The Tatting Cabinet

So I thought I would share with you my  tatting cabinet. I found the cabinet on a swap/sale site and spent the better part of a day cleaning it up.

Behind the glass doors are four shelves. The thread is kept in clear shoe boxes mostly sorted by size which makes it easier to put things away.  The threads I don't use often or like are on the top. There is a light in the cabinet so some of the shoe boxes need to be put in sideways.  I rarely put the light on as I don't want to dry out my threads. 

The bottom shelf has tools and travel bags/boxes and holds my more expensive shuttles each packed away in their own special container.

If you look closely in the lower right you will see the Monster Doily which I pick up now and then. The Monster Doily is wrapped up in a white cloth to keep it clean and tidy.  There is also a package of  handkerchiefs should I get the urge to do some edgings. I have two tins of earrings, some for giveaway the other tin contains the ones I wear.

The lower half  of the cabinet has four deep drawers and two side doors with a shelf , (you can just see the top of them). The side doors are where I keep my tatting books, guild newsletters and folders of past conferences.  I use magazine folders to keep them from falling on one another.  I have a binder with some loose patterns and more vintage pamphlets placed in acid free plastic pockets. 

On my phone I use an app which keeps track of what books I have purchased. I can search or sort by title or author and add notes or reviews of the book.   I sort the books by author on the shelves, I have yet to catalogue (or actually count) the threads I have.  

The drawers contain, extra conference bags, a case of different types of shuttles that I bring to demos, beads, extra bobbin cases jewelry findings and tools, and ice drops too.  There is one drawer almost empty.

I keep some tatting on a cloth ready for demo but rolled up around a pool noodle for travel and storage. My demo shuttles (tatsy) and giveaway shuttles are also with the demo cloth.  There are some floss winders with thread for beginners too.

I usually sit at a table to tat,with my laptop nearby, I have an auxillary screen on which I can enlarge photos and patterns. 

When indoors I  always tat at a table but I started with one box with a lid until my stash started to grow.  The current (and unfinished) projects are in assorted bags and baskets on my table so they don't have to far to call me.  When it is time to clear the table I can still fit it all into the cabinet. 

To be honest this is one time when the cabinet does not look too bad, the labels have helped organize. This was one of my projects I wanted to get a handle on this year. It would love to hear what you think and how I can be more efficient.  I think it will always be a work in progress.

What does your tatting cabinet look like?