I NEVER thought I’d hear myself say these words, but after working SO hard in my sewing room (15 hours Saturday and another 10 hours today) I am totally and utterly sick of being in there! I had SO much stuff piled up and it was a disaster. I guess bit by bit it just kept adding up and finally I just HAD to get it organized and weeded out. I do have LOTS of stuff outside my door; in the living room, that I am going to sort out still, but at least it’s out of my room.
It didn’t seem like it was that long ago that it was pretty neat and tidy, but then all of a sudden it was just overwhelmingly cluttered. It is about 90% the way I want it, but I still have a few boxes that have miscellaneous stuff in them… I’ll get to those, but I need to get busy with some sewing…
I think part of my problem is, when I first started sewing, I had fabric and trims/laces, buttons and patterns. Now I make slips, thigh highs, hats, fingerless gloves, leather shoes, purses, wigs, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some other things, and each of those things takes supplies to make them. All of those supplies take up space too!
Oh well, I better stop complaining, it sounds like I am ungrateful… it’s just that I let the clutter in my room get away from me and then it took 25 PLUS hours to get it back in shape. I am VERY grateful to have the sewing room that I do and want to do a better job of keeping it neater.
Okay, want to see some new pictures? I was going to show some before and after pics, but I think I’ll just stick with the pretty pictures for this post. You can see the before pictures HERE.
When you walk into my sewing room, to the right of the door is my sewing machines area… and a bookshelf behind where I sit… I have two nice windows that face onto the back yard… It’s 11:15 p.m., so my blinds are closed and you can’t see how pretty it is.
This is the table my hubby put the casters on, so it could be raised up about 1″ or so. Behind those curtains are all my buttons and appliques, and some trims.
These two bookshelves are to the left of the built in shelves.
Around the back corner and there are my white pieces of furniture…
Next to them is my fabric shelf…
Then coming back toward the door to my room is a long dresser with LOTS of skinny drawers. I was so happy when I won this on an online auction here in town.
Next to the dresser is an oak bookshelf I call the dolly shelf.
…and next to the dolls is the thread rack I made last year, still sitting on the floor, as we are waiting for the roofers to come back and see why our new roof is leaking down this wall when it rains. I move the rack when we are expecting rain…
I took some panoramic shots of my room, so they are a bit distorted and wavy but you can see better the layout of the room this way.
Okay, so I know this wasn’t a terribly creative post, but I just wanted to get these pictures on here to show you I finished it! I think I’m going to stay away from stores that tempt me with things… like fabric, buttons, trims, lace, etc… I don’t need anything else to come in here!
I will see you tomorrow,
This gal is heading to bed!
Blessings, Jeanne
Your sewing room looks so organized and pretty now, Jeanne! Consider yourself fortunate to have big chunks of time to spend there. I am lucky to get an hour or two every so often; today I think I spent maybe 20 minutes in there. All I got done was to block the smocked yoke of my latest Wee Care gown; then I can start the machine finishing work on it next time I’m in there.
With an elderly hubby who needs extra attention at times (and his doctor’s appt. today, which ate up more time than planned, as she ordered chest x-rays, too), and having to spend time practicing the piano at church (I don’t have an instrument at home any more–long story–and now I play most Sundays, so that means at least a couple of afternoons a week up there), and all my other “stuff”…sometimes several days go by without time in the sewing room.
If only I didn’t have to cook, that would help!! Fortunately, Ron likes leftovers, so I usually make “lots” of things like soups and casseroles, so we can eat at least three days from one big cooking session!
Jeanne, you may be sick of organizing your sewing room, but it looks just wonderful now! It was not in vain; I can tell you that!
Maybe after making one outfit, now you could put away anything that was out before starting another. When you have something listed on Ebay, you have some time to get things organized, but of course, sewing is not ALL you do with your life, so i can see how things slide sometimes. It happens to us all, but maybe you shouldn’t let things go too long before getting things back in place. Easier said than done, I will agree!
This heat is taking away my energy! Going up to 95 today, ugh!
Your sewing room looks very nice now 🙂
I hope to have one someday. Now my sewing stuff is in different areas in my bedroom.
Oh, Jeanne, how I relate to your efforts! My sewing room is such a mess I can hardly walk to the sewing machine! It opens into my guest room, so that is where everything goes when I try to organize, and when guests are coming, everything goes back into the sewing room! Also, I have bins of dolls and doll clothes I have collected over the years and I am trying to sell them. The bins end up in the sewing room when guests arrive.
Also, I have a dear husband, and I cook, we go to water aerobics together twice a week, church, choir practice, healing service on Wednesdays, helping with after school program once a week, and other things. I never thought I would be so busy in my 80’s but I a blessed that I can be. I have two commissions to start, a denim bag for a friend’s walker, and a copy of my Alice dress from MDCC last year. Your sewing room efforts are inspiring me, thanks!
Everything looks wonderful, Jeanne. You worked hard to get everything in its place. You certainly have a great working area with all your storage furniture. I’m sure you feel much better being organized again.
We all know how much you try to do in one day- always doing for others, getting to bed late. I don’t know where you get your energy!
So, enjoy your organized sewing room – it looks great!
It is nice to see a well organized space. Looks great.
Around here, i finally have an order for some special craft items that I couldn’t buy around here arriving. It’s been close to a month coming from Oklahoma. Think it was journeying by oxcart rather than FedEx. And poor RRFF Alex, who has spent several months at sea and then a land trip to the east and then back to CA, is poised for arrival tomorrow from UPS. At least I can track the truck with him. 🙂
Interesting that Linda will have 95 today when here in northern CA, we’ve had frost the last two mornings. Really cold today so far. Burr….
