I’ve been doing some cleaning and organizing in my sewing room and found three large garbage sacks of batting scraps. Yes, three very large, full to the brim sacks. The scraps range in size from 4-8″ wide and anywhere from 8-92″ long. Those sacks have been there for at least 4-5 years. And I haven’t once retrieved one scrap of batting from them since I put them there.

Why? I just have too many scraps I want to keep. I already have a small pile of batting scraps that I am pulling pieces from for potholders, pillows, small quilt wall hangings and other various projects. I will never use my entire stockpile of batting scraps.

So, I decided to take the plunge and toss them. If I haven’t used them in the past five years, most likely I won’t be using them in the next five years. I always like to keep batting scraps on hand to use for practice quilting sandwiches, little projects and even for picking up lint (works great as a cleaning cloth!). But I am also constantly adding to my batting stash with the scraps from large quilts and other larger projects.

It’s a continual cycle. I stitch a large quilt and my batting scrap pile is replenished. Gradually piece by piece, that pile diminishes and by that time I’ve stitched another large quilt and yet again added to the pile. The space I have that held the three large sacks of batting will be put to much better storage use (like fun fabric!) than just little bits of batting.

In my mind, I just can’t justify keeping that many little pieces of batting. Yes, I always want to keep some available for small projects and trial pieces. Yes, I will sew some larger ones together for a larger wall hanging or project. But there is also a time to just throw the little pieces in the trash.

My general rule is: If it’s at least 8-10″ square, I keep it. Many times I end up with strips that are 8-10″ wide by 80-90″ long, which is an excellent piece of batting to keep. By piecing one, two or three strips together, it would be perfect for a wall hanging, small quilt or lining a pillow or pillow sham. But if it’s less than 6″ wide, I toss it. Even if it is in a long strip. It’s just too narrow to do anything.

How about you? What do you do with all your scraps of batting? Do you keep every little piece or have a general rule as to the size of batting scraps you keep?

scraphappy said: I always have a sew on the go kit ready as well. It makes all that time spent waiting seem somehow less futile. Here is her recent to go project.

SweetP said: I have a tote bag made with coffee-themed fabric and a redwork coffee cup on it to carry my stitching projects in. Her storage container jars are just so neat!!!!

Kaye said: I always have one or 2 totes ready to take. I do a lot of applique with wonder-under so always have something to cut out. Also working on a redwork block of the month and I am behind.

B_Atkins said: I love it…. my sewing box on the go is a plastic bag shoved into a tote bag ;)

Kim said: I have one desk container that has my Amish Tumbling blocks I’m piecing by hand and I have another tote with those cute clover yoyo makers and charms, etc. One day I want to make a yoyo quilt and use time in the car ( when hubby’s driving) to hand sew. I’ve done 2 quilts in 3 years that way.

Thanks for sharing all your ideas! B_Atikins, I do have to say that there is a ziplock bag in my sewing box that I will transfer some things to so I don’t have to cart around the larger box and can stick the bag in my purse if needed! Plastic bags work great for lots of things, don’t they?! :)

Do you have a sewing to-go box? Some little box or container that contains those few necessary sewing tools and a project to work on when you are on the run? It’s a good idea to keep some hand work ready to take with you when you need it.

I always keep a sewing box filled with some kind of hand work that I can grab if needed. If I know I am going to be traveling a long distance or occupying a chair in a waiting room for a while, having something to stitch while I’m waiting is great to have! Not only does it keep my mind and hands busy and keep me from getting bored, but also I am able to get something done while I’m just sitting, unable to do anything else.

The necessary things I keep stowed away in my box, depends on what type of hand work I have inside. Right now I have several applique firefly blocks that I am outlining by hand. There are several blocks inside with the applique pieces fused on, ready to stitch. Also inside is a pair of thread clipping scissors, a thimble, a Grabbit with pins, seam gauge and ripper. I always keep those tools in my box and change the fabric project with fabric and thread as needed. It stays on a bookcase in my sewing room and is ready to grab and go out the door when I need it.

