My son told me that red and white mushrooms are the basis for Santa's red and white outfit, and weird stuff like that. There is a Joe Rogan video about it.
@2:55 You mention that the table is "just so handily a flat surface." For years I have referred to my husband (and myself, but not AS much) having "flat surfaceitis", a disorder which makes one fill any available flat surface with as much of the detritus of day to day life as possible until said surface has no room left. Anyone else suffer from this disorder?
It is not a disorder, we are just not all born organized (BO). Let me tell you - FlyLady has some very good advice on how to deal with it. (She is not a BO either, she KNOWS how it is and what to make of it.)
That's why I literally don't have a kitchen table and I eat on the floor criss cross apple sauce. I actually sold my table to someone who just got out of prison and was setting up their life 🤷
Flat surface = potential "hot spot", aka collecting mess. Just like a true hot spot, they will take over very quickly, if you don't deal with them while they are still small... (Learned from the FlyLady, and oh girl doesn't it describe things accurately!)
My studio includes painting, jewelry and sewing -- and it's a mess, with homeless items everywhere. It's so consoling to see someone of your expertise with a messy floor and shelves! I am inspired to start work on mine.
What a lovely transformation. I must admit that my favorite part of this post was getting to see all the amazing ways you can fix your beautiful hair. But that's just the grandma in me.
I need to gut my room and ditch a bunch of crap that I’ve been holding onto since I was a kid. I have too many things and I need more space. It’s nice to watch other people clean. Cleaning videos are always inspiring
@@MorganDonner .. google is not my friend today, but I think this probably will make sense, instead of a door, pegboard is hung from the wheels.. each single track is spaced as needed for clearance .. the track can be fastened to the underside of a securely mounted shelf... so the pegboard will reach any height you choose .. hope the link works.. www.johnsonhardware.com/2800-single-rail-pocketsliding-door-hardware
When I watch programmes about people doing amazing things pertaining to any of my interests, I get inspired to do them, too, but I'm giving my own cleaning process more time. Unfortunately, it's taken me up until my 30's until I started FINISHING projects that didn't have a looming deadline breathing down my neck. Turns out, finishing my knit projects and freeing up the knitting needles has made me aware of how many duplicate sets of knitting needles I really own. I could probably donate enough for a couple of classrooms at this point. Oops. lol
Me too! We used to have carpet, but since most of the carpet on the second floor, where the sewing/guest room is located, needed replacing, we went with a lovely light "pine" laminate. Cleaning up the pins, threads, and cat barf is so much easier!
Maybe you could try putting all of the materials you're using on a current project in like a basket or something, this way they're not all over the room and are easy to manage
Thank you so, so, SO much for posting this! I'm about to go through a similar process of sorting, culling, and finding homes for things, and it is such a relief to know that I'm not the only maker in the "hot mess" category, especially mid- or post-project. Thank you for this transparency and authenticity.
Just before watching this video I was sewing and realized my chair was no longer rolling across the floor as I moved. The wheels had become immobile from the scraps of material and thread stuck in them. I've been much quicker to clean up my floor underneath after each project. It took me 4 hours to clean the wheels out.
Flat surfaces, homeless items, projects that take over, things all over the floor... yep, got it all. It always makes me happy to see someone else's mess, because it means I'm not the only one it happens to. And it always makes me happy to see a room transformed into a more efficient, pleasing space. I fixated on your use of a silverware bin as mini shelves on your pegboard; I love finding different ways to use things that are easy to get or that I already have.
@@MorganDonner I'm happy to say that I ended up having space to paint a complicated project with a friend without having to scramble to clear the area. 😁
So I just found you lol and I watch on my tv while I sew so I can't comment often but thanks for the video! I watched you, Noel and Bernadette all cleaning your sewing rooms and felt like maybe it was a sign lol. It's so much more motivating to work when your space is inviting and organized.
Thank you for sharing. We just moved into a bigger place and now I have my own craft room for the first time. You've given me some ideas on how to organize it.
I love this video. It is the exact process I did with my studio (aka sewing room). One thing I did was label everything so the space it was assigned was the item's forever home - so easy to pick up. My pegboard I painted - plus I added wire baskets on it to hold some things that didn't fit nicely on a hook. I also put big plastic cup that says PAPER SCISSORS - so all scissors (that are not marked with a little green stripe meaning paper - go in the cup. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Lovely! My work process is much the same as yours. I have never been one to "clean as I go", but find much satisfaction in cleaning up at the end to start the next thing. Now I must go work in my room....
I loved that you showed us your studio. I rarely let anyone in my studio because of the clutter. It was nice to see I am not alone in the challenge of keeping a studio picked up. Thanks for a great video.
I cannot let my sewing area get messy like this because I have pets. My cats would get into pins and threads, and so would my ferret. I have been experimenting with something lately that I have found to be really great. I have organized my room, and now I put a small bin on the table where I am working. I also put a pin cushion beside me. As I work, I am training myself to drop the scraps and threads into the bin. I drop the pins on the magnetic pin cushion, and drop things into the appropriate drawer after using them, if I am completely done with them. I know this sounds weird, and it takes practice, but when I wind up my sewing for the day, (or night), things are already clean. I think McDonalds calls it, "Clean as you go." Then all I have to do is empty the bins into the trash can, put my pin cushions away, and check the floor for any stray pins, as a safety move. When I begin sewing the next time, everything is neat and clear, and I know where things are. I also lose fewer things this way. I am trying to do this throughout my house, and it seems to be a real miracle!! Things are so easy to keep neat if you, "Clean as you go!" This is also, for me, part of the, "slowing down and enjoying the process" move. For many many years, I have rushed thru life, raising children, keeping house, working, going to school, studying, etc. Now I want to train myself to slow down and enjoy my sewing and crafting. I don't want to be in such a hurry anymore. I enjoyed your video, and you are adorable!!
