Stash-Busting Storage Ideas for Knitters and Crafters

22nd July 2022 Hobbies

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Who would have though a few balls of wool and needles, the odd bit of paper and maybe some fabric could expand to fill a whole house?

When you love crafting, be it fibre or paper arts, sewing, crochet or painting, collecting tools and materials is almost a hobby in its own right. You need lots of space to store all that stash… or maybe you just need a better way of using the space you have.

Photo by Margarida Afonso on Unsplash

Here are some ideas to think about, including self storage options and ways to display favourite or decorative items:

Display Storage

Craft items can also be decorative, so why not take advantage of that and stop trying to hide everything away. 

All kinds of crafty goodies can be hung up, for instance:

• Use a normal pegboard to hold and display small tools, fix shallow trays for notions or buttons, add shelves for pots of paint, glues or bobbins and reels. Fix a pegboard to the wall, or to the side of your workstation if you use one.
• Over door hangers make good storage for fixed circular needle holders or ribbon reel holders, even storage for wrapping paper or patterns.
• Hang shoe organisers on the side of a closet if you’re short of wall space. Use these for tools, small rolls of fabric, pens, or brushes, even hanks of yarn.

If you don’t like hanging storage, consider more shelving:

• Use cube shelving systems for yarn storage. You can sort your stash by colour, fibre type or weight to keep things more organised. Spend a bit of time winding hanks into balls or cakes that are easier to stack.
• Use jars, vases, bottles or upcycled tins for storing straight knitting needles.
•  Small, recycled jars are also handy to store beads. Screw the lid to the underside of a shelf, making it easy to unscrew and access to contents without the jar taking up space on the shelf itself.
• Upcycle an old bookcase as a new craft storage area. Some shelves can hold yarns, store patterns on another, and use the rest for fabrics, needle sets, or other accessories.

Hidden Storage

If you prefer things tucked neatly away and out of sight, closed cabinets are ideal. There are some lovely cabinets designed either specifically for craft storage or that you could repurpose, such as filing cabinets, kitchen cabinets or dressers, or a chest of drawers. Creative thinking when you’re considering craft storage opens many possibilities.

Alternatively, look for different ways to use areas of the house, such as under the stairs, tucked away inside divan or ottoman beds, or inside storage furnishings in the living room. End tables with drawers are especially useful for small craft projects you’re working on.

Also, don’t discount plastic drawer towers. They slot nicely into the bottom of a wardrobe if you don’t want them on display, and they hold lots of items neatly separated and organised.

Decorative chests or ottomans can be handy for yarn storage along with tools such as swifts and winders. But beware using the surface for storage as well as the interior – it’s very frustrating having to move a load of stuff before you can reach what’s inside.

Remote Storage

If your stash or collection of crafting tools is extensive, consider not keeping everything at home. Sometimes you might find your interest in a craft wanes and the tools lie idle for a while. This could be anything from sewing or knitting machines, guillotines, die cutting machines, even spinning wheels or weaving looms.

You know your interest will probably peak again because that’s the nature of crafting, so put those items into self storage instead of selling them on or giving them away. There are lots of different sized options, even lockers for smaller storage needs, so your self storage cost won’t be higher than it needs to be.

If any kind of craft is your hobby, you know how challenging it can be trying to keep all the materials tidy and organised so you can find them. There are a million and one solutions out there, in all kinds of styles and materials. 

The biggest challenge might be finding the one you like best.