Hello everyone. I have recently downsized to a small house and my sewing room is tiny. I want to find a tall storage chest with lots of drawers for notions, etc. — something similar to those in a dental office, only taller and more narrow. I have seen the plastic drawer type on casters, but I’m not interested in that. I want something more like a piece of furniture that is functional and attractive. Any ideas????
Thanks.
pearl
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I went to walmart and got a bureau-type cabinet for cheap (I have since gotten rid of it). I fastened it to the wall and put containers into itfor all of my notions I had clear plastic ones in there, but whatever works for you, they are only visible when the doors are opened. I like walmart for those types of things, because you can buy everything in one place and you can carry the plastic containers over to the cabinet you pick's floor model and be sure the doors close well and the containers don't stick out too far.
Pearl;
have you considered picking up a vertical filing drawer? They can be easily painted to match any decor, and are a versatile organizational tool. You can store books, patterns, fabric, etc in them. They even have separators to help you organize the drawers. Best of all. you can get a couple of small ones and tuck them under your sewing table, or get the tall vertical ones which don't take up that much floor space. Check some local used furniture stores for them, or a government auction. They are way too expensive to buy new.
I recently saw a couple of things that interested me along these lines, in a catalog that came to me at home. You can see them at HomeDecorators.com. I suggest you use the search option at the home page, and look for item #s 30978 and 33357, among the many cabinets, shelves, etc. available. I list these because they are tall and narrow with small drawers.
I saw a small armoire at Big Lots (of all places) a few years ago that I thought would be perfect for what you are describing. Our local Big Lots (or Odd Lots) has closed, so I don't shop at any of their stores anymore - sometimes they had really good deals - you just had to sift through the junk!
Anyway, what I saw was about the size of a child's chest-of-drawers, with doors at the top and drawers at the bottom and it was painted with a light green wash. I admired it every time I went into the store, but just couldn't justify purchasing something I really did not need. Now, fabric and notions are a different story!
Someone may still carry a version of this, maybe Walmart, but then you may prefer higher end furniture.
Do you have closet space where you could add shelving?
Okay, I know that I posted a cabinet solution for you, but small space and equipment storage...I need to tell you this one other thing.
Large Shadow Boxes. If you put that particle board stuff with all the little holes in it in the back of them. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it right now. It looks like this ::: and you can hang hooks in the holes. Anyway, you can paint the shadow boxes to match your decor and hang them on the wall, put the hooks into it and hang your tools from them. Maybe put a couple by your cutting surface for shears and blades, One or two by your iron to hold tailors hams etc, one by your machine to hold nippers, seam ripper etc. You get the idea.
This makes your sewing tools look like art, and keeps them close at hand. I love to organize stuff !!!
Look at book shelves with adjustable shelves and cloth lined baskets to set on the shelves. You might need to buy some extra shelves. I am not so concerned about looking like fine furniture so I have metal shelves (think Grandma's canning shelves) with Peg board added to the sides for hanging certain favorite tools near the machine, and clear plastic bins for storing 'stuff' on the shelves. I also mounted a 4' x 4' sheet of peg board on the wall behind the door for hanging things that are fairly flat. Be sure to use a mounting kit so that the peg board is not right up against the wall (you need room for the hooks on the back side).
B
PEG BOARD, thank you. That is what I was rambling on about.
Hi Pearl! How handy are you? Or do you know anyone with basic wood working skills?
In an earlier post I described a thread cabinet I made. My thread situation had gotten totally out of hand. Thread in tins, drawers, buckets and I could never find the color I needed so I would buy more. Not good! With 1x4's I nailed together an oblong 48"x36" and put on a composition back. With 1/4" plywood I made 2 doors. Around the outside of the door I put 1/4"x 1/2" spacers. On the spacers I put peg board the same size as the plywood. Then I put small decorative trim around the doors. On the inside, using a piece of the pegboard as a guide, I drilled 1/2" deep holes all down the sides of the 1x4's. More 1/4" plywood cut 48" long x 3 3/4" deep made the shelves. I attached some small molding onto the face of the shelves creating a small lip so the thread spools wouldn't fall out. Small metal "L" shaped shelf holders went into the holes drilled into the 1x4's inside and the shelves sit on them. Painted it up, added hinges, door pulls and 2 magnetic catches and I had a place to put all of my thread. On the doors are all my sewing tools, scissors, rotary cutters, rulers, etc. Even my craft iron is hanging on one of the doors. Its sure not furniture grade but it does the job even better than I had hoped.