@petmom ful I loved this comment! I am very bad about cleaning up as I go, with one exception: cooking. My husband complains that I’m always putting dishes and silverware he is still using into the dishwasher! I have to thank Mrs. Allard, my 9th-grade Home Ec teacher, for instilling that habit. She insisted that we “clean-up-as-we-went” any time we were in the kitchen-and the habit has stuck with me for 40 years. For whatever reason, she did not emphasize the practice during our sewing units-probably because we had to tidy up at the end of class every day anyway. But it is like you say above: you have to develop the *habit* of cleaning up as you go, which takes conscious effort until you have repeated the action a sufficient number of times. The joy of developing a habit is that once you have cemented it in your mind, it takes no mental effort to do-indeed, you barely notice yourself doing it. I don’t feel burdened by kitchen clean-up because I barely notice each individual, habitual act of cleaning-up-as-I-go-but if I had to face the messy kitchen all at once, it would feel so overwhelming that I probably would find an excuse not to clean it. The upshot of all this is: I am resolved to extend my clean-up-as-you-go habit to as many other realms of my life as I can! And if all else fails-I’ll still have my clean kitchen to which to escape!
@@trochilidae.to.accipitridae And a clean kitchen is such a blessing. I see a lot of people go up and down in their housework. They clean it, and it takes all day. Then they let it get trashed again, and it takes all day to clean it. I do a bit each day, cleaning as I go, and putting away things before bed. It is so much less work to keep a house that way, and you are never embarrassed if someone comes by. I had to train myself to do this, tho. I wish you much luck in keeping the habits that help you!!
Nothing better than overhauling a room! I do my tiny bed room about once every 3 months when I want to just change up the look, I love pastels and black so I tend to switch between those. 😆
Morgan did you come into my home and describe it for the internet? The studio space in my home is badly afflicted with "no permanent home" disease and so every time I do a project it's like a bomb of notions went off. I feel like it's so hard to stay organized unless you go to professional studio levels of organization and clean up requirements. Blech. Thank you for being so open about this problem! Also, yay new projects that we can see coming up! :)
Welp, this must be the theme of 2019 -- clean up and reorganize. I am six months into cleaning my sewing room. Yesterday, briefly, I saw my cutting table. Then it got swallowed up again. In the mean time, I organize things by accident. Got a new shelf and accidentally tidied the pantry. Got some can rollers, and accidentally tidied a cupboard. Did a load of towels and accidentally tidied the shelf they go on. I envy your ability to "just get on with it." Have you considered bottling that ability and selling it?
Thank you so much for your transparency with your work space! I am working on turning my living room/office/entry space/kitchen into a general all-purpose home economy zone, banishing my offspring and all of their paraphernalia to their bedrooms and basement. My sewing things have no proper space currently, unless EVERYWHERE counts, because I have been unsure where I am comfortable working. I'm a vagrant in my own home. And the pegboard is the best. Thank you so much for your great ideas!!
gorgeous! only thing i would change as you seem to have a handyman on call, hehehe is for him to drill/hammer a couple of nails into the wall literally right below where the thread hanger is now, so that you can take the thread hanger off the board and hang onto the nails or whatever you decide on. taking that thread hanger off the board would free up the other half, making many more things able to be easily reached once up on the board than in draws, especially if used all the time! i'd actually attach it to the side of the new cabinets next to it, even if its too wide, it would free up the rest of that board!
Every time I sew I've got the same "picture" on the floor)))) Thank you very much, now I can breathe easily, because I see that it's normal))) sorry for my poor English))))
What an improvement!!! So much easier to concentrate on what you are saying thsn being distracted by the clutter!!! Bravo!!! Hint: you may want to consider another *towel bar* to store your ribbon /trim on (we used dowels on a wall in a florist I worked at).
There's nothing so satisfying as getting organized and you have done a nice job. I like the new storage unit without doors that just slow a person down. In general I follow the old adage about form following function You have made a very cheerful sewing room and I like your style.
Wow! Good on you for doing all that work! It is so nice to take stock of one's things every so often. Hope this room functions much better for you now!
Loved this! My sewing room has "grown", but needs to be a guest room, TOO, by Christmas (it's now February). The pegboard is the next thing to add. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You must live close to an Ikea store! I really feel that pain of things not having an actual "home" and am amazed that you were able to know exactly how much space you needed on your new furniture to house your things! I can't seem to make my brain do that!
I‘m going to move soon (in a much smaller place at that), so my whole life is about sorting, selling/giving away, cleaning and renovating. It’s exhausting, but also oddly satisfying. It really forces me to decide, piece by piece, what is an essential possession for me and what isn’t. I‘ve gotten rid of so much stuff, I just couldn’t let go off before...all that clutter, accumulated over 10+ years. Even not going to be able to do any sewing for at least 6 months or so is oddly exciting. Because it means, I‘ll finally get around to exploring things like embroidery and carving...which I long wanted to do and which requires less time and space than garment making. And I‘m already looking forward to the excitement of being able to start again, at some point 😄
As I've been working on organizing my sewing stuff I decided to look at things as if I'm moving to a smaller space and trying to let go of things. It's difficult but very rewarding.
Thank you for showing a _realistic_"before" situatiation! It doesn't only make it more interesting, it gives hope. It helps to realize what is possible - and in what time! You also filmed it in such a way that the space itself was revealed - how big room, approximate proportions and so on. There are studio floor plans out there, but they are usually way bigger, so that they are of no help for most of us! Yours is much more realistic.
Holy crow, seeing your after-project chaos made me feel so much better, lol! I sew in my dining room, and the "stuff" on the ground gets old fast. My daughter just moved out and I'm taking over her room for my sewing area- I am taking BIG notes from you on how to organize! I am heading off to the hardware store for pegboards! Thanks for the inspiration!
Pegboard comes from places like Lowe’s in 4x8 or 4x4 foot sheets. Tack wood along the edges to hang it from. Enough space for tools, also a classic in kitchens.
