My DIY & Sewing Supply Storage
For years, I had been storing my fabric scraps and sewing supplies in clear plastic bins, empty diaper boxes, and Christmas cookie tins. It was (mostly) organized and functional, but not very pretty. Recently, we moved into a new home with enough room for a dedicated sewing room. I decided I wanted a room that was functional and a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
I began my search for the perfect decorative storage boxes online. I needed something that would fit on my shelves, be decently sturdy, affordable and visually pleasing. I also needed a way to label the boxes so I knew what was inside.
After looking at what seemed like a million different options, I came across the KVARNVIK storage boxes at IKEA. I knew these were the ones! Two trips to IKEA later… I had enough boxes to reorganize my fabric stash and supplies.
KVARNVIK Pros & Cons
I’ve been using these boxes in my sewing room for several months now. Overall, I’m so happy I went with these boxes in my sewing room.
Pros:
- Easy to customize labels
- Labels can be installed on either the short or long side of the box
- Rigid and sturdy construction
- Folds flat to store when not in use
- Visually pleasing with fabric exterior finish and decorative metal hardware
Cons:
- Lids do not snap on
- Some assembly required
- Limited colors available, but IKEA has released a third color option for 2020.
KVARNVIK Labels
The KVARNVIK boxes come with oval slips of paper to use as labels. Each label slides in and out of the top of the metal hardware. There are two sizes different label sizes, large and small.
I knew I wanted to have white labels instead of the tan-colored paper labels that come with each box. I used my Cricut Maker die cutting machine to write and cut out each of my labels.
If you don’t have a Cricut, that’s okay! You can still customize your labels by hand. Trace around the original oval paper slip onto any paper you choose, and cut it out with a pair of scissors. For cutouts, use a hand held shape punch.
My FREE Cricut Projects
Written Labels
Click here for my free Blank Label Cricut Project
I used medium weight white cardstock to make my replacement labels, but you can use any color or patterned paper to make your labels. (A floral print paper would look so pretty!)
For items like extra sewing notions, zippers, buttons and so on, I used the pen tool on my Cricut to write out each label with a fancy font. Then, I had the Cricut cut around each label in the correct size for each box.
Heart Cutout Labels
Click Here for my free Heart Cutout Label Cricut Project
I keep my scrap fabrics organized by color. To store my fabric scraps, I really wanted to see the colors inside each box without having to read a label.
First I tried cutting out fabric hearts and gluing them to the blank cardstock labels, but that proved to be way too tedious and time consuming.
Then, I came up with the idea to cut out heart shapes and place the fabric behind the piece of cardstock. This creates a colorful window effect with no exposed raw fabric edges. I blue painter’s tape because it’s what I had on hand, but you could use glue instead.
I really loved how these labels turned out. The hearts make me feel a little ping of joy every time I reach for a piece of scrap. Having everything labeled and in one uniform place has been well worth the effort!
Just in case you were wondering, yes some of my other storage containers are from IKEA too! The plastic pink bins are from the SOCKERBIT line, and the magazine files that contain my sewing patterns are called FJÄLLA.
How do you organize your sewing and DIY supplies? Do you use IKEA finds in your space?
Tag me on Instagram @SincerelySews or leave a comment below.
I would really love to see your creative space!
Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post! The opinions shared here are solely my own. Any links appearing in this post are NOT affiliate links and are only shared for your web browsing convenience. 🙂
