Creative Clutter – A Tour of My Studio

After Walt did his tour of the shop in this post, I thought I should take a trip around a my sewing studio. It’s not as neat as his shop was in the pictures.

As you walk into the room, the first thing you see is the lower half of my mother-in-law’s old secretary. It moved into the studio while I was working from home last year as a place to keep my work computer and supplies. Next to it is an old spring rocker that my parents had when I was little. I have recovered it once and it is due for another.

I am using an old broom handle to hang one of my favorite quilts under a shelf with some mementos on it. My mother made the scarecrow quilt for me.

Next comes the wall of fabric. I use the colors of the tubs to help keep everything organized. The gray handles have upholstery and outdoor fabrics. The purple ones are apparel and costume fabrics. The blue are quilting fabrics. The smaller tubs have a wide variety of things in them, sorted by type.

The section next to my sewing machine has all of my thread and an assortment of embellishments such as ribbons and decorative buttons. My neighbor used to come over and ask if she could shop my thread for something to match the skirt she needed to mend. The wooden cabinet is a Gerstner tool chest (a really fancy machinist’s toolbox) that I found at a show and restored. Under the shelf, I keep my other three sewing machines and my case of beading supplies.

Sewing area

My sewing area is in the middle of the room. To one side is a couple of small cabinets that hold even more fabric. The table that my machine sits on was made by Walt and I from a butcher block table top and copper pipe. It is just the right height for me to sit at comfortably while I am sewing.

These drawers of smaller pieces of fabric fit in the cabinets. They were made for storing CDs and I painted them to fit the design of the room.

Cutting area

My cutting table is raised to make it easier to stand and cut fabric. There is a small bookcase next to the window where I keep books I don’t get into very often. There is a cabinet under the table where I keep sewing notions and my painting supplies. Over the table are windows that face out to my backyard and a display rack for some quilts.

The last wall has a book case and a closet. Over the book case is a another display rack for quilts and some older sewing notions and a thread display case. The closet is filled with batting, yarn, and my fabric dying and painting supplies.

And so that’s a trip around my studio. I hope you enjoyed it!

Quilt display shelves

I found these wonderful display racks for my quilt online at Robinson’s Woodcrafts. They are well made and have all sorts of options for finishes, styles, and sizes. (I have no relationship with them except as a satisfied customer.)