First, gather all your sewing items together and determine one place to put them instead of having things all over the house.
If your sewing basket looks more like the inside of a junk drawer, you’re not alone. The best way to organize your notions is to first remove everything from your sewing basket. Put back only the items that really belong there, such as thread, needles, scissors, pinking shears, straight pins, pin cushion, measuring tape, thimble, and other small useful tools. Remove all those extra buttons, packages of elastic or seam tape, patches, and scraps of lace or fabric.
Purchase a separate container for scraps and extras that you want to save, and also store zippers, brick-a-brack, and other items in the new container. You may need yet another storage container to organize projects, fabrics, trims, and household items or pieces of clothing that need to be sewn.
You can find divided storage containers or opt for craft storage bins, to help keep everything separated and stored away neatly. Stack your bins near your sewing machine, or add a small shelf nearby to contain these items.
Also, go through all your fabrics and odds and ends, discarding those that you have had forever and now know you will never use (the last time I did, I found fabric that hadn’t been in style for a long time).
Next, go through your projects. Are you really going to start working on them soon? Are you going to finish the ones you started?
Finally, sort through all those items that need to be mended. Do those jeans you meant to patch even fit your child any longer? Have you already replaced the tablecloth with the torn hem? By getting rid of unneeded or unwanted items, you’ll have more room to neatly store the items you really do want or need.
*This same process will also help you sort through all those craft items you have stashed around the house!