Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sewing "room" clean up (or shovel out as the case may be)

     I hardly ever do projects that I can't get done in an afternoon. I have no patience for long drawn out processes. This however, took me three days...that. is. ridiculous. Why, you may be wondering, should it take that long just to clean out some sewing stuff? Excellent question. That requires I show you some before pictures. Really these are simply to make you feel better about yourself, as I am sure few can claim the honor of owning such a mess as this.
     First, let me explain that my sewing area is outside the house in a long, very narrow utility room that was meant more for a garage type storage area of sorts. There is only one small window so the lighting is really awful in these pictures. I had a horrible time getting clear pictures and the color is off. My area is in the middle, to the left of mine is our "reading" area filled with shelves and books, and to the right a collection of mister's hunting things. The whole thing is way over due for a clean out. When we first moved here, my mister built me large shelf that used as much vertical space as possible. We were in such a hurry to get things out of boxes that I never really put things away properly to start with. As time went on it just got progressively worse...as you now may see for yourself.


     Look! My threads are grouped by color that should count for something! =)



     Yes, there actually are two machine's on that desk...how I got to them to actually use them required great acrobatic skill.


     There now, don't you feel better about yourself? Told ya. This was definitely one of those rooms that when guests come over, you shut, lock and barricade the door and never acknowledge that it opens.
     Would you like to see it now?


     Well lets start with the desk. This is actually not a desk at all, but an old drafter's table. I got it at a yard sale for super cheap and loved it.


     It sits on sawhorses that have nifty old hardware attached still.



     The top has some weather damage and one day I'm going to redo it, but I kind of like it's imperfection. I had a dear friend that passed away that worked for a surveyor's office and this table makes me think of her. I'm thinking I might make a skirt for the front to hide the totes underneath eventually.
     Next off, check out my shelves. The bottom row holds totes from the salvage store with all knit material.


     The top holds cotton, a massive bag of pollyfill I found unopened at the thrift store, home decor fabric, more felt than I could ever wish for (a garage sale find), and some yarn.


     The side shelves hold vacuum pack bags of burlap, clothes to be cut up and refashioned, and trays of fabric that are one yard or less.


     I got these little hangy things at hobby lobby and mod podged pretty paper to the front to hold sewing books and papers.


     You should recognize the two stools from past posts. They both were garage sale finds that I repainted and covered.



     I used my buckets from the dollar section at Target to hold things I frequently need for sewing like, elastic, bias tape, trim and such. They spell out the word "imagine".


     Do you remember these old nesting boxes that were given to me that I showed you before?


     I used two more sections of them to create some extra shelving. After bleaching, scrubbing, and painting them with some left over yellow paint, they look like this.


     The bottom part hold mason jars and jelly jars collected at thrift stores and garage sales. The jars keep small things like ribbon bits, buttons, snaps, clips, etc all tidy and organized.


     The jars are all labeled with key tags purchased from the hardware store.


     The top section hold all my ribbon on dowels. This I LOVE! I cannot express how annoying tangled up ribbon spools are to me!


     The bookshelf was tidied and prettied with some boxes mod podged with paper and spray painted baskets.


     My dry erase board also received a face lift with some mod podge and paper.


     The door is mettle so I use it for a magnetic bulletin board of sorts. The top rod has some clip curtain rings that can hold notes and pictures, the little cans hold safety pins and such, and the bottom rod works for a convenient spot to hang things while I'm working on them.


     A lot of the containers I used were random garage sale finds. I think this little basket is actually a door flower holder, but it holds my serger thread just nicely.


     Mod podging fabric and paper to things is cheap way to add color and a cohesive look. I showed you my clock a few days ago that I used the same fabric for as I did to cover my stool.


     There is still things I need to fix a little better and I'd like to add more color here and there. All in all though, I am loving my "new" work space. All the work was sooooo worth it!

Linking to:
The Stories of A to Z
Restore Interiors
Someday Crafts
Tea Rose Home
Sew Much Ado
Organize and Decorate Everything
Simple Home Life
Just a Girl
The Freckled Laundry
Tatertots and Jello
Funky Junk Interiors
Lolly Jane Boutique
Between Naps on the Porch
The Girl Creative

19 comments:

  1. Wow you did a great job! I love that desk (drafting table) the sawhorse style legs are awesome.

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  2. Ahhhh! I am so jealous of your organized space. I swear no matter how much I try, I just can't get mine organized to my liking. Where did you get that thread holder? Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  3. ...so not fair to show us all this room and pretty details!!! so envyyyyy :) good job, though!!! :)

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  4. Wow, amazing!! Its fun, perky and so, well, so organized!! I bet it makes you smile to just walk into your sewing room!! (I am trying not to use the word jealous ...)

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  5. You gave me some great ideas for my space! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. You must be exhausted!! That is so pretty, fun and inviting for a work space! Love the way you used so many different types of storage -- very ecclectic and artsy! Great job!

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  7. perfect! great job. I think it's wonderful to work in a space that doesn't look cluttered. It makes me want to sew even more!

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  8. very nice! you are so lucky to have your own little studio! I especially love the renewed nesting boxes and the how you used the back of your door. What a way to utilize every bit of space!
    xo,
    Sena

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  9. Wow! Amazing job... your space was definitely in need of an overhaul. I love your desk, and that cute red stool. Everything looks great :) I've got some wonderful ideas. So glad I stopped by :)

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  10. Oh my gosh! What a huge improvement. I love your ribbon and button storage. So many great other storage ideas too. Thanks for linking to Home Decor and Organizing Link Party. I'll be featuring this later this week.

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  11. wowww I have no word, what an amazing and great job!!!
    I love your sewing space:-)

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  12. Oh my goodness, that's a fabulous transformation! Love how you creatively stored and organized everything.

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  13. What a great room! Everything looks great!

    I'm a new follower!

    Cara

    http://miscellaneousme.wordpress.com

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  14. Oh my giddy aunt! You have just the most amazing sewing room, so many great storage ideas!

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  15. What a great space- I would love that in my house ;) We would ♥ for you to show this off at our link party!

    Lolly Jane
    lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com

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  16. Visiting from FJI. You did and amazing job organzing everything. I like how you used what you had and made it pretty with decorative paper. I am a sewer too and it is so difficult to keep everything organized and I'm sure you will be so much more productive now. I hope you will stop by and let me know where your fabric heaven is located.

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  17. I'm visiting from Funky Junk and I have to say, your sewing room is coming along very nicely. Thanks for showing the before, I always appreciate seeing a messy room that isn't in my house...then I don't feel so bad about mine. You can't be creative without making a mess, can you?

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  18. LOVE IT! Tons of good ideas for me. thanks Kristy from www.apronsandapple.blogspot.com

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