It has been a long time coming, but my quilting studio is up and running. I am so grateful to my husband, son in law, and Handyman Bill for making this dream come true. For so many years, I did my sewing on the dining room table, in the guest room, and in my last house, in a very nice dedicated "sewing room". I realize how fortunate I am to have this lovely large space to pursue my passion, and won't forget to be appreciative, ever.
Things are not 100% finished. We still need air conditioning, some trim, window coverings, and a few other minor details. This post is very photo heavy, but I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things we did.
We went from a former woodshop, and a very nice one at that (photos from one year ago):
Inside the door to the left, and back wall. Notice the funky cupboards, bare light bulbs and concrete floor.
Back wall and right wall. Even though the hobby wasn't mine, when I first saw this space, I could feel the creative vibe humming!
Right wall and entrance. More funky cupboards.
To this:
Inside the door to the left. Design wall is up, but needs some trim. Dresser for all my various sewing supplies. IPod dock for music or audio books while I sew.
Left wall and part of back wall. Sewing station for two! Sara's chair still needs to be ordered. She's been using a kitchen chair in the meantime. In a photo below, I will show close ups of my new sewing table, a former dining room table. Ironing table will be set up under the window.
Back wall with storage cabinetry. Marvelous cabinetry courtesy of Lowes. You can see a glimpse of the hardwood flooring my husband installed. I love my quilts on top, and hanging in the center. Believe me, those cabinets are pretty full of stash and supplies already!
Right wall with cutting table.
Right wall with reading corner and rocking chair. Sharp objects have been removed from overhead.
Here are some details.
I did get my Sister's Choice barn art hung, and a larger one is on order for the outside of the building.
Here is a close up of the cut out Bill made in the dining table to fit my Bernina. He used my acrylic insert from my old sewing table as his pattern. He dropped a little platform for the machine to sit on, at the correct height. When the template is put over the cut out, the sewing surface is smooth and uniform. I had him leave me 12 inches of space to the right, which is about 8 more than I had on my previous sewing table. He did the same procedure in the opposing corner, so I have space for Sara (or a friend) to come sew with me. We still need to sand the edges and apply a bit of stain so it looks more finished. (And yes, my friend Thelma did make the cupcake personalized mug rug for me!)
This fun little holder came from Hobby Lobby. I have a friend who uses hers to hold her rulers, but I am using mine to hold some patterns I hope to use in the near future. It also works fine to hold a magazine or book while you are reading the cutting instructions as you work.
Cabinets are 90% organized. I used plastic tubs from Target and organized my fabrics by designer, but also have things arranged by color or type (such as "Black and White" or "Civil War"). Larger cuts of fabric are folded and stacked on shallow shelves. UFOs are in smaller project boxes (and yes, I do have a shocking number of them). That super messy looking bin is full of tote bags that are going to go in a covered container out in the garage.
If you are designing a sewing space, don't forget to leave room for some treasured momentos and toys.
Goofy photos.
And a sunny spot for the dog.
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
gorgeous space! lovely lovely lovely, and love the details! congrats!
Posted by: Dianne | March 12, 2012 at 05:24 AM
Congratulations to all who helped you create such a cheerful and bright sewing studio. I am sure that you and your invited guests (wish I could come but it is a bit far) will spend many happy hours stitching away.
Posted by: CarlaHR | March 12, 2012 at 05:43 AM
Love your new studio. How lucky you are to have such a beautiful well organized area to create in. I think I envy you just a little bit. Enjoy...
Posted by: Carolyn | March 12, 2012 at 05:50 AM
Beautiful!!! Thank you so much for showing us your studio. I am so happy for you and can not wait to see all the quilts and projects you will be making. Speaking of quilts, what is the name of the 'quilt to be' on the design wall? It looks like it is going to be beautiful!
Marsha
Posted by: Marsha | March 12, 2012 at 05:50 AM
What a wonderful creative space! I hope it brings you many hours of enjoyment!
Posted by: Angie | March 12, 2012 at 05:51 AM
It's awesome! Truly a dream sewing studio. I loved seeing all the photos.
Posted by: Carol | March 12, 2012 at 06:11 AM
SOOOOOoooo awesome!!! I would never leave that room!! So happy for you!
