17 Quilting Supply Storage Tips

From the pages of HGTV!

1. Store thread spools in clear plastic egg cartons. These are also great for stacking.
2. Cut strips from inexpensive vinyl/cling wrap and wrap it around a thread spool and bobbin to keep the thread from unraveling.
3. Buy medium and large pizza boxes for storing quilt blocks. They're easy to stack and your blocks are organized. They work especially well if fabric is cut on the bias and handling it repeatedly can cause distortion.
4. Buy a flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth from a dollar store or buy flannel-backed vinyl at a fabric store and hang a portable flannel wall near the ceiling with grommets and small finishing nails.
5. Cut out large pieces from a flannel-backed tablecloth, lay quilt blocks on them and roll them up for storage.
6. Use a pants hanger to hold your pattern book to keep it from getting lost under fabric. Hang the hanger on a bulletin board, a nail in the wall or a kitchen-cabinet knob.
7. Make a pin holder from a recycled breath-mint box and magnetic sheets. Magnetic sheets can be purchased at a craft store.
8. Store sewing tools in a silverware basket from an old dishwasher, and hang it on a pegboard. A revolving pencil holder is also great for tool storage.
9. Use trading-card dividers for needle storage and place them in a binder. Insert needles into felt or muslin squares that have been cut to the size of the dividers. The holders can also be used to store swatches of your fabric stash.
10. Store a thread spool in an old prescription bottle to prevent the thread from tangling. Burn a hole in the lid with a hot nail for ease in controlling the thread. Bobbins can also be stored this way, and prescription bottles also work for discarded needles, lessening the chance that they'll get lost in the carpet.
11. Keep spools of thread and matching bobbins together by storing them on a large golf tee. Secure the bobbin and thread together with a rubber band.
12. Attach an acrylic suction-cup hook on the side of the sewing machine for hanging small scissors or thread clippers.
13. Tape a pen cap to the sewing machine to hold a seam ripper.
14. Organize and connect quilt blocks, block pieces and paper work with basting guns. They're also great for quick fixes for curtains and for securing buttons.
15. Divide a tomato pincushion into sections by labeling it with one machine-needle number per section.
16. Store glue sticks in the refrigerator to keep them from drying out or molding.
17. Organize and store cut fabric strips by hanging them on an over-the-door towel rack or a wooden or plastic drying rack.