Clean Along, decluttering hobby supplies

February 03, 2025



I know that the title of this post has most likely caused anxiety to well up in that big, soft crafter’s heart of yours. Perhaps you’re looking at a mountain of hobby supplies collected over decades and maybe you don't use much of it. That's if you could even find what you were looking for. And I'll just bet it's overwhelming and who could blame you for feeling that way?  Not me. I’ve been in that same place. When you take the time to get your hobby space in a good place, you can use the space more efficiently and you'll have more time to be creative. It doesn't matter if your hobby space is  a single drawer or a closet or an entire room, if it's jumbled, it's not serving you. And anything that is separating us from being our beautifully creative, free spirited selves needs to be identified and given the heave ho. Shall we get started?


My sewing room. Ahhh. I love to be in this room. But there was a time when I felt it was too messy. I'm not a messy person so why couldn't I keep my sewing room tidy? I thought I needed to organize it better. I bought bins and baskets to do just that but that's when it became obvious that I just had too much stuff. I started to hear the word "declutter" on the internet and in magazines and then I read that in order to organize, I had to declutter first. This made total sense to me and while I wasn't very good at it at first, I kept at it and now I've become a lot better at this decluttering thing. I'll admit that purging is tough for the crafter because crafty people tend to see potential in almost everything and because of that, we find decluttering to be more difficult than the non-crafter. To make matters worse, crafty people don't usually require a clutter free environment anyway and that makes it even more difficult. Still, you are ready for a craft purge, whatever your craft may be, if you can say yes to any one of these scenarios:

1. You can never find what you're looking for, and to be honest, you're not sure anymore what you have.
2. You have no room to actually create because there is too much stuff taking up your creative space.
3. You simply feel burdened and overwhelmed by it all.

Once upon a time I said yes to all three and if you can yes to even one, it's time to purge. I did it and you can do it too. I'm going to share what actually worked for me:

BOOKS: First, I paired down my craft books and kept only what I was certain I'd use. My goal was to see negative space on my book shelves and that would mean removing about half my books. 

Book removal tip #1: Remove a book if the subject matter no longer interests you. (I see you Macrame book.) 

Book removal tip #2: Remove that book if you can find the same information online. (I see you Tye Dye book.) 

And snap! just like that I was able to rid myself of half my books and in return get the empty shelf space I had been craving. I sold about half of my books at a second hand shop and the rest were donated to the library charity sale.

I've had one of these Moppe organizers from Ikea since they came on the scene ten years ago, or at least that's when I first saw them. I love it so much that I bought a second one last week. One organizer holds my peg doll supplies and the second one holds batteries and small tools. The boxes with bows hold needlepoint supplies in one, embroidery in another and paper ephemera in the third. 

An antique plate rack purchased years ago has stored many items over the years but since I've decluttered so much I no longer need it for storage and now it's purely decorative and  stores some galvanized tin pieces I've collected over the years. 

I bought this little chair from Restoration Hardware decades ago for my living room. It is now living out it's best retirement life in my sewing room. The big table allows me to really spread out when I'm sewing.


The evolution of this sewing room can be read here.

Counter space and good task lighting were important to me when designing this space.



While I was purging and organizing I was also cleaning. I start at the top and work my way down, one section at a time. One by one I empty each shelf, each drawer, and each cubby. I vacuum first, dust next, then wash last. Before anything gets replaced, I commit to heavy purging and only after all that is done do I get to organize. Even though I deep clean yearly and keep this room fairly tidy throughout the rest of the year, I surprised myself with having to toss three buckets of dirty water. 

SUPPLIES: I threw out anything that was broken or unusable such as dried out glues, pens and paint. I tossed anything that was outdated or a craft I had lost interest in. As for unfinished projects that were over a year old, I had to face the fact that I was not going to take the time to finish them. Senior centers and churches usually have groups of craft ladies that will take this type of donation, but if it's ratty, throw it out NOW. Get rid of anything that is hopelessly outdated. Tastes change over time and you don't have to keep or finish anything if it no longer suits your esthetic. You also don't have to keep it because you spend a lot of money on it. The money has already been spent and holding on to it won't get it back and will only be a reminder of money wasted. Remove that hurt right now! If you are on the fence as to whether or not you should save or toss, look at it and ask yourself, if I was shopping right now, would I buy it again? If the answer is no, you know what to do. Don't waste valuable storage real estate on something you don't like/won't use. Don't forget to donate multiples and duplicates of anything. How on earth did I end up with 10 rulers? Box everything up and make a few calls. Art teachers, senior centers and nursery schools are usually happy to take your craft supply donations. Lastly, think twice before you make a purchase at the craft/fabric/yarn store and do not purchase anything without a specific project in mind, and only if you are going to start it that week. Once your craft space is decluttered, you'll want to keep it that way.

You've seen what my sewing room looks like on the surface, but I'll bet it's what's behind the curtains that is of most interest to crafters. I think it's fair to show what's squirreled away so I opened up the cupboard doors and swept the curtains aside and took a few photos.

We had to take the door off the closet because my space was so cramped after adding the large sewing table, we wouldn't have been able to open the door. Curtains to the rescue!

I can easily sweep aside the curtains to get to my storage. These plastic drawers hold gifts in one and cookie cutters in another. Recently I decluttered my cookie cutters by HALF! Before the purge, both of these drawers were stuffed with cookie cutters and after I decluttered them I sold them in sets on Ebay.

The top three shelves hold shipping supplies and the bottom three hold sewing supplies.


The Ott light above was a Christmas gift from my husband. My father brought home the tiny plastic set of drawers when I was about ten years old. It was the best present ever! It holds sequins, beads, googley eyes, popsicle sticks, all the essentials. When kids come over they love to open the tiny drawers to find little treasures, and they also love knowing that I'm a sharer.

When I do my yearly deep clean I like to gift myself with some new organizing goodies. I found these wood crates at Target to replace the shoe boxes I had used previously. They are labeled glue, glitter, tape and command strips. 

I have another tiny drawer set where I keep my button collection.

I store my knitting patterns in a basket file. I love how easy everything is to find.



I hope I've given some inspiration to make your creative space as beautiful and practical as it can be. I know many of you have a space you'd like to make into your own sewing/knitting/craft zone. I really encourage you to do so, even if it's as small as a closet. If there is no budget available, it's pretty easy to scrounge around for furniture pieces that can double as storage and work space, then paint it all to create a uniform look. If you have a budget I would head straight to Ikea. I love what they have for craft rooms. As you organize I would encourage you to purge, purge, and purge again, you'll be glad you did. 

I had to break up my big hobby post into two posts to make it more manageable to follow, so I have two posts in a row. Tomorrow we'll visit my knitting room so make sure you pop by.  xo Kristen

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6 Comments

  1. I went through my craft supplies several years ago, so thankfully that is all behind me. I like your idea of not buying a thing unless you know you are going to start the project that week. Love your blog.

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    1. It's not easy to go through the craft stuff is it? I find every year it gets easier and easier. I like knowing what I have and where it is. Having less is the only way. Thank you for your comment.

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  2. Loved it! Thank you so much!

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  3. My goodness! Plenty of inspiration here. And I have the same craft lamp. My granddaughter was fascinated by its on/off touch. Thanks for a peek into your sewing room, Kristin. Can’t wait to see the knitting space. Chloe


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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Isn't that lamp the best? I love the three settings for different times of day and depending on your task. So much better than my old harsh lightbulb!

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