Let’s be real: you probably need some sewing room organization ideas. After all, this hobby we love uses a lot of…stuff.
One of the biggest things that gets in the way of your creativity is having a sewing space that’s a big mess. When all your stuff has it’s own spot, it takes away the mental strain that sucks your creativity dry.
Think about cooking for a second. How excited are you to cook dinner in a messy kitchen? I know I’m way more likely to want to order out on those nights. So it is with your sewing space.
I want your room to be a place where you want to create. Your sewing room with a little organization can become a happy spot where you want to be. Let it be a place where you can get away from the noise and just make something that’s beautiful with your own two hands.
So with all that in mind, here is a big list of sewing room organization ideas. Think of this post as a resource hub for you to get more ideas to try out on your journey to an organized sewing room that works for you!
Table of Contents
Ways to organize your fabric stash
**Click on any of the pictures to take you to the full posts**
I’m not here to judge you for how much fabric you buy or don’t buy. We sewists love fabric, but when you bring it home, here’s some ideas for how to store fabric that will make your stash work for you.
No more digging through bins or random piles and finding fabric you bought like 10 years ago! Definitely try some of these ideas and see what works best for you in your space.
Ideas for organizing your pattern stash
Sewing patterns can definitely create a lot of clutter in your sewing room. Find some ideas here in Wipe out your clutter with these sewing pattern storage ideas for all your patterns.
There’s ideas for envelope patterns, PDF patterns both printed and copy shop, magazine patterns, and for an active queue of the patterns you’re working on right now.
I’ve been using some of these ideas for years. After writing this post, I’m definitely going to be adding more of a mix of strategies in my own pattern stash storage. After all, sewing room organization is one of those things that evolves over time!
Keeping your sewing tools in check and where you can find them
A sewing room that works for you has tools that you can find at any given time.
Tackle your tools with these sewing room storage ideas will help you organize your tools by zones within your sewing space.
You’ll find lots of ideas for separating your tools by task. Also, there’s ideas for things like pegboards and magnetic racks in your sewing room.
My personal favorite is the presser foot cork board. All those colors make my wall just a little happier!
How to organize your thread
A good thread storage system does three things.
- Keeps it dust free
- Keeps thread in a way that helps you find things quickly
- All the thread ends should be in check
Check out Thread storage ideas that won’t leave you tangled up. There’s lots of ideas for storage solutions to keep your thread organized, clean and looking purty. Also, no loose threads here!
I think you’ll really like the DIY bobbin storage hack. I stopped being frustrated with loose bobbin threads when I started using it!
How to clean your sewing machine
A happy sewing space needs a good machine that works! It’s silly but true.
How to clean a sewing machine walks you through some basic machine maintenance. You’ll learn how to clean your sewing machine, serger, and coverstitch. Ooh, and you’ll learn whether you need to oil or not.
Notions storage ideas because…buttons
Here’s a scenario: it’s a Tuesday night and you’re 97.2% done with a shirt dress. Yay! Totally wearing that on Wednesday!
But before Wednesday comes, you have that 2.8% to get through. What’s left? It’s sewing on 15 buttons. You’ll power through sewing on those buttons ok, but first you have to find 15 buttons…that match.
So you start sifting through an old button tin. It’s 2.8 seconds before you realize that finding 15 buttons in this mess is a vain vain effort.
Clearly you need some organization help for all your sewing notions!
Ditch the button tin and get some sewing notions storage ideas and take control of your sewing room. There’s some genius storage hacks for storing buttons, zippers, elastic, ribbons, and snaps.
Speed clean your sewing room
Projects are a mess and a half, but just because you’re in the middle of a project doesn’t mean your space has to suffer. Here’s some quick ideas for speed cleaning your sewing room. It’s 15 minutes to feeling better mentally in your workspace.
Books for your sewing room
While this isn’t about organization per se, a sewing room that works should have some books you can always rely on.
Sewing books for beginners that are actually helpful spells out the books I’d recommend to anyone. They’re the ones you can reach for when you’re stuck. Give them their own shelf, and there’s easily a part of a well-organized sewing room.
Things to consider when your sewing space is looking good
Think of these things as level 2. Your sewing space is working for you now, so maybe it’s time to think about these things…
Conquer your sewing UFOs
Unfinished objects are one of those things that can take over your otherwise clean sewing room. And man do they take up some mental real estate that’s going to kill your sewjo.
Here’s some ideas for conquering your UFOs so they don’t run away from you.
How to sew faster
With a good organized room, you can get through so much work in so much less time. That’s good news if you’re short on time but still want to feel like you got something done in your sewing room.
Sewing Efficiently: Your ultimate guide has over 40 ideas for how to sew faster. There’s all kinds of ways for you to be efficient without sacrificing the quality of your work.
What is batch sewing and why it’s awesome
I’m all about squeezing the most out of your sewing time. Batch sewing is one of my secret weapons for getting stuff done.
8.5 Tips for faster batch sewing is my personal cheat sheet for how to do batch sewing. Yes it takes some solid implementation of all of these sewing room organization ideas. Still, once you get into the flow of it, it’s kind of a sport unto itself.
If you’ve ever thought about making a round of pjs for your family, batch sewing has your back!
So now that you’re armed with all these sewing room organization ideas, I want to hear from you. Do you struggle with organization in your sewing? What kinds of things would you love some help with?
Video tour of an organized sewing room
My favorite tips for an organized sewing room
Organizing sewing supplies can be overwhelming! Get a ton of sewing room organization ideas that'll help you transform your sewing room into a place that helps ignite your creativity.
One of the best gifts you can give yourself is putting your sewing tools where they're within reach. Here's some solutions that'll help you move all your most used sewing tools right at your fingertips.
Having a fabric stash can be a wonderful resource when you sew! But sorting through your fabric when you're working on a project can be a headache and a half. Here's some beautiful ways to organize scrap fabrics, large bits of fabric for small and bigger sewing spaces and everything in between. I personally love the unconventional use of wine racks!
Speed clean your sewing room in just 15 minutes with a free printable checklist.
Spending hours searching for buttons? Got all your zippers tangled up in a cavernous box somewhere? Here are some beautiful ways to organize sewing notions that'll make finding just what you need for a project in no time.
Storing thread without the threads getting tangled up AND keeping the thread away from damaging light and air can be challenging. Grab these thread storage hacks to help you protect your thread and keep it handy when you sew. You'll love the bobbin storage hacks!
An organized sewing room needs a sewing machine in working order! Here's how to clean a sewing machine step by step. You'll also learn how to clean a serger and a coverstitch machine to keep all your machines happy and humming.
Need some sewing pattern storage solutions? We all do! Raise your hand if you've ever gone overboard on a sewing pattern sale? (raising hand). Here's some great ways to keep down the clutter and still keep your sewing patterns accessible when you need them.
Elizabeth Farr is the writer behind the Elizabeth Made This blog where she shares helpful sewing tips, step by step sewing tutorials and videos to help you explore your creativity through sewing. She has written sewing Eguides and patterns, been a featured teacher at Rebecca Page’s Sewing Summit and Jennifer Maker’s Holiday Maker Fest and her work has appeared in Seamwork and Altered Couture magazines. She also created a line of refashioned garments for SEWN Denver. When her sewing machine isn’t humming, she’s playing and teaching violin, and hanging around a good strategic board game with her husband and 4 kids.