Sunday, July 26, 2015

My Studio - Our Favorite Things Blog Hop



It's my turn to show you around my sewing room!  Welcome!  I've been enjoying looking at the other Island Batik Embassador's rooms and am excited to show mine as well.  I have the worst time ranking things and can rarely choose one favorite anything, so I have a lot of favorite things about my room to share with you all.  My dad always says I love clutter and I guess it is true, but I am truly happy surrounded by all the things in my room.  Sometimes it gets a little out of control, but a little cleaning up and it's back to sewing again!

My room is my daughter Tracy's former bedroom that I took over when she left home after high school.  When she came back for Christmas a few months later she was rather sad that I had taken it over so soon, but I was so excited to have my own room.  Truthfully, this is the only room I have ever had to myself in my whole life - I went straight from living with my parents to being married!  So my room is definitely filled to the brim with all of my favorite things!  I left it in the same blue and yellow that my daughter chose because I love those colors.  This room is about 10 x 11 feet, so it is a pretty average size bedroom.  
My room has two closets.  This is the large one.  I added an entertainment center to provide shelves under the clothing bar and it houses patterns, large cuts of fabric, pillow forms, batting, various projects and all of my shipping supplies for my Etsy shop.

I had my ironing board tucked in there as well when I took this picture.  If you look close you can see me in my bathrobe taking the photo - whoopsie!  The mirror is there because another hat I wear in this room is doing alterations on clothing - have to have a mirror so my clients can see themselves.  Above the curtains I've hung some of the ribbons I've won at my local quilt show.  There are a couple of purple ribbons that I am particularly pleased with!




The dress hanging there is a project that I need to get finished - I just need to add some buttons and buttonholes, then hem it.  It is a dress that was given to me, so it hasn't been on the top of my list.

The second closet is a smaller one with bi-fold doors.  One of my daughters got that cute plaque that says it like it is!  Very appropriate to hang over my fabric storage closet!  Above that is a darling ceramic Mary Engelbreit clock I found at a garage sale.  This definitely counts as one of my favorite things!  I have a whiteboard/corkboard to put my to-do list as well as place inspirational bits and pieces.  The hook on the left holds my aprons.  The top one is the one I received when I completed the process to be Moda Certified!  Love wearing it to keep threads off me when I am dressed up, but mostly I forget...and am full of stray threads.
Inside the closet there are shelves and I have recently added baskets to store my fabric.  I like this so much better than the piles of fabric falling all over the place!  There is a little space between the baskets where I can pile the fabrics that need to be sorted back where they belong.  This way it doesn't get too messy, but it lets me put the fabric near where it needs to be stored quickly.

On the wall to the right, on the other side of the door is my design wall (a large piece of fleece hung up with thumbtacks) and some storage units.  Behind the design wall you can see the outlines of the door which goes to my laundry room.  I don't use this door, so I've just covered it up! 

 The black unit on the left is a tv stand that I bought at Wal-mart.  It has a couple shelves and rolls, which makes it nice for rearranging my room on occasion.  On top of this (under the bright batik quilt) is a basket that I use to hold the odds and ends that I need to work on for other people.  This keeps me a little more organized and I can see what needs to be done at any time.  The batik quilt is one I am custom quilting.  In one of the plastic drawers I have a drawer for tote bag fabrics, a drawer for completed tops that are waiting to be quilted and a drawer for fabric for specific projects that I want to keep together.  The other has art quilt supplies, novelty fabrics, and coordinating fabric for the quilted journal covers I enjoy making.

See that pretty blue block on my design wall?  Island Batik - a sample block for the quilt I am working on for next month's blog hop!

This large, south facing window is definitely one of my favorite things about my room!  Glorious light on most days.  Today was a bit overcast, but you can see I still get nice light.  In the corner I have a couple plastic bins of Etsy inventory, and lots of other containers that have projects stored in them.  I have my cutting table here, which has worked out really well.  It gets a bit too bright to have my sewing machine table here, but it works out well to cut in this spot.  I do cover my rotary mat when the sun is shining in, but it hasn't been too bad since the sun only comes down that far south in the winter when it is mostly overcast!  On the right of my cutting table are two more sets of storage drawers which contain pre-cuts and the strips I cut into different sizes for scrap projects.
Continuing to the right I have a chest of drawers that stores my collection of rulers, and other equipment.  One drawer is full of supplies for bridal alterations!  You wouldn't believe how many shades of white there are - so I like to keep stocked up.  The large round tin on the floor on the right holds scrap fabric.  Time to process it all, it's starting to overflow!
I use the shelves my daughter and I put in the room to hold useful and decorative items.  I have some memorabilia from my trip to Paris on the top shelf, as well as fun and pretty items that I have received as gifts.  The small trunk on the top of the dresser holds my collection of Paris themed fabrics, which I love!  I have some pretty bowls, and various other treasures that make me smile when I see them.  I have a little alarm clock/cd player for music.  It's kind of cluttered, but I like it!  I have a couple of thread holders that hold my sewing threads.  Quilting threads are stored in other spots.  


I have a large table that I can use for various purposes.  Mostly it gets things piled on it.  You can see my sewing table on the right - it is a corner desk, but I hate looking into a corner, luckily it fits right up against the large table.  Works great for quilting!  I set up my "little brother" machine on the large table and switch it out with my serger when I need it to (the serger is under the blue and yellow toile cover on the corner of the table).  The pink jewelry box in the center of the table holds quilting thread - this was a gift from a friend and it's the perfect size for this!  The round thing in front of that is a folding lamp.  I rarely use it, so I think I need to find a better spot to store it.  The letter holder on the right organizes patterns, coupons, and my scissors are stored in the bins on the back of it.  Hmm...I spy a pile of Island Batiks on the left side of the table.  They are waiting for me to do some serious cutting and sewing!


