How to Organize Your Craft Space

Have you ever decided to work on a craft project, and then spent so long gathering all your supplies and tools and finding a clean workspace that you didn't have time to actually work on your project anymore? Not a lot of fun. With a little planning, and some simple storage containers; however, it's not to hard to get even a small craft space organized and ready for action. Craft space ideas include keeping your in-progress projects together, finding the perfect storage container, and avoiding plies that are difficult to access. Some crafts may have special considerations for storage, but most have a lot of storage considerations in common. You need your tools easily accessible, and to be able to find what you need when you need it. These tips can be adapted to your personal space and projects.

Storage For Works In Progress

The most helpful thing I have ever done to organize my crafting space is to create a storage container for each of my works in progress. I keep all essential items that I'll need to work on the next step in the project all together in one spot. For my quilting, this includes keeping all cut fabric pieces, thread, templates, pattern, and extra fabric (if I haven't cut all I'll need yet) all together in a box. For scrapbooking, I have a large plastic envelope that holds the papers, stickers, and any other embellishments I plan to use. For my crochet, I like a fabric tote that holds my yarn, pattern, and hook. No matter how messy the rest of the house is, I know I can pick up a project and have everything I need ready to continue.

The best container will depend on your project. You can spend as much as you like on whatever type of container you like best, but in some cases, a simple cardboard box may work. If you have a lot of small parts, you may want to include smaller boxes or baggies to keep all the little pieces from getting lost inside the bigger container. The key is to keep everything easy to find.

Where To Find Useful Craft Storage Containers

Don't be afraid to venture outside your usual section of the craft store either. You may find the perfect container to hold your buttons and snaps for sewing in the beading section. I've found that containers designed to hold and transport 12 inch quilt blocks work very nice for taking scrapbook pages to a class or crop. For that matter, the hardware store has a lot of great storage containers or little sets of drawers designed to hold lots of small items such as nuts and bolts that work wonderfully for organizing small crafting items. Often these cost considerably less than equivalent items at a specialty craft store too.

It's All About Easy Access

I was so proud once after I'd found a container for every craft supply I own, and had everything neatly put in its place. Over time, I had a heck of a time accessing it all though; because of my limited space, I'd had to stack all the containers on top of each other. Getting something out of the container on the bottom of the pile was a pain. Large containers that have to be dug through to get things on the bottom, or stacks that have to be lugged around to access craft supplies on the bottom are too much work. Whenever possible, store your supplies where you can easily and quickly get at what you need. I've found drawers and those shallow boxes that are designed to slide under beds work wonderfully. They are shallow enough to avoid needing to dig for small items. A chest of drawers achieved the same storage goals as a stack of boxes with much easier access to your crafting tools. Drawers can be found in any size, including small plastic sets that are so popular now, so they can be used to organize any crafting space.

The key to an organized craft space is to get all of your supplies and tools grouped into smaller storage containers that are then put into larger boxes, or a set of drawers. The type of small storage container depends on the type of craft you do, but don't restrict your self to shopping for storage solutions made just for your craft. Other crafting departments and the hardware store are great places to find storage solutions. But if take only one craft organization idea away from this article, let it be to create a box or bad for your work in progress. My larger craft stash may get messy, but I can always easily pick up and work on a project because I keep everything ready to go and together. After all, the goal of an organized craft space is to maximize your fun crafting time.