Craft Storage

In our grandmother’s day all of the women living in the country had plenty of room for craft storage.  Many farm homes housed multi generational families.  As sons or daughters grew and married they did not build another house they just built extra rooms on to the existing home and the new couple moved in there.

 

Women did a lot handicraft work.  There was no television for diversion and no decent woman would sit in the evenings with idle hands.  Craft storage in that time was in a corner of a linen closet or perhaps a room set aside for materials for handiwork.  Dressers and wardrobes and cedar lined chests were also utilized for craft storage.

 

There were often several generations of women living in the sprawling home and each had her own particular favorite craft and would need her own area for craft storage.  Each type of craft could require a different environment for craft storage.  Hand pieced quilting needed more room.  There would be shelves to hold the collection of fabrics.  Many quilters had special wall racks with dowel pins to hold spools of thread.  There was also the big quilting frame that the women would sit around as they made the tiny running stitches that formed the quilting patterns.  This craft storage area would also need to have good lighting.

 

If a woman was fortunate enough to have a loom she would also need a large craft storage area.  The loom itself was often 4 or 5 feet wide and 5 to 6 feet tall.  If the loom was in heavy use there would need to be shelving and baskets to hold the skeins of wool for the woven patterns.  This craft storage area would need to be dry so that the wool would not pick up moisture from the air.

 

There were memory books that were made from wallpaper samples.  These really did need a special craft storage environment as the first step in this process was to treat the wallpaper squares with a sizing that would help to keep them from tearing and so that they would last for generations.

 

Many women made down and feather mattresses and comforters.  There needed to be a craft storage area to keep the fluffy down and the feathers clean until the case was ready to be stuffed.  This was usually in an area of the house with few windows so that there was not so much air movement when they were working with the feathers.

 

There were not many houses with painted walls.  The women prided themselves on their ability to hang paper.  The paste and supplies for wallpapering also needed a craft storage area that would keep them dry until the next use.

 

Men also had projects that required craft storage areas.  Many men had a wood working shop with saws and other tools.  There were wood carvers who needed craft storage for aged hardwoods and rare woods used for making totems and wood sculptures.  There were men who did metal working and metal sculpting.  They needed a craft storage area that was fireproof and well ventilated. Regardless of the profession, any home requires a wide collection of tools and supplies that may need a lot of craft storage or just a boxful of craft storage.

 

Today there are few multigenerational homes.  Families generally have a home or an apartment to themselves.  Most working people live in smaller and more efficiently designed space to give the most living area.  Women needing craft storage often look for an alternative.

 

What use to be gender-specific crafts has nowadays become universal. As such, the need for craft storage has increased as many men enjoy crafts like photography and scrapbooking and women enjoy woodworking and carpentry.

 

The 5 x 5 and 5 x 10 climate control units are very good for craft storage.  They are small enough to be at a more attractive price and are very practical for craft storage of materials and projects.  Many crafters are working on craft projects to sell to earn extra money.  Flea markets and craft fairs allow talented crafters to display goods and turn extra dollars.  In between there may not be room in the house or apartment to store the finished good and supplies.  This makes craft storage a business expense and the deduction on income taxes could also benefit the family.

 

Scrapbooking has become a very popular craft and there are multi level marketing plans to help those seeking a home based business sell scrap book supplies at in home parties. It may be critical to have craft storage to keep enough materials on hand to keep distributors and customers readily supplied.  A storage facility in a convenient location with 5 x 5 climate controlled units can provide critical craft storage.

 

Families also make scrapbooks to preserve special moments such as a new baby, family vacations, graduations and more. A closet can quickly become full of craft storage.

 

There are many projects that take up too much room for a family apartment or mobile home.  Volunteers collecting and creating handiwork for non profit fund raisers are always looking for craft storage.  Sometimes local churches work all year long creating quilts, Christmas ornaments, embroidered hand towels and other hand made items to have an annual bazaar and craft sale. Churches and other organizations often use money from fundraisers such as these for missions trips or other benevolent funding. It is not uncommon for thousands of dollars to be raised. It is also not uncommon for school rooms and storage closets to become too full. With several families contributing craftwork throughout the year, a designated craft storage unit for such events would be an excellent alternative for craft storage.

