Today I am machine quilting my Jessi's Medallion quilt. It is for my daughter's wedding gift the end of May. I hope to finish it this week, but I have much going on outside of quilting so we will see.
Val's Tuesday Archives is about sewing spaces this week, so I am going to show you mine. It was not cleaned or organized for the photos so you are getting the real deal.
My sewing space is little more than the size of a walk in closet. It came with the house and already had counter tops, drawers on the bottom, and cupboards on the top. The drawers were already stenciled with labels that do not fit what I have in them, but they work for now. This room is in the basement but has two large windows for great lighting. The room is unfinished: there is sheetrock that has been only primer painted and the floor is cement. I have layed down some pieces of carpet to make it more homey. The windows have plastic over them for insulating the room.
I prefer to sew right next to a card table for two reasons:
1. When I machine quilt it holds up the weight of the quilt next to me.
2. When I piece I like my iron right next to me. I am a busy lady and must get things finished quickly, so getting up every time to press is not functional for me.
My cutting area is a space where the counter has been lowered for a sewing machine. I don't use it for that because I am very short, 5 ft tall, and I need a lower level to cut well. I brought in a table to sew on instead.
My stash is organized into crates. I organize the stash by colors that could go together in the same quilt such as brights, background fabrics, civil war, etc... I am pretty frugile and rarely purchase way too much fabric for a project. I calculate carefully how much I need and only buy that much. I do purchase fabric I like when I find it on sale and keep it in my stash with fabrics that coordinate well with it. I also cover the tops of the open crates with fabric to keep the dust out of them.
You can see more crates stacked on top of this shelf. There are four of them up there all with different stashes in them.
I store my UFOs in boot boxes. You can see some of them stacked by the window in the cutting area as well as some on the shelf in the above photo. It works for me because all of the boxes are different and I just remember which project is in which box. I tried labeling them, but when I finish a project I just stick another one in it, so I threw that idea out.
I have two design walls in my sewing space which I COULD NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT. I like to see what I'm working on and ponder design ideas while I sew.
One is on the wall I see while I sew.
The other is the entire wall off to my right which is also easily visible while I sew. It really helps with block placement as I am sewing rows and blocks together.
I sew with my laptop on a little stool in front of me. I watch videos, listen to music, and often listen to the scriptures as I sew. I actually finished the Book of Mormon 5-6 times last year just while listening as I sew. The laptop also keeps me up on incoming emails and other things I track.
One counter top has scrapbooking books and geneology.
The drawers were hand made out of very heavy boards which has caused them to break off the guides they run on, so I have open spaces that no longer have drawers. Some of the drawer boards have also broken off the front.
I have one drawer full of fabric dying supplies and instructions. I love to dye fabric and Dharma is the place to order everything you want.
I have a tall closet for things like a roll of batting. I need to resupply soon. Normall the door is shut so it looks nicer.
I also keep my books and patterns on a shelf. It mostly consists of magazines I had subscriptions to. I don't really purchase patterns because I prefer to design so most of these books were given to me as gifts.
Finally, I have a little corner where I keep some quilt tops on the counter. They need the bindings finished or they are waiting to be received by their owners (my girls when they wed).
Val's Tuesday Archives is about sewing spaces this week, so I am going to show you mine. It was not cleaned or organized for the photos so you are getting the real deal.
My sewing space is little more than the size of a walk in closet. It came with the house and already had counter tops, drawers on the bottom, and cupboards on the top. The drawers were already stenciled with labels that do not fit what I have in them, but they work for now. This room is in the basement but has two large windows for great lighting. The room is unfinished: there is sheetrock that has been only primer painted and the floor is cement. I have layed down some pieces of carpet to make it more homey. The windows have plastic over them for insulating the room.
1. When I machine quilt it holds up the weight of the quilt next to me.
2. When I piece I like my iron right next to me. I am a busy lady and must get things finished quickly, so getting up every time to press is not functional for me.
My cutting area is a space where the counter has been lowered for a sewing machine. I don't use it for that because I am very short, 5 ft tall, and I need a lower level to cut well. I brought in a table to sew on instead.
My stash is organized into crates. I organize the stash by colors that could go together in the same quilt such as brights, background fabrics, civil war, etc... I am pretty frugile and rarely purchase way too much fabric for a project. I calculate carefully how much I need and only buy that much. I do purchase fabric I like when I find it on sale and keep it in my stash with fabrics that coordinate well with it. I also cover the tops of the open crates with fabric to keep the dust out of them.
You can see more crates stacked on top of this shelf. There are four of them up there all with different stashes in them.
I store my UFOs in boot boxes. You can see some of them stacked by the window in the cutting area as well as some on the shelf in the above photo. It works for me because all of the boxes are different and I just remember which project is in which box. I tried labeling them, but when I finish a project I just stick another one in it, so I threw that idea out.
I have two design walls in my sewing space which I COULD NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT. I like to see what I'm working on and ponder design ideas while I sew.
One is on the wall I see while I sew.
I sew with my laptop on a little stool in front of me. I watch videos, listen to music, and often listen to the scriptures as I sew. I actually finished the Book of Mormon 5-6 times last year just while listening as I sew. The laptop also keeps me up on incoming emails and other things I track.
One counter top has scrapbooking books and geneology.
I also keep my books and patterns on a shelf. It mostly consists of magazines I had subscriptions to. I don't really purchase patterns because I prefer to design so most of these books were given to me as gifts.
Linking up today with:
For a small space, you have been able to fit a lot in there and make some amazing quilts. Thanks for the peek into your space.
ReplyDeleteI ditto Jasmine's comment! That was what was going through my mind when I was reading this. Wow! Love looking at your design walls. And the medallion quilt is gorgeous. I have a Round Robin guild challenge to quilt when I am back up north (on my longarm) so I will pop back to see what you do with yours!
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. It's so refreshing to see a "normal" sewing room instead of a "designer" studio that looks magazine layout-ready! Superb maximization of space going on there - I really need to clean up my storage area so I can better organize it!
ReplyDeleteYou have added things to your room since the last time I was there. APPROVE!!!
ReplyDeleteYour space is full but you get so much done. And I bet you know where everything is to.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for a real persons space
It may be a small space, but you've definitely made the most of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing a working space that's not all Martha-Stewart perfect and tidy! Boot boxes, drawers that have fallen out of their tracks and stools are all great things when you use what you've got. :) www.quiltartbymegan.com
ReplyDeleteThank you, Thank You, Thank You!!! You will never know how much I appreciate seeing a sewing space which actually looks like a sewing spaced being used - not for show! You rock! I feel so much better about my not so perfect used sewing space! I am under 5' and really understand the height impairment and need for adjustments. I eventually had my chair adjusted for the right height to ease the strain - and added a foot stool to help. Got to do whatever it takes! Have a wonderful sewing day!
ReplyDeleteI like that your design wall is right in front of your sewing machine....that would be conitnuously inspiring!! Thanks for sharing the space where your wonderful quilting evolves! I enjoyed getting a peek into your space.
ReplyDelete