How to Organize Craft Rooms
Organization and Action Steps to Organize Your Craft Room
Craft room organization increases efficiency and creative time. Many crofters complain that they spend more time looking for supplies than they actually enjoy doing their craft. By following our suggestions for organization, you will be able to increase your efficiency and enjoy your craft even more. One key to craft room organization is utilizing vertical space. Look to The Uncluttered Life’s Declutter Deck® for tips and tricks about home organization.
Organization
One way to organize a craft room is to create zones. These zones help you eliminate the need to consistently look for tools and supplies.
Examples of zones may include a main workspace, computer zone, sewing zone, paper crafting zone, jewelry making zone, and knitting or embroidery zone. Your craft may include others. These are only suggestions.
Action Steps
Lay out all your crafting supplies. Decide which go together and organize them according to crafting needs. Make a list of your supplies and equipment. Sometimes seeing all your supplies laid out makes you realize that you have used some things more than others. Sort supplies into piles of like items.
Purge what you no longer need. Divide them into toss, donate, and sell categories. Take action on each pile.
Put items to be thrown away directly into a garbage bag to remove the temptation of keeping them.
Prioritize your activities. Which crafts do you do most? How much space will that craft require? Choose storage options that will keep the products you’ve kept in good condition, easy to access, and easy to use. Take measurements before shopping for containers. For example, a rolling cart may be perfect for supplies and make the most of space. They are an amazing organizational piece.
A rolling cart is great because it is portable, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and holds many things. The trays on the cart can be flipped over to create a flat space to work or store things. You can even add extra inserts within the trays to create compartments to hold small things together. Put less used items on the lower shelves.
Establish a multi-function area. As in a home office, you will need an area where you do most of your work. This will be your workstation. Identify which needs take precedent over others. What is your ideal layout for your workspace?
Play with the layout and plan each space accordingly. These are the crafting zones. Measure the space and sketch a rough layout. Remember to include doorways and windows so that you don’t have to re-plan once you’ve figured out how you’d like the space to function. Where will you put your multi-function space?
Create dedicated zones for each activity. Determine what your electrical needs may be and how the light in the room gives clarity to color and helps you see more clearly.
Consider the workflow of your craft room. Arrange the zones in your craft room and take into account tools and supplies used most frequently. Put those within easy reach. Remember to label things so you know where to put things away.