Sorry I am a day late posting my blog. I have been traveling the last 2 weeks, and FINALLY arrived home this afternoon. I am collapsing with my feet up in the recliner while I am writing this post. It has been a fun trip.
I left on July 31 and flew to Texas, then back to Kansas City, then to Nashville, Cleveland, Chicago and finally home 14 days later. Phew! Saw Family, friends, and lots of great quilts and ate some great food! Now, back to work!!!!
This week I will take you on a tour of my my tool storage. You have already seen some of this, but as we wrap up this 6-week long blog hop, I will show you a few of the storage ideas I have come up with over the years.
Let's start with Rulers.
Who can resist a new ruler? Not me, for sure! I love to explore new cutting and piecing techniques and a new ruler gives me the chance to try out new ideas. I store rulers in wood ruler racks on my worktable. The big ones are in a large rack on the left. These are square rulers from 7" up to 20". It protects them while keeping them handy.
The smaller rack to the right holds short rulers and small squares. A bin with extra rotary cutters in several sizes sites next to the ruler racks. In addition, my Martelli turntable is nearby. This is a great set up for pressing and trimming blocks and smaller units.
To cut strips and larger cuts, I keep my long rulers in a rack mounted to the post just above my large cutting table.
Notice my brown stool in the bottom picture? I pull that out to sit at my cutting table if I am doing a LOT of cutting. It is a back saver.
I also keep a few rulers on my ironing board. If I am paper piecing or sewing and trimming at the machine, I keep a turntable and a few trimming rulers on the ironing board. It is all about keeping things close to where I use them.
Notice that I have a basket with ironing stuff right on my ironing board too. Starch, Best Press, water spritzer, and cups for filling the iron all go in there. There is also a pressing cloth folded and tucked in there when I need to protect surfaces I am pressing.
Beneath the ironing board is a 3-drawer storage container which holds more pressing hams, a clapper, and other pressing tools left over from my dress-making days.
Specialty rulers and templates I don't use often go in a storage drawer under my long work top.
I typically keep rulers I use for classes in the box that holds all the class stuff, but I also keep a large supply of extra templates in the storage drawer.
Smaller templates and rulers I use very seldom go in a small bin stored on my shelving units.
They are easy to find when I need them and out of the way when I don't.
Big things too big to put in a drawer or a bin are stored at the end of my worktop or behind my cutting table.
Because I teach a lot of quilt classes and vend my patterns at a lot of shows I have to be able to store things I need and access them quickly.
This long narrow table holds bins that store patterns, class supplies, and vending supplies, below the table. Each bin is labeled with its contents and I can pull out just the patterns I need to ship or the class I need to teach. This has made my life SOOOOOO much simpler.
Quilts for trunk shows are stored on my storage racks and in suitcases.
I actually need more room for quilts!
This is part of my fabric stash, by color. These reside next to my quilt storage racks.
I have this old pie safe cupboard I use to store my light boxes, paining supplies, extra irons, my Brother Scan and Cut and a few other odd goodies.
So thanks for hanging out with me the past 6 weeks. Watch for the announcement of winners of my weekly give away coming at the end of the week.
Easy Binding Winder
Karen K Buckley 4" Scissors
Aurifil Thread Pack
and this week. . . .
A Fat Quarter Fabric Bundle!!!
Be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win.
Thanks for hanging out with me for this blog hop. It has been a blast.
Here’s the list of participants and the days of the week they’ll be posting. Click the links to go to each of their blogs below and follow them, or bookmark their sites so you can check out what each has to say every week!
MONDAYS
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
- Kate Colleran of Seams Like a Dream
- Kris Poor of Poor House Quilt Designs
- Jessica Caldwell of Desert Bloom Quilting
THURSDAYS
FRIDAYS
SATURDAYS
SUNDAYS
You are so organized and I really like your basket of ironing supplies and the way you store your rulers. I have a wooden ruler holder, but it is only large enough for small rules, but it is convenient on my cutting table. Thank you for sharing your creative space. This has been a great blog hop.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, thanks for the comments. Aren't those ruler racks handy? I am so glad you have enjoyed this blog hop. It sure has been fun.
