Saturday, November 3, 2012

anatomy of a sewing room.

With all the room shuffling that's been going on around here, I managed to get a new sewing room / office out of the deal.   Previously my sewing things were divided between the basement and an alcove off the kitchen, and the computer desk was in a corner of the dining room.   Here are some shots of everything co-habitating in what we now simply refer to as The Room.



The shelves were moved up from the basement, where they had a similar function of fabric storage.
On the top row are "mini-bolts" made from foamcore with fabric cuts in the one to three yard range.   I hate to admit it, but some of these are fabrics I've been hoarding for years!  Next are books (when they aren't strewn around the house), a bin for scraps, and other randomness.  Below the books is a cubby with folded fabrics that haven't made it onto mini-bolts yet.
Then, across the bottom we come to The Bins.  The bins on the left are for 1/4 to 1 yard cuts, organized by color with special bins for polka dots and Kaffe Fassett woven stripes.  These are my go-to bins for just about all my sewing projects - scrap quilts, zipper pouches, you name it, they pretty much all start here.   The bins on the right (also sorted by color) are for scraps that I refer to as "too tiny for anything practical".  (Although to be fair, many of these scraps are several inches in size, which is definitely practical!)  These typically get used for anything small and scrappy or improv, or that special accent applique.

To give you an idea about how ridiculous I am, here's a photo of some recently culled and pressed scraps.  See that little blue on white polkadot in the center?    1/2" x 1"   I've got my sights on it for a snack bag.




The sewing table got located in front of the window, along with two rolling carts, which house - you guessed it - more fabric.   This time in the form of current or future projects, solids, linen, precuts, and special fabrics, including Heather Ross and some prints a friend brought me from Japan.  There's also a basket for my yarn collection.   These carts get placed to either side when I'm sewing - one with the iron and the other with a small cutting board.  That's the fat cat looking out the window on the left.  The door in the corner leads upstairs to the new attic bedroom.



The office part is much less interesting.  Typical book shelf, computer desk,  cabinet with printer.   One of the carts can double as an extra table top for paperwork, which is handy. The design wall also found a spot in this corner.   Nothing too exciting up there right now, but you can tell I've been thinking about the color green!

4 comments:

  1. isn't it wonderful to have a dedicated sewing room? Yours is sure beautifully organized! I love being able to see all of your fabrics. And I'm lusting after what looks like an aqua corner cupboard/open bookshelf in the corner. Is it vintage?

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    1. Thanks for the comments! It definitely is nice for the "mess" to finally have its own space. (I'm sure it won't stay well organized for long!) The corner shelf is actually from IKEA - bought several years ago and re-painted recently. I think the color goes a long way in giving it its character!

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  2. So nice to be 'invited in' to see your sewing room....looks great...love how you organized your fabric..TFS!!

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  3. There's this house in Astoria, and in the window on the top floor is a sewing machine sitting just like yours. I always wonder about that person and if she (or he) is a quilter. I feel like all people with sewing machines are friends, and why do I not know this person?! I know, I'm weird. Crazy thoughts while driving through my neighborhood. Short story made long, I love your sewing machine in your window and I love your sewing space, Heather!

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