My Sewing Studio

Since I have little to show in the way of sewing progress, I decided to share my sewing space and my extensive stash.  Well, obviously I'm not actually sharing my stash, I am much to greedy for that, but you can take a peek.  Here is the view as you enter the main sewing room of the studio (yes there is more than one room).  Those clear boxes in the IKEA shelving units are filled with fabric sorted into projects or project ideas. Two of them are my wool pieces and two are silk.  The chair is left from a previous home and sorta sets the tone for the room.  It is a great place to do a little handwork and faces a TV.

This is my cutting table that DH custom made for my height many years ago.  The fabric in those drawers is sorted by color and are mostly hand dyed or mottled fabrics that I use in my shaded applique.  A few drawers are reproductions devoted to Baltimore Album quilts.  To the right of the cutting table is my light table also made by my DH.  It started as just a light box but it was so heavy that I added legs instead and now it is perfect. And a spare filing cabinet fits underneath.  To the left of the cutting table is my design wall, which I couldn't live without.

And here is a view from the door of the mess in progress.  The main sewing goes on in the back and you can just see the ironing board peeking in at the right of the photo.  Those piles on the floor are works in progress.  And the 2 IKEA tables set up are where I do my designing and applique prep.

Next is a look into my fabric room. Yes, I admit it, I have a whole room (10 x 12) devoted to fabric storage.  Those wire basket shelves are also from IKEA and also support the table that fills the middle of the room.  The plastic drawer boxes are each filled with all the fabric and patterns for a project.  This is how I organized things before I went to live in China so I knew I would have everything I needed and it has worked pretty well.  So exciting when I finish something and can empty a box.

Another wall of the same room.  The laundry baskets remain from my previous home and are how I used to arrange my stash.  Each basket was a different color but it was pretty difficult to find stuff.  Now the baskets are filled with novelty fabric, holiday fabric and decorator fabric.  The fabric boxes above are more projects in waiting.  Brights and neutrals are kept in the wire baskets under the table.  I love the table in the room as it is a great place to sort and audition fabrics. 

The third room houses my longarm machine and bolts of fabric for backings etc.  The closet in the room holds batting and I had my DH install super bright lights so despite no windows it is very well lit.

As you can see I am pretty spoiled.  When we bought this house I was thrilled to find a finished media room in the basement with these 2 extra bedrooms finished as well.  The only drawback is that there are no windows but adding lots of lights has really helped.  I also have lots of extra storage closets and cabinets for my trims, buttons etc. and a small alcove between two of the rooms that I use for more book and magazine storage. 

This week I am off to Florida to settle DH into his rental home and I will be setting up a small sewing room for me there for when I visit. We've picked up a few IKEA tables, shelves and wire baskets and I can't wait to get ready for some happy stitching.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.