DeleteWhen I read about how little you had for the pie storage cabinet, I thought, "What a hoot!" Of course, then I remembered just how little I used to have, too, and it really made me laugh. 65 years of sewing shows up in lots of ways. :) You are very organized but then you have to be with doing such great things with designing and offering free patterns and teaching also. Thanks, Reeze; I really enjoy your blog postings.
ReplyDeleteThanks LJ, it has been fun to get my studio cleaned and organized for this blog hop. Sometimes you just need a deadline! hahaha. I laugh when I look at that pie safe and realize that my hobby turned into a business. Thanks for coming along with me for the ride.
DeleteThank you for sharing your storage ideas. My small rulers are in a plastic container. I still haven't quite decided on a storage solution for the larger rulers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Deb. I had to come up with a way to store long rulers after sitting on one and breaking it in half! hahaha
DeleteYour fabric color bins are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks Melody, they really need to be thinned out. I used to save every precious scrap when I first started quilting, and now I need to be a bit more realistic about what I save and how I store it.
DeleteWow!! LOVE the way you store your tools..very organized! Thank you for sharing with us... I don't have many tools, but I do keep them sorted & together..and close to where they are used. (due to small room..giggle)
ReplyDeleteHi Ohio Lori, it is not the quantity of tools that matters, but the quality! Now I invest in high quality tools that will last and get rid of the "fad" and "cheap stuff" I used to buy. Storage space is precious!
Deletewonderful to be so organized, you get to use your time to quilt!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shoshu, it sure helps to be organized when I go storming into my studio to work.
DeleteYou have some great storage ideas. Love the ruler rack.
ReplyDeleteHi GranChris, aren't those ruler racks great. I get one every time I see them on sale or find a great hand-crafted one at a quilt show.
DeleteWow! You are really organized! Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Sewgirl. It has been fun sharing my studio on this blog hop.
DeleteThis blog hop really has been a blast! I love your organizational ideas, and especially love your use of the pie safe! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Delaine, it has been a treat to have you come along with me on this blog hop.
DeleteI laughed when I read you saying your stash used to all fit in that cabinet because I have one of those too! Plus one and one! Ha Ha.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun how we grow from a small stash to a large studio? Not sure how that happened! Thanks for coming along with me on this blog hop Livia.
DeleteGreat ruler storage ideas and luv the stool for cutting to prevent a back ache. rozz01(at)cox(dot)net
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosalind, that stool was a great gift from the hubs. So helps me when cutting kits or FQ's.
DeleteThanks for all the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Sue, thanks for coming along with me on this blog hop. It has been fun to see your comments each week.
DeleteI don't have near the number of rulers you have, and most of my rulers were inherited from my mother-in-law. I just store them in an office letter organizer where they fit nicely. I've sewn for years but I'm fairly new at this quilting game, so maybe in time, I'll outgrow the letter holder.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you have your ironing board set up with what you need right there in a basket.
Hi Sharon, that office letter organizer is a great idea!
DeleteThanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeletececilialyoung@gmail.com
You are welcome Cecilia, it has been fun sharing my studio with you.
DeleteI especially liked the idea of the basket to store ironing things. I have a ton of baskets just doing nothing and my ironing supplies just on the shelf. They will soon be in a basket. Thanks for all your suggestions!
ReplyDeleteThat ironing basket is really handy. I collected baskets for years and am finally making better use of them in my studio. Thanks for your comments psnowl.
DeleteI use a file folder rack similar to your ruler rack. Thanks so much for sharing your organizational ideas with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks Allison, I think your file folder rack is a great idea. Anything you can do to keep your tools safe and within reach when you are working is the way to go.
Deletei'm so appreciative of all the effort this group of bloggers has put into giving us great ways to improve our spaces. Thanks for sharing your space.
ReplyDeleteMaybe big tubs with wheels for the show quilts and the odd big iteams. 24Tangent@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your storage ideas/space.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the basket by the ironing board. I think I will have to implement this one. Thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeleteOne can never have too many rulers, scissors, rotary cutters or anything that makes sewing and quilting easier and more organized! Great post! Thank you for sharing. Glad you're home and can kick back!
