Welcome to the second issue of the FaveCrafts Craft Rooms Exposed series!  As promised in our monthly craft question post, for 8 more weeks we will be featuring one craft room every Monday.  Get inside tips from some of our favorite bloggers and designers and find out how they turn their craft rooms into lean, mean crafting machines!   And now without further adieu, let’s explore our first featured craft room.

Featured Room Designer: Jane Skoch of Maiden Jane

Organizational Tip: Make sure to store your projects!  Jane says, “My biggest problem is that projects collect on the counters and then I feel like the clutter takes over!”

The Tour:

Jane says, “I primarily sew in my studio. I have been sewing on a machine for 19 years. I enjoyed sewing coats, dresses and clothes for my kids when they were little. In recent years I have been sewing formal dresses for my daughters, costumes, home accessories and totes. I also sew T Shirt Quilts. Several years ago I started working for an online fabric company and was inspired to open an Etsy shop. It has been a wonderful experience and an opportunity to explore the creative side of my brain (not easy for an engineer.)”

Jane says, “I love to re purpose containers when possible. We love clementines and use the boxes to store craft items. They are great because we can stack them in the large cupboard and if we are doing a particular craft, we can grab the entire box and bring it out closer to where we are working. We also love cigar boxes. (No, we don’t smoke cigars, but found a bunch in Myrtle Beach years ago that we are still using. I love the colors – and the smell!).

Jane says, “Space, of course. I like to have clear work surfaces, so I try to “go vertical.” I have a set of file folders, but, inevitably, I toss a paper on my desk which soon becomes a pile. The same thing happens with my sewing area. I might be excited to work on a new product, but a custom quilt comes along and before you know it, I have piles.”

Jane says, “We selected a cabinet with a narrow storage bin. My ironing board can fit in it. However, most of the time I have it out. When we want to get into the other cupboard, we have to slide the ironing board out of the way.”

Jane says, “Also, the countertops are intended to be work areas. However, they tend to collect piles and before you know it, the entire surface is covered. When the clutter was simply taking over the room, I sprung into action with a quick plan which was a cheap and practical solution to the problem. I gathered extra reusable grocery bags, stapled photos of the types of my common projects, placed the fabric piles inside and put the bags under the counter. A single basket on the counter is intended for the most current works-in-progress.”

Jane says, “Place things near where you use them. I keep my thread and patterns in file drawers. My scissors, bobbins, measuring devices, thread clips, are all in easy reach in the drawer underneath my sewing machine.”

Want to see more?  Check out this awesome post written by Jane.