Dear Jeanne, your room is lovely. We are all celebrating with you! I can’t wait to see what you work on next.
Your room is a seamstress heaven. Mine is a controlled disaster. I love baskets…what is in them is not organized but at least it is in a labeled basket….and I know where it is….no one else will though😳 Loved seeing all the pictures. It is just so TIDY.
Today a very old Mama doll is getting a body transplant. Can’t wait to see her head on a new body.
Pat yourself on the back and enjoy your newly renovated sewing room!😍
Ha ha, that’s the way it is , Jeanne, when you add a new hobby (or a new part to a creative business) it requires more supplies.
You do have a lovely space to create in though with shelves, boxes, and space to organize everything. Here the sewing machine and a few related things are in an antique cabinet with lots of drawers in the sunroom, but the fabric and other craft supplies are in the basement in an old wooden dresser and plastic labeled boxes. Our house is plenty large, just no logical way to dedicate one room to just sewing/crafts and/or dolls. I store my doll clothing/accessories under my bed in plastic rolling boxes. that’s way basically no doll furniture for me.
I agree with Linda about making sure everything from the current project is put back away before starting a new one. I clean as I cook to make fewer things to do at the end.
Your sewing room looks so heavenly to me. I know what you’re saying about doing different techniques and having to have all the things to do those. When I started sewing back in high school all you needed was a sewing machine, a pattern, notions and trims – and a little know how. Today there is more to sewing then just those and I’m constantly learning new techniques all the time. I remember when I bought my embroidery machine I mentioned the cost. The saleswoman told me I hadn’t a clue. That the machine was only the start. Then there’s hoops, threads of numerous kinds and weights, designs, etc., and each of those requires their own organization. Sewing for dolls requires a whole new method of organization because I realized the fat quarters I bought for doing quilted items also worked for doll clothes. More fat quarters please! Now I have a whole shelf just for them and that runneth over. I also have things to do punch embroidery, things for making pompoms, all the stuff needed to make totes and purses, a box full of crochet thread of all colors, a box of plastic canvas and another of plastic canvas yarn and a box of smocking patterns and embroidery thread. And there are a few other techniques I have things for that I can’t even recall off the top of my head what they are called. Most of these things aren’t even things I do often but it costs so much to gear up to do them that I don’t even consider selling things out of fear that I’ll want to return to doing them. Some of the techniques make very nice gifts.
I could solve some of my storage problem if I could just spend more time in my sewing room. After all I am retired. But somehow I get things foisted on me that others don’t want to do because I have “plenty” of time and they are busy. I think it is assumed I am looking for things to do to stay busy. That has never been an issue with me. I remember my first husband being so irritated that I always had something to do. He once said, “If you don’t have something to do you make something to do.” I never thought of that as a bad thing. I always heard idle hands are the Devil’s workshop and I wanted to make sure he always saw I was busy so he wouldn’t give me a second thought.
I watched the weather last night and saw the explanation for why we are unseasonably warm (usually don’t have the present temps until the end of June) and other places are unseasonably cool or cold. The U.S. is under what they call an Omega Block. The pattern looks just like the Greek letter Omega. The Pacific Northwest and the Northeast are on the outside of the dome and the mid and southwest are under the dome so the heat is trapped on top of us. And they don’t know for how many days. Possibly at least ten.
My daughter and I finally connected for a Mother’s Day visit this morning. At present she, her husband and our grandson are in Maine visiting some property they bought. They live in Loveland, CO, but property costs are so high in Colorado and they said they’re ready for a change so they bought in Maine. They are enjoying amazing temps and beautiful weather while I’m worrying about my A/C bills or if we’re going to have rolling blackouts. Since our big freeze a year ago there is not much trust in ERCOT in Texas. They always seem to be a day late and a dollar short – except when it comes to charging us for our power.
Jeanne I relate!! To you and all the other ladies who have less than pristine sewing rooms. Every time I clean it I promise myself that I will do what Linda says and put away the current project before starting another, that lasts for a very short time. I am luckier than most in that I have a dedicated sewing room behind my garage (at the expense of having space only for a small car), 8x4mtrs (approx 24×12 ft). About a third is dedicated to a kitchen for my cake decorating and supplies the rest is mainly sewing but all the other crafts I do as well. Sam is completely gutting and cleaning all the shelves and between us we are trying to make decisions on what to keep. If it is easily replaceable (cheaply) we either throw it out or take it to Creative Junk. If I am not sure but know I won’t use it in the near future it gets stored in the garage or the unit Sam rents. If I know I will use it it gets sorted and tidied and goes to it’s new home (will I be able to find it though if I do need it lol). The fabric is the issue. I have an 800mm cupboard with larger pieces of fabric stored roughly by colour, I have three large boxes with fat quarters or similar, then I have scraps forever. And that is only the quilting cottons. I still have boxes for dolls clothes, shoe making, upholstery fabric for bags, batting the list goes on. We have decided to try and put the quilting scraps to one side and sort them properly in the future at maybe 30 mins every time I go to the workroom. If I don’t do it that way I will never get any sewing done it is such a big job. I can’t say I won’t buy (or pick up from the free table) anything new but will try to only get something I need. We are planning to make only scrap quilts for the foreseeable future so I can reduce the quantity. I also use Quilt As You Go methods so I can use smaller pieces for the backing rather than have to buy 3m of backing fabric. So far I have made two quilts which barely made a dent in the scraps!! I see a lot of charity quilts in my future!
Shopping day today then back to the grindstone, sorry workroom. Have a happy day sisters.
Dear Anne, hello back to you.
What is Creative Junk? It is a second hand shop or a Goodwill place? It has such a wonderful title.
Sending good wishes to you on the other side of the world!