Thank you for this. The not insta-perfect before pictures make me feel so much better about the cacophony of a creative space. I don't have a dedicated work space. Choosing to do multiday projects is carefully planned and i'll have things spread over half my apartment (yay for small space - said no one ever). Plus wanting to have pretty things & inspirationy things in the work space, too. Anyways, your video is a nice reminder that its just part of creative spaces.
I'm going to be cleaning out my own room tomorrow to better include my sewing supplies as I dont have anywhere else for them at the moment and this is a great video to watch before I do so. (along with the fabric closet one as im going to have to down size my own fabric collection) It makes as a great way to make em excited to reclaim my craft space.
I literally sew at my desk next to my school and work computer or out next to my cats basket. I don’t have a machine or any fancy equipment, but I’ve made some nice quality garments! Can’t wait until I can get my own sewing room 😊
So satisfying! I would love to have my craft room look like this! At this point I will just be happy to get some better lighting in there. Putting things up on the wall makes it sooo much easier in so many ways.
I know you probably have already changed many things but the two items I would've changed are 1) remove the carpet ( if your renting I know that is impossible) easier to clean and find pins that have been dropped. 2) Bigger peg board. I know you put command hooks on the side of the new cub bard but you could put a peg board along the whole side. Hope your safe .
I have no sewing room, but I use some magnetic whiteboards on my wall to keep track of upcoming deadlines, forms I need to fill and file, and all that. If I have a busy week, I use a marker to create columns for all of them, so I can keep track of my to-do list on there. Strong magnetic clips are wonderful for that purpose. They would fit above your pegboards, and not be too obtrusive. You could also keep hooks on the wall and cute clipboards for your project notes, swatches, and notions, if you want something pretty, but functional. I've seen that type of a system in a number of bakeries to track commissions, and use a variant of the system with my garden seed packets to track my planting schedule, since I want to improve my farming skills to the point where I can have a stall at the farmers' markets in my area. I have very little dedicated space for my crafts. Last time around, managed to consolidate my serger and some of my notions into the bottom of the same secretary desk I see in your video. I've got most of it and my sewing machine in my dining room bookshelves ("Study" and dining room in one!), in totes on top of my bedroom wardrobe, in baskets over the dining room bookshelves and my secretary desk, and in the "spare" room I really need to clean up and turn into my kids' room. Problem is, I have to have a childproofed spot for my warped loom, before I can move my weaving out of the future kids' room. To think that my little old farmhouse's original owner most likely managed all her crafting just fine in less space than I have, likely with several more kids than I have, reminds me to be happy I have a crafting "space" at all, even if it's my dining room, or corner of my sofa!
I constantly have sewing piles...the to start pile, the various stages of completion pile, the almost done but this one thing pile, and the mending pile....then on the other side of the room is the situation with Yarn. Lol. I gave up a long time ago and exist in a wonderful state of organized chaos!
I will offer this suggestion concerning your pincushion and the pegboard. Try attaching to your pegboard a small piece, say 3"X3", of ferrous metal, sheet steel might be the easiest to acquire. The means by which you attach this is entirely up to your level of doing or your sense of creativity. I can suggest, liquid nails for strength and ease of application, or drill holes into the sheet metal and use S hooks for mobility and quick change of location. After the ferrous metal has been mounted and a strong magnet has been put inside of your pincushion your basic problem has been solved. You can now both shove the pincushion into the pegboard and remove it with ease and very little effort. You might think of other things that could be made more readily available with the magnet method. If you are going to put the magnet on the outside of something use liquid nails since hot glue is just not strong enough for the repetitive pulling this would have to endure. I'm just an old Sew&Sew. Aunt B
Your space is real. I appreciate that honesty. My room is very much like yours. However, visual clutter drives me crazy!. I need an organization behind doors type thing.
I spent many hours over several days making 2 framed peg boards two summers ago. It was a lot of work, but had the benefit of being able to size the boards to fit the wall space available. This summer’s project: empty the room entirely, paint the walls & create a custom storage system.
My plan for keeping things neat in the future (when I again have an area to keep neat, as my room is currently too messy to qualify, and I'm majorly procrastinating fixing that) is to have a single clear plastic bin, initially empty, and with a rule that every time I fill it up to the top I have to take an hour or so to put everything in it away. That way there's a place to put things when I don't feel like carefully putting everything where it actually goes, and a place to put things that don't yet have a proper home. If I ever do get a build up of miscellaneous stuff on any given surface, I can just scoop it all into the bin. (Or actually, not an *empty* bin, probably. One major reason I lose surface spaces is arranging sheets of paper [artwork] and small crushable objects [such as feather butterfly hairclips] to minimize damage, when I don't feel up to taking the time to do it properly. So having a folder to protect sheets of paper taped to one side of the bin, and maybe a smaller box to protect those things that would otherwise be crushed, makes it much more likely that the "sort later" bin will succeed.
Hi. I am so happy I found your channel. I have a background in apparel and love how specific your channel is. I do a little bit of sewing and I want to check out more of your braiding videos. I have been working on giving my craft room a makeover for several months now and I still haven't figured out what to do with my miscellaneous pile. Thanks for sharing your process. 😊
This video is so satisfying and inspiring. Specifically makes me want to work on my UFOs so my sewing spaces/storage can be more compact and organized.
I have similar struggles with projects and lack of homes. In the clutter bug concept in a cricket so I keep my projects out and when things are away, they go behind closed doors.
I use IKEA's cloth boxes that come in a package of 3 sizes (big square, long rectangle, small square) to be helpful in corraling ribbon spools. Or you might use a dowel that lets you pull from whatever spool you need.
I love the peg board! Need to make a sewing room for myself. We have all our miscellaneous crap in there right now and all our hanging clothes since our closet is not working.... Sigh.... That's going to take like a full week!
