Warning: these photographs are offensive – to me! If you want to see the opposite of home organization, keep reading. Anyone who thinks my home looks perfect all the time, grab a drink and settle in for a view of my sewing studio.
It’s in our basement (1914 Craftsman bungalow) and allows me to keep my sewing and craft supplies out – as opposed to spread across the dining room table where they used to live. (Here are highlights of our basement ceiling and ideas.)
When it’s neat and organized I’m more creative. When it looks like this, I cringe – and I can’t find anything.
When it looks like this, I don’t even want to come down here.
Honestly, I walk around the other way in our basement to avoid this area – when usually I love coming down here!
If I can sew or mend for 10 minutes, I’ll do it but not when it looks like this.
It’s my own fault. Because I didn’t follow my own rule…put things away after you use them. Yikes!
By the way, I’m calling this, “Truth in Blogging” because this is how it looks – truly. It was hard for me to share these because I like to pretty up an area before I take photographs. Brad encouraged me to share these “as is” so you can thank him!
When I went to the fabric store last week – when Brad and the kids were visiting colleges and family on the east coast – I used all of my self-control and didn’t buy any new fabric. If you’re a sewer, you know this is hard!
Next week, I’ll have this area ship-shape and you’ll have the after tour.
What area makes you cringe at your house? Any rooms you try and avoid?
Go Gingham related links:
A little wine cozy sewn from an arm of old dress shirt – that was turned into a paint shirt!
iPod slipcovers – small and cute, you can easily sew these
A “new” briefcase for a blogger – me!
How to take apart a skirt – use your seam ripper on this project!
Sew your own homemade lunch sack
52 weeks of home organization
As part of our New Year’s resolution, we’re cleaning out a different area of our house every week this year. Find all of the “weekly home organization projects” – or click the image below.
Go Gingham 
Hi Sara,
I don’t think I’ve ever commented before, although I love your blog (and am especially enjoying this Friday home organization series). I’m a sewer too, and can relate 100% to the current state of your sewing studio. I often take small snatches of time (even 10 minutes) to work on projects, and find I don’t always have time to straighten and leave things tidy in between sessions. I really appreciate the fact that you’ve shown your area as is, and are “keeping it real” (thank you, Brad!). In our current house my sewing area is the dining room – not ideal at all as the room is a mess while I’m working (and I share the table with my daughter who studies there) and then I have to box up my machines until the next time I need them. I’m quite envious of your space! 🙂
I also know how hard it is to walk out of a fabric store empty handed. This is something I’ve been working on for a few years now – reducing my stash and vowing to buy no more, no matter how pretty, unless I have a firm plan and a time frame.
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Marian, thank you. I can tell you completely understand. Sewers, unite in our love of fabric and buying fabric that we know we shouldn’t!!
Our dining room table seat 8 – which is good since 90% of the time, half of it is taken up with homework or a project – and the 4 of us eat at the other half.
Thanks so much for sharing, Marian. I appreciate you reading and I’ll pass on the compliment to Brad. He’s my voice of reason. 🙂
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This is what happens when life gets busy, thus half my house looks like this right now! argh! But my laundry room is awful at the moment. I really need to purge and reorganize. Thanks for sharing your real life with us, it makes me love ya more!! xox Sheila
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Ah….you are too sweet!! xoxo
Life plus summer do this to us. Thanks, friend!
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At least you have a basement for projects! My sewing machine sits on the dining room floor, and my sewing notions are in bins on the window seat in the dining room. Ugh! Some day, I’ll get a sewing room, or at least a cabinet.
Confessions– it’s not a room, but one spot in a room. The dresser top in my bedroom is always a mess. I use it as a sorting spot for all kinds of stuff. I clean it off about once every couple of months. Then it starts all over again. It’s so beautiful when it’s clean. I don’t know why I can’t seem to keep it tidy all the time.
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Lili, it seems like a good idea to keep it tidy, doesn’t it? Those trouble areas are pretty when they’re done but not so much when we let them go. Oh well!
Dining room tables are meant for so many activities – other than eating, aren’t they? 😉
Thanks for sharing – and confessing!!
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You are brave to show us your sewing room, but I think anyone who sews, or crafts, has a mess a lot of the time. I am looking forward to seeing how you handle all that fabric, since I am constantly stealing your ideas!
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Oh, Vanessa, thank you! It was really hard to share those photos. I got an email from a friend who said she had no words! LOL! Well, the clean up is in progress. Bonus, with the hot weather we’re having, it’s pleasant in the basement!
BTW, steal my ideas all you’d like! 🙂
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Maybe this is a rationalization … but I think that being creative requires a little messiness. If you have a project going, it’s really easier if you don’t have to clean everything up in between sessions. But I also find that I feel calmer if my surroundings are fairly organized, so I feel your tension. Thanks for being real with us–we’ve all been there! Oh, and while I’m not a seamstress and don’t feel an urge to buy fabric … I started knitting 1 1/2 years ago and it’s amazing how much yarn I have accumulated … hmmm.
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Kris, thank you for helping me to justify that mess but really – it is too messy! I worked on it today and it’s already looking better – and I’m feeling better about it.
My sister is knitter. She has your same issues… 🙂
Thanks, Kris!
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Soooo hard to go to the fabric store and not buy!! Good self control there! See you at the reunion next week I hope!
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Well, EFB, thank you!! I had no idea the reunion was next week?! Did I miss something?
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