Makeover kreahjørne/Craft Space

I finally finished upgrading my craft space!
Things are now much better organized. No more searching for what I need, in piles of mixed stuff. Not more things cluttering surfaces because they have no home.
My craft space inspires me so much more, and I have already sewn more than I did the entire last half year.
Stuff is easier to get to and use, and I find it much easier to get started on a sewing project, or just use 10 minutes to get some sewing done.

My craft space is in my main room. Apart from holding the craft space, the main room also serves as living room, dining room, tv room, game room, and is generally where we hang out. And it is only 22,3 sq m (240 sq ft).
I also needed the craft space to work better for the amount of space available, than it used to.

First I would like to recommend my favourite organiser: ClutterBug. This is NOT a sponsored post, I just happen to think she struck gold.
She divides people into four organising types. We don’t organize the same way, and if you try to do it in a way, that doesn’t fit you, you might think you are bad a organising, when in fact you brain just works differently.
Her test is here

I am a “bee”:
1. I like and need to be able to see my stuff, or it doesn’t exist to me. (Which in case of my craft space means I forget to do crafts I wanted to do).
2. I like to organise really detailed. (Because otherwise I get frustrated at having to rummage through boxes of miscellaneous stuff, and end up not using it).

Let’s go:

First I got rid of my old sewing table, and packed stuff in boxes. Stuff explosion.

New table: IKEA SKARSTA adjustable table. 70 x 120 cm (the smaller one).

So exited. 🙂

Table in place. Now onto some serious tidying and organizing.

I spend two weeks figuring out how to organize what and where, and how. Huge job.

But finally everything was sorted and divided and decluttered and tidied.

I introduce to you: My new and opgraded craft corner!

To the left 5 white bookcases on wheels.

And an oak veneer book case, which stands on the floor.

Then the work space.

And to the right more oak veneer book cases.

Now lets go into details:

White bookcases on wheels to the left

The white book cases on wheels are IKEA BILLY.

They each have a piece of floor particle board screwed into the bottom, and four non-swivel wheels attached to the board (non-swivel because then they pull out straight).

The wheeled bookcases are sturdy and easy to pull out.
I only ever pull them 90% for safety reasons. Should one tumble over, the other book cases will catch it. The oak veneer bookcase closest to the work table, is securely anchored to the wall.

NB! IKEA advises that BILLY be attached to the wall. The book cases could in extreme circumstances tumble over. If you copy my idea, it is at your own risk.
I have thought about creating casings that attach to the ceiling, that the book cases could run in. That will both secure them even more, and they would pull out even more straight.

The two outer bookcases contain fabric.
I have a cardboard template, that I fold my fabric around for it to fit nicely on the shelves.
I used this tutorial.

Assorted crafts:
Top three shelves: Knitting yarn.

Fourth shelf: Bra making materials.

Fifth shelf: Skin care product DIY materials, and my laminator.

Sixth shelf: Shoe making, fabric stamps, embroidery.
Seventh shelf: Assorted home DIY, acrylic paint and interior decorating.

Bottom: Gifts.

Clothes and bags for refashion:

Fabric scraps, doll making, and dvds (because there was an empty spot there).

The oak coloured book case holds my nice tableware and – Oh shock! Books.

Next to the book case, usually placed in the empty space in fron of the oak bookcase, is our pencil, marker, scissors caddy.
And a few kilos of yarn, that I will begin a projects with soon.

Work space

What might jump out at first, is that there is no chair. The table is adjustable and I keep it at stand height. I could lower it, but I haven’t felt the need to, since i put the table up.

I love standing to sew. I put foam floor puzzle pieces under the table to cushion a bit when I stand there.

I have a small ironing board, which hangs on the wall below the table. I used to have a big ironing board, but I could never be bothered to pull it out. Although this small one is not as practical for ironing big things, the fact that I can easily pull it out and set it up, means that it is actually getting used.

To the left at small trash can, where I collect fabric scraps. They go to a charity that have them recycled into new prodcts.

To the right the small metal chests hold various cords and power strips in a decorative way.

Above the table to the left is my book display. I regularly change the books and magazines out, they inpspires me a lot.

Below, on the table, the sewing tools I use the most. IKEA HÖFTA dividers.

Thread.

My two mini transparent drawers. They are basically my very organised and neatly labeled junk drawer. They both hold tiny sewing notions, and all the other tiny himstregimser a house holds.

(Oh and this is totally a Clutterbug “bee” item).

To the right of the drawers is my meme board.

Below it two small notice boards made of cork coasters covered in pretty fabric (Robert Kaufmann).

I keep oddly shaped craft tools on them.

Oak veneer book cases to the right
Book cases with doors.

From the top:

– Craft books (and gardening books).

(Oh and on top is my peppermint green Husquarna Zig-zag 1962 *love* ).

Below:

– The four small white baskets hold current projects. I am not allowed to have more than one project per basket going at the same time.

– I keep the sewing notions I use the most, in the five larger white baskets: Elastics, zippers, velcro, interfacing, ribbon, bias tape, all sort of string type thingies, and my iron.

– At the bottom is my sewing patterns in the white folders, separated by type. And also my gardening magazines.

The sewing notions are organised in the baskets with drawer dividers Again IKEA HÖFTA.

Before and after photos of the notions baskets.

The last oak veneer bookcase.

Top left: Books, sewing machine accesories in the small baskets.

Top right: Baskets with glues, lace, paper. Below them pattern magazines.

Bottom left: Office items.

Bottom right: More pattern magazines and individual patterns. My knitting needles. And big spools of ribbon.

On top of this bookcase I keep my “treasure chest” of button and beads.

We are not done yey? Even though there is only one table in the main room, I have a cutting table.

The main living space is very multi-purpose, and it is mostly due to this table:

This is the coffee table.
70 x 120 cm width and length (2′ 3 9/16″ x 3′ 11 1/4″).
40 cm height (15 3/4″) .

Now it is the dining table 76 cm height (2′ 5 59/64″).

And now it is the big dining table. Or as I mostly use it: My cutting table.
120 x 140 cm length and width (3′ 11 1/4″ x 4′ 71/8″ ).

I use these foam puzzle pieces as the surface. They are great for pinning the fabric to to keep it straight, or to keep flimsy or slinky fabric to escape.
I will make another blog post about it.

And lastly I have this area, I call it my flex(ible) area below the windows. On purpose there is no furniture here, but have foam floor puzzle pieces on the floor for comfort/warmth.
I like to sit on the floor. If I don’t feel like using the (cutting) table, I will sit there to cut, mark, pin ect.

That wooden box on the mat? It has wheels and at any time holds the sewing project I am working on at the moment (not to confuse with those four small white boxes of current projects).