OK, the most critical question of all for crafters, no matter what your craft:
How do you store your crafting stash and keep it under control? What gives you the most trouble? And have you ever been guilty of sneaking stash in the house?
Since I do sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet and other things, and tend towards chaos when I am in the middle of a project (in other words, only the project in hand gets much attention, and everything else stacks up), stash management is always a struggle.
Any good ideas?
Get rid of the family and take over the house!!!
Actually I do have a good idea. Alphabetize your ping list. It make removing people much easier. Also get your list added to the list of ping lists.
My hubby bought me an old pull along camp trailer, you know, the silver round ones...
I took the table and seats out of the front, and that is where I put my quilting loom...fits really good there. I took the bed from the back out and he made me a table for my sewing machine, and a cutting board, and a peg board on the one side without a window, and I hang my rulers, etc. on it, like pinking shears, etc.
I took the stove out and the sink, and nailed a board across there for when I cut pieces for my quilts. The cupboards I use to store yarns, materials, threads, my needlepoint loom, etc and I can hang the material until I'm ready to use it and it doesn't get rinkled. I also have my ironing board on the cutting board, you know one of those little table top ones. All my curtains are in lace, which lets in alot of sun, its parked in the shade of a pine tree in the summer so it stays cool, I have a radio in there to listen to and it works out really great....
I'm just glad my beads are small - my stash is much smaller than her stash.. Heck, my bead stash is smaller than her bead stash. :) That yarn stash though.. I'll have to let Ladypixel explain it. It is beyond my words.
Oooooh, crafting thread! Yaaaay!
I knit, crochet, spin yarn, cross-stitch, weave, do beadwork, leatherwork (predominantly soft leathers, though - I hate stampwork with a passion), quilting and other sewing... I guess the best description for my habits/hobbies would be "fiber artist", although I'm only a pro in a few select areas of the above. Most anything I do with yarn, I do for fun and relaxation, but a lot of the rest of my hobbies I do for cash, too.
And as my husband mentioned, I've got a helluva stash. My yarn stash is probably up near a couple hundred skeins now, and that's not counting stuff I haven't spun yet (most of my stash is /not/ handspun, mind you). I'm in dire need of replenishing my fabric stash because it's gotten under one box at this point, and there just isn't enough there! And I won't even get into the beads and leather, because, well, if I run out of something at home, I just get more at work the next day. :)
If I had more space, I'd add woodworking and tile mosaic to the list of stuff to do, but alas, I'm almost out of space to sit in!
I am perpetually guilty of stash replenishment in virtually any craft project, even when I really don't need it. If I see a good deal on, say, sock yarn... well, it comes home with me. Same applies with any other yarn that strikes my fancy.
Can't help it; I love the colors and textures of virtually any form of fiber artistry that's out there. I can blame my grandmother for starting me down this road, but she certainly never has had the size of yarn stash that I've got now!
Some of my crafting is for reenactors, but the stuff that I do the most of (and gain the most happiness from doing) is just for myself and/or a handful of friends and family. And honestly, I do far more of that stuff than I do business-oriented crafts. Right now, I've got three pair of socks on the needles (I don't do circular needles, though), three scarves, a pair of slippers I need to finish knitting so I can felt 'em, a blanket on the knitting machine, and that's just my knitting projects. :)
Thanks for starting this thread... I was wondering if any freepers were crafty-types, too!
Good question, common problem. I finally got bold and claimed the entire basement for my 'messes.'
My kids are in their 20's, still mostly living at home, but they each have a good sized bedroom to call their own. Sadly, I'm the slob of the family, but I can keep it confined, finally.
I don't 'sneak' things in, but I don't make grand announcements, either. lol I just keep reminding them all to be happy I'm not addicted to furs, jewlry or alcohol. And I make them sweaters, quilts and blankets periodically. ;-)
Pinz
How do you store your crafting stash and keep it under control? What gives you the most trouble? And have you ever been guilty of sneaking stash in the house?
Since I do sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet and other things, and tend towards chaos when I am in the middle of a project (in other words, only the project in hand gets much attention, and everything else stacks up), stash management is always a struggle.
Any good ideas?
I finally got under control a couple of years ago. I bought a big bin and put all my unfinished projects in it (like the one and 1/2 socks, the two wall hangings that needed to be bound off, etc.) I went through everything else and was pretty brutal (this is when I decided to give up quilting, for me it was too time consuming and I really hadn't done anything for 18 months.) I kept all the implements of all the different types of handwork, but put each in their own plastic box. I have a basket of kits (I think I am down to 4.) I went through all the patterns and tried to determine what I was going to do in the future and what I could do without. Then I moved. (I did give the quilting fabric to a neighbor of mine who sews dresses for humanitarian purposes.)
My rule was that I couldn't start any new projects until I finished the bin of unfinished projects. That took me about 13 months. Then it was the election, so I didn't do much. I have actually learned some new techniques over the past year, but I don't buy anything but the class kit until I figure out if I want to continue on. I've learned to bead, but buy only for one project. No buying for the next project until the current one is done.
I'm starting to enjoy Hardanger, but still only have the kit. Realistically, it will be the first of 2006 before I make anything with Hardanger. I have 3 or 4 projects going at once (different handwork) but my rule is that I can't start anything new until I finish the project.
I do have the luxury of having a extra bedroom, which is craft studio/den. My dad built shelves for me that are like cubbyholes (about 12 inches square). The cubbyholes are 3 across and 4 down. I bought some plastic envelopes that will fit an 11" by 14" pattern book. I put each project into the envelope or I have a basket per project. Patterns are in a filing cabinet, along with kits. Anything I print from the Internet immediately goes into a binder for that type of handwork.
I no longer purchase items that I already have because a) I forgot I had them or b) I couldn't find them. It's always a struggle to not buy something, but I've found if I wait a day or two, a lot of the time I don't want to buy it.
I don't have to sneak anything into the house, I'm single. :) Which is good in some ways and bad in others. I do keep to a budget though.
When I figure it out, I'll let you know.
My spare bedroom in my house is going to become my craft room (or as the spousal unit calls it, the "craft room from Hell"). I can tell you that I am going to paint it to match my Mary Engelbreit "Rhapsody" switchplate (yellow, pink, white, a bit of green, a bit of black). Can't wait to see how it turns out! I got the paint at Ace Hardware; the name of the color I chose is "Smiley Face". Bright yellow and so unlike me! Hee hee hee!