What do you take with you when you are traveling or waiting?

Covering Pizza Boxes with Fabric
by Serena Smith
www.embtreasures.com

Pizza boxes are quick and easy to cover with fabric and offer great little storage containers to keep in your sewing room. Watch the video for step-by-step directions as well.

Supplies
large pizza box
piece of fabric 38″ long x 20-22″ wide
1/4 yd Ultra Heat’n’Bond wonderunder or 1 pkg 5/8″ roll (needs to be the “no-sew” kind)
8″ length of 1/8″ or 1/4″ ribbon
scissors
Olfa knife to cut slits in box

Let’s get started!
If the pizza box is folded into a box, unfold it so it is laying out flat. You will be fusing the fabric to the outside of the box and then folding the fabric raw edge to the inside.

Starting at the box lid, fuse a piece of wonderunder to the cardboard flap. Peel off the paper backing and lay the fabric on top of the box so the fabric width is centered over the box and there is about 3/4″-1″ extension of fabric past the lid flap. The fabric will not quite reach the end of the other side of the box. That is ok; this end will be tucked inside.

Using your iron, fuse wonderunder strips as show below and then fuse the fabric to the box, smoothing the fabric out as you are pressing.

After the fabric is fused to the outside of the box, flip it over and cut out the corners near the flap and cut slits in the fabric in the center and at the bottom of the box where the flaps will turn to the inside to create box. Follow the cardboard slits to cut the fabric.

Fuse the fabric flaps with wonderunder to the cardboard flaps on the sides and end of the box. Then on the sides, fold the fabric to the inside of the box and fuse down. The raw edge of fabric will be inside the box.

Fold the sides and top of the flap fabric to the inside of the box to cover the flap and fuse down in place. Using the Olfa knife, cut slits in the fabric in the bottom of the box so the flaps can fit inside to hold up the box sides. Follow the cardboard cutouts.

Fold the ribbon in half and lay the ends in the center of the flap. Fuse a piece of wonderunder on the ribbon ends to hold in place. Then cut a 1″ scrap of fabric and fuse over the ribbon ends.

Fold in the flaps of the box and put the box together. The ribbon should form a little loop to open the box.

Enjoy storing fabrics, notions or other things in your newly decorated pizza box!

For printable directions, click here.

Copyright © 2008 Serena Smith No portion of these directions may be copied or reproduced in any form other than one copy printed for personal use.

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Click the video player to view the tour of my sewing room. It may take a few minutes to load. For those of you with a dial-up connection, you can “view” the tour by reading my description below.
This is a series on sewing room organization and storage, complete with videos! Over the next few weeks, I’ll share ideas for fabric stash organizing, thread storage and cataloging embroidery designs. Be sure to visit my blog every week or sign up for my newsletter for the latest issue!
I’d love to hear the many ways you organize and store things in your sewing room, so leave a comment with your favorite sewing room ideas!
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Unfinished projects and finished projects: how do you store all of them? There are many ways to store all these projects, but let me give you some ideas as to what I do.

Unfinished projects: Most of my unfinished projects I don’t store in my sewing room because I have so many, but I do keep a few things I am working on or continually working on in my sewing room.

Remember those pizza boxes? They make great storage boxes for project! Large pizza boxes are 15″ square and 2″ deep. They are great for storing 10″, 12″, 14″, 15″ quilt blocks with the threads you are using and instructions. You can also store fabric sashing pieces, binding and other smaller pieces of fabric.

Label the ends with mailing labels and you know what is inside. I keep smaller projects in these and store the boxes above my bookcases of fabric. Many of them contain projects that I am always making more of such as potato bags.

You can go to your local Pizza Hut and ask for a couple large pizza boxes. Medium and small boxes also work well, but don’t give you as much room. Cover the boxes with cotton fabric and your box is ready to be filled up. These boxes work great for keeping blocks flat as well as carrying projects back and forth to class.

