Craft room storage solutions for fall: totes for craft portability

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Totes and market bags aren't just an eco-friendly way to grocery shop any more. Seamstresses, knitters, and crocheters who have been making bags for shopping are also putting them to other use. Travelers who also craft have started putting their travel bags to good use when they're at home as well. Craft bags are becoming trendy.

Reasons we love them

The first is that we're always running somewhere. To or from work, school, or the kids' soccer games. To doctors, dentists, and airports. We, as a culture, are always on the go. Portability is a key element in our lives, as we like to fill our time most effectively. As a crafter (particularly around the holiday season), we try to fill our down-time with projects for ourselves or to give as gifts. To people who live the on-the-go lifestyle, being able to throw things in a bag to throw in our car or over a shoulder is very convenient.

The second is that we're all looking for organization. Space may be infinite, but space in our homes is not. Crafters know that yarn, fabric, and other materials we normally use for crafting can take up large amounts of space. When it starts to overwhelm our lives, we call this a 'stash problem' and it's a common embarrassment in the craft communities. Introducing bags into our tool collection is a good way to force us to reorganize our stash. Organization also prevents outdated crafting supplies, as it keeps the stash in constant rotation, using up materials while the colors and patterns are still in fashion. Using up our materials also helps us to justify the purchase of more materials, and with some crafts, it helps us to finish those winter mittens before April when they're about ready to go back into storage.

The third is that it's highly convenient. Even if you're not crafting in the car or while waiting at the doctor's office, it's much easier to store and then unpack a project to work on it if it's bagged up. It's a 'single-serve' solution, breaking your stash and project collection into bite-sized pieces so you don't feel as overwhelmed. If it's easier, we'll be inspired to do it more often, finally tearing through projects that might have had pieces lost before because we don't have to chase down a skein of yarn or that spool of ribbon. It's all right there and ready to be used, even if you're just taking your bag into the living room to watch a favorite show and unwind.

The fourth is that it's attractive. Don't let the picture above deter you; your friendly article writer tries to finish 5 or more craft projects a week so large amounts of bags are vital to achieve that goal. Individually, the bags are attractive or functional, and since they're near the front door they're easy to grab on the way out. Some of them were made both in an effort to get through some old or difficult-to-use stash orphans, and as a way to hold more projects to keep the stash in constant rotation.

The fifth is that it's eco-friendly on multiple levels. If you use eco-friendly materials instead of plastic bags, you'll be making and using durable goods. You can also upcycle old materials and yarns that still have life in them into a new bag. There are bags made from jeans, old sweaters, and other materials that might otherwise go to waste, and they cut down on the need for other storage solutions that may be made of less environmentally friendly materials. Since the bags can also be used for other purposes (as market bags at the grocery, market places, craft and art shows, and more), they also cut down on the amount of plastic bags you'll have to recycle or repurpose. If eco-friendly materials and habits are important, you're probably already thinking about the impact that homemade goods can have on your carbon footprint (and the carbon footprints of the people you love), but they only make that impact if you can find time to complete the goods.

Just throw it in the bag

Are you ready to consider bags for your craft projects? Here's what you should keep in mind when selecting bags:

Make sure that your bags have pockets or a smaller bag inside that can hold small tools so that they don't get lost. Scissors, cable needles, markers for knit and crochet, needle cases for embroidery and threads can all go into the pockets or smaller bags for easy access.

Make sure that your bag is roomy enough for your supplies, such as yarn or fabric, embroidery hoops, or whatever else you'll need. This is where bags in multiple sizes come in handy.

Remember to add your pattern to the bag so you don't have to hunt it down before you walk out the door.

If you can keep all of your supplies including needles and scissors in the bag, you'll save yourself a lot of time and circumvent all the excuses that can pop into your head when you're pressed for time. If your bags aren't all alike, you can easily grab a bag with the project you want to work on already inside without having to look inside bags to find your project.

Bag it up

It doesn't have to be expensive to get bags either. There are cheap bags at many retail or grocery stores, though they're not always durable. You can also check thrift stores for pre-made bags at good prices. Make sure to look for ones that will carry your materials safely without parts falling out. You don't want them to be too shallow or with a very open weave or you can lose tools. Round bags hold more but they're not as easy to wear over a shoulder. Backpacks can work as well, and often have a few pockets you can work with.

Build your own bag

You can also make your own bags. Ravelry has quite a few bag patterns for knit, crochet, felting, and more. You can also sew totes and smaller bags, and even quilt them. Bags can easily be personalized, and if you go with something like a denim jean bag you'll be making a statement while you keep things out of a landfill. As a plus, denim jean bags come with their own pockets.

Fall cleaning is on everyone's calendar, and if you're trying to reorganize your stash, there is no better time to incorporate bags than now. With holidays right around the corner, many of us are gearing up for gift giving. Get gifts done earlier this year, or get a few more in, by making it easy to take your crafts with you.

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