Thank you for this!! I’m in the middle of organizing my craft room and are having problems 😂 but I’m definitely gonna try your method with sorting into piles and then putting them where they should go! 💖
What a wonderful transformation. Such a fresh creative space. I bet you feel better with the changes. Seeing your polka dot pin board at the end has made me reconsider having one. I have always thought that they are so ugly. but not any more.
My sewing studio is in my 16' vintage trailer, and I have been trying to organize for the last three days, most of it being fabric, as I have 13 large bins of fabric in it. My goal is to organize my fabrics in a manner of reducing tote bulk as well as getting rid of any fabrics that I dont want. So currently I am overwhelmed in fabric. True fabric hoarder, ugh. Besides, I need room for the 5 sewing machines I currently use in there as well one of being my I industrial machine. It's complete sewing chaos, but will feel more like my happy place when all is done. Your space looks great! Where there's a will, there's a way🙂
That's how my craft room looks after months of working on projects 😂. I do the same thing clean it all up and try and reorganize everything. Clean my machines put a new needle on and start a new project. I'm glad I'm not alone with the whole creative Tornado. #threadlife
I just moved into my crafting space a couple of months ago but still need to get some areas organized. I think the peg board is a great idea, just need to figure out where to put it on my walls.
Oh goodness, nothing like a tour to show what items I am in need (well, "need" is such a flexible word in this case) to acquire. Quite a serene nook at Manor Bernadette! edit: Oh dear, no enabling tarlatan link! Probably the same used in the Lady Sherlock walking dress, though, I imagine?
Loved, loved your video! My sewing room is in a dreadful state! But, you have inspired me! I am moving my entire sewing room to another room of the house, and am going to borrow some of your ideas, like the peg board! Need one of those!! Thanks again, for another useful and entertaining video!
Wow! All that in just a few days - and here I am over a year into my Great Sewing Room Clearance of 2020, and still not done (Plus, I will then have to tackle the knock-on effect on other rooms that are now ("temporarily") housing non sewing stuff displaced by clearing and rearranging the sewing room.
I'm an organization freak. It's a sickness really needing the most efficient use of a space and everything a place. It is truly a joy to need some item walk directly to the cupboard or drawer and find it exactly where it ought to be. Works quite well if I don't work on any sort of project and quite remarkable really how quickly chaos takes over with use. And will stay that way for months if not years until another irresistible impulse to improve organization making a firm commitment to myself I will not let this all go to halibut in a handbasket again. HA!
I love what you've done with this room. If you own the home, I think for the sake of function, you ought to consider taking out the carpet and putting down vinyl plank flooring. It will be so much easier to keep tidy and clean than carpet. Vinyl plank flooring is quite affordable and is a very easy DIY project for anyone who has any sort of a craft ability. Also, I think for the sake of visual clarity, it would be better to paint the pegboard a nice clean white, so that you can spot the items more quickly. The red polka dot paper is pretty, but I think that it just adds to the overall feeling of clutter that any pegboard inevitably has. If you make the pegboard itself 'disappear' by painting it white (and I'd paint the thread spool rack white as well), then suddenly everything on the unit becomes much more of the focus of the entire arrangement. The aesthetic appeal of the whole area then becomes the arrangement of the objects themselves. Great video! I've only discovered your channel recently, and I'm already hooked.
my flat is always messy
so best thing to do? ignore it and watch someone on the internet clean up their mess :)
lol i agree! 😂
I was just about to say the same thing XD
I always watch these videos in hopes of culling some kind of divine inspiration to suddenly CLEAN EVERYTHING. But, it never works.😂
100% facts!
Me too!!!! 🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️
I too am obsessed with mushrooms. My aesthetic is “Witch Cabin in the Enchanted Forest” to sum it all up
So, the aesthetic that we now know is called cotagecore
@@angelsanchez6028 Actually, witchcore is a thing.
@@Sadimal there's an aesthetic for everything now is it...?
I love it!! That sounds awesome!
My son told me that red and white mushrooms are the basis for Santa's red and white outfit, and weird stuff like that. There is a Joe Rogan video about it.
@2:55 You mention that the table is "just so handily a flat surface." For years I have referred to my husband (and myself, but not AS much) having "flat surfaceitis", a disorder which makes one fill any available flat surface with as much of the detritus of day to day life as possible until said surface has no room left. Anyone else suffer from this disorder?
I have been accused of this! I have no shame. lol.
It is not a disorder, we are just not all born organized (BO).
Let me tell you - FlyLady has some very good advice on how to deal with it. (She is not a BO either, she KNOWS how it is and what to make of it.)
That's why I literally don't have a kitchen table and I eat on the floor criss cross apple sauce. I actually sold my table to someone who just got out of prison and was setting up their life 🤷
My partner for sure!!!!!!
I have something that I just found out was a disorder. I buy too much fabric. lol
Yay! An actually messy true CRAFT room! You did a great job. I'm the same way, flat surfaces are always full.
Flat surface = potential "hot spot", aka collecting mess. Just like a true hot spot, they will take over very quickly, if you don't deal with them while they are still small... (Learned from the FlyLady, and oh girl doesn't it describe things accurately!)
My studio includes painting, jewelry and sewing -- and it's a mess, with homeless items everywhere. It's so consoling to see someone of your expertise with a messy floor and shelves! I am inspired to start work on mine.
Try adding at least one spinning wheel and a loom lol that's what mine used to have along with what you have.
What a lovely transformation. I must admit that my favorite part of this post was getting to see all the amazing ways you can fix your beautiful hair. But that's just the grandma in me.
I need to gut my room and ditch a bunch of crap that I’ve been holding onto since I was a kid. I have too many things and I need more space. It’s nice to watch other people clean. Cleaning videos are always inspiring
if you get another pegboard to go underneath that one,then put little baskets you can then put your pincushions and such there.
Oh how I wish I had a sewing room like yours!! So much light! 😍That is the dream!
