It’s the new year, so I want to bring you the latest and greatest things I’ve added to my sewing space. If you want to see my previous lists of favorite sewing notions, read them here, here, and here.
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I’m always looking for new ways to make my sewing (and sewing room) more efficient. This Christmas I received a new toy, and I use it a lot for paper crafts, but I can see it’s going to be a great assett to my doll sewing pattern business as well.
Brother Scan n Cut Machine: this toy is definitely pricey, but I’m having so much fun playing with it, I think it has already earned its spot on my desk. It’s the perfect tool to cut out your printed paper pattern pages with the press of a few buttons. Such a hand saver too! Read more in THIS POST and watch my video on how quick and easy it is to cut out your paper patterns.
Hobby Cutting Table: I realize that everyone doesn’t have room for a large cutting table. I didn’t either until my daughter left for college and stopped her Irish dancing. Our basement dance floor is right next to my sewing area! I chose this table to give me room to spread out, but still folds up to a much smaller size if I need to put it out of the way. I keep my latest fabric basket on the shelves underneath. I keep my scissors, tape measures, pins and much more in a rolling cart that slides right under one of the sides of the table to keep it out of the way. It’s like this one. You can also find them at Ikea, Michaels, Hobby Lobby and other big box stores.
Plastic Book Bins are the perfect boxes for organizing doll accessories and so much more. Nothing makes me happier than sorting things by color. My entire sewing room and notions are both sorted by color! I bought a few sets of these bins when the stores were full of school supplies. I filled them with shoes by color. Now when I’m taking photos, it’s a simple task to find matching shoes! See more information in this post. I purchased more bins to sort my photo props and doll accessories… and even put a set in my pantry to organize the snacks.
Evernote- This free download version of this computer program has been a real time saver in my digital organization. Find it (along with paid versions) at evernote.com. I’ve started using it fairly recently, and I’ll do a full blog post on it soon. I use it to make a digital catalog of my PDF patterns. I can create notebooks by designer, by garment type, and add the cover photo and keyword or tags to each “note” or pattern in the book. When I’m looking for something, it’s as simple as typing into my search bar: “short sleeves top” and see what options I have to sew. Take a look into this organizational tool for your “collection” of sewing patterns so you never forget what you have again.
Wool pressing mat: Wool pressing mats are all the rage with the quilting community, and I thought, why not for doll clothes too? I love this! It’s the perfect size, has no creases (ironing board cover), and can act as a portable pressing pad as well. You will get crisp creases and nice flat hems.
Use these tools to make your sewing space a little more organized, and your sewing tasks a little easier. Happy Sewing!!