This is a better look at the whole wall.  This is the only wall in my room that does not have a window or door!  The high shelf on the right has tins that hold my handquilting supplies, buttons, and notions.  I have a calendar above my sewing chair to help organize me.  The hanging in the center is a dish towel that a friend purchased at a garage sale for me.  It fits in perfectly!
This is the best view in my room!  My Juki is definitely on my list of favorite things.  This is my second - I used my first one for 10 years.  I bought this one used, and I hope it will last me just as long, unless I decide to upgrade to a newer one.  You can see my kindle propped up in the background - Amazon Prime is amazing!  I am currently going through Star Trek Next Generation.  I love it for helping me through lots of mindless sewing!  My office chair is slipcovered in selvages and is another favorite thing (see how I did it here).  I like the corner desk because it has a small drawer on the right that is perfect for snippers, needles, and other small items, and several drawers on the left that I use for office supplies and ribbon.


Here is the view out my door.  (Whoops, it's a bit messy out there!)  Just one more funny note about my room.  One night my husband was checking the doors and windows before bed and told me I needed to go see if there was something plugged in that needed turned off because it smelled funny.  I walked in and laughed.  It just had it's normal "fabric" smell - I love it!  I thought it was totally hilarious that the normal "good" smell of my sewing room that makes me happy smelled like something else to him!  

Thanks for joining me on this tour of my room.  It truly is my happy place, and I love to spend time in here.  I have spent a lot of years sewing on the Dining room table, or on a desk in the corner of a living room or bedroom, so I really appreciate having my own space finally.  I like to rearrange it every once in a while, so next time it may look quite different.  I have seen some really neat ideas for closets, so I have been thinking about that - some lighting and lower shelving and I could make a really nifty pressing station in there!

To thank you for stopping by, I am going to give away one of the sets of sample strips I got from Island Batik!  Just leave a comment and I will do a random drawing at the end of our blog hop!

Don't forget to check out the other Island Batik Embassador's blogs, too - lots of great sewing spaces!


29 comments:

Michele T said...

Great sewing space... I would happily create in your studio!!! Thanks for sharing😉

Unknown said...

You sure use all the space in your room. Love it!

Lynn (llamance@hotmail.com)

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

What a beautiful room to create in and your slip covered chair.......perfect! Thanks for sharing!

Gill said...

Thanks for sharing your sewing space - I would love a room of my own!!

Mary said...

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at your happy space.

Kelly Dee said...

Fun to get a glimpse at your happy things.

teachpany said...

Great space! I thought the photo of you in the mirror was so funny! I adore the colors of your Island Batiks, too, and can't wait to see what you create.

Christine said...

Thank you for sharing your space. I have also enjoyed seeing everyone's space during this blog hop.

Vicki H said...

I love seeing everyone's space for their creativity. Thanks for sharing yours.

Calicojoan said...

What a delightful place to create. Love Love Love the color of your room!

Calicojoan said...

What a delightful place to create. Love Love Love the color of your room!

Unknown said...

Great use of a small space! Lots of creativity!

beaquilter said...

great room, stuffed to the brim and very creative/inspiring :)

Pam Geisel - For Quilts Sake said...

Great space! I love the selvedge chair and also the power strip on the side of the desk!

Connie Kauffman said...

Love your room! Your corner sewing table is really nice- love the angle of it. Did you do make the selvage cover for your chair?

Marlene @ KISSed Quilts . com said...

Glad you finally have your own room!! Thanks for sharing.

Marlene @ KISSed Quilts . com said...

Glad you finally have your own room!! Thanks for sharing.

LJ said...

My sewing room gets rather messy, too; it makes me feel 'OK' that others have the same problem. I love Island batiks - they have that good fabric smell that I love!!

Georgia said...

Thank you for welcoming us to your space and for the giveaway. 3305school@gmail.com

Cecilia said...

Thank you for sharing your space. It looks great! I like keeping all of my favorite things in my room, too.

Lori said...

thanks for sharing your wonderful and special space. I especially love your chair. My son is constantly asking why I save selvedges. Some day I will have enough for a project. Will have to keep your chair in mind.
quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

Sewgirl said...

Lucky you with all that space to work. Thanks for sharing the giveaway.

ebhaloha said...

Pamela,
I enjoyed the visit to your 'special room' which is a great work space. Also, I'm interested in making a slipcover from selvages. Thanks for offering a giveaway of batik strips; these will make a wonderful addition to my batiks stash!
Bev in BC
ebhaloha@gmail.com

Margie said...

Truly enjoyed seeing the pictures of your sewing room. I too, have SPECIAL things in my room. I love batiks and thanks for the chance to add to my stash!

Tawa said...

I remember coming home from University the first time, to find I was now sleeping in the sewing room too. There was an enormous shelf of fabric over the bed, and I was always worried it would fall on me during the night. It seemed so unfair!! Now of course, I can't wait for my adult kids to finish university, because one of their rooms is going to be an office, and we will finally have a dining room again, since Daughter #2 currently uses it as her studio. Thanks for sharing your space with us. Tarnia.hodges at gmail.com

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Two closets!!! Lucky duck!! I was thinking just the other day that my new vinyl covered office chair might have a "pin" mishap and was thinking about making a cover for it. I'll have to check out your post. Thanks. Karen

Emily C said...

I love your sewing space. I need to get more bins. I have difficulty finding what I'm looking for and many 'wow, i forgot i had that'.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

There is nothing better than your own private space to create in.

Dody said...

I love your sewing place. It's our happy place. I love mine to!