The majority of my projects I keep in 6″ deep totes. They are just the right size to store everything project related inside: fabric, batting, threads, embellishments and instructions. The easiest thing to do is keep everything related to that project inside so that I can grab that tote and start working on what’s inside. That way I don’t have to go looking for the instructions, threads or other parts and pieces to finish it.

The totes are easy to stack and easy to carry around. Label the end of the tote with what is inside and you’ll be able to see at a glance where your projects are.

Finished projects: Granted, I have many more unfinished projects than finished ones. But, I do have finished projects as well. They definitely need to be stored in such a way that will preserve them for years to come!

Store your finished projects in pillow cases instead of plastic bags. If at all possible with smaller wall hangings and projects, store them flat. For larger wall hangings and quilts that can’t be stored flat, roll them instead of folding them. This will keep delicate areas such as printed photos, embroidery and embellishments from being folded in the wrong place. Roll it so the embellished areas are to the inside, keeping the top of your project clean and protected.

For more info on storing finished projects, see here.

Stay tuned next week for a quick and easy way to cover pizza boxes using your iron!

How do you store your projects, unfinished or finished? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Donna is a quilter and embroiderer from Arizona with such a sweet and creative personality! I was delighted when she posted her sewing room photos in our MJE online classroom. Here is a bit from her sewing room, the “before” images. Stay tuned in the weeks to come for some “after” images!

I took pictures of my sewing spaces, which span 3 rooms. It will make you gasp! It will make you cringe! Look if you dare!

From the doorway, you can see that I have just carved a walkway to get through the room!

Just a little of my stash.

In this armoire, and in other areas, I have projects set up in plastic containers. Each contains the pattern & fabric.

This area shows my “regular” sewing machine & work space with all my jewelry supplies as well.

This is my desk area, or “cockpit” as I think of it.

This bookshelf houses my embroidery designs and paperwork.

Here are all the books and yet more bins of fabric and accessories!

For times that I need more room, I’ve set up 2 plastic tables that have my serger and embroidery machine.

Fabric, fabric everywhere!

Thanks for sharing your “before” pictures of your sewing room, Donna! We will look forward to the “after” pictures as well!

Connie is a clever quilter and embroiderer from New York and created this wonderful thread rack that I just loved and thought was so unique!

She received a gift from a friend that happened to be wrapped in a small crate. She found two more creates and glued them together to create the thread holder that sits on the table behind her embroidery machine.

With two yardsticks, she formed the uprights and thread guide at the top. In the top yardstick, she screwed 18 small eye hooks, 1 1/2″ apart. The hooks guide the thread to the machine and keep the threads from getting tangled up with each other.

She can have all her colors threaded through the hooks and ready to go! It saves so much time!

Thanks for sharing your thread rack with us, Connie! What a fantastic and useful tool to keep in your sewing room!

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Click the video player to view the tour of my sewing room. It may take a few minutes to load. For those of you with a dial-up connection, you can “view” the tour by reading my description below.
This is a series on sewing room organization and storage, complete with videos! Over the next few weeks, I’ll share ideas for fabric stash organizing, thread storage and cataloging embroidery designs. Be sure to visit my blog every week or sign up for my newsletter for the latest issue!
I’d love to hear the many ways you organize and store things in your sewing room, so leave a comment with your favorite sewing room ideas!
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Because I have my fabric stored on shelves in an open bookcase, I needed to create some kind of cover to keep my fabric clean, keep it from fading and keep it hidden at times. The fabric covers I made are just like roman shades. They pull up with a cord, bunch at the top when open and then are let down by releasing the cord. I really enjoy them because I don’t have open doors in my way when I’m looking through my fabric.

My fabric covers are made from 100% Kona cotton fabric. It is a double layer of fabric to provide great durability. The width of the cover is the width of the bookcase plus a seam on each side. With wrong sides together, I stitched the two side seams and then turned the fabric to the outside and edge stitched the two sides to finish the sides of the cover.