You can find an assortment of hangers just for pegboard at any hardware store and they even make little (about 3"x3") plastic containers and jars.
Things with drawers get a little more complicated but the drawer hardware is easy to figure out. I use shelving with Rubbermaid containers for my fabric. If you want drawers why not scout out local flea markets and garage sales? You can always find furniture at garage sales.
Char
Edited 4/27/2007 12:36 am ET by Char9
When I needed to store my thread I purchased those clear plastic boxes with the spindles for the thread and because it was during those years when I had small children I decided to arrange the thread according to that song all kindergartners sang ... red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. And one box for black, white, brown, etc. I had to keep adding boxes, but they are still with me and serve me well after 30 years. I, too, love to organize my sewing room, but have not mastered my tools yet. The pegboard idea sounds intriquing, I need to see some things to remember I have it! The things I use all the time are in various containers close at hand.
Two items I have come to mind. I have a tall oak shirt chest and a tall pine night stand (because our bed is very high off the ground) with drawers. Both were purchased at an unfinished furniture stores or U finish furniture stores. These rarely need any sanding and can be stained, painted, or clear coated. These stores can be hard to find, we have at least 3 in the Denver/Boulder area. Some have very good quality furniture at fair prices.
Although I don't use it for fabric, a tall armoire I got unfinished (and left that way) has nice drawers all the way down one side, and a large door with three shelves (or a closet pole) on the other side, and a large, wide drawer across the bottom.
The side drawers would be great for patterns, notions, and tools, and the large shelves and large lower drawer would be great for fabric. It's tall but doesn't take up much floor space. It's a beautiful piece that keeps all the clutter out of sight.
Hmmm...now you've got me thinking that I either need another one of these for my fabric, or I need to re-purpose this one for my sewing room!
Hi Pearl5:
My dad made me a fairly simple but very functional storage piece out of wood that incorporates clearish Rubbermaid lidded boxes (labelled) that slide out. Mine isn't particulary decorative from the front (it was originally built to hold my son's toys, but one look at it and I knew that it would be perfect for my needs). The unit is 5 boxes across and five boxes high, but the top row consists of smaller boxes for the notions that I don't have as much of. There are no horizontal shelves -- just vertical supports with slats to hold the lidded boxes so they slide out like drawers. It's works well for me because I like to grab a box and take it to my sewing table to root through it and the lids help keep dust off. I suppose the unit could be 'prettied' up by hanging a curtain front or making doors for it, but I like to see my stuff. The top and sides of the unit look much like a bookcase. I can send you a picture if you've a handy person in your life that could make a similar unit.
My sister has smaller amounts of notions and she installed simple white shelves above her sewing machine and filled them with white plastic baskets (again, labelled) with the least-used notions on the highest shelves. She has less floor space, so this worked for her.
Hope you find what you're looking for.
Regards, K
Hello -- I've been away for a while and haven't had a chance to say Thank You to all who responded with very good ideas on storage. I appreciate all the responses. I'll let everyone know when I find the solution that fits my tiny room.
pearl
I have had the same frustration that you have since moving to small home in CA. This last weekend, I found the solution for storing things in a neat and handy way. I went to IKEA--I have one of their cubical bookcases--in their entertainment section, they have lucite boxes that slide into one of the cubes. I only got one to try it out--I'm going back for at least three more. I plan to use one for my current project. I'll need to get rid of some of the books I'll never read again. If you live near an IKEA, this would be a solution for you.
Jgrue
I was going to suggest Ikea, also. I just purchased one of their rolling drawer units and I am planning to purchase another. They have a large variety of storage items for all sorts of items.
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