Thursday, January 22, 2015

26 UHeart Organizing: DIY Sewing Kit

I am so honored and exited to introduce you to Ursula, organizing extraordinaire behind the blog Home Made by Carmona!  She is the newest member of the iHeart Organizing team, and she is here today to share with us her super stylish and organized sewing kit!  Whether for cleaning, lunch packing or even bill paying, I am always a fan of creating organized kits designated to a specific task.  And I think that this kit is just SEW cool!  Just like Ursula.  Here she is now to share how she put together the dreamiest sewing kit around.



Hi IHeart readers! It is such a honor to be here sharing today! Amazingly IHeart Organizing was the very first blog I'd ever been introduced to, and it caused me to catapult headlong into the wonderful world of blogging! Haha, I feel like I've come home, back to where it all started.

Today I'm excited to share with you my DIY sewing kit and how I organize it. I feel that a craft kit, sewing kit, or even an organization kit HAS to be more than just a plain jane kit. I mean, we're creatives...we are as inspired by the materials and tools we use as much as the actual project! So I say forget run-of-the-mill, make it creative, make it beautiful, make it work like a charm for you. Oh right, plus my poor feet were tired of catching all the stray needles, so I knew a better organizing solution was in order! Haha!


My sewing kit is admittedly unconventional, but I felt it was important to come up with storage that perfectly suited my needs. Occasionally that means re-inventing the wheel (which I do probably more often than I need to)... so I started with a $20 dollar bill, and ended up with a plastic file box and several acrylic storage containers.


So how does a bunch of plain storage containers become a sewing kit full of personality, and tons of yummy sewing craft possibilities?


Well, I started with a bit of spray paint to create an ombré white-to-gold effect. Tape off the area you don't want painted, and work your magic! Need few acrylic painting tips? You'll find a few tips with my gold painted file holder here, mostly because I'm a bit of a spray paint fanatic.


I also employed the use of some fun decal stickers and rub-on-transfer letters. That definitely took things up a notch! I share how to use run-on-transfers in this DIY magnetic tin post here.


The best part is how MANY tools and materials this thing holds. Wait, "holds" isn't the right word... after all, my previous sewing kit "held" lots of things. No, this is better, this is a whole new level of organization happiness! This bad boy stores, separates, organizes, and makes my life SO much easier! No more jumbled masses of thread, needles, and whatever that weird twisted piece of metal use to be.


Three interlocking towers hold a large variety of doo-dads. I love that they interlock because it means I never lose a thing! No tiny little random plastic holders to sit and sort through. If you grab one, you've grabbed them all! It also forces me to put everything away properly, if you don't screw it back on, no lid.


The tall tower does it's part to store many of my main frequent use sewing materials. And the medium and little guy are perfect for holding specialized items that you don't typically have a lot of, but don't want getting lost in all the shuffle. Here they are separated and unscrewed...



Then there are the two large plastic organizers with compartments. I would recommend getting an organizer that has adjustable compartments. I happened to know exactly what I needed to store, but you never know what future tools will come into your possession. These two store my bead collection, my sewing machine tools, and other large miscellaneous sewing materials.



I love having a separate bin dedicated to my thread, and to my bobbins. After all, they are the rock stars that hold your seams together. ;)


Then one final piece of acrylic holds my scissors, and even an additional needle kit. You'll want to take a closer look at the needle kit, another easy little DIY well worth the effort! It is simply some rectangular pieces of felt sewn into a small book that holds all my needles.


Even those specialty needles which often require an oddly shaped storage solution have a place here!


I hope you've enjoyed the tour of my DIY Sewing Kit! It may not be your conventional sewing kit, but after discovering that the conventional wasn't working for me, this was the best solution for my needs!

You can find all of the product sources over on Home Made by Carmona here.

____________________________


"Hi, I'm Ursula and I blog at Home Made by Carmona where there is always a fun DIY project in play. I've got expensive taste and no money, I'm a neat freak who's house didn't get that memo, and I firmly believe organization has the power to improve our homes, habits, and the members that abide there! I'm so thrilled to be here at IHeart Organizing, the blog that first inspired me to start my own blogging journey."


