Wednesday, August 29, 2012

My studio

The time has come to reveal my new studio. My We 3 Quilters friends, Debra and Mary have been begging me for photos .... so here goes! :o)  Be prepared for this long post with lots of photos.

From our foyer, we go down the stairs.  There will always be eye candy for you to look at along the way ..... I make sure of that!  :o)
At the bottom of the stairs, turn right and a chair is always on hand with a quilt drapped over the back.  You can sit down here to catch your breath or we can continue on.
 Ah, now we are seeing the start of my studio.
As you enter the room, there are a few quilts on display.  The door that you can see, leads to a bedroom/exercise room.
Now, you are right inside my studio.  My lazy boy chair is where I sit and do hand quilting or hand piecing/applique work.  There is plenty of room on the wicker love seat if you want to join me for an afternoon of sewing.  What is behind those white curtains?  Read on ...
The hanging lampshade, by my chair, is one that I crocheted for my Mom many years ago and recently my sister gave it back to me.  It is my pride and joy to have it hanging in my studio.
From my chair, I can turn my head and look at my design wall.  Still no borders on my Trip Around the World top .... I just enjoy looking at the design.  Love it!  Behind the wicker love seat, on the table, you can just barely see my sewing machine.  There are lots of those storage drawers that are hiding behind the loveseat on the floor.  They don't get used a lot and the loveseat is easy and light to pull out if I need to access them.
If I need a better view of my blocks, etc., then I can slide my design wall to the right (I can do this to block DH and the girls from coming inside my room) covering the doorway.  :o)
 
In the photo below, you can see my storage area that was hidden behind the design wall.  When I'm done looking at my design wall, it slides back to the left once again.  I slide my design wall back and forth by hand.  It is made from rigid pink 1" thick stryoform boards (24" x 96") that are taped together and covered with Warm/Natural batting.  My design wall is not attached to anything ... it just slides easily on the floor.  Mind you, it does tend to wobble a bit, but a steadying hand helps it from flopping over.
Behind the door, my rulers and quilting frames are stored and my measuring tapes are hanging on the door knob.
From my sewing area, I can now watch T.V. 
In the cabinet below, are some of my tops from my previous post that have been rolled up with batting and backing ready for hand quilting.  Now, these tops are no longer out-of-sight, out-of-mind in my battered old trunk.  Besides, they do look nice displayed like this and are great inspiration to get them done.  :o)
When all the white curtains are pulled back, you can see more storage areas.  I like to keep the curtains drawn to help keep me calm and from jumping from one thing to another.    When I don't visually see my stash, I'm not tempted to start something new.  To access my stash, the curtains open with just a swish of my hand.  Easy peasy.
Shown below, some of my UFO's are on the shelf at the left.  Way too many for my liking.  They are being dealt with one-at-a-time and I'm dealing with those that need borders first. 
On the shelf that is closest to my chair, is where I store my hand quilting (just to the left of the crocheted blanket) and is close at hand to easily grab when I'm in the mood to hand quilt.   Gotta keep up my daily hand quilting challenge.  You can't see a quilt frame because I fold my quilt all up because the girls like to climb in there for a snooze and I don't want them chewing on the quilting threads. 
Speaking of napping cats ..... can we say princess and the pea!
 
There you have it .... my studio.

I'm so very happy with my space and it truly is a great place to get those creative juices flowing.

When I first started sewing, my sewing area was a corner of my wee bedroom.  I've come a long way!  Thanks, DH, for giving me a special space once again!

Have a great day!

19 comments:

Jennifer said...

What a great space you have......and I love the princess!

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Great studio, lots of storage, and organization, yet comfortable and homey. I love your cabinet of quilts waiting to be quilted, what inspiration. I recently added a command hook to the outside of my quilting closet to hang blocks for my red and green quilt to inspire me to keep at it, it has really helped!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rose Marie

Thanks for sharing your quilt studio with us. Great pictures and some new ideas for storage for me.
I read you blog whenever you post and enjoy it very much.

Keep blogging.
Dianne

Me and My Stitches said...

Love your sewing room! Isn't it great to have your very own dedicated space? And to have it all organized is even better. I love your quilts in the cabinet!

Karen said...

You have a well planned studio now. And room for a friend too. What a joyful space.

Barb said...

you've made a great sewing space for yourself - enjoy!

Vicki W said...

It is a fabulous space! Enjoy every inch of it!

Grit said...

Wow, was für ein toller Platz.
Und wunderschöne Quilts.
Liebe Grüße Grit

Chookyblue...... said...

wow your studio looks wonderful.........makes such a difference having it all organised...........

Janet said...

Your space looks like a great retreat. I love the way you've got the projects ready to work on, especially the cabinet with the tops. I wish I had room for a couple of chairs as you do. Thanks for the tour, it's nice to know wher you create.

hetty said...

Fantastic sewing space! So organized and comfortable. Thanks for sharing. The princess is adorable.

Wendy said...

WOW such a fantastic sewing room. I like the idea of hiding everything with a curtain. My cat sleeps on my fabric and I call her princess as well.

loulee said...

What a great space. It looks perfect.

QuiltSue said...

That looks wonderful. I'd love an area like that.

Cassandra said...

I LOVE how you've displayed tops that are ready for hand quilting. Ingenious and pretty!

Karen said...

You're a lucky girl - it is wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

Looks fantastic!
Thanks for sharing.
Maryk

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your new sewing room, it is so spacious and well organized.

Gypsy Quilter said...

Love your new space. Nice and big with room for everything! How did you hang your curtains?