Thursday, August 16, 2012

My sewing and crafting studio

Moda Bakeshop is highlight sewing studios.  Ive been meaning to post about mine so I will now.  Bewarned!  It is packed into a small space.  I have been acquiring crafting and sewing materials, tools, etc since I was about 6 yo.   Since I use my blog to document my life this may be a long post.

I will start small.  This is a plastic sewing box I found at a yard sale.  It is filled with some of my wooden spool collection acquired from various relatives and thrifting sources.  I used clear tape to hold the lid on and hung it with the holes in the bottom. It is one of many sewing inspired art pieces hanging on my walls.
A Victorian clothes dryer, restored by my dad, used to store doll quilts and mug rugs and my TP Birdie sling.  I wanted one for a long time and this one the bars swing side to side.  The cork board to the left is covers in pictures, inspiration, memories.  My dad had made it for me when I was a child and I have always used it.  
This is the corner of my cutting table.  A drawered shelf holds masses of buttons I collected.  The little 3 shelf has misc swap items, charm packs, more treasures collected over time.  The green containers are 4 green vintage Tupperware containers.  One has selvedges, one fleece scraps, one fabric ties, and one scraps of ribbon.
This is my cutting table.  A peg board holds some of my larger rulers, random patters and some ribbon at the top.  Containers for cutting tools, markers, etc sit along the back.  Cutting mats cove the surface  On the right side is my oldest mat used to craft on.  The plastic drawers have glue gun, punches, rick rack, bindings, grommets, etc.  My new lite tv sits on a shelf.  Under are pales of sharpies, tools, hand punches and specialty scissors, and pigma pens.  The vintage canning jars hold buttons by color.  I need to put up a new shelf somewhere as the tv took the jars shelf.  Notice the former cd tower my dad built for my sister.  She did away with her cds and I found it stores my FQs nicely.  On the wall I have frames 8 vintage quilt blocks from my collection.


A shelf of fabric for different projects.  The swivel stool was a $5 find at Good Will, complete with the chew marks on the chair back.  the purple and aqua cheese box contains vintage lace and ribbon and rick rack collected starting when I was 6 from my Great Grandmother.  The striped box on top came from the People's Bank of York and hs vintage sewing motions-button cards, needle cases, etc...  You can see my embroidery threads and other threads hanging by color.

And behind the little patchwork quilt curtain are 2 DMC drawered chests from and old Roses store.  They have patterns, vintage embroidery floss and other emroidery yarns, and my old thread spools.  My Singer felting machine sits on the floor.  My paints and paint tolls are on the top shelf, other crafting supplies from Fimo, to magnets, to to wire and colored stones.

Under the cutting table are some new storage cubes with other odds and ends, shipping materials, a can full of rice for rice bag warmers, drawers full of more ribbon and plastic bins of vintage tatting and other materials from my Great grandmother.  
This rather busy looking corner is my secondary sewing desk. ( I am in the middle of a couple of projects)  The blue wall is actually fleece thumb tacked to the wall.  A Habitat restore find, including the different knobs I added.  My Babylock Sofia usually sits here.  I use it mainly for embroidery.  When I quilt I move it to the larger desk.  The bookcase holds all of my books and my favorite scraps box.  A plastic drawer unit holds interfacing, fusible web, and other specialty fabric additions.

This is my main sewing area.  My featherweight is my main piecing machine.   The large desk has a pull out on the right where I have my ironing pad.  My tools and other rulers sit on the right.  On the left is a bookcase.
The bookcase contains my Sizzix on the top shelf, stamping and specialty papers on the middle, and project cases on the bottom shelf.  The curtain is a vintage hst piece.

This is my comfy chair where I blog and do hand work.  I love this chair.  On the chair is a  large pillow my cat likes to sit on me next to me.  The first quilt I made in 2010, an awesome little pillow a guild mate made me in a swap, and my turtle pillow.  The stack on the floor is a wooden sewing caddy filled with my wool/felting supplies.  On top are my various project pouches-hexie, sewing, embroidery, and cross stitch.
And hear is my stash.  Im currently destashing as much as I can.  The right shelves are my modern stash.  The right is my 90's and cheaper stash.
The baskets on top have unfinished small projects.  On top of the other bookcase is a wooden sewing box with vintage notions from my great aunts house.  The fan is a vintage aqua and white one.  You can see the ironing board with the cool grided cover hanging on the closet door.  It was my grandma's wooden one that even has the label still on it.  Again my dad preserved and refinished it for me.  The little boxes in between have scraps.  

So there you have a sneak peak into my very small, very crowded, studio.   I try to get it cleaned up but then I start another project and...

keep dreaming...Colleen
Some of yesterdays $5 thrifting haul. (not the iphone)

6 comments:

Janet said...

Wow! You have even more accumulation than I do in my small space. It looks very comfortable and well used though.

Nancy@owensolivia said...

Good to know that I am not the only one with a crowded work space!! And holy freaking moly do you have a fabric collection!!!!!!!

Still loving the antique dryer. I should try to find one or DIY it.

Carrie P. said...

Look at all that fabric. You have that room packed with stuff.

Barb said...

I just had to smile, I believe you have more items in that one room...reminds me of mine but I believe you have me beat....smiling over here!

Jessica said...

I LOVE your space! Thanks for a great post! It looks like a huge room - I don't believe you!

Trevor said...

Colleen, I had to blog stalk to see what one of my favorite commenters was up to. Your fabric stash puts Mandy's to shame - you're lucky I didn't have these pictures when I did my hoarding post! All the best!