Purging vs. Cleaning

"I need to clean out my sewing room." How many times have you heard or said that? For the next few weeks I will be sharing some sewing room organization tips.

TIP #1: PURGE. We quilters talk about cleaning out our sewing rooms, but let's face it. Most of our sewing rooms need more than just cleaning....they need purging. I have found that in my own sewing room, before I can clean, I need to purge and get rid of the clutter. To purge, I start with one thing at a time. And in my sewing room, I am tired of not being able to find my notions when I need them. Things like needles, scissors, seam rippers, pins, chalk, markers, thimbles, rotary cutters, rotary blades, etc. They are all over my sewing room and I would like to have them all together in one location. So I'm going to start with notions.

I am using a laundry basket and going through my sewing room and putting all my notions in the laundry basket. Then I will put back only the things I need and use. The items I don't need or use, I will donate or throw away. Now the big question. Where do you put all those notions in your sewing room that you want to keep where they are neat and orderly and readily available? I used a hanging closet shoe bag that I can hang out of the way on the back of my sewing room door. I like the kind that has clear pockets so that I can easily see what is in each pocket. These shoe bags are very inexpensive and can be found at Walmart.

Well, that's enough to work on for this week. Watch for tip # 2, coming next Monday.

2 in next Monday's blog.