I got home from work and decided that it was time to re-arrange my sewing room. Completely inspired by Beki, THE Artsycraftybabe and her new L-shaped sewing set-up.
I have created SUCH a mess!!!!! I had to walk away. I can NOT believe I'm going to post pictures of this but I know that YOU will have so many great ideas, things I haven't thought of. I guess what I'm saying is I'm open for any suggestions.
I think my biggest problem is I need to de-stash. I have nowhere to store my fabric so it is in rubbermaid boxes and Ikea cardboard boxes under my cutting table.
My next issue is these shelves. They are Joe's and there is NO way I can get rid of them and still live, but they need some "prettying" up. I'm thinking a fabric curtain to hide all my crap but I really don't know how to do that. Do I just gather the top of the fabric and attach Velcro to the fabric and the shelf and stick it on???? I'm assuming so, but if I'm wrong and you know I'm wrong, please feel free to advise. Oh, and I had to empty the shelves before moving them. I've just stuck all the crap back on it. It still needs to be organized.
That dresser has nowhere else to go and I have to keep clothes in it due to a small bedroom.
My last issue is this chest. It's piled sky-high with baskets. The baskets store all my bits and pieces of junk. Ric rac, label making stuff, ribbons, fabric, stuff to make cards, you name it.
I feel like I've just revealed my soul to the world. Please believe me, although it was cluttered before 4:00 today when I just HAD to start this HUGE project it was not nearly this messy.
I need help.
Any suggestions???
Edit: the toilet paper roll is sitting there because I was using it when I was gluing the buttons on the cards I just made. The glue bottle was almost empty so I just stood the bottle upside down in the tp roll while I was using it so the glue stayed at the tip. I'm SO embarassed!!! he he he
12 comments:
Don't be embarrassed. You should see MY area. (Maybe I'll be brave and email you photos.)
Can you paint Joe's bookshelf AND put a curtain over it? I really like that idea. You know what I did to our cabinet in the bathroom? (probably not, but I'll tell you anyway) I hot-glued crocheted (store-bought) lace to the edge so it hangs down. Love it.
Karyn,
I'm proud of you for showing your rubble! Let me begin by saying that my studio is worse, eek. It is the messiest room in the whole house. So I won't give you my own advice. I will say that according to the thousands of hours of HGTV that I've watched the best approach is to remove EVERYTHING from the room and start again. Daunting!
You could try my Christmas tree decorating idea to accomplish this. I love Christmas but don't care for actually decorating the tree. Each year I throw a Christmas tree decorating buffet dinner. Everyone enjoys the dinner and those who like to decorate the tree have at it and those who don't sit on the side with a lovely glass of wine and give directions :)
Perhaps you could round up the usual suspects and get them to help you empty and organize. Don't forget the chips and beer!
Oh, man. That mess you have, I have in my dining room. Which, coincidentally is a room that has no shades in it so alll my neighbors can see right in! I agree with lera, can you paint the shelf? I got some really nice bins from target by Rachel Ashwell and organized my fabrics in those. They are deep enough to hold the fabric and pretty enough to leave out on the shelves. Good luck. Organizing is a daunting task!
You definitely don't need to be embarrassed! Before I decided to go ahead and claim half of our spare room for my studio space, I had my sewing/craft stuff in a mess all over the house. Now it is just in half a room:)
I think Felicia has a good idea about removing everything from the room and starting again. If you can do that, it will probably help make the project a little easier (although it will take longer). That way though you can start with a clean slate and figure out the best way to arrange the room.
I may be totally crazy, but I think a long time a go I remember a magazine showing a diy project where they put a curtain across a bookshelf using some kind of small curtain rod. I don't know if that would work better than velcro or not though. Just an idea...
I would also try to get your fabric out of the containers and either into easy to reach containers or on a shelf. When I finally did that, it made sewing so much easier plus I actually know what fabric I have now:)
Good luck! I can't wait to see how it looks:)
Now don't hate me after you did all this work - but I don't think the L works for you in this room. Beki's works b/c she has part of her L dividing her room in half (or some other fraction) so that both sides are open. You've created a corner that can't be used. I'd almost move the table where the sewing machine is and flip the sewing machine facing outward (dividing the room in half). Put the ironing board where the cutting table is now, and maybe that shelf too. What's in that chest? Do you use it? I'd put pretty (painted) shelves (if money was no object - or slowly if it was) around the top of the room and fill glass candy jars (easily thrifted for cheap) with rick rack/buttons. Pretty boxes for the glue collection (if you're like me) and various papers. Paint the shelves (I'd paint the hanging shelf and the sewing machine table/chair too) to coordinate.
Not that my sewing area has any loveliness incorporated into it.
That is nothing compared to the mess I have in my studio. Mine is worst and the best part is I AM RENTING and I can not drill holes for shelvings.
I agree with the other felicia. I do the same thing as well I remove everything from the room apart from the furniture and start all over again.
With the curtain idea, what I would do is sew the top part of the fabric string a cord through it and use thumb tacks to secure the ends of the cord to the shelves.
But for me I like everything where I can see it so that I wouldnt have double of everything. But that is me. Hope it helps. If you need more ideas let me know. I have a whole book of storage ideas for a small space.
My sewing room looks veeeery similar. It's become a catch-all for random pieces of furniture and junk and I just don't have the energy to clean it up right now. I figure that as long as I can sew in it, I'm doing okay. :)
Looks like there are quite a few of us out there with more stuff than we know what to do with.
Does your room have usable closets? I have hung all of my yardage up on pant hangers in my son's bedroom (he's 2 and hardly uses his closets). It is nice because I don't have to sort through piles when I am looking for something. It works very well.
I keep my scraps (I am such a hoarder) in a trunk with my polyfil and stuff like that.
The best thing I've done with my space is put up a wall of shelves and put everything in clear containers. Buttons go in jars, trims go in clear rubbermaid, notions in baskets. I've made all of my shelves (they are cheapies that are mounted to the wall) very shallow and not very high so I cannot stack. Stacking causes piles and before too long it is all a little unbearable.
I hope those suggestions are worth something.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Oh gosh, those could just as well be pics of my craft room! Mine needs some attention too. Next week I am going to tackle it. I promise!
I think that if you haven't had a craft space like this, then something's wrong! Mine looked like this for a loooong time before I finally got it together. Notice that I didn't show my entire room because that would involve showing piles of crap! The inside of the closet in my room is filled to the brim with boxes and more crap.
For the curtain I would suggest hanging it on a small tension rod or some brackets.
You are gutsy. :o)
For me, having fabric where I can't see it is bad news, because I don't remember what I have and I buy more when I could have used something from my stash.
I think someone's suggestion was good, too - pull the tables away from the wall, but I'm not expert...but I know I don't like sewing while facing a wall. Consider it a clean slate. You'll get it together, you just need the time to do it. Oh yes - hooks and shelves on the walls are helpful too. Okay, I'm done. Have a good weekend!
oh i desperately need to destatsh too. i was thinking of doing tha ttoday, but i did some other tidying instead.
Post a Comment