Where I Sew

I've done a few posts like this in the past, but I don't think I have done one for my current configuration. And since it's not changing in the foreseeable future, I may as well immortalize it in a blog post right? (Ok so really I just want to link up at Ellison Lane with the Studio Spotlight, but shhhhh). So here it is, and I didn't even clean it up to take pictures, I'm just tidy like that. Sort of.

I live in a tri-level home. Half of our downstairs/basement level is a long skinny room that used to be our all purpose living area: TV, couch, treadmill, computer desk, playroom, etc. It's gone through many, many phases. But as we had a "formal" front room on the main level unused (it once homed the computer desk and some bookcases), and trying to entertain with no sitting area near the kitchen besides a ridiculously small dining area. So our TV and couch moved upstairs, the treadmill was sold at a yard sale, we got rid of our desktop computer and the toys have been put in my girls rooms (one day I'll introduce you to the toy closet. Best organization decision I ever made. Seriously). And of course we homeschool - so we needed a space for that. And the aforementioned dining space was not going to cut it!

So when you walk into my long skinny room and look left this is what you see.

I love pretty much everything about it. Well I need a new chair mat, larger and one that isn't capable of folding in half, because I never fold it in half, and it just cracked instead. So sometimes I get stuck. But I can very lazily roll from my machine over to my ironing bookcase!

Thanks so some forgotten source on Pinterest for the idea. My hubby made a lovely removable surface that sits on top of my IKEA bookcase. If I remember right I have a layer of insulbright (?) and a layer of batting in there. The random storage containers contain projects and different stages of completion (except the brown box on the bottom left. That has ribbon.) The left whicker basket is my collection of solid fabrics. The plastic drawers hold even more randomness. I pretend they don't exist except for a few drawers on the taller one, it has my extra machine feet and thread and what not in it.
Above the ironing bookcase is my wall of mini quilts.

Because someone will ask - the giant scissors are from Hobby Lobby, they are resin, they don't move. My 5 yo likes to try and bribe me so she can pretend to play with them. And I still haven't managed to plug in my TARDIS lights. I got them for Mother's Day.
(More random - see that iron box in the bottom right of the picture. That is a Black and Decker Classic Iron. It looks vintage, super cute. Super crappy! It has BIG steam holes with rough edges that like to grab at seams or the edge of fabric and rather than pressing a nice flat seam that crinkle the crap out of your patchwork. GRRR! So I bought a super modern Black and Decker with a super slick shinny bottom that just glides over fabric. The Classic didn't glide, you could hear the not super slick shinny bottoms trying to cling to your fabric. Super lame.)

Moving on.

My sewing table. Again thanks to some long forgotten source I found on Pinterest my ugly folding table is made pretty with the aide of some cheap pink Walmart fabric and a vinyl lace table cloth + staples and duct tape. I love the large surface for a good cutting/work area right by my machine (Viking Sapphire 835! With my super awesome Aurifil 50wt cone, and the Sew Steady table which allows me to accumulate junk all around my sewing).
There is more storage, but I don't get into those that often. I know the red box contains my Blue Star Banner supplies, and one of the totes on the bottom has embroidery stuff, but beyond that no clue. =)

Backing up a bit you can see my HUGE design wall. Best thing ever.

The view from my machine. AKA a constant reminder of what I really should be working on...except that half of that was just playing...because who doesn't like a good diversion project?

The majority of my stash is contained here. A basket full of batting scraps for smaller projects.
A shelf with fabric that has a project assigned to it, plus my jar of zippers.
The almost over flowing shelf of pretty pretty fabric. There are 4 stacks, sorted mostly by color stashed in there
And then the drawers. All 4 drawers are quite full of fat quarters. Except the 3rd one needs more greens. And as you can see I am all set in the pink and red department, but I have very few purple. Why is there no good purple fabric?

And rounding off the tour when you get back to the doorway. Our birds. I mostly dislike them. Except the green one snores in this cute squeaky way, it makes up for the LOUD chirping they do anytime a large vehicle drives down the street. Nothing makes up for the poop. They poop a lot. And when we are trying to do school down here, they think it's play time and squawk for attention. But they are scared of us. I do my workouts right in front of their cage. You'd think they'd recognize by now what I am doing. But nope, each jumping jack just scares more poop out of them. And then flap around like idiots.

And there we are. If you follow me on instagram you know what the current state of the other side of the room is right now, and why it's not included in this tour. Thanks for stopping by!