My storage tips for your craft stash.

One thing no crafter has ever said is “I have enough storage”!

You never have enough storage becasue if you have space, you buy more crafty goodies to fill it! But all is not lost, here are my top tips for keeping everything under control; and not spending a fortune doing it.
Now as Crochet is my thing, mostly, I’m going to tell you about my crochet system (my husband is laughing and saying, “there is a system?”. First of all, I’m lucky enough to have a craft room, quite a large one too and a big store cupboard. My craft room has a good desk space, a table and lots of shelves, and cupboards. And they are all full!

My yarn stash is stored in clear plastic boxes on the top shelves and my haberdashery – button, beads, ribbons and all my tools are on another shelf. I have a double wardrobe cupboard for fabric and stuff for all the various workshops I do are also stored in plastic crates, ready to pull out when i need them.

If you dont have a dedicated craft space, then try to keep a handy stash of essentials wherever you work and put everything else away. For crocheter’s, a small Ziplock bag with scissors, tape measure, stitch markers, darning needle, ordinary needle and thread will be enough. Keep one beside the chair where you sit, next to your dining room table and wherever else you work.

Project bags are a thing for me. I have several on the go at any one time, each with their own bags of the essentials above and one of my three sets of hooks. 

Hook cases with storage for a full set of hooks, as well as your other essentials make great presents, and you’ll definitely need more than one, so put it on your Christmas list.

Now, how to make the most of that storage.  First, before you go out and buy more boxes or drawers, have a look round your home to see what you’ve already got that you can utilize. While you are doing this, keep a lookout for any supplies stashed in odd places and gather them together. This will save the money you might spend buying things you already have.

For yarn storage I recommend clear plastic boxes so you can see what you’ve got. Consider boxes with lids that can be stacked. If you have limited space, it might be worth investing in a ball winder.  It will produce tight yarn cakes that take up a lot less space than the puffy commercial balls.

For my haberdashery, I have small stacking drawers and large jars for ribbons. All my buttons are stored in jars by colour. Beads are in plastic containers, like dips are sold in, with a lid. Keep a lookout for bargains in craft stores for specialist storage for yarn bobbins, paints or beads.

Finally, regarding work in progress or WIPS. I always have a stack of these because i have the attention span of a goldfish. When you put a project away to finish later, make sure that it is stored in a clear bag with the pattern and a note of hook size you were using, the row number you are on and a ball band from the yarn you were using. I like using the big Ziplock bags clothing comes in or the lovely organza bags you get your yarn delivered in from the Wool Warehouse.

I hope you find all this helpful in organizing your stash. Finally, my craft room is always a mess, so my system is not perfect.  But then creativity is very messy!