“Collection of aesthetically pleasing things” speaks to me on a level I didn’t know existed.
Thank you for showing a real life sewing room floor... and now to fix it...
Have you seen the sliding/ hanging closet door style peg board walls? ...
I have not but it sounds fascinating! I love pegboards, do you have a link or a specific product name I could check out?
@@MorganDonner .. google is not my friend today, but I think this probably will make sense, instead of a door, pegboard is hung from the wheels.. each single track is spaced as needed for clearance .. the track can be fastened to the underside of a securely mounted shelf... so the pegboard will reach any height you choose
.. hope the link works..
www.johnsonhardware.com/2800-single-rail-pocketsliding-door-hardware
@@brierobb9879 thanks for the link. Its just what I didnt realise I needed😉👍
OMG...that totally looks like my floor! Eep.
Omgosh, I may do this in my guestroom for organizing other things. Thanks!
Watching cleaning videos makes me itch to clean my own room, guess it's time for a spring cleaning of my own
When I watch programmes about people doing amazing things pertaining to any of my interests, I get inspired to do them, too, but I'm giving my own cleaning process more time. Unfortunately, it's taken me up until my 30's until I started FINISHING projects that didn't have a looming deadline breathing down my neck. Turns out, finishing my knit projects and freeing up the knitting needles has made me aware of how many duplicate sets of knitting needles I really own. I could probably donate enough for a couple of classrooms at this point. Oops. lol
I now call my "random things I bought that I like to have" pile my "it sparks joy in me" Pile lol.
I have a new found appreciation for a wood floor in my sewing room. It’s so easy just to sweep up treads and tiny bits of fabric.
Me too! We used to have carpet, but since most of the carpet on the second floor, where the sewing/guest room is located, needed replacing, we went with a lovely light "pine" laminate. Cleaning up the pins, threads, and cat barf is so much easier!
Oh no Morgan you're making me want to drop everything and clean!
Maybe you could try putting all of the materials you're using on a current project in like a basket or something, this way they're not all over the room and are easy to manage
Thank you so, so, SO much for posting this! I'm about to go through a similar process of sorting, culling, and finding homes for things, and it is such a relief to know that I'm not the only maker in the "hot mess" category, especially mid- or post-project. Thank you for this transparency and authenticity.
I was a little nervous about showing my messy floor, so I am glad you appreciated it! ❤
Just before watching this video I was sewing and realized my chair was no longer rolling across the floor as I moved. The wheels had become immobile from the scraps of material and thread stuck in them. I've been much quicker to clean up my floor underneath after each project. It took me 4 hours to clean the wheels out.
Mr. Domestic calls it the aftermath of a "craftnado"
Flat surfaces, homeless items, projects that take over, things all over the floor... yep, got it all. It always makes me happy to see someone else's mess, because it means I'm not the only one it happens to. And it always makes me happy to see a room transformed into a more efficient, pleasing space.
I fixated on your use of a silverware bin as mini shelves on your pegboard; I love finding different ways to use things that are easy to get or that I already have.
Love the cabinets! And the dress!!!! Ohhhh the dress! Although we never saw how it was made (defiantly understand why) its so beautiful!
The transformation is lovely! The pegboard is wonderful, cheerful full of fun and frolic.
Side note: I love your hairstyle on Day 3!
I cleaned my sewing space and I blame you. 😅
It's so easy for sewing/crafty projects to sort of explode. Glad I'm not the only one!
I love being a good chore influence ;)
@@MorganDonner I'm happy to say that I ended up having space to paint a complicated project with a friend without having to scramble to clear the area. 😁
So I just found you lol and I watch on my tv while I sew so I can't comment often but thanks for the video! I watched you, Noel and Bernadette all cleaning your sewing rooms and felt like maybe it was a sign lol. It's so much more motivating to work when your space is inviting and organized.
Thank you for sharing. We just moved into a bigger place and now I have my own craft room for the first time. You've given me some ideas on how to organize it.
I love this video. It is the exact process I did with my studio (aka sewing room). One thing I did was label everything so the space it was assigned was the item's forever home - so easy to pick up. My pegboard I painted - plus I added wire baskets on it to hold some things that didn't fit nicely on a hook. I also put big plastic cup that says PAPER SCISSORS - so all scissors (that are not marked with a little green stripe meaning paper - go in the cup. Thank you for sharing your journey!
I love the transformation, I'm in the process of rearranging my sewing to be more useful and efficient. This gave me some ideas.
Oh it looks amazing now, visually and functionally a great creative space. I really gotta get a peg board!
its amazing how much more together you personally are ,as your process moves on!
Lovely! My work process is much the same as yours. I have never been one to "clean as I go", but find much satisfaction in cleaning up at the end to start the next thing. Now I must go work in my room....
I loved that you showed us your studio. I rarely let anyone in my studio because of the clutter. It was nice to see I am not alone in the challenge of keeping a studio picked up. Thanks for a great video.
I cannot let my sewing area get messy like this because I have pets. My cats would get into pins and threads, and so would my ferret. I have been experimenting with something lately that I have found to be really great. I have organized my room, and now I put a small bin on the table where I am working. I also put a pin cushion beside me. As I work, I am training myself to drop the scraps and threads into the bin. I drop the pins on the magnetic pin cushion, and drop things into the appropriate drawer after using them, if I am completely done with them. I know this sounds weird, and it takes practice, but when I wind up my sewing for the day, (or night), things are already clean. I think McDonalds calls it, "Clean as you go." Then all I have to do is empty the bins into the trash can, put my pin cushions away, and check the floor for any stray pins, as a safety move. When I begin sewing the next time, everything is neat and clear, and I know where things are. I also lose fewer things this way. I am trying to do this throughout my house, and it seems to be a real miracle!! Things are so easy to keep neat if you, "Clean as you go!" This is also, for me, part of the, "slowing down and enjoying the process" move. For many many years, I have rushed thru life, raising children, keeping house, working, going to school, studying, etc. Now I want to train myself to slow down and enjoy my sewing and crafting. I don't want to be in such a hurry anymore. I enjoyed your video, and you are adorable!!
