Until this past summer, I had crafted and sewn wherever I could...on living room floor, the coffee table, the kitchen table. I can even operate a sewing machine with my knee sitting on the floor! This all makes for a very sore back. The worst part was having to pick up whatever I was working on and return it to the closet so my kids/cat/dog/husband didn't mess with it. This led to rushing to finish projects instead of taking the time needed to finish them well. When I started sewing things more regularly, I decided I needed a space of my own for my projects. We had a room that was a little bit of everything...office, closet, gym, playroom. I decided with a little purging and organizing, there was plenty of room for me as well!
The room now holds our computer desk, 2 bookshelves, a gazelle
exercise thing, a shelf for my daughter's movie TV, and my sewing stuff. I tried to spend very little to make a nice space. I found a desk at a consignment sale for $35. I refinished it and painted it this turquoise color. I really like the way it turned out. I got a chair on clearance at Target for $3.50. It's a little short for the desk, but a cushion for it
is on my project list! I also bought a storage drawer for about $12. I already had the shelves leftover from redoing my laundry room a couple of years ago. I did splurge a little for the thread holder, but it is nice to have it all together and out of the way. I spray painted it and the desk handles at the same time.
The shelf holds a bucket of ribbon, a roll of pink and green fat quarters waiting for a project, embroidery floss, and several sewing books. The projects hanging on the wall are from a swap I did with Elizabeth at
Don't Call Me Betsy. I have a calendar that I need to hang up in that space too!
The little space under the desktop is nice. My small rulers and things I have printed are stored there. In the red basket are scraps I need to put up and things I'm going to work on. There is also a Hancock's of Paducah catalog. I would really like to go there.
The silver basket have pieces I've already cut for projects. The drawers are full of fabric that I've picked up because I like them. You can see a pink Publix bag that had a binder full of printed tutorials and a bag of batting on top of it!
This shelf has plastic containers of other fabric and my sewing box. It also holds my husband and daughter's movies and our princess TV! On top are two boxes of scraps. I didn't take a picture, but hanging on the door is my large cutting mat. Hanging behind the door is my Fons and Porter design wall. I got it for $14 at Jo-Ann's. I love it. I have it fixed so I can have it spread out (which covers a picture that we have on the wall) or I can fold it in half and it's completely hidden by the door.
My little area takes up about 1/3 of the room. Having a little space makes me so much more productive. I can leave a project exactly where I'm working on it or just spend a few spare minutes sewing. It's so nice. My daughter likes it when I sit in there while she watches a movies or plays. It has also made her much more interested in what I'm doing. The baby likes so bang the draw handles. Fun for the whole family!
