Got 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying up' as a Christmas gift from my sister. While I love the idea of getting rid of stuff and having more space in my place I don't feel it's really truly achievable as a cosplayer. Once upon a time I couldn't imagine selling my costumes but now that I live in a 1 bed, 1 bath apartment with limited shared garage space I totally get it. I would like to attempt to cut down on my clutter but with all my materials, tools and costumes I wouldn't know where to start.
Talking points:
>What's your work and storage space like?
>How do you control cosplay clutter in your space?
>Do you horde materials or buy as needed?
>Storage secrets?
>How do you deal with excess costumes? Sell them? Trade them? Harvest them for material?
>>8785007
>sock monkeys
>stupid sock creatures
>socks appeal
>sockology
>sock monkey
Those books tho...
I haven't done very much cosplay, but I live in a room at my mum's (housing is expensive and the place is close as fuck to my uni). I have one and a half drawer shelves allocated to my sewing and costume shit, which contains some of my lighter/more fragile fabrics, smaller costume pieces (ears/tails/masks), and all of my wigs which I keep in large minigrips, with longer ones braided and smaller ones just stuffed in. don't know what I'd do with a fully curly wig, but my shitty home-straightened one was braidable. larger bolts sit in plastic bags under my bed. my cosplay stuff fits into my closet alright.
tools are stored in assorted places around the house, and my workplace is either my desk or the kitchen table depending on how much space I need.
I don't hoard materials but I'm a huge procrastinator so I still have fabric bought for projects years ago sitting around, and the only fabric I've bought completely randomly is the rabbit one on pic related, because cute, cheap and Engrish.
>>8785023
jesus christ, I'm sorry about the photo size and the rotation
I am currently in the process of cleaning out my work area right now.
I have a bunch of free-standing small shelves on my work desk plus a giant metal storage cabinet for my fabrics. Also supply, foam rolls, etc. is places on a designated dresser/shelf.
The worst thing is, though, most of my fabrics are faux furs, and they need to be stored carefully or the pile will get all fucked up, so I'm swimming in SOOOO much of my fabrics floating around my workspace out in the open, so I'm hoping that my husband will clean out the shed soon so I can store a lot of my heavier supply out there so it will free up closet space, then I can put more shelves in there for more room!
>severe ADD
>super difficult for me to maintain motivation to keep clean
>keep forcing myself to power through it
>energy drains way too quickly because of it
>did I mention that my house & workspace are tiny?
>suffer
It doesn't help that I have hoarding tendencies due to past issues.
If anyone wants to see my setup, it's actually pretty great for a small space, imho.
Let me know if anyone wants photos.
>>8785260
I'd love pictures! Gonna take some of my storage today and post them later.
I have a lottttt of cosplay supplies and costumes but am not a very organized person. I find the easiest way to keep two rooms' worth of materials organized is to use a lot of boxes and drawers:
>Craft room closet was turned into shelf space via those cheap metal racks. Each costume goes in its own labeled box, which then goes in the closet.
>All wigs stored in plastic bags and kept inside a set of drawers.
>Stash fabric goes in big tupperware bins.
>Fabric currently being used for projects gets stored in fabric boxes that live on a shelf in the craft room.
>LOTS of little drawers at the sewing desk or in free-standing bins that each house a different craft item. One for scissors, one for notions, one for elastic/trim, one for glue, etc.
I have an amazing craft space now but I also used to store supplies and costumes in big bins under the bed before I moved. Things you don't use every month like stash fabric or costumes can be crammed just about anywhere.
>Tools
I still live at home and use my mother's sewing machines, so those are in her room.
Hair/wig tools are in a drawer in the bathroom.
Large proptools are in my dad's workshop, and I aldo borrow a lot of his tools to begin with.
Knives, brushes, glueguns and other small tools are in a drawer in the cabinet/desk I bought second hand.
>Wigs and make up
Current wig projects are on wig heads and on one of my smaller bookshelves. Resting wigs lie in ziplockbags (together with any hair acessory that goes with them) in a big plastic drawer under my bed.
The first big drawer of my desk contains my body paint, liquid latex, baby powder, fangs, stray horns, prosthetics, baby wipes etc.
My beauty make up is in the bathroom.
>Props
Small props go with their wigs in the ziplocks, medium props go in the desk. Props that are costume pieces (hats, armour pieces, etc) go on the hatshelf in the closet.
My two big props are a flag (which I keep up on my wall) and a object head. I keep the object head behind the door and stash small tools and items needed for current projects (such as dye, scissors, thread) in it.
My plushie props are kept on top of books in the bookshelf or on my bed whenever it's made.
>Clothes
My wardrobe is huge and have two closets. I really only need one for my dresshirts and sweaters. The other half house all my cosplay clothes, as well as clothes I rarely wear but aren't cosplay exclusive. I also keep my cosplay shoes in it, as well as a box with all my cosplay specific t-shirts.
I rarely use accessories in my everyday life so cosplay and regular accessories are stored together in a smaller drawer.
