily under hot water. At least for Amy's soups it does.

Step 2: Cut a 5.25" x 10" rectangle of fabric. I used leftover fabric from some other home projects, because living room matchiness is a must. Turn the long edges over a 1/2 inch each and stitch. The resulting width is about 4.25" (the height of the can).

Step 3: Wrap the fabric around the can and mark where the ends should meet. It should be snug but not too tight that you won't be able to slide it on. Stitch the ends where you marked, right sides together. Trim the excess and press the seam open so it lays flatter on the can.

Step 4: Turn it right side out and pull it over the can, kinda like a beer coozie:

That's all it takes. Make one or one dozen. They contribute both color and functionality -- gotta love that.

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Project linked to:

Finding Fabulous: Frugalicious Fridays
and
I Heart Naptime Sundae Scoop

sewing rooms & storage

I re-adopted this sewing hobby only recently and still have a relatively manageable amount of supplies and scraps, but I'm getting impatient to move to a place with a spare room for all things sewy. Okay, well to ask for a "spare room" would be to ask for how much more in monthly rent? 


As it is, I'm stationed in my living room, which already serves dual function as my dining area, so when my dining table is covered in a sewing machine, tabletop ironing board and an explosion of pattern tissue, I'm subjected to cutting fabric on the floor and eating dinner on the couch and entertaining guests in... the bedroom? Um.

Then:

Right now:

This could be (and has been) worse, actually; last night everything in that garbage bag above (pillow stuffing, blue scallop scraps, piles of thread) was strewn across various surfaces as well.

I'm gonna distract myself from this awful mess by collecting photos of lovely sewing areas that belong to other people who clearly never touch a thing within them:

Hideable yet also displayable. Primary source: Better Homes and Gardens

Everything seems so tiny here. Secondary source: Truelock Equals Truelove

These people stand up to sew, and sit down to use their enormous 1990s computer monitor. Source: Super Ziper

You can't call yourself a true sewist until you have one of those headless ladies hanging around. Source: Saídos da Concha

Sewing shed. Lovely and rustic and only slightly claustrophobic. Source: Content in a Cottage 

Teach me how to use that sewing machine. Source: Home Klondike

They call this a minimalist sewing room, which seems like an oxymoron. Source:  Genuine Style

Yes, you can create a sewing room without using the color pink. Source: Country Living

Moral of the story: all fabric scraps should be lightweight cotton prints with equal size, yardage and color palette so they can be stacked like perfect little rainbows in your China cabinets. Seriously? I tried the neat little sweater-stacks on my closet shelves before and that failed by the second hour. This would be no different, and maybe worse.


This is more up my alley:

Maybe I should stick with my current style of throwing all my simultaneous sewing projects on the couch, because it seems neat & organized spaces annoy me. Sew on!