Looking for advice on organizing/packing up a sewing room before showing house

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01-13-2015, 08:56 AM

#31

cpfrog

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Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: Ohio

Posts: 469

Quote:

Originally Posted by lildinks2013

To make a house more appealing is to make it look as roomy as possible. If it were me, I'd bite the bullet and pack everything neatly in marked boxes and put into storage. Remove any clutter and make it very bright and roomy for a better sale. Maybe keep some hand work aside like your knitting and keep in a tidy spot. Good luck on selling your home. Something I wish I could do. Downsizing has been on my mind but with Dh being a fly fisherman who makes his own flys etc., it is out of the question for now.

Funny - or not so - my DH shares my sewing room and has his fly-tying table in the corner. Hasn't really used it much lately, but I thought we could "work" together.

Your tips for showing the room are right on. Clean (no dust or threads all over); stash packed away and out of sight (not in closet); bright and cheery; even leaving the machine out, and/or hand projects, gives an idea as to purpose, besides another bedroom? guest room?

01-13-2015, 09:03 AM

#32

vondae

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Join Date: Jul 2011

Location: Texas

Posts: 1,056

The only added advice I have is for packing if heavy things. If you are using boxes for some things, visit the liquor store and ask for their boxes. They are very heavy & sturdy. Much better for heavy things like books & magazines, etc. Just another suggestion. Slow & steady wins the race. Better to start now & go at a pace that won't wipe you out. Good luck with the new adventure in your life.

01-13-2015, 12:09 PM

#33

neece

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Join Date: Apr 2010

Location: Bloomington IN

Posts: 864

Quote:

Originally Posted by tesspug

I might suggest putting together a quilt kit. The fabric and tools for a simple quilt can go into a box or bin and leave out your sewing machine like quiltingcandy suggested. One sewing machine and one box won't look cluttered.

Excellent idea! Hopefully it will be the first in your new home

01-13-2015, 07:06 PM

#34

lots2do

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Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: Maine-ly Florida

Posts: 3,926

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJ Quilter

I'm of the camp of packing up as much as possible but also make up a couple of 'kits' for yourself along the way. Both machine and hand work. Keep your machine out. In the packing process, if you can, figure out which items you're going to have in your respective north and south homes and label appropriately. Even if you're going to move your fabric within your current house, possibly sort those internal destinations to their ultimate north or south locations. Will make your end packing easier. And I agree with keeping a box in each room for the 'last used/first opened' things.

Good luck with selling your home and upcoming retirement.

Thank you! Yes, DH is planning on a Florida side of the storage unit and a Northern side. The Northern stuff will go there in August and then we'll downsize to a smaller unit until the fall move. He's been packing all fall and labelling for the destinations.

01-13-2015, 07:07 PM

#35

lots2do

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Location: Maine-ly Florida

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Quote:

Originally Posted by maryfrang

I am glad that I seen this post. My husband and I are starting to purge for a move, after 37 years in our house. We hope to have it on the market by the end of April or first of May. I cannot think of what to start on in my quilting rooms. I have a long arm and also several sewing machines. I like the idea of keeping some hand work to work on when I need a stress break from packing the purging. Good luck to you too.

Good luck to you as well! I hope it goes as smoothly as possible for both of us!

01-13-2015, 07:23 PM

#36

lots2do

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Thank you all again for your wonderful comments and private messages. I feel much calmer now. I'm trying to take a careful look at what I have. Have found a home for a folding cutting table and a large wooden ruler rack. Neither would work in my smaller spaces. I'm actually looking forward to the weekend to see how much I can accomplish.
Good luck to all those in the same boat!

01-13-2015, 07:25 PM

#37

lots2do

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Mom2EZ

Help - just got my PQ1500s. I can get it to sewing with walking foot using 2pieces of cotton and batting fine but when I just try to sew 2 scraps of fabric together (no batting) I get gathers in the sewing. Is there a place I can go to see videos of tension settings etc when using walking foot. Thanks!

