How to KonMari your Sewing Space

Hey guys, Amy here. January is inevitably a time of organization. Tidying, cleaning, resetting bad habits, resolutions! The new year always calls for a fresh start but it seems that with the advent of Marie Kondo's new show on Netflix, Tidying Up, 2019 is really determined to be the YEAR OF TINY BOXES!! We here in the studio are not immune to the zeitgeist and when Alexis and I did the last major tidy up we were extra diligent in making sure everything had a home it could go back to. While I'm not sure a bunch of needles or stack of measuring tapes fills me with "joy", it sure makes us joyful to have all this stuff organized.

Enter: Hardware boxes. We have been using these (the brand is Duramax from the dollar store) hardware organizers for a while for other things like snaps and buttons so when we were looking for a solution for sewing machine needles we slapped our foreheads (in unison) and got to work.

There are a few things about this product that we like and that you should look for if you want to get something similar. One, the clear top. The fact that you can see quickly what is inside (especially if you are using multiples)  is really efficient. Two, the movable little partitions. I like that you can customize these for just about anything and get real specific with sizing the compartments. Finally, I love that they aren't too big. I have seen versions of these that are practically furniture, and while it is nice to have everything in one space I love that you can change these out as your collections of notions change and grow. They are also portable and stackable.

OK! So this is the challenge we were faced with when I went on my organziing tear. Yes, we have a lot of machine needles! And they have very tiny numbers that are very hard to read and while we probably don't NEED all these variations, are we going to be very happy when we have the exact right twin needle for a jersey knit??? You betcha!

Sidenote: we buy most of our needles in major bulk from a wholesaler (we go through a LOT with our hardware kits) but Wawak is our favourite place to buy needles in smaller quantities.

I first grouped all the like things with like things. Once I had my categories, I used our handy label maker to print out labels for type and size of needle.

Once you have all the needles in a spot you like, you can go ahead and stick the labels to the outside of your lid.

Doesn't that look nice! I can't tell you how helpful it has been to see what we have in the drawers and to know where everything is, especially with multiple sewists at work at any given time!

And since we are here to look at pretty pictures of very organized little boxes, let's see what we have in the other ones....

Shirt buttons!

Snaps! And grommets!

More snaps! And snap tools!

Did someone say machine feet!?? Oh yes.

This one was especially handy for me cause lord knows I don't know what an edge stitch foot looks like off-hand. Since you're still here, chances are you want to see the drawers I went Koncrazy on, right? Let's take a peek...

We are still trying to figure out exactly what will be most useful in these drawers (these are the ones next to the main machine) so we wanted to leave room for more toys. But we only used boxes we had and so there is nothing lost if we end up deciding to move everything around in a few months. I think what I like most about the KonMari method is that she recommends using what you have to organize. Not only do you get to look at your cute boxes and dishes you use but there is no excuses for not getting started right away!

How you like to organize all the bits and bobs that make up a sewing practice?