This is my sewing room.
Yah. I know. It’s an unorganized, untidy mess. And it is affecting not only how I feel about being in the room, but also about how I actually work when I’ve gathered up the gumption to start sewing.
That has GOT to stop.
In the effort to rework this room so that it is more easily kept clean and tidy, I’ve made a few changes.
Firstly, the large white armoire that holds my belly dance costumes? I moved it to our bedroom (which desperately needs doing!). This cleared up a lot visual space and actually made more room for future storage pieces.
Next, I moved all of my fabric to plastic tubs and piles in the hallway.
That freed up the shelves so I could remove them. Of course, this meant I had brand new holes in the walls that have to fill and touch up. No photos of this, since I know you’ve all seen patched walls!)
I moved my corner desk to the opposite side of the room. Instead of pushing the “L” into the corner, I moved it so one of the legs jutted out into the room. The space under the window is perfect for my ironing board. From my new desk position, I face the doorway instead of a wall – so the room feels more spacious, even though it isn’t!
I took the time to paint a very old bulletin board and even older bookcase. My grandfather made this bookcase for me about 35 years ago. It started out as white, then was a light pink, then a beige…. But this is my room and I wanted a pop of color. I think he’d be pleased!
Opposite to the bookcase is my shelf system. The shelves are covered in a snakeskin vinyl print that’s easy to wipe down, and smooth enough that even the most delicate fabric won’t catch. I installed these by mounting the brackets on two slender lengths of board. This way, there are only 4 screws per unit in the wall instead of 12 per side! The board backing also helps distribute the weight of the fabric over a larger surface, which helps with my brittle walls.
The shelves are above my cutting table. To the left of the cutting table are two rather pink plastic storage units. These units were holding the majority of my patterns (many which are pdf files), but I’m going to be using them for only the patterns that I have tried and like. The untried patterns are now sitting on top of the cutting table, waiting patiently!
In the corner, I’ve got two wall mounted mirrors flanking a mirrored door. This is a perfect place to store Edith as well as get a view of myself from more than one angle. Helpful when fitting a pattern!
Right below the window, I have my ironing board. It’s convenient here, since it’s a case of “sew a seam, press a seam”.
Getting the bones of the room this far actually took most of the weekend. On Monday night, I decided to move the desk about 2 feet… and broke it (don’t ask… there was bruising and swearing, as well as a bit of blood involved.)
I spent Monday evening trying to put it back together again, but the connector units were absolutely useless by this point. On Tuesday I picked up some corner brackets, some metal plate connectors and some longer screws. It took several hours on Tuesday, but I managed to put it together again. The Ogre had to help me with putting the hutch on top of the desk, but I managed to do the rest on my own.
Even with all of this, the hardest part hadn’t even started! It’s difficult for me to just fold and sort my fabric, when all I really want to do is fondle it! However, I was disciplined – tough, even! I only succumbed to tempation a time or two!
That’s the story of the improved sewing studio. Clean and neat and with a better workflow and storage.
Now I have to try to keep it that way!
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I’d really love to see your comments on the projects I do and the ideas I have. I learn more from critiques than praise, but, honestly, I adore praise (and who doesn’t?).
Thanks for stopping by.\