@petmom ful I loved this comment! I am very bad about cleaning up as I go, with one exception: cooking. My husband complains that I’m always putting dishes and silverware he is still using into the dishwasher! I have to thank Mrs. Allard, my 9th-grade Home Ec teacher, for instilling that habit. She insisted that we “clean-up-as-we-went” any time we were in the kitchen-and the habit has stuck with me for 40 years. For whatever reason, she did not emphasize the practice during our sewing units-probably because we had to tidy up at the end of class every day anyway. But it is like you say above: you have to develop the *habit* of cleaning up as you go, which takes conscious effort until you have repeated the action a sufficient number of times.
The joy of developing a habit is that once you have cemented it in your mind, it takes no mental effort to do-indeed, you barely notice yourself doing it. I don’t feel burdened by kitchen clean-up because I barely notice each individual, habitual act of cleaning-up-as-I-go-but if I had to face the messy kitchen all at once, it would feel so overwhelming that I probably would find an excuse not to clean it.
The upshot of all this is: I am resolved to extend my clean-up-as-you-go habit to as many other realms of my life as I can! And if all else fails-I’ll still have my clean kitchen to which to escape!
@@trochilidae.to.accipitridae And a clean kitchen is such a blessing. I see a lot of people go up and down in their housework. They clean it, and it takes all day. Then they let it get trashed again, and it takes all day to clean it. I do a bit each day, cleaning as I go, and putting away things before bed. It is so much less work to keep a house that way, and you are never embarrassed if someone comes by. I had to train myself to do this, tho. I wish you much luck in keeping the habits that help you!!
Nothing better than overhauling a room! I do my tiny bed room about once every 3 months when I want to just change up the look, I love pastels and black so I tend to switch between those. 😆
Morgan did you come into my home and describe it for the internet? The studio space in my home is badly afflicted with "no permanent home" disease and so every time I do a project it's like a bomb of notions went off. I feel like it's so hard to stay organized unless you go to professional studio levels of organization and clean up requirements. Blech. Thank you for being so open about this problem! Also, yay new projects that we can see coming up! :)
Welp, this must be the theme of 2019 -- clean up and reorganize. I am six months into cleaning my sewing room. Yesterday, briefly, I saw my cutting table. Then it got swallowed up again. In the mean time, I organize things by accident. Got a new shelf and accidentally tidied the pantry. Got some can rollers, and accidentally tidied a cupboard. Did a load of towels and accidentally tidied the shelf they go on. I envy your ability to "just get on with it." Have you considered bottling that ability and selling it?
Ooo, goodness, I would if I could! 😜
Wow. I can't imagine what you started with six months ago!
Morgan is such a pleasant person. A lovely presence! Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for your transparency with your work space! I am working on turning my living room/office/entry space/kitchen into a general all-purpose home economy zone, banishing my offspring and all of their paraphernalia to their bedrooms and basement. My sewing things have no proper space currently, unless EVERYWHERE counts, because I have been unsure where I am comfortable working. I'm a vagrant in my own home.
And the pegboard is the best. Thank you so much for your great ideas!!
What impresses me the most is how dedicated you are getting all this done in 4 days! So daunting!
gorgeous! only thing i would change as you seem to have a handyman on call, hehehe
is for him to drill/hammer a couple of nails into the wall literally right below where the thread hanger is now, so that you can take the thread hanger off the board and hang onto the nails or whatever you decide on.
taking that thread hanger off the board would free up the other half, making many more things able to be easily reached once up on the board than in draws, especially if used all the time!
i'd actually attach it to the side of the new cabinets next to it, even if its too wide, it would free up the rest of that board!
Every time I sew I've got the same "picture" on the floor)))) Thank you very much, now I can breathe easily, because I see that it's normal))) sorry for my poor English))))
What an improvement!!!
So much easier to concentrate on what you are saying thsn being distracted by the clutter!!! Bravo!!!
Hint: you may want to consider another *towel bar* to store your ribbon /trim on (we used dowels on a wall in a florist I worked at).
There's nothing so satisfying as getting organized and you have done a nice job. I like the new storage unit without doors that just slow a person down. In general I follow the old adage about form following function You have made a very cheerful sewing room and I like your style.
Wow! Good on you for doing all that work! It is so nice to take stock of one's things every so often. Hope this room functions much better for you now!
Loved this! My sewing room has "grown", but needs to be a guest room, TOO, by Christmas (it's now February). The pegboard is the next thing to add. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You must live close to an Ikea store! I really feel that pain of things not having an actual "home" and am amazed that you were able to know exactly how much space you needed on your new furniture to house your things! I can't seem to make my brain do that!
I‘m going to move soon (in a much smaller place at that), so my whole life is about sorting, selling/giving away, cleaning and renovating. It’s exhausting, but also oddly satisfying. It really forces me to decide, piece by piece, what is an essential possession for me and what isn’t.
I‘ve gotten rid of so much stuff, I just couldn’t let go off before...all that clutter, accumulated over 10+ years.
Even not going to be able to do any sewing for at least 6 months or so is oddly exciting. Because it means, I‘ll finally get around to exploring things like embroidery and carving...which I long wanted to do and which requires less time and space than garment making.
And I‘m already looking forward to the excitement of being able to start again, at some point 😄
As I've been working on organizing my sewing stuff I decided to look at things as if I'm moving to a smaller space and trying to let go of things. It's difficult but very rewarding.
Thank you for showing a _realistic_"before" situatiation! It doesn't only make it more interesting, it gives hope. It helps to realize what is possible - and in what time!
You also filmed it in such a way that the space itself was revealed - how big room, approximate proportions and so on. There are studio floor plans out there, but they are usually way bigger, so that they are of no help for most of us! Yours is much more realistic.
