Today’s photo mini-challenge is your sewing/creative space, and even though I did try to think of some creative and interesting way of interpreting the challenge I failed, sorry, and have just had to go down the boring path of the literal. Anyway, here we are.
I’ve kinda held off introducing my sewing area in the past, because I’m afraid my little workhorse of a sewing space is not very pretty, there are no decorative bits and pieces lined up gorgeously around, or anything remotely aesthetically pleasing at all. I sure don’t expect this to get “pinned” as an inspirational space to create in, haha! But I shouldn’t be ashamed of it really; it’s done me pretty good so far!
It’s a small space; everything in it has a permanent home where it has to live if it is not being used right then and there. I have to be super vigilant about tidying up constantly as I am sewing or it can easily get too cluttered to be functional.
Everything pivots around a bench in the laundry, which has the middle underbench cupboard left out so that my knees have somewhere to go when I sit at it. My sewing machine and overlocker (both described in more detail in this post) perch beside each other on top. The black bag hanging on the door handle is my knitting bag.
The cupboard to the left stores most of my “current” fabric, along with interfacing, knitting and embroidery patterns, cleaning rags and my haberdashery basket…
the underbench cupboard just to the right of that stores all my sewing patterns, books and magazines…
and the underbench cupboard to the right of the room stores old patterns that I’ve inherited, zips, dyes, trims, embroidery threads and all my knitting wool and knitting needles.
On the opposite side of the room, a short roll away in my un-pretty, but ergonomic office chair, is the ironing board and laundry stuff. I do most of my pinning and basting sitting at the ironing board there. To get that above picture of myself in my sewing room, I perched the camera on top of the washing tub bench to the right there, hard up against the wall.
Sometimes I read on other sewing blogs, about the music people “sew to”. The usual audio backdrop to my creating is not some awesomely cool mixtape, but instead the hypnotically soothing swoosh of the washing machine.
My cutting table/tracing table is the lounge room floor, the kitchen bench for small things, or the dining room table when it isn’t being occupied already with my children’s studying paraphernalia.
Not shown, partly because it is too dark to photograph and partly (mostly) because it too closely resembles a rubbish tip and I want to retain some shred of self-respect here, is the part of my stash that lives in the cupboard under the stairs; namely a few more rolls of fabric plus a small mountain of plastic bags stuffed with old garments and scraps and remnants. It’s definitely not lovely, except maybe to a fellow fabric enthusiast. But I do know every single last piece that is in there, and often venture in, bravely, like Indiana Jones into that cave, to track down that little treasured leftover scrap of cotton that I know is just the perfect weight and shade to make bias binding and pocket lining for the latest garment, whatever…
Hmmm, you know how that goes, right?
min 13C, max 21C, weather-wise a bit of everything!
Details:
Tshirt; self-drafted, blue jersey dyed red, details here
Top; Vogue 1247, orange cotton dyed brown, details here
Skirt; Vogue 1247, red velveteen dip-dyed brown, details here
Sandals; c/o Misano
Today in my family’s MMM13; Craig is wearing this shirt and Tim is wearing this jacket
Craig’s shirt; Burda 7767 modified, white cotton, details here
Tim’s jacket; Burda 7767 modified, grey corduroy, details here, and my tutorial for making that interesting lined combined welt/patch pocket on the front here