ReplyDeleteI use a file folder rack for my rulers that won't fit in a drawer. Thanks for sharing your tips.
ReplyDeleteLove reading you blog and seeing you sewing room. Great ideas and love the stool this is a back saver.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, that pie cupboard is to die for! Love it. I store my rulers in a drawer.
ReplyDeleteI love my pie safe also, LOL It is full of everything But the pies! Quilting, crafting, kids art supplies and correspondence papers. It is one of my to do DE-cluttering to stack ONLY quilts in it
ReplyDeleteI try to keep all my rulers together. Maybe thats where I go wrong. I need to keep them where I use them. Thanks for the ideas.
ReplyDeleteMy back saver has been my adjustable table by Martelli…. It has a mechanical height adjustment.... so I can sit or stand or change when Im tired. Have loved this blog hop!! So many great ideas.
ReplyDeleteWow - how organized you are! I love all the ruler racks. Thanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeleteWish I had your pie safe. Oh how many of my supplies I could store in there!
ReplyDeleteOhioholman@aol.com
Hi Reeze! I’ve really enjoyed your blogs! Thanks so much for sharing all of your organizing ideas and thanks so much for the wonderful patterns! Fun times!
ReplyDeleteSome great storage ideas
ReplyDeleteI love your ruler storage. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteWow, Just moved and have way more stuff than I thought I had. Will try some of your ideas as I get organised..
ReplyDeleteI have just been tidying my sewing room and decided to purge at the same time. I am getting of the age where I know that some projects will never get done. My guild has a "free" table every meeting. Enjoyed seeing how you organize.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, thanks for taking the time to share them. And your BOM are great, too. Kathy in colo
ReplyDeleteYour post is inspiring. I am in the midst of "plowing" my studio! I went to a retreat, and the room hasn't been restored. I'm making progress,though . . . struck carpet yesterday!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your storage ideas with us. Rulers can take up a lot of room and I like the way you store yours.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about everything being in one cabinet at the start! Then I see pictures of people living in those small houses, 500 sf etc. LOL I need more than that to store all my quilting stuff! What did the pioneer women do??
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing with us
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your space with us! I keep most of my rulers in a ruler rack but it is full. The larger rulers stand up in a space between the wall and a shelf. Biggest problem I have is that I seem to be acquiring more and more rulers as the years go on. Might be time to purge!
ReplyDeleteI'm a ruler fanatic too! One can never have enough rulers. Speaking of ever expanding work areas, my first was a corner in my newly remodeled bedroom, florescent about my machine, with a cabinet behind for fabric storage. I also had it wired so when I walked out the door, I could flip a switch and know the machine and iron were shut off. Sadly I outgrew that area quickly. I've now got everything crammed in the the biggest bedroom, which is just a bit over 9 x 12. But I also do a good bit of sewing in what should be my dining area, an 'L' off the living room. I probably shouldn't say this, but those talking of cutting back and/or purging.... send them my way! heheh
ReplyDeleteSo many ideas have come from all of you, thanks for sharing and the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting your organization ideas. I love the posts
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI love that pie cabinet! I store mine 3 ways, some on the wall with nails/command hooks, some specialty/smaller ones in a file cabinet with patterns, etc. And some on my sewing machine table in a wooden slotted ruler holder!
ReplyDeleteLove all your ideas! Now to implement some of them at my house, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed your blogs even though I have not left a post, but this week I had to because of the basket on the ironing board. I have my things scattered on the top of my dryer, why I never thought of a basket I don't know. So thank you for helping me declutter the top of my dryer.
ReplyDeleteWow, you have been busy. I am getting ready for a trip and plan on taking some blocks from your patterns to do hand applique so I have something to do in my down time!!
ReplyDeleteWow - this has been a great blog hop - it is really encouraging me to get better organized and productive! Thanks for all the tips - love the ironing basket!!! mumbird3atgmaildotcom
ReplyDelete