Hello Friends. Let me begin by saying Thank You to the quilters of the Rayside Balfour Quilters guild. I was an invited guest at their year end Banquet. What a lovely evening! A special thank you to this year’s Guild President Diane Blais who was my secret sister for the evening. She made me this lovely quilted bag with accessories to match!

In this post, I’d like to share some organizational discoveries I’ve made while my studio has been undergoing its renovations. First off, there is nothing like a complete reno to make you take a close look at your stuff and sort through it. As a quilter, I can confidently say that I am a little bit of a hoarder. Keeping that fabric that you bought in 1998 (which now is in the ugly fabric pile) because you might need it someday, or that leftover piece from the quilt you made your girlfriend, just in case it gets a tear and needs mending. Well it’s 2016 and there is so many new (and gorgeous!) fabrics out there. I went through my stash and donated anything that was 6-10 years old and I knew deep down that I would not have use for. I managed to fill a large box and donated it to the Sudbury Guild for their cuddle quilt program. This way I felt that I was giving to the community and the fabric would not go to waste. Pre-school programs also love fabric donations for their craft bins. Next time you feel the need to tidy-up, do some investigating because there are lots of places that are excited to receive your fabric give-aways.

Over the past 16 years, my studio has undergone a lot of changes. It was originally what we called the rec-room, where the family watched TV and the girls played. Now it’s used for a different kind of recreation! There were several advantages to converting the space; being on ground level allows for a separate entrance for the quilters and the big, open layout provides lots of room for all things quilting. I also don’t have to worry about walking outside in the dark with the bears to get to my studio!

This year’s renovation was a total upgrade. We, or I should say my darling husband, tore out the sauna and opened up the wall beside the existing studio – this space is now solely dedicated to my long arm and has freed up some much needed space at other the end of the studio. New flooring and a fresh coat of paint, well what a difference!

The only challenge now is to figure out how to store ‘my stuff’ without blocking a window or doorway. Luckily, as quilters, we are creative beings and with thanks to Pinterest (that giant time sucking hole on the internet that I try to stay away from but it keeps pulling me in), I have found a few really helpful hints.

First, my peg board. I have had it in front of my sewing machine since the beginning. It holds my scissors, rotary cutters, and things I use all the time.

Next, thanks to Ikea, is my RÅSKOG Utility Cart that holds the notions and things I use when longarming. It's on rollers and can follow me for easy access to things needed or can easily be pushed out of the way.

Another big challenge after so many years of quilting are all the rulers I've collected. One day, Hubby whipped me up this "Tucker Rack" to hold all my Studio 180 tools just like a file folder. It works like a charm!

I also love my stencil organizer. On the wall in my long arm room are two bars with “s” hooks that hold my quilting stencils. I like it so much I put a towel bar on the side of my cutting table to hang my regular rulers.

This shelving unit is one of my favourites. Purchased from Home Depot, this airy steel shelf unit not only holds my stuff but allows me to hang patterns and things from its sides, again with “s” hooks, for visibility and easy access.

Last but not least is my new cutting table. Needing a place to store my fabric bins, (and thanks to a fantastic IKEA Hack on Pinterest) I purchased two bookcases from Ikea. Hubby mounted them together and put it on rollers. A piece of melamine sits on top for the cutting mats. I now have a two-in-one, all-sides-accessible cutting table!

I would love to hear and see pictures of anything you have in your quilt room that helps with organization or things that have made your quilt room better - share in the comments! I'll be sure to post an update once I have my design wall up. That's all for now, thanks for dropping by, stay safe, enjoy the summer flowers, and have fun quilting.