Friday, December 20, 2013

the studio reveal

When Vicki decided to do the Real Studio Tour, I got up from the computer, entered the studio and started photographing; no cleaning up at all.
My room is about 13 x 18 and dominated by my huge padded work table which measures 60" x 90". I used to sew home dec which is why I have such a large table. I can iron on it and pin into it. It was constructed to be comfortable for my height. All sides underneath have built in shelving holding my extra machines and all my laundry baskets of fabric. This room was a family room with a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace. DH put hooks on the ceiling to drape my ironing cords to come from above so I could stop tripping on the cord and causing the iron to leap off the table. The back counter space seems always to have stuff on it no matter how hard I try to keep it uncluttered. Currently it has pieces and fabrics from the needle turn applique project I am doing. The piece on the padded table is a hand dyed fabric I did not like and used it for a practice piece for FMQ. That lump of white batting is draped over my fashion fitting double waiting for a sandwich to happen.


The design wall is build on the closed in fireplace space and holding a UFO that just got its borders added and is now ready to sandwich. 


As we continue to move clockwise around the room is the door to the living room, the shelving built into the wall (which we moved back to make this storage deeper) and the curtained entrance to the room from the kitchen hallway.


Next we are looking at my machine desks along the window wall. I recovered my sewing chair and eventually will make dresses to match for my machines. That contraption you see hanging in front of my sewing machine is two clamps suspended on bungy cords to hold the weight of the quilt while I'm quilting on my domestic machine. (they are clamped to each other here to be more out of the way) When we first put these up, every time I entered the room, it looked like some S&M equipment!!  Alas, I don't have any room for a long arm.


Last year, DH, very generously, gave up a corner of his shop to build me a wet/dye area. As it IS in the shop, I have to keep it really neat or be forced  to dust and wash off everything every time I wanted to do anything here. Normally I keep it covered in old sheets. Ain't it pretty, I am so thrilled to have this space to be messy in and dye sure is messy.



Thanks Vicki for hosting this, it was fun to tour everyone's studios. The internet has certainly made a solitary passion much more sociable. 



Monday, December 16, 2013

Snow dyeing

Here in the Pacific North West we typically don't get much snow and if we do it's gone in a trice. The last few weeks have been frigid and we got some snow. When it was still hanging around at lunch time I abandoned my afternoon plans and did some snow dyeing. Here are my results.




Sunday, December 15, 2013

Storage Solutions

On the Real Studios Tour we are looking at how we store our stuff. The plastic lidded bins have been a real boon for us in recent years and I'm sure we all use them. But when my studio pieces where being build I don't think they were available, so my big padded table and counters where built to accommodate laundry baskets stacked 2 high and 2 deep. I used to sew home dec and have lots of scraps sorted into colour-ways. Home dec scraps tend to very large because of the pattern repeats so my baskets are very full. Quilting cottons and fashion fabrics are also stored in laundry baskets.




 As we don't have a basement or attic for storage we have re-purposed the den to be a gym and storage area because everything does not fit into my studio. Shelves were built for the closet and a shelving unit also lines one wall. Mostly supplies are stored in bankers boxes or copy paper boxes. When I'm going to do a craft, I just grab the appropriate supply boxes and take them to the wet or dry studio to use. It isn't very pretty and I'm thinking of running a curtain on a ceiling track to cover the wall shelving to make it more inviting to do my yoga in the 'gym'.




Friday, December 6, 2013

My Best Tool

Today starts the "Real Studio Tour" and our first showing is our best tool that is not traditional. My hands down best tool is my DH. He build everything in my studios except my chair. Everything: sewing desks, counters, padded work table with meg under storage, shelves, extra lighting, my wet studio/dye center, and on and on.