Future Craft Station

Question

I purchased this hutch at a yard sale. I am very much in need of additional storage space in my office/craft room. The bones of this piece are great, the paint job is awful. It is my hope that I can get some suggestions as to the best way to maximize the storage of my sewing supplies. It is also my hope to have room for a small T.V. in this space as well. I have completely sanded down the entire piece, inside and out. This is so I could have a clean canvas to add color. There were a LOT of drips from whoever painted it the last first time.

Linda Magruder · Answer

Hello, you can add pockets to the in sides of the doors for more storage.

Linda Johnson · Answer

you can use glass jars to hold buttons threads ..or you can purchase a thread rack that has the spindles on it that you could mount to one of the doors ..good luck

Cathy · Answer

add pegboard to either side or back for hanging rotary cutters or scissors...

Jeanie Hudman · Answer

I have seen the cutest idea from another site and have been looking to find an armoire to do it with, you mite get an idea from here as well! http://lindycottagehill.blogspot.com/2011/01/magic-sewing-table.html it is on the website called 'Cottage Hill. How fun! I mainly love the way you can fold it up and store all behind the closed doors!

Mary Dickson · Answer

Add shelves to put fabric and /or baskets for small stuff

Marcella - minicaretti · Answer

I'd need a worktop sticking out so that I could sit down with some leg space underneath. The project suggested by @jeaniehudman is great but I guess you can get away with a large shelf mounted on sliding hardware, similar to the kind used for drawers.

Deb Byers · Answer

This is a really nice piece. If it were mine and the tv was important, I would add a shelf to fit the tv first, most likely at the top of the piece where it would take up the space where it would be the most difficult to reach supplies. Put it on a shelf with a pull-out space so that the tv can come out of the cabinet and maybe even be swiveled to be seen from other areas of the room. Next I would decide how to use the drawers at the bottom. Do you want to fold fabric and place it in them, or would it work better to put in dividers and put your notions or sewing basket in them? If it were mine, I would fold fabric to put in the drawers, then I would make more shelves underneath the tv shelf to hold fabric bins where I could sort scraps of fabric, laces and trims, etc. Outfit the inside of one door with a thread holder and a small clear plastic shoe organizer, which will give you pockets for tools, like scissors and rotary cutters. On the other door screw on one of the back of the door organizers that has the small pocket shelves, like the ones used for gift wrapping supplies. Adjust the shelves so that small mason jars will fit in them, and they can hold your pins, safety pins, bobbins, etc. I also use mason jars to sort ribbons and trims by color. If you plan it right, you should be able to easily fit your tv and quite a bit of organized storage for your sewing supplies. Would love to see it when you're finished!

Marinda Boydstun · Answer

When I was growing up, I loved to steal fabric scraps from Mom's sewing drawers for my dolls. Now, I have a son who loves anything with tools or crafting. We also have cats who like to play, mostly with anything that's _not_ a purpose-made cat toy, so they would really like to get into my sewing kit: ribbons, buttons et c.

Eileen · Answer

I would definitely put TV in first. Then either shelves for fabric, or hanging wire baskets off bottom of TV shelf. You could also attach metal sheet to inside of doors, like a magnetic spice rack, to keep small accessories separated. If you are looking for a table or shelf to attach to it, consider taking doors off, attaching them 'drop leaf style' on either or both sides. Will be looking for finished product, good luck!

Diane · Answer

Try pulling the drawers out and find several baskets that fit your opening.  You shouldn't have to waste an inch of space if you can find the right size baskets.  They are out there somewhere.  Once you find baskets that fit you can rip out the drawer slides so that the baskets fit better and slide in easier.  This gives you more organization and you can still put larger items behind those baskets that may not fit into the baskets themselves.  Don't forget to label your baskets so that you can easily find what you are looking for because it is easy to return the baskets to a space that is different than the usual.  You may also consider placing labeled baskets on either size of the TV so as not to waste precious space there.  
If you haven't already, you may want to put your threads on a thread board, that you can easily make yourself , and then hang it on the inside of one of the doors.  You could also hang small racks using dowel rods  on the other door to keep your ribbons, and trims organized.  Whatever you do though, don't get rid of the doors.  They are really great for hiding a mess or unfinished projects.   One more thing, you may want to consider putting another shelf just below the T.V. maybe just 4 to 6 inches below it to hold or store your unfinished pieces of whatever you are working on at the time.  That way it keeps necessary pieces  out of the way, but you will know right where to find them when you are ready...especially for when you are following a pattern.  Hope some of these ideas help.  Have lots of fun with your project.  Can't wait to see pictures.

June · Answer

I am repurposing my computer armoire cabinet for a craft station. I bought a bunch of tan shoeboxes from Michaels with name plates on the ends for labeling. I wanted it to look nice when I opened the doors. I also have matching clear plastic containers. Everything is stacked and labeled. I have a few jars in front of some of the boxes with misc. in them. It's a great way to repurpose a cabinet like this. I used Velcro to adhere some clear plastic vinyl folders to the inside doors to drop things in like scrapbook scraps, patterns, etc.

Bernadette Tetle · Answer

June, do you have pictures of your hutch?  Would love to see what you've done.  Thanks for the ideas, I went to Lowe's yesterday to buy a sheet of peg board. I have a bunch of old shoe boxes that I been holding onto for the longest time. They will be used in some fashion on this project.

Sheryll S · Answer

Bernadette Tetle.... check out Diane's Craft Room and her hutch. it is www.inmyownstyle.com She is really good and I dream of having just what she did to her hutch.

Sheryll S · Answer

You will have to scroll down a little bit, but this is one of her pages. You will see her hutch opened..... and just ask her, she writes me back if I have a question. http://inmyownstyle.com/2014/08/bloggers-favorite-room-tour.html

Linda Fraser · Answer

You could add more shelves for more storage. You could take the top drawer and attach a thin flat board with hinges to the back of drawer. That way you still have the drawer for storage plus now that would give you a desk. You may need to sand down the sides a little to hold the thickness of the board so the drawer will push back in. You also could add hooks to the outside on the sides to hold hangers to hold your work in progress. Yard stick also. You could also attach a wooden spool thread holder found at fabric stores and maybe walmart to the side. Baskets make good storage for the inside. I hope this helps

Kim |Exquisitely Unremarkable · Answer

THis is what I did: https://www.exquisitelyunremarkable.com/2014/09/my-dream-craft-space.html

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