Today we visit the craft space of Diane Gilleland of Crafty Pod who as we all know is a crafty genius who can work on any kind of craft project. How does she keep all her various tools and supplies organized? Find out more after the jump!
CRAFT: What kinds of crafts do you do?
Diane: I do a little of everything… except maybe knitting. Which makes organization a bit of a challenge — I have tools and supplies for so many different crafts!
CRAFT: Where do you craft?
Diane: My office/craft room is all of 42 square feet. I also maintain a small garage space for overflow supplies.
Most of the time, I craft at my craft table, unless it’s already full of another project. Then I move to the kitchen table. Sometimes that’s full of yet another project, so then I have to move to the living room couch. I live with a very patient man.
CRAFT: How do you all your craft supplies organized?
Diane: I organize them by theme. It’s the only way I can keep them in the smallest space possible and stay organized. So I have a container of various scissors and other cutting tools. I have a container with a dozen kinds of glue. And another with sewing supplies. And another with paper ephemera. And so on.
For things like fabric, floss, and yarn, I have them bundled as small as they’ll neatly go, and organized by color.
CRAFT: How do you motivate yourself to keep your space organized?
Diane: The space is so small, if I don’t keep things put away, it quickly becomes impossible to function. Plus, my partner and I share an office, so I try to keep things from getting too cluttered for him. (He would giggle at that last sentence.)
CRAFT: What’s one organization tip/tool/trick you swear by?
Diane: In a small space, you have to set limits. So, all those containers I mentioned earlier? I can’t let myself accumulate more stuff than will easily fit in them. I have to go through periodically and get rid of tools and materials I’m not using.
I also periodically check in with my crafting habits. If, for example, I have a big stash of embroidery floss, but I haven’t felt like doing any embroidery in the past six months, then I’ll pack those materials up and store them in my garage, making more room in my office for the supplies I’m actually using.
CRAFT: How do you feel when your space is organized? Unorganized?
Diane: When the office is organized, my mind is organized and productive. When the room gets out of hand, I get overwhelmed and start procrastinating.
CRAFT: Describe your dream workspace.
Diane: Someday, I hope to have a whole craft room to myself! One with a sewing station, a computer desk, several giant work tables, and acres of shelving. And maybe an espresso machine.
CRAFT: How does the way your craft space is organized affect your crafting/creativity?
Diane: I have to keep the number of tools I own in check, and this shows up in my crafting. I like projects you can do with basic scissors, simple sewing, and good old tacky glue. I just don’t have the space for fancy craft machines and specialty tools.
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