Sewing projects can easily spill all over your home. Extra fabric, notions, and especially unfinished projects seem to multiply every year.

If you love to sew but find it hard to keep the clutter of your projects under control, try these suggestions.

Plan your space. This photo shows a simple but functional sewing corner. Having a sewing machine in a cabinet is nice if you have the room, but any table or desk will also work.

The large basket can hold the pattern, fabric, notions and any tools specific to your project. If you need to stop in the middle, everything can go in the basket until the next time.

Look for light. Notice the nice large window providing light for accurate sewing. if you don’t have enough natural light or end up sewing at night, pick up a good strong full-spectrum desk or floor lamp. Using a full-spectrum bulb allows you to have an accurate evaluation of fabric colors.

Do not multitask. One project can spread enough, without having multiple projects in process. Take out only what you need for a specific project in order. For example, take out the pattern and cut the pieces, make the pattern marks, then put the pattern away again.

Finish projects. That sounds obvious to anyone but an avid sewer, but many find themselves with more than one unfinished sewing project, and these can take up an incredible amount of space. Making a commitment to finish an old project before starting a new one can help reduce those piles of fabric.

Take time to tidy your workspace. Don’t let everything sit and look messy. It can be discouraging to continue if you have to sort through everything before you start sewing again. Instead, at the end of a sewing session, organize and plan for the next time you have a chance to work on the project. It will be much more inviting to dive back in.

Show off. This woman has a good quality dressmaker’s dummy, which allows her to display her finished work for a while before putting it in her closet. Appreciation is a great motivator!