Holy crow, seeing your after-project chaos made me feel so much better, lol! I sew in my dining room, and the "stuff" on the ground gets old fast. My daughter just moved out and I'm taking over her room for my sewing area- I am taking BIG notes from you on how to organize! I am heading off to the hardware store for pegboards! Thanks for the inspiration!
Wow, the room looks so much brighter!! Very pleasing to see the transformation. Now if only I could do this for my room.
Pegboard comes from places like Lowe’s in 4x8 or 4x4 foot sheets. Tack wood along the edges to hang it from. Enough space for tools, also a classic in kitchens.
Thank you for showing a real sewing room. I love your sewing room before and after, Lol Also you hair and make up are just gorgeous 😍
Thank you for this. The not insta-perfect before pictures make me feel so much better about the cacophony of a creative space. I don't have a dedicated work space. Choosing to do multiday projects is carefully planned and i'll have things spread over half my apartment (yay for small space - said no one ever). Plus wanting to have pretty things & inspirationy things in the work space, too. Anyways, your video is a nice reminder that its just part of creative spaces.
It is so pretty! I love what you did to your pegboard!
I'm going to be cleaning out my own room tomorrow to better include my sewing supplies as I dont have anywhere else for them at the moment and this is a great video to watch before I do so. (along with the fabric closet one as im going to have to down size my own fabric collection) It makes as a great way to make em excited to reclaim my craft space.
I literally sew at my desk next to my school and work computer or out next to my cats basket. I don’t have a machine or any fancy equipment, but I’ve made some nice quality garments! Can’t wait until I can get my own sewing room 😊
Nice! It seems that so many crafters and quilters verge on the clutter/hoarding line. I guess everyone has their own comfort zone.
Omg someone who understands why my workroom is such a disaster. Thank you
So satisfying! I would love to have my craft room look like this! At this point I will just be happy to get some better lighting in there. Putting things up on the wall makes it sooo much easier in so many ways.
I know you probably have already changed many things but the two items I would've changed are 1) remove the carpet ( if your renting I know that is impossible) easier to clean and find pins that have been dropped. 2) Bigger peg board. I know you put command hooks on the side of the new cub bard but you could put a peg board along the whole side.
Hope your safe .
I have no sewing room, but I use some magnetic whiteboards on my wall to keep track of upcoming deadlines, forms I need to fill and file, and all that. If I have a busy week, I use a marker to create columns for all of them, so I can keep track of my to-do list on there. Strong magnetic clips are wonderful for that purpose. They would fit above your pegboards, and not be too obtrusive. You could also keep hooks on the wall and cute clipboards for your project notes, swatches, and notions, if you want something pretty, but functional. I've seen that type of a system in a number of bakeries to track commissions, and use a variant of the system with my garden seed packets to track my planting schedule, since I want to improve my farming skills to the point where I can have a stall at the farmers' markets in my area.
I have very little dedicated space for my crafts. Last time around, managed to consolidate my serger and some of my notions into the bottom of the same secretary desk I see in your video. I've got most of it and my sewing machine in my dining room bookshelves ("Study" and dining room in one!), in totes on top of my bedroom wardrobe, in baskets over the dining room bookshelves and my secretary desk, and in the "spare" room I really need to clean up and turn into my kids' room. Problem is, I have to have a childproofed spot for my warped loom, before I can move my weaving out of the future kids' room. To think that my little old farmhouse's original owner most likely managed all her crafting just fine in less space than I have, likely with several more kids than I have, reminds me to be happy I have a crafting "space" at all, even if it's my dining room, or corner of my sofa!
My two favourite things: a new video from you + organization! ♥️♥️♥️😂
I constantly have sewing piles...the to start pile, the various stages of completion pile, the almost done but this one thing pile, and the mending pile....then on the other side of the room is the situation with Yarn. Lol. I gave up a long time ago and exist in a wonderful state of organized chaos!
I will offer this suggestion concerning your pincushion and the pegboard. Try attaching to your pegboard a small piece, say 3"X3", of ferrous metal, sheet steel might be the easiest to acquire. The means by which you attach this is entirely up to your level of doing or your sense of creativity. I can suggest, liquid nails for strength and ease of application, or drill holes into the sheet metal and use S hooks for mobility and quick change of location. After the ferrous metal has been mounted and a strong magnet has been put inside of your pincushion your basic problem has been solved. You can now both shove the pincushion into the pegboard and remove it with ease and very little effort.
You might think of other things that could be made more readily available with the magnet method. If you are going to put the magnet on the outside of something use liquid nails since hot glue is just not strong enough for the repetitive pulling this would have to endure.
I'm just an old Sew&Sew.
Aunt B
Such a nice friendly space. I need to do this too. My husband would really be happy if I got this done ASAP.
Your space is real. I appreciate that honesty. My room is very much like yours. However, visual clutter drives me crazy!. I need an organization behind doors type thing.
I spent many hours over several days making 2 framed peg boards two summers ago. It was a lot of work, but had the benefit of being able to size the boards to fit the wall space available.
This summer’s project: empty the room entirely, paint the walls & create a custom storage system.
My plan for keeping things neat in the future (when I again have an area to keep neat, as my room is currently too messy to qualify, and I'm majorly procrastinating fixing that) is to have a single clear plastic bin, initially empty, and with a rule that every time I fill it up to the top I have to take an hour or so to put everything in it away. That way there's a place to put things when I don't feel like carefully putting everything where it actually goes, and a place to put things that don't yet have a proper home. If I ever do get a build up of miscellaneous stuff on any given surface, I can just scoop it all into the bin. (Or actually, not an *empty* bin, probably. One major reason I lose surface spaces is arranging sheets of paper [artwork] and small crushable objects [such as feather butterfly hairclips] to minimize damage, when I don't feel up to taking the time to do it properly. So having a folder to protect sheets of paper taped to one side of the bin, and maybe a smaller box to protect those things that would otherwise be crushed, makes it much more likely that the "sort later" bin will succeed.
