I made 4 resolutions for 2020 the first of which is: "I tidy my workshop and keep it tidy all year long."
To be able to tidy my sewing space, I had to start by organizing all the fabrics cluttering my workspace... But how to do it, given the mess?
I chose to follow some principles of Marie Kondo and her famous tidying method and honestly, it wasn’t so bad to be inspired by it.
For those who do not know the queen of tidying, these books are available almost everywhere and a show is even dedicated to her on Netflix.

28/12/2019 - Shame on me

28/12/2020

First step
I completely emptied the top of the workspace and the 4 large storage drawers. This allowed me to visualize all the coupons I owned.
Marie Kondo advises sorting according to 3 main categories:
- what we keep,
- what we give,
- what we throw away...
I skipped this step because all the coupons were chosen carefully and I had no desire to part with them.
On the other hand, I had to set aside two large coupons that had faded at the fabric folds despite being in the drawers. These therefore joined the scrap corner and will be cut for small projects.

Second step
I sorted the fabrics by size. After buying fabric (even when you have a project in mind at that moment), you no longer know how much yardage you have... anyway, I had to unfold and refold them all... so count a little/a lot of time for this step depending on your stock.
I made 5 categories to separate them:
- less than one meter
- 1m
- 1.5m
- 2m
- greater than two meters

Sorting coupons into categories

The three middle categories are the ones I was most interested in sorting because it allowed me to have a better view of the projects to be done according to the coupons.
Most of my coupons are cotton woven fabrics because it is the material I prefer to wear. However, I also have materials in cotton jersey, velvet, and faux fur that I have gathered to create another category.
Finally, the coupons in which it was no longer possible to make a garment, that is to say:
- less than one meter in a width of 110cm or less than 80cm in a width of 140cm
- those from which I had already taken pieces and in which it becomes difficult to "fit" all the pieces of a pattern
- the faded ones
have joined the scrap corner.
This sorting also confirmed to me that I am definitely a big fan of printed fabrics.

The space clears... I find my sewing machines - 6/01/2020

Third step
After carefully cleaning the drawers, I folded and rolled the fabric coupons so they would fit in the drawers. Again, I used Marie Kondo's method regarding rolling the coupons. And indeed, her method allowed me to save space; which was good to have!
Depending on the size of your coupons or your storage bins, the folding will be different. For my part, I had to be a bit clever because I have many coupons of 110cm width and others of 140cm, I couldn't fold them the same way... otherwise they wouldn't fit in the drawer...
It's up to you to find the right size for your spaces!

Coupons of 1m and 1.5m

Coupons of 2m

As you can see, I managed to fit 3 rows of 1m and 1.5m coupons in one drawer. For the 2m coupons, I had to leave a longer length to be able to roll them, so I could only make two rows.
Coupons of 1m, 1.5m, and 2m took all of my first two drawers.
Jersey, velvet, and faux fur coupons took the third drawer.
Coupons over 2m like wax pagnes or large 4m coupons that I bought in Japan at Nomura Tailor joined the fourth drawer with ribbing and interfacing coupons.
There were still some velvet and wool coupons that had no place... so I sacrificed a drawer from my "DIY space" where I store paint, beads... to store these last coupons. No choice...

Fourth step
I cleaned my work surface and my small shelves where I store haberdashery, my serger thread spools, and decorative objects. I placed on these shelves the items I use most when I sew.
I really like:
- my little magnetic bird where I store my sewing machine needles in use.
- my two recycled pencil holders: one contains mechanical pencils and bamboo measuring tools, the second contains scissors, seam rippers, and marking tools
- and then all my little memories from Japan.

What pride to find a clean and functional workspace and drawers that we are no longer ashamed to open.
The goals that stem from this first victory are now to:
- to keep the space tidy
- to quickly get back to a maximum of 4 drawers of fabric (this will be the hardest!)
- to continue tidying up with the scraps, haberdashery, and patterns... and I promise, I will share my tips and tricks with you.

Workshop on January 19, 2020

And you, where are you with your resolutions?