Molly and Mama

Studio for Pretty Stitches - Inspiring ideas for Felt, Stitchery and Patchwork

  • Home
  • Start Here!
  • PATTERNS
    • PDF Pattern Shop
    • Paper Pattern Stockists
    • Pattern Corrections
  • TUTORIALS
  • Classes
  • BOOK
  • Contact

Sew Organised with Aurifil

January 25, 2021 By Lauren at Molly and Mama 4 Comments

As an Aurifil Artisan, we’re asked to participate in various challenges throughout the year. January’s focus is on being ‘Sew Organised’, and it’s prompted me to start the process of sorting out my sewing space this month. In fact, this challenge has also inspired me to run an Instagram collaboration with my friend Ali from Arabesque. And we’d love for you all to be involved too.

We’re kicking things off on the first of February, 2020. Every Monday of the month, we’ll showcase a new theme and share tips and tricks to help you keep your own sewing space organised, tidy, clean, and orderly. There’s an upcoming post that will contain all the details (so stay tuned for that one) but basically, you’re invited to post a photo on your public Instagram profile, either of something that you’d like help organising, or a tip or trick you’d like to share. Be sure to tag me @mollyandmama and Ali from @arabesquescissors so we can see your post, and use the hashtag #seworderly so others can find you too!

And although we have some sweet prizes up for grabs, we’d really just like this challenge to be all about helping us to use our sewing spaces in the most effective way possible, to make the best use of our supplies and create projects mindfully and with purpose.

One of the areas of my studio that can quickly get out of control is the storage of my Aurifil threads and floss. Gone are the days that I could store my precious spooled floss in a cute little decorative bowl in my studio. Or on a little thread organiser on my desk!

This floss is six stranded embroidery cotton and I just love that it comes on a spool. I can cut the length I need, divide the strands to use the required number, and wind the leftovers back on the spool so I never have stray pieces of floss floating around.

My collection has grown as I am working on more and more stitchery projects. So I want my floss to be easily accessible, suitably organised and safely stored. I have found the best way is to use a large timber thread stand.

I can see all of the threads easily, and can select the floss colours I need for embroidery (stored by colour on the left of the rack) or select the 50 weight cotton thread for everyday sewing (on the right).

I also like to keep my larger spools of 50 weight and 40 weight cotton thread handy for my everyday sewing too. All of these threads are stored in a glass fronted cabinet away from direct sunlight (to help protect them from dust and our harsh Aussie sunlight).

When I am working on a specific project, I like to audition different shades until I come up with the perfect colour palette. That’s also the benefit of having lots of colours to choose from!

Stitching my first ‘Nan’s Garden Embroidery’ was so lovely, using these gorgeous natural hues.

The digital pattern for this design is due for release very soon. In fact, to find out when the PDF is available in my store, please consider signing up for my newsletter (you’ll even receive a free embroidery design).

GRAB A FREE EMBROIDERY PATTERN

Before the pattern is released, I wanted to sew a couple of different versions. To help me decide on a colourway, I like to grab my design in the hoop and pull a selection of spools in colours that I think will work together nicely.

Some will make the cut, and some will be left out, but placing them beside each other and with the embroidery hoop, helps me to decide which threads to use.

I keep some fresh needles, embroidery scissors, and a needle minder or pincushion handy too. I find a basket is an easy way to carry the project around so I can always be stitching in the room with the best light!

The pincushion pictured here is my Fifi Fox pattern. Sewn in wool felt, she’s a shy but sweet addition to your sewing space. I love stitching with felt, but I also love storing needles in felt too. So this pincushion is a favourite of mine.

VISIT THE STORE FOR PINCUSHION PATTERNS

Sometimes I’ll pull floss colors to match my fabrics (how sweet is this Liberty Capel rainbow bundle from the Strawberry Thief?). I find the process helps to inspire me to create new design ideas.

How do you like to organise your floss and thread? Do you organise by weight? Colour? Type? Brand? I’d love to hear your tips and ideas, so please feel free to leave a comment.

Happy stitching, Lauren x

Filed Under: This and That Tagged With: Aurifil, Embroidery floss, spooled floss, thread organisation, thread storage

Comments

  1. Hilary says

    February 1, 2021 at 3:22 pm

    Hi Lauren. What a great challenge. It makes such a difference to being creative and organising projects when things are tidy and able to be seen easily.
    I tend to store my embroidery threads by brand, in colour groups in see through boxes. I also have two beautiful hand made wooden thread stands for some of my threads, which I keep out of the direct light.

