Thanks for all of the loft love! During the days that we were working on the sewing loft any spare moment that I wasn't needed I was scouring the internet for pictures of other's sewing spaces. (Can you tell I still haven't decided on an official name?) I found myself zooming in to see their cool sewing/crafting stuff! It was like crafter's eye candy! But I was frustrated a few times when I couldn't quite make something out. I'm just so interested in the way other crafters work and play! So I have decided to do a few posts (spread out a bit) on specific areas of this new wonderful space of mine, and maybe share a few tips along the way. Feel free to join in by adding links in the comment section to your own space. I seriously can't get enough of looking at craft rooms!
This is the first little area I want to share. I guess I am extra excited about this section because I've never had a cutting table before. On top are the girl's Easter dresses (or what I have so far, you will see more of those later in the week) my cutting mat (pink- of course), a pin cushion, a cute tin to hold odds and ends, and my new pattern weights (more about those in a minute).
Under the table is a wine rack style box where I keep my smaller pieces of fabric. You know those pieces that aren't quite big enough to be folded but they aren't small enough to go to the scrap bag either, yeah, this is THE perfect spot. They are so pretty and happy there too aren't they! Ben made this box for me a few months back and I'm sure I couldn't live without it now. On top of that is my light box (He made me that too. How awesome is this guy?!) On top of the light box are a few work-in-progress pattern drafts, and above that is my pleater. In the can next to the fabric box are all of my long rolls of drafting papers, master copies of my patterns, and tracing paper. I found this to be the best storage method, both for looks and for keeping them from getting bent (the printer does not like creases in master copies).
Now to the pattern weights! I am overly giddy about having pattern weights! It makes cutting so much faster! I just lay a few weights down on the pattern pieces, cut around using my rotary cutter, and it's done! It's like magic I tell you. I made these pattern weights from big nuts that were left over from building our house. They were so easy! I just wrapped them in ribbon and using a hot glue gun.
I love the way they look in this picture all stacked on the table, of course it could partly be the fabric too. By the way, I'm a little giddy about that fabric too. That is some of Jennifer Paganelli's new Flower Power fabric that was sent here for me to sew a sample with! Jennifer picked MY Miss Madeline pattern to use as HER sample to sell her gorgeous fabric! Can you believe that?? It's actually a pretty awesome story too. I'll save that for another post because it's so cool I need a whole post to explain it! She's an awesome designer, I love her, and I will tell you the rest later.
Here is a picture of the hardware I used in case you are up for making your own. Those squares on the mat are 1" so the bigger weights are a little bigger than 1" and the smaller ones are a little smaller than 1". Clear as mud? LOL!
I better get going and do some more Easter sewing. Don't forget to add links! We all want to nosey around your space too!
Xoxo,
Samantha
Comments
I'd link in a picture for you (complete with little sewing box) but my dodi forgot to save all our photos when he rebuilt the computer at the weekend....
And I'm nosey, too. I love when people post pictures of their craft rooms, and details are great!
~Jenny~
It's small and compact but sooo much stuff. And SO nice after a lifetime of having a 'sewing closet' at best! I need to do a floor plan like you did Sam - I agree, much easier to understand.
But now I'm REALLY curious and have lots of questions - YOU built your house? But there are so many parts of it that look really old, did you use salvaged doors and such? And I noticed in the sewing loft pics that you have formed steel beams in the unfinished attic part and also that it looks like your DH also jsut built the stairs to your loft - and they cracked me up because I think you could lead elephants up those stairs they're built so securely!! So it's all unusual contsruction methods and that's what i'm curious about??? And, ok, NOSEY!!! But remember I have worked in construction all my life and also have built homes, worked for builders, etc.
From Sparkle
I just love your patterns, I have a couple of them and have yet to make it as I am expecting my 4th child, but I thought I would drop by and say hello!
Hey Sparkle!
You sewing room is so cool! All those cabinets are awesome!
I am lovin that you noticed that stuff! I have been a do-it-yourselfer for so long that Ben and I notice those things too. Well the short answer is...well, we live in a steel building. It looks like a regular house on the outside but it's really just like a big gym! We even have steel siding, steel roofing, and metal studs (everywhere except the sewing room). We ordered it from a company called heritage and we loved it because with no weight bearing walls we got to have a very open floor plan. We built this house with our own two hands and it took us 1 year and 3 mo. The only work we paid outside people to do was sheet rock and ac/heating. All of the doors were new, but I stained them to look old. LOL! Ben was very mindful of my desire for an old house and we just adjusted our building methods to look more, well, old. We studied old cabins and houses like crazy, and I guess we just thought if they were still standing for us to be looking at them they must be pretty sturdy! When we put in the floor boards he didn't sand the hammer marks out, we used square head nails, I even made sure that he left a few boards with the printed words still on them! Our bathroom sinks are both old dressers that Ben made into sinks. We stained, varnished, painted, and sanded every inch! We have a few friends who are builders and they pulled all of our permits for us and checked in with us regularly. Funny thing is they were sometimes ashamed! One builder friend said he just wished all of the other houses with his name on it were built as well as Ben built ours! The sheet rock guys said that this was the first house they had ever worked in where the walls were actually square! LOL! I think the guy shook Ben's hand! LOL! There were a few times that the entire family would ride out for the day and help us. I remember the red steel was delivered on a Saturday so Ben skipped church the next day to start putting together our big erector set :) and when all of our family and friends saw me at church alone they asked where he was. I told them what he was up to and everyone got up and left to go help! It looked like half of the church had gone! It was like an old fashioned barn raising! By that night we had a house! All of the red steel was up and it looked like a real structure!
Maybe I will do a post on this one day, I have tons of pictures. I just didn't think anyone would ever want to know anything about it! But I understand your curiosity, I have ALWAYS been interested in the way things are made and how they work.
This is what ours looks like http://www.kodiaksteelhomes.com/models/series.html?seriesid=3 But of course our windows are in different places and I think our house is longer than the one pictured. Ours is about 2300 sq ft.
xoxo,
Sam
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(carolynhomemadehappiness.blogspot.com)
I will email you some pictures of my sewing space-- I have just moved everything in as well and am very excited!
Marlya xx
Here's my sewing space--I usually call it my workroom, my sewing room, our library (it's old name before I moved all my sewing stuff in there), or I just point--hahaha. http://www.1000markets.com/blog_posts/3448
I love, love, love looking at people's places they work in--so fun!
:) Jennifer
Playing catch-up with my blog reader! LOVE the new space. Whatever you want to call it I will be jealous!!! and I love the pattern weight idea, so stealing that!
Meghan!
LOL! Was it the turd post from awhile back that offended you? LOL! Hope they don't shut me down! LOL! ;) If it makes you feel any better they never sent me an email :)
xoxox,
Samantha
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I am not sure how I found your blog but so far I am enjoying it. I too enjoy looking at the sewing room of others. Back in October I did a major de-cluttering, over several days, getting rid of fabric I had collected over the years.
Here is the link:
http://myhomemadelife.blogspot.com/2008/11/sewing-room-progress-pt-4.html
This link is after all the chaos was over and the room was ready to be used again.
Lacie,
Thanks for the info! I have never heard of them before but I will visit!
What is your website?
xoxo,Sam
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Those weights are AWESOME!!! MUST tell Hubby to get me some nuts on his next Home Depot run. lol!
I hope you don't mind, but I'm taking it to my blog.
:-)