My sewing space in my house is lovingly referred to as the sewing den. This is because I share the space with my husband’s gaming computer desk and collection of historic replica weaponry (more on that in a future post).
I thought I’d take you on a tour of my sewing den tonight… it is far from the perfect sewing studio, but it is my happy place and full of treasures.
First of all, it has a glorious window that lets in great light and opens onto the front yard – which is super handy when my kids are playing with their friends outside.
Once upon a time all my fabrics and supplies fit into this one IKEA wardrobe, but now my “collection” has spread to some additional bins… Oops!
I love this wardrobe with its wire mesh drawers that I can see into and pull out – it may not make sense to anyone else, but everything is organized and stored in a way that I know where to find what I need for any given project.
I keep my patterns in this tall filing cabinet next to my closet that also serves as a backdrop for photos of my handmade items that I sell in my Etsy shop (www.slipperie.com).
My husband’s man space is between the wardrobe and the file cabinet.
Next is my glorious cutting table! This giant beauty is the perfect size and height for cutting nearly anything. The selves above it house my collection (at least part of it) of sewing and fashion books, and often serves as a place to hold pattern pieces as I cut out projects. The large “couture” artwork above this table was a gift from my husband for this room shortly after we moved here and I love it!
My sewing desk is now full of my wonderful machines! I have a Pfaff Quilt Expressions 4.2 – I don’t quilt, but at the time I bought it, it was the only Pfaff with an extra long arm. Since I love making things like wool coats and big gowns, I wanted the extra large arm with extra maneuvering room around the presser foot.
I also have a Brother serger – and I love this work horse that I bought through Amazon a few years ago for less than $200. I’m often tempted to buy a second one just so I wouldn’t have to change the thread as often! (Yes, I am that lazy.)
The third and newest machine on my desk is a Janome cover stitch machine. I bought this when I was making lots of costumes for a high school musical and needed to expedite my sewing, and this sure did the trick. It is a breeze to use for fold over elastic and knit hems.
I love my wall art, but two pieces are my favorites. The plaque on the right was a gift from a coworker many years ago after we collaborated on a big project and I just love the saying. The “What Would Tim Gunn Do” sign was made my one of my best friends and I love it! A great reminder that someday I plan to be the crazy old lady on Project Runway, or whatever Tim and Heidi’s new show ends up being… 😂
In case you are wondering, the white roll mounted to the wall is paper I use for pattern making.
Finally, on my desk, I have this fun pin tray that a friend gave me – I love the quote on it! And, yes, that is a lipstick organizer! I use it to hold all my sewing machine feet, clips and small tools I use regularly.
There you have it! My sewing studio, I mean den. 😉 Big enough to be productive, yet it always seems to be shrinking…