Hi. I am so happy I found your channel. I have a background in apparel and love how specific your channel is. I do a little bit of sewing and I want to check out more of your braiding videos. I have been working on giving my craft room a makeover for several months now and I still haven't figured out what to do with my miscellaneous pile. Thanks for sharing your process. 😊
Living in Manhattan, I'm so living vicariously through you oh my goodness
The room looks awesome 👌. I need to organize my stuff now.
LOVE it!!! Such a difference. I've never thought of using a peg board. Have to give it a try! 💖💕
This video is so satisfying and inspiring. Specifically makes me want to work on my UFOs so my sewing spaces/storage can be more compact and organized.
This is really great!And I hope to see more of your videos.
I have similar struggles with projects and lack of homes. In the clutter bug concept in a cricket so I keep my projects out and when things are away, they go behind closed doors.
The new room looks lovely and restful and ready for creating. HOpe ithas worked out.
I use IKEA's cloth boxes that come in a package of 3 sizes (big square, long rectangle, small square) to be helpful in corraling ribbon spools. Or you might use a dowel that lets you pull from whatever spool you need.
I love the peg board! Need to make a sewing room for myself. We have all our miscellaneous crap in there right now and all our hanging clothes since our closet is not working.... Sigh.... That's going to take like a full week!
Thanks for the motivation!
[cleans her craft room / seewing room / office now]
Such an awesome transformation. I love it and it makes me feel so motivated to do my own craft room.
Love your transformation. I am planning to reorganize my workspace in the next few weeks so this video helps a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this!! I’m in the middle of organizing my craft room and are having problems 😂 but I’m definitely gonna try your method with sorting into piles and then putting them where they should go! 💖
What a wonderful transformation. Such a fresh creative space. I bet you feel better with the changes. Seeing your polka dot pin board at the end has made me reconsider having one. I have always thought that they are so ugly. but not any more.
Inspiring! AND I LOVE the polka dots!!!
Awesome. I love my peg board as well. Very nice space, and great job cleaning it up and organizing it.
Your sewing room is so beautiful! Also, fantastic camera work and editing, so fancy!
TOTALLY getting the "aaaahh!😁 vibe of the space. Congrats!
My sewing studio is in my 16' vintage trailer, and I have been trying to organize for the last three days, most of it being fabric, as I have 13 large bins of fabric in it. My goal is to organize my fabrics in a manner of reducing tote bulk as well as getting rid of any fabrics that I dont want. So currently I am overwhelmed in fabric. True fabric hoarder, ugh. Besides, I need room for the 5 sewing machines I currently use in there as well one of being my I industrial machine. It's complete sewing chaos, but will feel more like my happy place when all is done. Your space looks great! Where there's a will, there's a way🙂
Looks awesome! Nothing curbs my creative sewjo like working in a disaster area. This is very inspiring 😀
I absolutely Love your color scheme of red and white polka dots! It's Super Cute! Very you! I Love it! It turned out great!
That's how my craft room looks after months of working on projects 😂. I do the same thing clean it all up and try and reorganize everything. Clean my machines put a new needle on and start a new project.
I'm glad I'm not alone with the whole creative Tornado. #threadlife
This makes me want to drop everything and re-do my studio!
I just moved into my crafting space a couple of months ago but still need to get some areas organized. I think the peg board is a great idea, just need to figure out where to put it on my walls.
Oh goodness, nothing like a tour to show what items I am in need (well, "need" is such a flexible word in this case) to acquire. Quite a serene nook at Manor Bernadette!
edit: Oh dear, no enabling tarlatan link! Probably the same used in the Lady Sherlock walking dress, though, I imagine?
Loved, loved your video! My sewing room is in a dreadful state! But, you have inspired me! I am moving my entire sewing room to another room of the house, and am going to borrow some of your ideas, like the peg board! Need one of those!! Thanks again, for another useful and entertaining video!
It looks awesome! I love that you do multiple crafts, I do many myself.
Oh my goodness, this is so nice to see. My craft room floor looks just like yours did.
Wow! All that in just a few days - and here I am over a year into my Great Sewing Room Clearance of 2020, and still not done (Plus, I will then have to tackle the knock-on effect on other rooms that are now ("temporarily") housing non sewing stuff displaced by clearing and rearranging the sewing room.
Once I get my own place I am definitely getting a pegboard. My scissors need to be out in the open
I'm an organization freak. It's a sickness really needing the most efficient use of a space and everything a place. It is truly a joy to need some item walk directly to the cupboard or drawer and find it exactly where it ought to be.
Works quite well if I don't work on any sort of project and quite remarkable really how quickly chaos takes over with use. And will stay that way for months if not years until another irresistible impulse to improve organization making a firm commitment to myself I will not let this all go to halibut in a handbasket again.
HA!
I love your peg board! I like to be able to see what I have without having to dig in my sewing box.
I love what you've done with this room. If you own the home, I think for the sake of function, you ought to consider taking out the carpet and putting down vinyl plank flooring. It will be so much easier to keep tidy and clean than carpet. Vinyl plank flooring is quite affordable and is a very easy DIY project for anyone who has any sort of a craft ability.
Also, I think for the sake of visual clarity, it would be better to paint the pegboard a nice clean white, so that you can spot the items more quickly. The red polka dot paper is pretty, but I think that it just adds to the overall feeling of clutter that any pegboard inevitably has. If you make the pegboard itself 'disappear' by painting it white (and I'd paint the thread spool rack white as well), then suddenly everything on the unit becomes much more of the focus of the entire arrangement. The aesthetic appeal of the whole area then becomes the arrangement of the objects themselves.
Great video! I've only discovered your channel recently, and I'm already hooked.
Love the transformation. The peg board looks much better.😊