 

There are many people who are members of a religious faith that does not allow electricity in the home.  These devotees are primarily farmers but do many things to support their large families.  Many of the women take in quilting and make splendid crochet ”fancywork“.  They work with product that needs to be kept in a cool and dry environment.  Because they have no fans or air conditioning in the homes, they are allowed to rent climate controlled storage units for craft storage. A storage unit used for craft storage is also an excellent place to store crafts that have been completed.

 

Many parents home school children and may find themselves with stacks of books and projects from previous years cluttering up their home. Home schooling brings what would usually be stored in a teacher’s cabinet at school right into your home. Textbooks, art supplies, videos and other learning tools will now all be stored somewhere in your home. Home schooling usually has a designated place for learning and a designated space for storing these items will help keep them organized if they need to be used for other children and also keep them in good condition.

 

There are many opportunities to make money with craft work.  There is also a need to preserve the craft work that was done by previous generations.  Here again, living spaces may not allow us to keep our grandmother’s loom or all of the quilts and crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths that we have inherited.  It is very handy to rent a small climate controlled storage unit for this precious craft storage.

 

Painting is an art enjoyed by many people. Professional and amateur painters alike all require a good amount of supplies be on hand and once a painting is complete it may need to be stored somewhere until purchased or hung. An appropriate place for craft storage is necessary, as paintings require a safe place, away from extreme temperatures or danger of becoming wet. Self storage is a fine option to guarantee safe craft storage.  

 

Boys and girls organizations operating summer day camps may also need craft storage to gather the supplies for this camping season or to preserve the leftovers for the next. Campgrounds usually have sleeping quarters and buildings that may or may not be cooled or heated. A climate controlled storage unit used to keep craft supplies or other campground equipment, when not in use, is a great way to ensure supplies stay safely stored away for next year.

 

If you are a talented crafter and are creating something as a gift for a friend or loved one you may need to keep it hidden away.  A 5 x 5 unit would be an excellent choice to house this project.  If there are electrical outlets and lights in the unit the manager may allow you to actually do some assembly in there.   This would require that there is no combustible or dangerous substance involved and no danger of starting a fire.  This would make the craft storage space even more valuable for the customer.

 

Professional photographers often keep negatives or proofs for several years. Even a part-time photographer will quickly find the need for craft storage as his or her collection will quickly take up a lot of space. Self storage typically offers climate controlled units which will keep records and climate sensitive items safe from harsh environments.

 

Finally there are all of those treasures that come home from school.  If there are several children and the school emphasis creative arts there may a wealth of wonderful projects coming home each week.  The door of the refrigerator can only hold so much.  There may be a need to rent a small climate controlled storage unit to house these precious items.  This craft storage would make certain that they were all kept together and all were kept in safety until they could be dispersed to grandparents and other family members.  It would also provide a wonderful craft storage area to keep those treasures until the children are grown and their gifts can be shared with the grandchildren.

 

We usually like to keep handmade gift for some amount of time. We may keep it because it was a gift or maybe something we ourselves put a lot of time and effort into. Although a time may come when we no longer feel the need to keep it, there is an interim amount of time it will take up space in our house or storage unit somewhere.

 

There are also precious crafts we hope to keep forever or at least until it is time to pass them on. Losing those treasures because of poor or improper craft storage is devastating. If an item is not on display or used regularly, it should be stored in a safe place or in a storage unit.

 

Christmas is not the only holiday that comes with boxes of decorations. Many families find joy in making scary haunted houses and cutting out pumpkins for Halloween. The Easter Bunny may also bring cause for a few boxes of fluffy bunnies, candy jars, baskets and decorations. Along with holidays, the change of seasons may also bring a whole new décor for the home. Fall is a great opportunity to bring earthy colored table clothes and wreaths. Winter brings cool toned decorations and by the time spring rolls around you may enjoy sprucing up the house with pastel or brightly colored decorations. Whether somewhere in your home or an off site location, all these decorations will require some craft storage arrangement.

 

There are endless options for craft storage. Plastic bins, cloth totes, shelving systems, closet organizers and even self storage are in high demand for crafters across the country. In every home, you will find boxes and plastic bins containing pictures, markers, crayon, thread, sewing material and more. The possibilities for a crafter are endless. Getting your crafts organized and making use of a sensible place for craft storage will help keep things organized and easily accessible.

 

Perhaps it is our hesitation to give up all the nick knacks we store from kindergarten to prom to marriage and children or it may be that we just don’t have time to sort through all the clutter. Whatever the reason craft storage is gaining popularity.