Gingerbread Soldiers
Some of us are lucky and have dedicated space for our quilting. Others need to share their space with others. Those dedicated or shared spaces may be large or small. Regardless, of the size or type of space, it needs to be functional! It needs to have as much horizontal space as you can get. The space should have plenty of light and the more natural light the better.
You need space for your machine and the work on it, a place to cut and a place to press. Sometimes, these spaces overlap, like pressing and cutting. It helps if these places are close together, unless of course you are trying to get your steps in! Think about how you work and layout your workstations to enable you work clockwise or counterclockwise, smoothly, rather than jerking between stations.
Probably the most important thing is to have an organized space that isn’t too cluttered. This is a sliding scale for sure! We each have our own definitions of what is organized and what is cluttered. Personally, I can’t concentrate if too many UFOs are in my line of sight. The sensible thing would be to finish the UFOs, but sometimes, they just need to be hidden! Everyone has their own tolerance, but I have found I work better when I am not distracted.
When my space is relatively neat, I have room to spread my project out a little. If you have a really big project or complicated project, containerize your space. Use pie plates, former food containers, plastic bags, or other vessels to hold different pieces. I sort them by blocks, colors, or whatever else make sense.
If you don’t have room to spread out, find a way to keep your space organized by getting vertical! Use cookie racks, shelving or tiered serving trays to hold pre-cut pieces. Find what fits to help you get organized within your space. I try to use vertical space in my storage. For example, I hang my ironing board when not in use. Hard to arrange items like beads, lace, and ribbons are neatly tucked into an old dresser.
Speaking of space, I am still working on getting my space organized since the move. Yesterday, my new quilting station from Tracey’s Tables. Now, I just have to get the walls decorated. Would you like to see the progress so far?
Happy Quilting!
Laureen
