From our Guests: Creative Ideas and Tips for Storage

This week I want to share creative ideas and tips for storage from some of my friends. These gals know it’s important to have a space that works for them. I know they have some ideas that might work for you too! Share your ideas in the comments below.

Reminder: Share your Before photos on last week’s post: A Space of your Own for a chance to win. I’m loving all the submissions so far!

We have two copies of Organizing Solutions for Every Quilter: An Illustrated Guide to the Space of Your Dreams to give away.

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Erin Russek – One Piece at a Time

My favorite and most useful organizing tip is to organize by color.

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Monica Solorio-Snow – The Happy Zombie

I plug my iron into a surge protector (seen next to right side of the right lamp in the photo) – plugged in along with the counter-top lamps that flank my ironing board. I use the on-off switch on my surge protector to control my lamps and my iron. If my lamps are off, I know there’s no way my iron could be on should I have accidentally forgotten to unplug it. No lights = no hot iron = restin’ easy.

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Heather Jones – Olive & Ollie

My top studio organization tip is storing spools of thread on spool holders that are mounted on the wall to save table space. I use wooden holders by June Tailor that are meant to stand on a flat surface, but I attached a couple of d-rings to the back and hang them on the wall. That way, I can easily see what colors of thread that I have, plus it saves precious work space on my sewing table!

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Anne Sutton – Bunny Hill Designs

For me if it’s out of site it’s out of mind so I try and store things where I can see them.

I use wire baskets, open shelves and glass jars.

My fat quarter caddy is a silverware tray that I use to contain fat quarters I’m working with at the time

Each work area has a cute storage box filled with notions, scissors, pins and needles, pin cushions etc.. I like to be able to grab my scissors, seam ripper etc where I am and not half to walk around looking for them.

A painted wood napkin holder houses everyday rulers.

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Victoria Findlay Wolfe – Bumble Beans Inc.

So, where do you store your HAND QUILTING FRAME?

If you are running out of space AND you don’t have a desk lamp, stick your frame up against the windows, and position your LAMP over your desk!

It will remind you everyday, how much you spent on that frame, how many times you’ve tried quilting on a frame and still prefer to have it all piled in your lap and you’ll be able to work all night on projects without lighting up your entire studio and keeping the rest of your home awake while doing so!

A hand quilting rack on your west facing window ledge also becomes a great place to hang special knickknacks, important papers you DO NOT want to lose… (Now, why did I not hang my jury summons up there? where could it be?)

And if all else fails, you could move it to the north window ledge to block an unwanted 28 story apartment building where tenants will soon be peaking into your windows…. If the open face bookshelves with bright and nicely folded fabrics on them, has not blocked enough of that view!

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Valentine Giveaway

Plus, I’m hosting a Valentine Giveaway at my blog today! Click on over and leave a comment and YOU might win this bundle of sweetness!

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Pat Sloan is owner and founder of the quilting design and publishing company Pat Sloan & Co. She has published over 25 books, more than 100 patterns, nearly 10 fabric lines, and has had her work featured in all the major Quilt magazines. In January 2010, Pat started hosting her weekly Internet Radio show called Creative Talk Radio.

Find Pat here:

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