Studio Tour

We”re doing a virtual studio tour over at the Color-of-the-Month forum, sharing photos of our creative quilting studios, and I thought I would share mine with you.  My own studio is the bonus room over my garage, and I share it with my husband, who has his office here too.  He often jokes that I take up 3/4 of the space in the room, which is about right.

This is my main sewing and writing nook, where I have my Bernina Artista 170 (which is about 10 years old) and my writing desk to the left.  My computer is normally on the table, but this particular day it was busy elsewhere.  My favorite part of this alcove is my husband made both my writing desk and my sewing table, which folds up into a sideboard when you’re not using.  But when am I not using it?  He built this for me when our children were infants and toddlers, and I was without a sewing space of my own.  I sewed in the den, after the kids were asleep at night, and I could open up this cabinet, sew to my heart’s content, and close it up with no pins, thread, or other items that might end up in a child’s mouth.

This is my second machine, the Bernina Activa, which I use for teaching, taking to workshops, and sewing campers during the summer months.  When the machine isn’t being used, this table is the Willow Ridge Press shipping area.  Multi-tasking anyone?

My armoire, with my sons’ drawings on the doors.  Open those doors and voila . . . .

all kinds of storage inside.  This was a prefab, unfinished armoire, and my oh-so-handy husband stained it and added the rods and hooks inside.  This was in the den along with my sewing sideboard before I had a studio.

My cutting table, assembled from DIY kitchen cabinet units from Home Depot.  My husband offered to build me a custom cutting table, but he’s a builder, and I knew my project would be put behind everyone else’s paying projects (as it should be), so I suggested we just pick some ready-to-assemble units and make our own from those.  I think he was secretly relieved.  It has three deep drawers on the end, great for craft supplies.

My design wall, but I can show you only half of it.  Other projects are in the works and they aren’t ready for their debut yet!

My thread racks and color collages, which I have all over my studio.  I used to post my collages in my bedroom closet when I didn’t have a studio, and every morning when I got dressed, they would greet me.  I loved it!  I also stored my fabric in wire shelving units in my closet.  Don’t let lack of space inhibit your creativity!