I’m often asked about the best kind of storage to use for your craft supplies so I thought I would share some storage from my newly refurbished studio. I have a lot of materials and equipment in the studio and I need to keep everything well organised so I can find it easily. I don’t want to waste my creative energy trying to find fabric and thread.

Good to Know…

If you take good care of your storage it will last for years. I regularly dust and wash my Really Useful Boxes to keep them looking great. You don’t have to spend lots of money on storage, you can repurpose old tins and boxes and give them a makeover with spray paint and paper to add personality to your workspace.

Workshop Materials and Equipment Storage

I have lots of materials and equipment for my online and face to face workshops and projects. Storing them can be tricky as they are sometimes bulky or oddly shaped. The bottom of my cupboard has solid doors so I can hide things that don’t look as nice like phone brackets and projectors.

I store things by type so I have boxes for scissors and embroidery hoops and I use a combination of Really Useful Boxes and craft storage boxes that usually come in standard paper sizes. They are great for keeping materials together and I can grab them easily when I need to pack my suitcase or make some kits. Even though they are clear I love to label them.

Fabric Storage

I’ve always organised my fabric by type, I find this works well for me as I know that I can grab the right materials for the job. I do also keep a mixed box of scraps that includes lots of different types of fabric for projects like Stitchscapes. My new studio has glass doored cupboards so I decided to show off my fabric collection as it’s not in direct sunlight so won’t fade easily or get too dusty. The folded fabric makes it easy to see what I need and get it from the stack.

Thread Storage

I decided to get some under desk drawers from Ikea for my reels of thread. This means I’m using the dead space under my long narrow desk and I can grab a drawer and select the right thread. I organise them by type and colour as I find this really helpful and satisfying.

For my six stranded embroidery threads, I use the traditional thread storage boxes and reusable plastic bobbins. I can spend hours winding thread and sorting them by colour. It’s my relaxation activity. I also label my drawers and boxes to make finding things really easy.

Label Maker

I love a label maker; I have a traditional Dymo machine that makes the embossed labels but I also have a Dymo Letratag electronic label maker. I use clear plastic labels and black text; it looks really sleek and professional on my shelves. I love labelling everything in my house from the kitchen to the garage.

Tip…

If you have sticky labels that are hard to peel off your boxes, use a piece of tissue or an old cloth and some Zippo lighter fluid. It gets sticky mess cleaned up easily from plastic and metal.

***Please note that this is just my personal observation on the products I use regularly, everyone has their favourites and I recommend trying lots of different types to find the best one for you. ***