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      February 2, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      That sounds fantastic Hilary!

      Reply
  2. Tammy Manning says

    February 22, 2021 at 11:52 pm

    I keep mine in a small Yazzi bag that has several see through layers with zippers. Perfect size for the embroidery spools! I organize by color…it holds over 100 spools, I pick it up and go and have all my spools with me anywhere I need to go!

    Reply
    • Lauren at Molly and Mama says

      February 24, 2021 at 11:32 am

      Tammy, that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Christmas (37)
  • Christmas Stocking Sew Along (6)
  • Easter (10)
  • Embroidery For Beginners (6)
  • English Paper Piecing (9)
  • Felt Fun (12)
  • Forest Family Quilt Along (10)
  • Holidays (11)
  • Molly and Mama Patterns (54)
  • Pattern and Book Reviews (38)
  • Projects (40)
  • Quilting Help (3)
  • This and That (52)
  • Tutorials (49)

Cart

mollyandmama

Studio For Pretty Stitches
🧵🪡 Our fourth week of the #seworderly challe 🧵🪡 Our fourth week of the #seworderly challenge that I am cohosting with Ali from  @arabesquescissors has already begun! For our final week we’re discussing how you organise your projects for SEWING ON THE GO! This might look a little different for you at the moment (depending on where you live) but how and what do you pack to maximise sewing whilst travelling or out-and-about? 

Travel sewing kits are especially applicable for hand sewing projects like English paper piecing and embroidery (even if you’re moving from the sewing room to the couch🤣). But you may also have tips for traveling with your machine and quilt WIPs too, particularly if you have enjoyed sewing on holidays or attending retreats. 

To join the challenge, simply share a public photo showing us how you plan for sewing on the go. Tag us and use the #seworderly hashtag so others can find you. We’re thrilled to see the generosity with which you’re sharing ideas, tips and more! 

Your post will put you in the running to win this gorgeous bundle of three PDF ‘Cathedral Window’ patterns from @arabesquescissors. So cute, right? Please see Ali’s prize post for more information. And don’t forget that we’ll also be selecting a Grand Prize Winner at the end of the month. Good luck everyone! 💗
🧵🪡 Week 3 of the #SewOrderly challenge with 🧵🪡 Week 3 of the #SewOrderly challenge with me and Ali from @arabesquescissors has come to an end. For the past week you’ve been sharing your tips and tricks for storing and organising your Work In Progress (WIP) projects and we’ve been loving reading all the suggestions and seeing all of your photos. 

We’ve selected @kirsty_sews and @mtnlaurel96 as our winners of the Molly and Mama Pattern pack including the #SimpleSewingFolder, #SummerRosePouch and #MissMollyandFriends. Congratulations ladies! 

I’m looking forward to putting together a blog post with some of the fantastic ideas that have been shared this week. Here’s a couple of my favourites. 

-	Small square pastry or cake containers work well for storing WIPs, as do scrapbooking shelves and containers. 
-	If a WIP is something you’d like to work on more, put it somewhere that you’re likely to see, so you’re more likely to pick it up and get some stitching done! 
-	Label each box or tub with the name of the project, the date it was started, the fabrics used, and any other relevant information you want to keep at hand. 
-	@amandalovestocreate shared a terrific tip of adding an adhesive photo of the project to the label! I love that idea!
-	Make a note in your diary or set an alarm on your phone to remind you to check in with your WIPs and their progress. This might give you a much needed push to get stuck into a project you may have otherwise forgotten about.
-	Find a likeminded maker and ask them to become your Accountability Partner so you can periodically check in with each other and give yourselves a gentle nudge to make some progress on your WIPS! 

If you have more ideas, we’d still love to hear them. Ali has put together a great round up of ideas on her blog too. 

Stay tuned as we now share more information about our fourth and final week, with Sewing on the go! 

#mollyandmama #arabesquescissors #seworderly #sewsorted #seworganised #seworganized #sewingroom #craftroom  #craftroomorganization #quiltstorage #quilting #sewingwips
Did you see my posts over at @aurifilthread this w Did you see my posts over at @aurifilthread this weekend? I did an Instagram takeover which was heaps of fun! Pop over to see what I shared. One of the posts included my Top 5 Tips for Embroidery Success, and I thought it was silly of me not to share those tips here too! But really, these tips apply to all sewing. They’re simple but true! 

