cleaning/organizing my sewing room

[Mom of Six]

My sister gave me some fabric on friday & I had no where to put it away so I started organizing this morning.
My sister rolls all of her fabric to avoid creases. I started doing that & got all the fabric from the shelf back on plus a box full & a few pieces from another shelf
Does anyone else do this? It is time consuming but I really like the way it looks & I can get more fabric on the shelves (No I am not going to buy more!) I hope to get most of it done this week but unfortanatly I have to work 2 days to get ready for the start of school next week
Maybe thursday I can get some kids to help.
Right now I have to go empty my freezer that got left open a crack sometime during the week. Most of the food will be trashed but I saved the big bag of ice I bought last week.

[MartySews2]

I started organizing my sewing stuff back when hubby & daughter went to FL. I got the dining table cleared from my sewing clutter but still have a bunch in my living room area to sort & store. I need to put another bin of fabric in the attic but it will take some time when I have some help. Good luck on your organization & storage. Sounds like you're off to a good start.
Marty

[lendube]

That's a good idea. I've never rolled fabric but I've seen it done. Strange to think it frees up space but it does. You've made me think of the sprinkled and rolled clothes for ironing in the fridge as I was growing up. Seemed to work for those stubborn cottons. I even did it for several years when I first got married. I don't think the cottons are as hardcore anymore though.

My sewing room is quite organized. It's got things in it that belong elsewhere though what with the remodel and stuff from my mom's that I'm bringing home. I'm sooooo selective in what I'm bringing here though. Our house is stuffed!

Hope you get lots done, Barb. Have you been playing with your new machine much or are you going to wait for more feet??

[Mom of Six]

Hope you get lots done, Barb. Have you been playing with your new machine much or are you going to wait for more feet??

Thanks Lennie! The freezer is empty & defosting. I saved a few items that I don't think ever thawed out but I did through a lot of the not sure stuff away. Not worth getting sick! Luckily I haven't bought much to stock that freezer because I was trying to use stuff up first. Hope DH gets a check soon or we will be eating out of cans for the week!
I played with the machine a little but I need to get more bobbins before I use it very much. Hopefully The teacher will find the feet & bobbins will be with them.
I did 1/2 row of each stitch that I didn't think it would hurt to do without the proper foot. I didn't try the button hole. The ones that use a satin stitch worked but not as good. I decided not to play too much until I get the room cleaned. I do like the stop function! much easier than backstitching! Now back to cleaning.

[lendube]

The Vikings use a particular bobbin. (Just another way of taking advantage of customers. ) I don't know about yours but just be careful which type you use. The ones mine uses are clear plastic, concave on one side and slightly convex on the other. It goes in the bobbin holder convex side out. If you buy them at a Viking dealer you pay at least $1.00 per bobbin and you have to buy a pack of ten. If you need bunches go to Ebay and look for them. I bought a bag of 25 I think and it was much, much cheaper even with shipping. There are also no pre-wound bobbins that will fit my machine. Your machine will have a number that you'll find on the manual. That way you'll know for sure which attachments and notions will work with your model. At the dealer you'll see all the packages with a number in a circle at the top.

I go to the "Viking 1+_ Orchidea" group on Yahoo. I seldom post - but I get their daily digests. I don't know if there's one specific to your machine. If not, then this group will be a good source of info for you. But of course, you've also got those of us on the board here with Viking emb. machines. My machine the "#1+" was made in 1995 I think and isn't all that much newer a model than yours. I think the "Rose" and the "Orchidea" are right in there with yours. Any question you have I'll be happy to try to answer. I'm betting there are many similarities.

[Mule]

I've never tried rolling fabric, but it makes sense it would take up less room. Rolling clothes in a suitcase is always more space efficient. I saw a stash where all the fabrics were folded over a styrofoam disk, which kept each piece the same dimension. I really like how that looks, although I probably won't do that any time soon. Organizing is a lot of work, but what better reason to do it than because you got a bunch of new fabric?

I hope you get your feet soon so you can play with your new machine!

[DorothyL]

I used to roll my fabric. Then I started asking for the cardboard bolts when I bought fabric and I roll mine on those. Sometimes I worry about the crease not pressing out or fading or something but it hasn't happened yet. The smaller bolts fit perfect on one book shelf I have and the larger ones in a chest. I make sure they don't get direct sun.

Dorothy

[sewingrandma]

Barb, I've found bobbins for my Viking at Hancocks. They carry a line of generics and are much cheaper than the originals. I also found out that the feet there do not fit the Viking even though the label says it will. They are so expensive thru Viking and my shop closed several years ago. Brother now owns the shop and says they are certified repairmen but when he couldn't answer simple questions about my machine or parts I decided I would have to travel the 50+ miles to the closest service store.

[Mom of Six]

closest hancocks to me is in Indiana over a 2 hr drive. I found some online for about$9 for 10. I might check out the dealer in town on Wed. after work & see what their prices are. I would really like the foot for buttonhole & the one for sewing on buttons. Maybe the "B" foot for the decorative stitches. I will see what they cost & they might go on my BDay/ Christmas list for my kids

[bridesmom]

Have you checked out Allbrands.com on line? They are usually very reasonable in pricing. Or there are a few ebay sellers that I go to for stuff like that, one that springs to mind is dafont. Has all sorts of fun feet and attachments for machines.