My grandmother taught me to hand embroider before I was old enough to go to school. She was a deaf-mute, so she would show me what to do, and then watch as I tried to repeat her actions. If I made a mistake, she would show me how to pick it out, and then have me re-do the stitch. When I look back at some of my first projects, I am amazed at the perfection in those tiny stitches. I don't remember my Mom specifically teaching me to sew, but I do remember watching her when she sewed. Before long, I began asking her for scraps of fabric, trim, etc. By 5th grade, I was making some clothes for myself, and even when Mom made my clothes, I would pick out the patterns and the fabrics myself. Mom made me take home ec classes in middle-school so I would learn to sew "the right way" (she was self-taught).

My Mom taught me a love of good fabrics. She did not believe in spending time and effort making garments out of inferior fabrics. Fortunately, we lived in an area with many textile mills, so it was easy to find good quality fabric at a bargain price.

Over 50 years have passed since my Grandmother taught me how to thread a needle for the first time, and I love sewing today more than ever. One of my passions now is teaching others to sew. I've taught friends, co-workers, and young girls at my church. I cannot imagine life without the ability to sew!

I don't use pins to attach the card to my dust covers because I am concerned about them rusting. I put the description on a tag I make from card stock. I punch a hole in the top of the tag and use a small piece of narrow ribbon to attach them to the drawstring of the bag. I have a storage closet that has a very high ceiling. Where the wall joins the ceiling I attached a strip of pegboard so that I can hang the out of season purses by the drawstring so that they are out of the way and do not get crushed.

I am fortunate to have a great cutting table that is actually a drop leaf dining room table. However, it was not a good height for long cutting sessions. I bought a set of bed-risers, placed them under the legs of the table and, presto, my table is now waist-height. No more aching back! I use the space under the table to store boxes of out of season fabric.
Through trial and error I have found that industrial-type shelving units work great for all types of storage. They come in different heights (I prefer 6ft height), shelves are adjustable, and you can get them in various depths. I use a narrow depth unit for my books & wider depth units for storing boxes of fabric. That way you don't have wasted shelf space. This type of shelving is available in a wide range of prices.
Invest in a hand-held label maker and label everything. It will save a lot of time later on.
Every yard of fabric I own (and I own a lot, as do most people who sew) is catalogued. I made up a sheet that includes info on the fabric (yardage, width, fabric content, care instructions, date and place of purchase, and most importantly, what I plan to make from the fabric). A large swatch of the fabric is attached to the sheet and then it goes into the appropriate 3-ring binder. I have one for home-dec, one for crafts, and four for garment fabrics (woolens, silks, knits, wovens. I also number each box containing fabric, and the number of the box goes on the info sheet. I printed the sheets on index wt. paper so that they are sturdy.
I found some wonderful plastic boxes that come in a huge variety of sizes from very small (great for my bobbins) to very large (I keep large amounts of batting in the largest). The brand is Really Useful Box (I found mine at Office Depot) and they have latches on each handle. They have a couple of sizes that are great for projects I am working on. I put each project and its components (patterns, pieces, thread, etc.) in the box. That way when I have some time to sew, everything is together. It also helps me keep my "works in progress" from getting out of hand.
When you get ready to set up your work area, try to move everything out if at all possible. I rented a "pod"-style storage unit that was brought to my home. I was able to move everything into it and lock it up. Next I gave the walls a quick coat of paint in a bright cheery color. It was easier to set up the room as I wanted because I had the space to do it.
The best advice I have came from a co-worker of mine who is a draftsman. He advised me to measure my work area and draw it out on graph paper. Then I measured each piece of furniture that I wanted to use in the work area and drew that out on another piece of graph paper. With the furniture pieces cut out, I could move them around to my heart's content until I found a plan I liked.

I was disappointed with the winner - I did not like the color palette, or should I say, lack of color. The judges described Irina's clothing as edgy, which is becoming an overworked word. Does the fashion industry really need another designer that designs unwearable clothing? I think Carol Hannah's clothing would sell much better than Irina's or Althea's.
Project Runway is becoming less about good designing and more about interpersonal drama, which is a shame. And how about a season where the clothes are designed to fit and be worn by real women, not stick-thin models or mannequins!