The length of the cover is the height of the bookcase plus several inches for attaching to the top and 10-15 inches for the rod pockets. There are five rod pockets for the length of the cover. The pockets are 1 1/4″, which means that I needed an additional 2 1/2″ for each rod pocket.

A flat wooden rod that is 3/4″ – 1″ wide easily fits into each rod pocket. The wooden rods give the fabric support as it is pulled up and let down. The wooden rods are slightly shorter than the width of the cover.

On the back of the cover, on each rod pocket, I stitched a 1/2″ plastic ring. There are three rings spaced out on each pocket: one in the middle and one on each side. These are just hand tacked to the back of the rod pocket only, not through the pocket or the rod would not be able to be inserted. In addition to the rings being on each pocket, they are also at the very top of the cover.

The plastic rings guide and hold the cording in place. There are three rows of cording. One row of cording through each set of rings down the length of the cover. The cording is securely knotted in the bottom ring and then strung through each ring going straight up the cover to the top.

Good question! Being as organized as I am and try to be, you would think I know about how much fabric I have sitting on my shelves. Ummm…..the answer is no, I really have no idea! I have not counted the yardage stacked behind those green fabric covers.

When I read Val’s question in my Inbox today, I knew a counting yardage party was in order. I too, am curious to see how much I’ve got!

As I started on one stack of fabric, I estimated what was in each piece. Some of them I knew how much I had because I can recall my fabric buying guidelines at the time I bought it. I came up with one pile of fabric on only one shelf being around 50 yards.

That can’t be right, can it? 50 yards? Ok, so being the perfectionist person that I am, I took every piece of fabric from that pile and measured each one. Amazingly I came to the same result: 50-60 yards.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? If one pile of fabric on only one shelf is 50 yards and there are three piles of fabric on five shelves multiplied by two bookcases, can you imagine the amount of yardage?

Let’s do the math:

50 yards per pile x 3 piles for one shelf = 150 yards
150 yards per shelf x 5 shelves for one bookcase = 750 yards
750 yards per bookcase x 2 bookcases = 1,500 yards

Yes, you read that correctly, 1,500 yards! A conservative number.

But…..if you consider that two shelves of flannel take up a bit more room than cotton, so those shelves would loose a little yardage and not every shelf is full, then I might be able to reduce the yardage to 1,000.

But…..when you consider that I have about three piles of fabric from my stash that are 16″ high sitting on my cutting table that were not in that original count, I might as well say I have, at the very minimum, 1,500 yards.

And that doesn’t count my most recent batik buying splurge last week which is still sitting in a gigantic sack just waiting to be added to my shelves.

Keep in mind that this is my personal stash of fabric. Having an online fabric shop, I have a full inventory of fabric, but this is not that. This is just my very own, personal stash I’ve built up…very high, apparently.

Oh my, oh my, I think I need to reevaluate my fabric buying guidelines to read as follows:

• It’s a piece I love and can use it in various ways, 0 yards.
• It’s something I like and don’t have anything that is similar, 0 yards.
• I absolutely love it but don’t have any idea what I will use it for, 0 yards.
• It’s unique and different, but not my favorite, 0 yards.
• It’s on sale for a fantastic price & can be used in a hundred different ways, 0 yards.
• I’m using it for a project right now, 0 yards – use something from my stash!
• It’s a solid, marbled, textured, or tone on tone print that can easily be used to stitch embroidery designs on, plus many other uses, 0 yards.
• It’s a novelty fabric, floral design, kid’s theme or Christmas print and I love it, 0 yards.

Basically my new rule is: zip, zilch, no, 0 new yards of fabric!

I’ll…um….see how long that lasts and let you know….

Ok, so this has me curious!!! I told you my secret (hopefully no one in my family is reading this!), so now you can tell me yours!

How much fabric do you have sitting in your sewing room? I challenge you to estimate your stash yardage and leave a comment (if you dare!) with the number! Please don’t tell me I am the only one with a massive stash of fabric!!