>Materials
Clay, paint, tape, glue, plaster, plastic flowers, etc. are kept in my desk. The paints are in casette tape style boxes.
I don't stock up on fabric but rather keep whatever I'm working on on bolts behind my door; spare pieces share a space with my mother's fabrics, yarns, etc. in a closet she built for the purpose.
It's a bit tight but it's ok.
>costumes
3 vacuum pack bags under the bed plus an under the bed box, plus half of the hanging space in my wardrobe
>wigs
Stored in zip lock bags in a box on the shelf
Wig tools are in a bag that I have for open but rarely used toiletries, I have one wig head under the bed and one in my wardrobe, and my wig head clamp is in my desk drawer at the moment
>Fabric and sewing tools
Fabric normally in a box under the bed, but at the moment I have a lot of over flow on top of my bookshelves. Sewing machine and tools, as well as ribbons, buttons, etc. are in the cupboard under the stairs.
>Materials/tools
Anything waterproof/cheap/replaceable is in the shed (sandpaper, paint, paintbrushes), tools and electric tools are in the cupboard under the stairs. Materials are in my crafting box or drawer.
>Props
Everywhere. I have hats on bookshelves and one hanging on the wall, under my cupboard, in the closet, on the bookshelves, I have boxes full of them.
9 years of cosplaying is taking a toll on my storage space. One of my jobs for the new year is to start going through everything to see if I can organise it better/get rid of some stuff.
>>8785007
I live in a small studio (like 300 sqft/28 m2), and I loathe clutter, so I usually
- get rid of things I have made if they're not up to my standards anymore/old/I don't wear them anymore
- keep my supplies contained and work with my stash unless absolutely necessary
- be very selective with what I make, any never work on more than max 3 projects at a time
I know some people tend to get really nostalgic about things they have made, but the process is the most fun for me, so I don't mind selling/getting rid of it after I'm done.
I also have a Kallax/Expedit from Ikea with the big boxes inside to store all my supplies, it looks clean and holds a shitton of stuff.
>>8785007
I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and I have a shared sort of "extra" room I can do all my sewing in. Pretty much everything cosplay related goes in that room. This probably won't help anyone working in super small rooms, like if they only have a one bedroom but here's how I do it.
I have 2 closets that I keep everything in, from fabric, supplies, wigs and my finished costumes. The only thing that comes out is something I am currently working on, to keep the clutter down. Everything has a place and a container.
There's a supply closet and a costume closet to keep things simple. I try and keep all of my supplies to their own containers and just upgrade the containers as I get more things.
>What's your work and storage space like?
Ive got an IKEA drafting table where I do most of my work. I just set up a second table for my new benchtop power sander and scroll saw.
>How do you control cosplay clutter in your space?
I actually just bought 3 shelves from harbor freight today in an attempt to reorganize my costume storage and free up space for some new tools. I have one mannequin atm and I would like to invest in a few more but the poseable types are expensive and have to be modified before they can be set up in a mech suit.
>Do you horde materials or buy as needed?
Ive got alot of EVA and Sintra leftovers that I try to recycle as much as possible in smaller projects. From prop swords and guns to parts for R/C tanks and things. Ive gifted leftovers to friends before who were working on smaller projects.
>Storage secrets?
Alot of smaller armor parts are stored inside larger hollow ones. That is also where I keep my zentai suits.
>How do you deal with excess costumes? Sell them? Trade them? Harvest them for material?
For my mech stuff Ive tried to make as much of the parts universal between suits as possible. Undersuit rigging works for various suits as does the electronics. The cooling fans and speakers can switch between suits. Ive sold two older suits due to space issues but finding buyers for stuff this size is difficult and Its really hard parting with these costumes after spending months making one.
Pic related is my craft room. It's not all unpacked yet and I lost a shelf in the move so there's a big unpacked box tastefully cropped out of the floor, plus 2 more in the closet. I need to get command tabs up on the walls to hang all my hats again and replace the old shelf. I try to keep my stuff organized in drawers, containers, and a big dumb trunk. Everything I had was shoved into either that trunk or inaccessibly packed into a walk in closet (that wasn't walk in anymore) before I moved but now I'm trying to get things that make my supplies easy to reach. Maybe that will cut down on my hoarding! Especially the yarn.
I really want to get one of those thread spool holders but the prices on them just piss me off. It's a board with sticks on it. I should just make one. Also I want to make one of those wall-mounted ribbon spool display/holders. I do various crafts outside of cosplay so I just have a lot of random shit and buy things I may never use when they're on clearance. I think right now I'm just going to focus on the shelf and middle-sized plastic storage containers.
![FullSizeRender [659470].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/E98dH7R.jpg "FullSizeRender [659470].jpg")
>>8786558
I meant to include my workdesk but forgot womp womp. I use a small side table to keep one of my machines if I need the space lol
>>8786647
I always wondered how you stored your costumes, since you make all those big mech costumes, but that's a smart way to store it.