You may want to start a new thread in the Main section to get an answer for your problem.

01-14-2015, 05:25 AM

#38

Billi

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Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: Green Valley AZ

Posts: 2,574

Quote:

Originally Posted by zozee

My advice is to think like a buyer . People are buying a lifestyle. They want space but also need "vision" to see how a room can be used. We are going to be buying our (last ever) house, Lord willing, in the next five years. I love to see a room ( a very large, bright room) already being used as a sewing room, but I hate to see the inevitable clutter that a sewing room has. I want to think I am going to have an always neat, tidy, spacious, bright sewing room because, hey, here it is! Right here in the house I'm touring for sale! The lure of a quilting lifestyle sans clutter! Doesn't the whole world live out of one box with one sewing machine, and wide open shelves ready to put brand new fabric?

That's how I would think going in as a buyer who likes to quilt. I don't want her crap, I want this SPACE for my own
.

If I were a buyer just looking at a bedroom that's stuffed to the gills with crafty crap, I would feel smothered and claustrophobic, whether I was creative or not. The way I see it, packing up a classroom (did that when our little school closed permanently) and helped my DD pack hers when she left the profession (after just two years) I was overwhelmed. So many decisions. So much physical, mental and emotional energy gets expended. Do yourself a favor and ask about everything you handle: does it bring me up or down? Have I used it in the past six months? Can I easily replace it if I let it go now? If you answered up, yes, yes" keep it. Otherwise, let it go, let it go.....

i like the idea of keeping one kit ready for when you just have the itch to sew at your machine. And a basket for handwork to relax with. What will you thank yourself for doing later? I like to start at the end and work backwards.

Great advise, most realtors tell you to pack up personal items and family photos so the prospective buyers can see themselves in that space...you need to stage every part of your house like a magazine. It's a pain to live like that but it will help sell your home faster....you don't want to wait for the perfect "crafter, quilter" to see past it you want to appeal to as many people as possible. No matter how big your home you want it to be clutter free and feel roomy.

01-14-2015, 11:25 AM

#39

Nona

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Join Date: Jun 2010

Location: Baileys Prairie, Texas

Posts: 294

we did this 6 years ago and I can still remember it like yesterday. First thing I did was make a "retreat Box". I packed the "had to have" things when you go on a retreat, cutter, ruler (1 6 1/2" ruler), 1 cutting mat...no not the big one, scissors, pins, ripper, pin cushion. etc. Get a big plastic container. Make 5 kits...material, pattern,batting needed, backing,and your preferred method of sandwiching (safety pins, spray glue etc), thread needed for each kit.
Put in large 2 gallon plastic bag (or similar). Put all 5 kits in the big bin in your sewing room (area) cover with one of your finished quilts. You can continue to sew while your house is on the market. Everything else in your sewing room, material and all, put into storage. Leave one sewing machine in the room to sew your "kits". Everything else needs to go to off site storage if possible. I moved from having 2 large bedrooms upstairs to 10 x 10 room on the first floor. My daughter looked at our current house while I was working and called me to tell me she had found our house. The former owner was also a quilter!! I still have more fabric that she did or does even now. Right now you can barely get into my sewing room. But I have plans to get it all cleaned out this month. I guess I might qualify as a fabric hoarder, but since I do mostly charity work, sale fabric draws me in every time. I just delivered 15 quilts and 20 pillowcases to the Ronald McDonald House in New Orleans. I make about 20 to 25 quilts each year for charity groups. My big deal this year was finishing a king size Civil War reproduction quilt I have been working on for 3 years. It is the first quilt I have made for my room. My youngest daughter has already put her name on it!!! Good Luck.

01-14-2015, 02:21 PM

#40

lots2do

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Location: Maine-ly Florida

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I love this idea of a retreat box and a few kits to work on if time allows. I will definitely try to do this. I think I also might be able to set up a machine on a small table in the loft area and really clear out the room. The way the boxes are starting to stack up around here, we may end up renting a storage unit sooner. As my favorite cousin says: "it's all good."