I saw this perfectly organized workspace on design*sponge and was so impressed. I may have to pick up one of those things with the tiny drawers the next time I go to the hardware store.

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I’ve been getting my fabric nice and organized. Previously, it was stored in boxes and a cabinet in our basement, which didn’t work well for a variety of reasons that you can imagine. But I just bought some of these Expedit shelves from ikea, and it’s a real breath of fresh air to have all my fabric organized by color and out in the open where I can see it!

My only concern is that my sewing room is basically a sunroom: it’s all windows and extremely well lit with lovely natural light which I LOVE. But I’m hoping this won’t damage the fabrics. Of course, this is Portland, so “sunny” is relative. But it would be interesting to make some little fabric shades for the shelves, don’t you think?

Here are a few shots of my stash:

One thing that really surprised me when I started organizing my fabrics by color was how much blue fabric I have! I think I have more blue than anything else. I do love navy, it’s so versatile, but I definitely wear more black, red, and pink.

At the top of this pile you can see a bit of the gold 4-ply silk charmeuse I used for my wedding dress. It’s a very small scrap, but I’m sentimentally holding onto it. Do you guys do this? I have a few little scraps that I just cannot bear to part with.

You can see that most of my fabrics are silk or vintage rayon, with the occasional cotton or linen thrown in and a few wools. This cotton above with the chrystler building pattern is one I’ve had for years and bought because it’s my favorite building. But what will I ever do with it? It’s so delightfully cheesy, and it’s also a quilting cotton, which I very rarely sew with. Oh well.

I keep a lot of my ribbons and notions in jars. I’m ambivalent about this solution. On the one hand, I like being able to see my materials because I draw inspiration from them. On the other hand, they look very messy and cluttered to me.

I’m really interested to hear from some of you about this: do you prefer to have your materials out and around you? Do you get ideas from seeing them around? Or do you like things more neat and tidy so you can work? I feel the pull on both sides and I’m not sure I’ve found the right balance quite yet, but I’m getting there.

For some time now, I’ve been a massive fan of the work of Jane Foster, a British designer, illustrator and printer. Her work often uses, and is most definately influenced by, vintage textiles, patterns and print from 1950’s to 1970’s (my absolute favourite eras of design!). Whilst obsessively trawling through her blog, I fell head over heels in love with her studio and work space.

The white walls provide a fresh background to the riot of pattern and colour. This combination allows her workspace to be busy and bursting with inspiration, whilst preventing sensory overload and potentially choking up the creative flow.  

What I wouldn’t give to have a rummage through the treasures in this room! Jane Foster’s work can be viewed on her website and purchased from her shop. 

I just stumbled across the blog of the talented and creative Jen Johner, and I fell in love with her sewing space. I adore the restrained colors, the beautiful prints, how simple and well-organized things look. I always struggle with this: my materials inspire me, so I like to have them out, but at the same time it’s hard to work when things look chaotic. Her room is such a nice balance of personality and control.

Check out the rest of the room on her blog, it’s so lovely and full of good ideas.