>>8786694
I adore the metal storage thing next to your desk with the yarn. Its just a neat looking thing. idk how much thread you have, but you can always wait for a good Joanns coupon and use it towards one of the bigger ones. The one I have (which holds 30) was around $10ish
Recently moved from my parents' huge house to a tiny house with 0 storage space, but I'm lucky that I've still got the use of two cupboards back home.
>Fabric
Rolled around strips of cardboard and then stored in two big under-bed drawers. I hoard, badly, so this is useful to see what I have at a glance.
>Costumes
Bought a big ottoman seat, sectioned it off with cardboard and I fold up the costumes and slot them in vertically. This holds about 4 costumes and I can dump whatever I'm working on in there. Older costumes that I wont throw away are in the two cupboards, folded up small and then hung up with all their small accessories in plastic bags. Shoes, the big tub of wigs, petticoats, hoopskirts and larger accessories are all on the floor where I can get at them. Big props are at the back of the cupboard behind the rail.
>Wigs
Stored in zip-lock bags with a photograph of them so I don't have to get them out to see what they are.
>Ribbons, beads etc
There's a set of plastic rainbow drawers to the side of the first picture full of all the small bits. Beads, ribbons, elastic etc are in individual square muffin cases so I can grab them quickly.
>>8785023
You have some cute fabric anon.
>>8785260
ADD here with similar issues. I feel you. I tend to focus on one thing at a time, one box at a time, and found that it works best if I work in some sort of pattern (like, if I need to sort out the warzone that is my sewing box, I sort fabric into messy piles and work on one pile at a time, and if I find supplies like beads that I forgot about I move them all over to a separate pile) and the illusion of productivity eventually turns into actual productivity. I work in a VERY small shed with just enough space to move my elbows, and it's cluttered as shit, so when I'm done sorting through stuff for the day I cram it all back in very messily so I can clearly see what's been sorted and what hasn't. It works pretty well for me, desu.
Would be interested in photos, too.
I've konmari'd pretty much everything efficiently except for my craft supplies. They're a bit randomly distributed over spare shelf and drawer space around the room, but at least they're confined to one room.
Because I got rid of a lot during last year's great konmari purge (none of which I regretted), cleaning has been really easy, and I've finished more projects.
I'd recommend konmari to everyone, even if you're a cosplayer/crafter, if you apply it to the rest of your stuff, your cosplay/craft stuff will automatically become somewhat more organized, or you'll at least be left with more spaces to organize it.
I'm also lucky enough to have a dedicated craft room, though unfortunately it has built-in shelves and drawers along one wall that can't be reconfigured at all (not even moving shelves around). I also have a metric ton of supplies, because my family is full of hoarders and I'm still trying to kick the habit.
>Finished costumes
In my closet if they have to be hung up, or folded and zipped into one of a bunch of SKUBB organizers. Ikea used to make a mattress foundation with a lift-up top (like the MALM storage bed they have currently on their US site, but you could put it in any bedframe that took a boxspring) and most of the organizers are inside there along with some armor, and then I have another two underneath my bed itself. Stuff's sorted roughly by series or category.
>In-Progress Costumes
I have a bunch of clear plastic totes with lids that fit onto the built-in shelves, and I try to do one project per tote, though rn I have more projects than totes. Gotta do something about that. Stuff without totes ends up kind of wherever I have space.
>Wigs and wig supplies
I have one of those plastic three-drawer towers on wheels, with short wigs in the top drawer, long wigs in the middle drawer, and various accessories in the bottom drawer. I also have two of the 2x4 KALLAX units and one bin has wig styling tools/my hairspray cans/accessories too big to fit in the rolly drawers.
>Sewing Tools
My machines live out in the open on my table mostly, or on the floor underneath it if I need the space. Scissors and my rotary cutter are on one of those magnetic strips meant to hold kitchen knives etc. Pins are in containers with clear lids and magnets on the back to go on another knife strip. Cutting mats and rulers are hung on a nail on the side of one set of shelves.
>>8793023
>Other tools
I have a metal rod with small hanging bins (also meant for kitchen organization) and small hand-tools (pliers, screwdrivers, exacto knives) go there. Another KALLAX bin is larger tools that are okay to use inside (hammer, drill, dremel) and sandpaper. Everything else is in the garage.
>Notions
Ribbon/lace/bias tape sorted into drawers, smaller stuff is in a plastic multi-drawer organizer on top of one of the Kallaxes. Buttons in Danish butter cookie tins on a shelf. Thread on one of the giant thread organizers fabric stores sell, which is hanging from heavy-duty commander hooks on one side of a Kallax.
>Fabric
Large pieces (over 2yd or so) are in drawers, interfacing has it's own drawer, giant plastic tote of fake fur, giant plastic totes of black and white fabric scraps, smaller totes for other colors. Stuff for specific project goes with the rest of the project in it's own bin.
Everything else is mostly crammed into other Kallax bins/shelves, like all my leather and leatherworking tools, foam and worbla pieces, etc. My next investment is going to be a bigger table so I don't have to cut things on the floor any more ahaha.
Do any of you guys have any tips on how to store styled wigs without messing them up?