1.	Choose the right tool for the job. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, but using a needle you can easily thread with the right type of thread for the job, can make all the difference to your experience. 

2.	Start simple. As a beginner, starting a large and intricate design might become overwhelming if only because of the amount of time it will take to complete. Start with a smaller design and move on to more detailed projects as your skills progress. 

3.	Get help from the experts. Watch You Tube videos, read blog posts, enrol in online courses. Over time you’ll develop a whole new skill set that you’ll be able to pass on to someone one day too. 

4.	Don’t rush. It’s not a race, and embroidery is all about slow stitching. 

5.	Leave out your embroidery so you’re more likely to pick it up and continue stitching when you have a spare moment. The more you stitch, the better you’ll become. And it’s a wonderful mindfulness activity! 

#mollyandmama #mollyandmamastitchlibrary #prettystitchesclub #aurifil #aurifilfloss #aurifilthread #embroideryfloss #embroidery #embroiderythread #embroiderytips #embroiderersofinstagram #sewingtips #stitching #handstitching #handsewing #stitchingtips #slowsewing #slowstitching
One of the sewing patterns up for grabs in this we One of the sewing patterns up for grabs in this week’s prize pack for the #SewOrderly challenge is my Simple Sewing Folder. So I just wanted to show you a little more about this pattern in my store. 

Featuring a hand embroidered front panel, little hexie details, and simple patchwork, the cover is all about showcasing the ‘pretty’. 

Open it up (swipe to see) and it’s all about the practical! There’s a lace zipper pocket, tabs for tools, a wool felt needle and pin minder, a thread holder and spaces for hoop storage. 

This folder is perfect for storing ‘work in progress’ projects - the focus of this week’s theme for our sewing room organisation challenge, hosted by me and @arabesquescissors. 

If you’d like to know more, there are links in my profile to my store and my blog. I’d love you to get involved! 

#mollyandmama #seworderly #simplesewingfolder #embroidery #embroiderydesign #sewingfolder #projectfolder #sewingroomstorage #sewingspace #notionstorage #sewingonthego #hexies #hexagons #quilting #quiltedpouch #sewingpouch #tildateatowel
I don’t show my face on here anywhere near as of I don’t show my face on here anywhere near as often as I should. And it’s funny because you’ll have a picture of someone in your head and they often don’t look anything like what you imagine. So for what it is worth, this is me, Lauren. I wanted to say hi and share a bit more about me, as there’s so many new faces here lately. Thank you so much for joining us! 

Here’s 5 facts about me;

1️⃣ My first degree was in Behavioural Science, but I used my second degree in Education to become a primary school teacher. 

2️⃣ After having our two kids, we decided I’d work from home and I’ve been sewing, blogging and designing ever since! 

3️⃣ My maternal grandmother’s name was Molly and my kids call my mum ‘Mama’. I named my business after Molly and Mama in honour of the skills, lessons and traits they passed down to me. I’m so blessed to be able to  share that love of creative expression with all of you! 

4️⃣ My favourite colour is pink. Big surprise there 😂! And I have a love for all things pretty and sweet. 

5️⃣ I love drawing and illustrating and hope to bring more of that to my work in the future! 

I’d love to meet more of you and hear where you are from. Feel free to leave me a reply.  Thanks for your support and encouragement of my little biz. It means the world to me! Lauren 💗
🌼🌸🪡There’s something new and very excit 🌼🌸🪡There’s something new and very exciting coming to Molly and Mama soon! Are you subscribed to the newsletter? Find a link to join in my profile, so you can stay tuned for the release of the ‘Pretty Stitches Club’. It’s all about sharing my love of embroidery, slow sewing and beautiful stitchery🪡🌸🌼

#mollyandmama #prettystitchesclub #studioforprettystitches #embroidery #embroideryclub #stitcheryclub #sewingclub #sewingsubscription #embroiderypatterns #monthlyembroideryclub #handstitching #slowsewing #aurifilthread #aurifilfloss #aurifilartisan #aurifloss #tinystitches #floralembroidery #embroiderywreath
Our Week Three prize pack for the #seworderly chal Our Week Three prize pack for the #seworderly challenge with @arabesquescissors includes three of my @mollyandmama  PDF sewing patterns; the #SimpleSewingFolder, the #SummerRosePouch and the #MissMollyAndFriends pin cushion pattern. 

