Why did I sign up for this? … my studio certainly needs a clean, but do I want to reveal it online??? Probably not, it’s a tip. Can I make some excuses? work full time, not very tidy anyway, try to get projects finished, can’t do everything, …. Ok, it’s still a tip. I do not have the courage to post all the ‘before’ photos as a group and then, some time later, the ‘after’ photos. so I’ll post them in pairs so you don’t feel too horrified…

My big problems are filing paperwork , and tidying up the aftermath of a project. So, I have just completed and posted six quilts for the “healing hearts for Christchurch” project, so there are lots of white and green scraps, and I also finished a ‘whispers’ challenge so there is other random fabric as well… plus, as I said, all the paperwork dating back to the last time I had a holiday, and hence had time to file (ok, made time to file).

All right, This is the awful moment …. first photos are of my cutting table. Please don’t judge … I’m a messy pup. You can see I just shove stuff to the side…. The drawers underneath are where I store fabric and they were one of my totally best buys. They started off life in health food shop and I bought them from a work colleague. I added the false bench on top to raise the height and give me space to store rulers and large patterns etc. The plastic drawers have marking pens, cutting tools, measuring tools and viewing tools. The tray at the side is for cutters and the magazine rack for rulers. It works for me!

The next awful reveal is my ironing station. One day I had a brilliant idea that I could change the wasted space under my conventional ironing board to storage! Why didn’t I think of it before! The top is removable and I can replace the ironing mat and the cover. All the shelves underneath are good for plastic boxes each of which contains a UFO or notions. I just love the added space and the storage.

Next embarrassing moment: the light table. My daughter studied fashion and we made a light table for tracing patterns by getting an old glass door and gluing it to a metal frame which sits on an old table. The most expensive part is the lights from the hardware. She rather brilliantly worked out how to store rolls of pattern making paper and calico underneath the table by hanging them from the frame. It’s an awesome light table though I do tend to use it for storage when pressed for space. Oh dear. This is getting worse.

I’m getting inured to the process of revealing my piles of shame. I guess next is my sewing station. It does tend to accrue debris and I do find it frustrating when my snips keep hiding. Here is the before and after. The little drawers from the hardware are for storing machine feet

Just a few more pictures to go. My sewing room is the converted garage, so while it is relatively spacious, I do have work books stored and extras from my children, so it isn’t all mine, and it isn’t all for sewing. This next corner is a bit random. It contains a set of pigeonholes which is great for stationery from an old post office, a small set of drawers which were my daughter’s and a French tapestry/ embroidery frame which I may one day renovate … oh, and bookshelves and my quilt tops ready to go. And an old knitting machine someone gave me, and a pile of bilums from PNG (where I used to work).

I’ve found a better storage spot for the knitting machine, hung my quilting and embroidery frames on the wall, put my sewezi table away and used the French embroidery frame to hang a quilt on…. so much better.

Now for the long arm. It’s not really too bad, just a bit of tidying needed.

Finally, a last couple of pictures to finish off, the first, my desk with my treadle machine and some notions next to it. The second one is a tidier version of my little treasures.

After all that tidying and filing of papers, I am really enjoying having a clean sewing room. I’m so looking forward to seeing everyone’s nifty storage solutions and tips for keeping the clutter under control. As for myself, I know I’ll need to always do a surface declutter, but the more organised I am with respect to storage, the easier it is to keep it all under control.

Here is the schedule of all the blogs. I can’t wait to see them.

April 29 - Linda Bratten - http://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/

April 30 - Sandra Johnson - http://www.sandrajohnsondesigns.com

May 1 - Jennifer Schifano Thomas - http://www.Curlicuecreations.com

May 2 - Becca Fenstermaker - http://www.prettypiney.com

May 3 - Sue Griffiths - http://www.duckcreekmountainquilting.com

May 4 - Kate Starcher - http://katiemaequilts.com/blog

May 5 - Jo Westfoot - http://www.thecraftynomad.co.uk/blog

May 6 - Sam Hunter - http://www.huntersdesignstudio.com

May 7 - Simone Fisher - http://simonequilts.com/blogs/news

May 8 - Elisabeth DeMoo- http://www.brownbirddesignsquilts.com

May 9 - Sarah Myers - http://www.quilted-diary.com/blog

May 10 - Amy Bradley - http://www.purplepineapplestudio.com

May 11 - Kathy Nutley - http://www.QuiltingsByKathy.com

May 12 - Carla Henton - http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

May 13 - Sherry Shish - http://www.poweredbyquilting.com

May 14 - Kate Colleran - http://www.seamslikeadream.com/blog

May 15 - Pamela Boatright - https://www.pamelaquilts.com/

May 16 - Cathy McKillip - http://wishuponaquilt.com/blog

May 17 - Cheryl Sleboda - http://blog.muppin.com

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop!