I cleaned off the tables in my craft room and it was such a rare occasion, that I decided to photograph it! I know how much I like looking at other people’s craft spaces, so I thought you might like to see my craft room too. Now, I like a color-coordinated, neat-and-tidy space as much as the next girl, but it’s just not practical for a project room (at least for me). I use this room all the time and I would rather spend my money on craft supplies than on organizing containers for said craft supplies. So, it’s mostly free, mismatched containers in here. I feel better about the visual chaos if I pretend that I am a pioneer wife whose mantra is “Use it Up – Wear it Out – Make it Do” =)
Here you can see my u-shaped sewing table (that I found on craigslist) and my plastic folding table that I use as a standing-height cutting table. The sewing desk is made for a sewing machine and a serger; it has spring mechanisms that raise or lower the platform the sewing machine sits on to allow the needle plate to be flush with the table surface. I don’t have or want a serger, so I use the serger space for pressing instead. That fancy iron was my birthday present last year =) Kent cut my plywood press board to fit the space exactly (it’s a weird trapezoid shape) and it is really convenient to have it right by the sewing machine, especially when piecing quilt tops that need to sew a little seam, pivot in the chair to the left and press the seam, then pivot in the chair to the right and sew another little seam, then back to the left to press, etc. . . .
The little white shelf ($3 garage sale find – it’s warped from water damage, but no mold, so I just painted it) is on wheels and it holds some of Adele’s art supplies.
The shelf that holds my quilting fabric was less than $10 on craigslist – it’s not real wood and most of the shelves are held in place with screws because they are broken and warped, but it works fine for my fabric!
In the back corner behind the sewing table I have some cracker containers that house all my ribbon (I NEVER throw away even a tiny scrap of ribbon) and interfacing. I also have some zippers and hook-and-eye closures in a plastic bin on top of the ribbons. When an item of clothing is beyond repair, I salvage any zippers or buttons before tossing the fabric into the scrap bins.
This is the little table thingie Kent made to fill the gap between my sewing machine and the cutout in the table. Now there is a smooth surface for sewing which really comes in handy for quilting. It’s very easy to remove, but it’s such a perfect fit that I can slide open the bobbin cover to change my bobbin without removing the wood piece. I’m thinking I should paint it white to match the machine. You know, class it up! =)
Table thingie up close. The front of my machine sticks out a bit, so the legs had to be different heights. Kent used pads that adjust by twisting to get a perfect fit.
The black dresser has nice deep drawers. It houses everything from office supplies to art supplies and even my vintage patterns. Am I the only one who drools over Martha Stewart’s glitters all lined up together? Both of those shelves were a few dollars each from Goodwill. I guess I never got around to painting the brown one. Next to the filing cabinet is my standing-height cutting station. a.k.a. where a lot of stuff gets piled up if I’m not super diligent to keep my “work space” cleared off. I store most of my non-quilting fabric in plastic bins under the cutting table (felted wools that I sew into diaper covers, any clothing item that has a rip or stain but I still like the fabric, old undershirts that I can use for diapers, and also a basket for small quilting scraps. I also store the wireless printer and extra paper under there. The table was too short to use while standing so I put the legs on a set of bed risers from Ikea (about $10); it was still too short, so I put a can of curry paste under each leg and now it’s perfect!
At the other end of the room we have a day bed which is usually supporting my huge ironing board, made from a hollow-core door. To give you an idea of how narrow this room is, this twin size bed juuust barely fits. This bed is from Ikea and it can fold out into a king size bed AND it has storage in the drawers. I store my corduroys and wools in the drawers as well as the linens for the bed.
You can see we are making some progress on Adele’s quilt!!
See how I store my thread HERE.
I really love this little room. It’s not especially pretty or decorated, but it is really functional and I have a lot of FUN in here! And it’s easy to use it as a guest room when needed by removing the huge ironing board/door and making up the bed with pretty pillows.
November 26, 2012 at 12:19 am
Up late???. What is a u shaped seeing table? Lol. Sorry I wasn’t very talkative on Thanksgiving. I was so tired after working at the church I guess. How did you dinner go?
Sent from my iPad
Pingback: Craft Room thread storage | The Pantry Book