 Ali and I will each select a winner on Monday, 22nd February, 2021.

To enter, post a photo or video on your public profile showcasing how you store your projects and quilts as you’re working on them or even when they are completed. Tag @mollyandmama and @arabesquescissors and use the #seworderly hashtag so others can find you. 

T&Cs
- the giveaway is open worldwide to participants 18 years and over, with a public Instagram profile, and who post in alignment with the guidelines outlined above. 
- Entries will close at 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, 21th Feb 2021. 
- The two winners will be announced here on Monday, 22nd Feb, 2021 and will need to provide an email address to receive their prize. 
- This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Instagram. 

Thanks so much for sharing the #seworderly love! And you can find out more about these patterns in the store - there’s a link in my profile. The Simple Sewing Folder is a fantastic project folder for embroidery or EPP storage, perfect for WIPs. How do you store your ‘work in progress’ projects and quilts?
Have you been participating in the #seworderly cha Have you been participating in the #seworderly challenge with me and Ali from @arabesquescissors? We’re sorting our sewing rooms for the month of February and have already tackled NOTIONS and FABRIC. 

This week we’re exploring how to store and organise our completed QUILTS AND PROJECTS and those we’re still working on (WIPs). Would you like to join us? There’ll be a sweet @mollyandmama prize pack up for grabs, but more importantly, you’ll be having fun sorting your sewing space knowing that there are likeminded friends joining you! 

Share a photo of your quilt and project storage, tag @mollyandmama and @arabesquescissors, use the hashtag #seworderly, ask questions or share tips and advice. We’d love you to join us! 

#mollyandmama #arabesquescissors #sewsorted #seworganised #seworganized #fabricbundle #sewingroom #craftroom #quilts #craftroomorganization #quiltstorage #quilting #quiltfolding #serioussewistsset #beeapplique #libertyfabric #libertytanalawn #epp #englishpaperpiecing #libertywiltshire
Ali from @arabesquescissors and I are wrapping up Ali from @arabesquescissors and I are wrapping up week 2 of our #seworderly challenge. This week has been a HUGE one, where we’ve focussed on FABRIC STORAGE. We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of you who have wholeheartedly jumped onboard and unreservedly shared your sewing spaces and craft rooms. So thank you and congratulations on the success you have achieved this week; from tidying just a small stash, a basket or a drawer, to refolding and sorting all the fabrics in your entire room! 

So many of you have tackled your yardage, pre-cuts, scraps, fusibles, interfacings, batting and more! And you’ve been so generous with your tips and ideas. So thank you! I’m sure those of you who are yet to tackle your stash will get a lot of inspiration from heading to the #seworderly hashtag! 

We can’t always keep our fabrics in pretty little arrangements like my first photo of Liberty here. So swipe to see my second photo – a more realistic view, taken from the inside of one of my newly organised Billy bookshelves from Ikea. I like to keep my fabrics folded, in plastic tubs, behind solid cupboard doors, so I can avoid sun damage and reduce the effects of dust, pests and moisture. They’re organised by type and size (so yardage, fat quarters, smaller pre-cuts and scraps are generally all separated), then by colour or their use. How do you organise yours? 

I’ll be compiling all the tips and tricks I learned from my own experiences and from reading all of your posts, into a blog post really soon. So stay tuned for that. 

And Ali and I have both chosen a winner for the @arabesquescissors pattern prize pack for this week. Please see Ali’s post to see if it’s you! Thank you so much to all who participated. We’re looking forward to kicking off Week 3 shortly. Let’s explore PROJECTS & QUILTS. Please join us (find out more about the #seworderly challenge on the blog, using the link in my profile). 

Happy sorting, Lauren x 

#mollyandmama #arabesquescissors #sewsorted #seworganised #seworganized #stashbusting #stashstorage #fabricstorage #fabricsorting #fabricstash #libertytanalawn #libertyfabrics #libertybundle #fabricbundle #fabriccontainers #sewingroom #craftroom
Load More… Follow on Instagram
© Copyright 2020 - Molly and Mama