26 comments:

  1. I don't even sew, but this makes me want to. Adorable setup and I love all of the storage pieces that fit nicely in the box. :)

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  2. This is GREAT!!! I don't sew, but my Mother-in-law does and she is always losing things or her threads are tangled, etc... Now I know what to get her for her birthday (or Mother's Day since they are only about a week apart)! I'm going to assemble one for her to make her sewing easier, and it will be convenient for her to tote around to her sewing classes instead of how she does it now! Currently, she throws everything into a beach bag type tote and can never find what she needs! Thanks for posting!!!! ~ Meliesa

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    1. Great idea for a gift. I never thought about that. My daughter in law sews all the time.

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    2. Thanks! I never know what to get my mother-in-law so this jumped out at me :-)

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  3. Great project! So easy, cheap and functional! Love those gold scissors especially :)

    Lauren
    www.lbdesigns.wordpress.com
    xx

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  4. one day i hope to be as organized or even half as organized as this :)

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  5. Love the details and organizers in this project, albeit I don't sew. I checked out Ursula's blog, I love it! I will be going back for more.

    xo,
    Antonella | www.loveyourhomeblog.blogspot.ca

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  6. I love, love, love this idea! Quick question though...how did you cover the handle to the main storage box? I love that even that is customized!

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    1. Thanks so much for asking that question! I can't believe I forgot to share that!! ;) All I did was remove the handle, and sew a leather strip using faux leather material. You can simply fold over the material and sew up one edge to create a little pocket, insert the handle into your faux leather pocket, and put it back on!

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  7. "I'm a neat freak who's house didn't get that memo" Love that! I can't wait to have some time to check out your blog and looking forward to seeing you more on this blog.

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  8. This is great. I sew some times and i always lose stuff. best way to keep items organized. I'm going to make a mini version for my room. :)

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  9. I really need this box! It looks really good and usefull and really organized!! I love it! :D

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  10. Ursula, I'm glad that you are a contributor here. I love your blog!

    Where did you get the interlocking towers? They would be handy for so many small items.

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    1. I have some of those screw-on towers! I got them at Michael's in the beading section. That's what mine are holding now :)

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    2. Thanks very much. I'll check out Michael's.

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  11. This is a very pretty storage solution for the mess that comes with sewing. Unfortunately I have far too much mess for such a small and tidy box (I've got around 100 reels of thread, and that doesn't even include the overlocker cones), but there are a few great ideas that I can use here.

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  12. I LOVE Ursula's blog! And her little self descriptive blurb made me do a double take and decide we must be long lost twins. Also loving that I am almost done with my craft closet makeover which is made up of a ton of these specific plastic totes because they are so wonderful! I didn't paint mine and am irked by their lack of "pretty" but you have me ready to bust out another can or two of spray paint. Dang it!

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  13. Hi Jen and Ursula,
    Im a new reader to I heart organizing and I love the sewing box. I don't sew, yet, but I love the look of your kit.

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  14. What an awesome idea. I love it, I just started sewing and this is a great way to organize my stuff. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I'm so glad you guys linked up, I can relate with Ursula, Jen your blog is the very first blog I read almost 2 years ago and you have no idea how you have motivated me and allowed me to see light and color in ways I never imagined. I started DIYing and picked back up my crafting because of you, now that I'm venturing into sewing this post couldn't come at a better time. I love Ursula's blog as well you two were made for one another!

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  16. Love the sewing box. I think a knitting version is in my future! Especially since I have a couple of those big tote floating around! Thanks for sharing! Love seeing how others store their crafty items!

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  17. I LOVE the decorations on this kit. I never think to make my organizers pretty. I'm good at the organizing, not the decorating!

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  18. Living in an RV I don't have space for a lot of items. I do need a sewing kit! I love this idea...thank you

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