Thursday, March 5, 2009

The sewing room, done, but not dusted





Never dusted.

When the room got so disorganised I could barely stand to be in it, I just knew the time had come to make a more functional space. In my mind, I think I was dreaming of something straight out of a Freedom or Ikea catalogue, smart and new, wood and glass, Scandanavian simple but elegant style.

In the end my inner tight wad got the better of me. Just about everything I bought at an op shop and the shelving units were bottom of the line from the local Mitre 10. I just couldn't help myself. But you know what, it just has so much personality. I love it. More than if it had been designer brand new. I love my baskets from the Bangladesh women's weaving co-operative for my sewing odds and ends, and my kauri tray with ceramic tiles for my threads, and my art deco inspired magazine rack for all those Burda pattern books, and the empty marmalade jars for buttons and haberdashery and the op shop baskets for bigger sewing supplies and the little wood turned bowls and ceramic vases for scissors and markers. It's all there, and organised.




I also really love how I got to reuse just about everything I already had. Even an old laundry hamper got rejigged as another home for fabric scraps. (See how full it is, the scale of my fabric scrap problem can not easily be ignored. I sew around 20 garments a year and we moved here 5 years ago. That's a 100 garments worth of scraps folks)

And let's remind ourselves of what it was like before:



And here's the happy ever after:

17 comments:

  1. I'll post a pic of my sewing room too. I just want to say, "Yeah, I get you. I'm there too." I like an organized sewing room. I can't think, I can't design, I can't sew amidst clutter.

    You've got me so envious. I love your hardwood floor. You can see most of it too, that's nice. I love your shelving, your baskets, your serger... btw, where's the sewing machine? I'm such a SM/serger junkie.

    I just saw the Project Runway Designers Tool Holder--couldn't get myself to like it, particularly that sorry excuse of a pin cushion. But YOUR pin cushion in all its swirly loveliness... well, at least, I think it's a pin cushion.

    I've said too much again, must go. TTFN.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my, your sewing room looks delicious! I love all your bits and bobs and jars and baskets- they look wonderful.
    I am so, so impressed my your organizednessability.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Isn't she a beauty? So much personality in her perfection, that I think she deserves a name?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi maryanna - what an amazingly inspiring transformation. You have me inspired - everything so neatly organised like that. yours most truly impressed!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The sewing machine is next to the serger on the table, and the dress form is next to that - the whole thing runs down one wall of the spare room.

    The light today is too grey to take a photo looking down the room - everything was just too blurry. I could have posted a very poor quality shot, but you know how it is, blog pride and all that.

    Geek sewing - Love to see your sewing room! Specially now you've got some very classy tools to show off.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm in a complete swoon over your gorgeous space and photos. Loved esp. the tray of thread!
    My next post will feature Mr. Sewing Tiki!
    XO
    iris

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looking good :-) There must be someone who donates a whole lotta kauri bowls to our Sallies, cos I've managed to nab a few, lately, too. Even if it's crap, I can't bring myself to leave it there - y'know, hand-turned NZ Kauri stuff. Even if it looks like it's been made on the "how to turn crappy bowls" night class. Sigh. I guess my "save all the craft orphans in the op-shop" affliction is spreading to other mediums.
    Oh, and by the way, as you can see, I got brave and did the blog thing. Don't laugh. (or if you do, I hope it's for the right reasons ;-) )

    See you Wednesday for some bitchy stitching,

    Jen from across the road.

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  9. Love your sewing room! very nicely set up and perfect for inspiring loads of crafting and sewing goodness. Well done.

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