La Vida Betsy: July 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Studio 3: Fabric

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize fabric.

Here's what I came up with: Small boxes for tiny scraps, medium boxes for larger cuts, and big boxes for things like old sheets and big or thick pieces. It's working right now, and I'm hoping that being able to see things will help me to use what I have. I'd like to get Mom's fabric stash from Dad's house and add it to mine, but I'm afraid I might have to use some things up before it'll fit...

The small bins are organized by color and fabric. That was Anna's idea. She arranged the boxes and then I put them up on the shelf.

I have ribbons and notions here too, and little room to grow, but not much!

Above the cutting/quilting table I have these great racks from The Container Store. The left side is fabric tools, the right side paper tools.

I especially like having my buttons in jars. That seems like an important part of a sewing room.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Studio 2: Storage

Months ago I got some white storage drawers at an auction. It was wonderful to finally put stuff in them.

This one has paper goodies: wires for the bind-it all, paper, cardboard, trash (packaging that I want to make something out of), Anna art (that I want to make things out of), and bits of paper left over from other things that I've made (that I want to make something else out of).

This other big set of drawers has all sorts of crafty things. Three of the drawers are just labeled "crafty bits". That means little things that I want to make things out of; old crayons, puzzle pieces, nice wooden boxes, etc. I discovered in organizing the room that I like the word "bits".

I also have a drawer for Anna, and (eventually) Katie. It has coloring and project books and paper and crayons for kid projects.

Monday, July 25, 2011

My Studio!

Really, we refer to it as my office or the craft room. But I like the word "studio". Makes me feel like an artist.

Here's the view from the door. Of course there are already projects everywhere.

This is the "office" area. For paying bills, filing, correspondence, life organization, and photo management. This is probably the most important and least "fun" part of the room.

This is the cutting table/quilting table/paper crafting area. The big table is up high so it's comfortable to cut fabric. It has good light, thanks to my desk lamp from Junior High. I can spread out a big blanket and baste it or tie it, and I have a stool for doing sit-down work. (Like maybe catching up on years of scrapbooks?)

This is the sewing area. I need a better chair, hopefully someday one that swivels, so I can put the serger on one side and the sewing machine on the other. When I'm not in the middle of sewing something, Anna works on things at this table.