I am most grateful for the people who instilled a love of sewing in me: my 2 grandmothers and my mother. They spent hours teaching me the various sewing methods, and were always patient, gentle and kind. Their efforts have given me 54 years of joy and pleasure, not to mention a creative outlet, and for that I am immensely grateful. They taught me to appreciate fine construction, and quality fabrics. In honor of them, I take every opportunity to teach others to sew, hoping to instill in them the love of sewing. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Sewing to all.

I forgot my most important sewing storage idea! I have a notebook (8.5 x 11) with fabric inventory pages (1 page per fabric). In addition to a swatch of the fabric, each page has the fabric content, yardage, date of purchase, where purchased, cost, care instructions, and the number of the box where the fabric is stored. If I know what I plan to make from that fabric, I list the pattern number and brand, which view on the pattern, yardage needed and any notions needed. Sometimes I include a sketch of the project. When I make the garment I put the completed date on the page. I carry this notebook with me when I go to the fabric store. I can match threads, buttons, trims, and know exactly what notions I need to purchase for each project.

In the back of the notebook I also keep a printout of an Excel spreadsheet of every pattern I own. I list the pattern number, brand, and a brief description of what the pattern is - i.e. dress, pants, tops, valances, duvets, etc. If I am looking for a dress pattern, I can sort the computer file so that all dress patterns are grouped together. I reference the spreadsheet especially when shopping pattern sales. Keeps me from buying patterns I already own!! This spreadsheet also has comments about the pattern if I have used it - any alterations, what I liked or disliked about the pattern. This spreadsheet comes in handy when I purge my pattern stash every couple of years.

This notebook keeps me focused on my sewing projects. It also comes in handy when I purge my fabric stash. I can attach a small tag with the yardage, fabric content and care instructions onto each fabric piece that I donate.

Like the author, I find that the clear zipper bags work best for most of my sewing supplies, including thread. I've stored thread for years in quart size bags and sort by color. Finding my thread is quick and easy, and the thread is protected from dust and light. I've never had a problem with thread breakage. I also do not buy "bargain" thread because it usually isn't such a good bargain in the long run.

Recently I started using plastic bobbin attachments that allow me to attach the bobbin to the correct color of thread. If I have a bobbin that has a useable amount of thread on it, I put it with the thread so that I don't have to search for it. If I finish a project and there isn't much thread left on the bobbin, I take it off and put away the empty bobbin. That way I am not left with bobbins that really don't have a useable amount of thread on them.

I try to store things like zippers, buttons, bias tape, etc. in clear containers - either zipper bags or stacking plastic boxes. I prefer the plastic boxes that (1) have a tight-fitting or locking lid and (2) are offered in a variety of sizes.

I purchased a sheet of pegboard from the hardware store and cut it into 4 pieces, and spray-painted them white. Now all of my scissors are hanging from pegboards that are mounted on the wall. I keep my embroidery scissors near my embroidery machine, my pattern cutting scissors near my cutting table (which is a small dining table purchased at a yard sale, raised on bed risers so that I can stand straight as I cut things out - and it provides a good space for storage underneath), scissors I use while sewing and serging are on a pegboard above those machines, and my craft scissors are on a pegboard above the craft table. I even made labels that indicate what each pair of scissors is to be used for - keeps the rest of the family from using my good dressmaker shears to cut paper!

There are some great ideas in every post - you will have to decide what works best for you. Whatever storage method you decide to use, you should label each and every container. You'll be glad you did when you are looking for a specific item.

Thank you, April, for a quick peek into how those gorgeous costumes are made. I confess that I never really see the dancing because I am always looking at the costumes, wondering what fabric is that, how did they get that effect, and where did they get that fantastic trim!I agree with Merilyn - it would be great to see one costume from beginning to end.