Posted by: Dee | March 12, 2012 at 06:16 AM
Looks awesome, Nicole!!!!
Posted by: Linda | March 12, 2012 at 06:18 AM
What a great space! You are going to enjoy it so much! Thanks for sharing photos with us. Is it a separate building?
Posted by: Sarah N | March 12, 2012 at 06:28 AM
Oh Nicole, it is gorgeous! I can't believe how finished it already looks, you and your family worked hard. Here is to many happy hours in your studio!
Posted by: Edith | March 12, 2012 at 06:32 AM
Beautiful!!! What a blessing to have such a lovely place to sew. I know you will enjoy it! Have a great week playing in your new "studio" :)
Posted by: Chris | March 12, 2012 at 06:38 AM
Wonderful! Beautiful! Awesome! How nice that you have a beautiful spot to work and play in. We will be expecting great things to come out of such a neat space......not that everything you do isn't great anyway!
I am happy for you. Enjoy. Hugs........
Posted by: Marge | March 12, 2012 at 06:40 AM
Wow! What can I say? It's fabulous and I'm absolutely green with envy. No doubt, you're going to be having a lot of fun in there!
Posted by: Helen in Switzerland | March 12, 2012 at 06:51 AM
What a great space! I can't wait to see everything that you are able to produce there.
I have to get in the basement & start clearing out & organizing my stuff (and DH's because he won't do it himself) so that I can show pictures on my blog.
Right now my sewing & quilting area just looks like a jumbled mess -- but after two floods I have gotten a little disheartened. Things were lost; other things were just dumped into boxes so every time I open something I'm not sure what I will find.
It is great to see blogs like yours -- gets me inspired to start going through things (probably one box at a time) so that I can get a bright, shiny, happy creative space also.
Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Sherry V. | March 12, 2012 at 06:56 AM
Just gorgeous!!!
Posted by: Tracey Holzer | March 12, 2012 at 07:14 AM
Your studio is just lovely! A dream come true...right up there with the dream to live close to your daughter and her family! You are very blessed, Nicole! The "Cash and Carry" zipper bag project will be fun...I've made more than a few of those little gems, myself! But, my favorite photo from today's offerings has to be sweet Ozzie sunning himself in the doorway!
Posted by: Jan | March 12, 2012 at 07:25 AM
great space - was fun to watch the transformation.
Posted by: Danielle | March 12, 2012 at 07:29 AM
Worth the wait. You've thought of everything! Just wish one of my daughters inherited my quilting gene. How lovely to have a space for Sarah to sew with you. OK. You've inspired me to straighten up my space again to continue creating. Congrats.
Posted by: Helen | March 12, 2012 at 07:41 AM
Thanks for the tour. Your new space looks fabulous. What a lovely space to sew in; you could spend all day there. Just need the Mister to bring your meals out to you!
Posted by: Cathy | March 12, 2012 at 07:44 AM
Beautiful! And, you deserve it! Thanks so much for the photo tour. I love that you have a two-machine table!
Posted by: Denise in PA | March 12, 2012 at 07:52 AM
Your sewing studio is gorgeous!!! Congratulations on a wonderful transformation!!!
Posted by: Ariane | March 12, 2012 at 07:52 AM
Just love it. It looks so warm and inviting. You will have such happy times in there. Really love the sewing table. Happy quilting!
Posted by: carol | March 12, 2012 at 08:06 AM
Oh my gosh, such a special place! Lots of room to keep things organized, and I love the sewing table for two. It is so sunny and cheery that the creative juices will no doubt flow freely! :)
Posted by: sillysally | March 12, 2012 at 08:27 AM
How wonderful. Your quilts on the cabinet look great, but it would be nice to see more of them! I'm glad you finally have your space finished. I know it was a year from the time I moved to the time I sewed, and I was quite frustrated. So much to do to organize again. Yours looks great!
Posted by: Becky in KCMO | March 12, 2012 at 08:30 AM
Congratulations on your beautiful studio and thank you so much for the tour! Your gratitude for such a space is so evident in your post. Enjoy!
Posted by: Erica | March 12, 2012 at 08:42 AM