Organizing Sewing Supplies with Amanda Murphy
I’m BERNINA Expert, Amanda Murphy, and like many of you, I take organizing my sewing machine far more seriously than organizing my house. After all, this is where my BERNINA machines live—and what could possibly be better in the world of appliances than a BERNINA sewing machine? I’m sorry, but silly things like stoves and refrigerators don’t stand a chance.
So, for those of like mind who agree with me, I thought I’d show you how I organize my sewing cabinets and supplies. (I have a Horn 9080 Sewing Cabinet and a Horn 7600 Sewing Center. I love the finish and quality of these cabinets, and I also love that they are made by my friends in West Virginia!)
Now let’s explore the details in the photos below….
My Horn 9080 Sewing Cabinet is under the wall of windows in my studio, between one end of my Q Series and my Laurastar Smart-U pressing area.
This cabinet is big enough that I can comfortably sit in front of the sewing area; I don’t have to sit off to the side.
I keep the supplies I use every day when I sew in the top drawer—things like oil pens, brushes, spool caps, and stitch plates. I always want these supplies nearby.
The “Like-It Bricks” from the Container Store are stackable, so I keep things like Clover Clips, seam turners, and micro-fiber cloths in the second layer. And some piecing needles… but more on that later!
I like that I can easily remove the bins when I sew because…
Most often, I sew with the extension table out, which covers the first top drawer.
The second drawer holds mostly embroidery supplies. Things like OESD bobbin thread and tear-away tape, the high tension bobbin case, plus some extra feet that don’t fit in my Barbie box, which I keep on top of the cabinet.
The bottom drawer is all serger supplies for my L 890!
Under the right side of the cabinet, there is an area to store hoops–even the Giant Hoop fits!
On the left, next to the drawers, there is an area you can store your Embroidery Module but, since I have the B 990 luggage, I have installed shelves.
Across the room, I have another piece of Horn furniture. Honestly, it is the favorite piece of furniture in my house if you do not count the Q Series longarm frame as furniture. It is the spectacular Horn 7600 Storage Center.
The accordion doors open to reveal this…
I keep all cutting and marking tools in the top wide drawer.
Extra BERNINA supplies go in the second wide drawer.
The third drawer has whatever I am currently working on. Right now, it is the Edelweiss pattern in the Twilight Serenade color story. I embroidered it on my B 990! The large flowers fit in the Giant Hoop. If you have a 7 Series, you can still make this quilt, but the large flowers take 2 hoopings.
The bottom wide drawer is deep, so it has space for many projects.
The top narrow drawer has Q Series tools and supplies. (Rulers are in a cart next to my frame.)
The next area has vacuums–Gail Yellen’s is my favorite by far because of the flexible tubing. You can really get into those hard-to-reach spaces on your serger!
Cones of Perfect Quilting Thread are on this shelf. I’d recommend buying them in pairs–they you don’t have to clip your thread to wind additional bobbins.
Smaller spools and backup cones are in the next drawer. Can you tell my favorite colors?
Who panic-bought needles at the start of the pandemic? ME!!!!!! I’ll power through the jeans needles for quilting, but I might have to invite BERNINA Serger Magician, Pam Mahshie, for a playdate to use all of those serger needles!
The right side has my shorter stabilizer rolls. (The longer ones I keep in the closet.) They are a little too short to see here, but they are there. I also have some thread stands in this area.
I do have a small closet in my sewing room as well, but it is these two pieces of Horn furniture where most of my everyday supplies are stored. I hope these pictures help you think of ideas for how to organize your own sewing space.
Before I close out, I’d like to invite you to watch my livestreams, where I teach free tutorials on rulerwork and free-motion quilting, on my YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. If I am not traveling, they are on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 11:30 am Eastern. The advantage of watching live is that you can ask questions. The recordings stay up for a few weeks after.
To make sure you don’t miss any live broadcasts, subscribe to my YouTube Channel, and you’ll get an alert when they are happening! I also have a few videos on the BERNINA 990 there that you might find helpful.
Happy organizing!
Amanda
