April 16, 2007

Studio?

What do you call your 'sewing space?' You know the place where your machine lives, where you have your supplies and your stash. Are you lucky enough to have one space large enough to house all of that? Or do you have to haul out and put away some of your supplies when you need them? Do your family and friends take your craft a little more seriously if you call it a 'studio' as opposed to calling it a 'sewing room' or 'sewing space.' Or is it what you turn out - the quality of the garments, or art garments, or quilts - that makes you more serious? Where is this space in relation to the rest of your house and your family's activities? I know some of you have no other hobbies, children are grown and don't really want to spend time with you anymore. But for those of you will smaller/younger children, dogs, husbands, etc. If it's not where the family is - does this cause you disruptions? Okay - the reason I'm asking is this. In our last house my sewing stuff was set up in the laundry room - a very large laundry room - and I loved it. The room was just off the kitchen and had a door so if I was doing laundry at the same time - I could close the door. The family was just down the hall in the main living room and I could hear what they were doing. We only had 2 dogs at the time and they would go between where I was and where JB was. When we first bought this house - I set up shop in the formal living room. I absolutely loved it! The room is large is windows on both the North and South ends of the room. I had a love seat in the room for the dogs/kids/family who wanted to come and watch TV with me while I was sewing. My machines were on the desk under the North facing window with the fabric cabinets on either side of the machines. I had room to keep the ironing board set up all the time and it wasn't in the way of the anything. I also had room to move my cutting table around to let me get around 2 long sides for layout and cutting of formals or just 1 long side for other stuff. I was on the same level of the house as the kitchen and the computer so no matter where I was - I could just sit down and sew up a seam rather easily. About 2 years ago JB decided to move the 60" big screen tv and the new largish leather furniture to the formal living room (can you tell that having a formal living room isn't important to us?). We cleaned up the downstairs, painted most of the room a very pretty yellow and one wall green. The cutting table, fabric cabinets, and sewing desk got moved downstairs, along with the computer and and old oak entertainment center. My personal opinion is that I now have less space, but it is better organized. I can find the stuff now. Also, this is where my dogs live and where the computer is. However, it's in the basement! The kitchen is one level above and the bedrooms are 2 levels above. So, what happens on Sunday when I really got sewing mojo going on and it's time to cook dinner? Well I end up shutting everything off and going upstairs. If hubby is especially tired after doing heavy manual labor in the yard all day - then I spend the rest of the evening in front of the tv with him. If he is going to play on the computer than I will come down and sew. It works the other way too, if I'm involved in a big sewing project and come downstairs, then he will come play on the computer to be in the same room with me. I don't really call my space anything other than the sewing space and I wonder if that makes my family as well as myself put less importance on a hobby that brings balance and happiness to my life.
I'm leaving you today with a picture of the one who thinks she is a princess. There is one dog bed in the photo just barely showing on the right. The Musical One vacuumed upstairs this afternoon and didn't remember to lay the dog beds back out. Being too good to sleep on just one dog bed, Miss Abigail jumped to the top of the stacked beds and went to sleep up there. I wonder if she'd notice if I slipped a pea in there?

5 comments :

  1. I call mine "studio", but only really because it's a head game with my clients. Makes them think I'm more professional.

    It's a room in the basement, a converted bedroom that is only for my sewing stuff. I agree with you about the basement. The last house we had was a split level, so my sewing room was just a few steps down from the kitchen in a bedroom off the "den" (ahem, toy room). So I could easily go back and forth between sewing, cooking, laundry, etc. Now that it's down in the basement I've either got to be down there for sewing for a while, or not sewing at all. I wish it could be on the main floor somewhere. But, won't complain about getting a room all to myself. :-)

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  2. Mine is my "sewing room" and it's upstairs away from the main rooms & kitchen. But that's OK. I spend enough time at the computer so when I want to sew, it's fine to just disappear. Although the pups always find me no matter what. ;-) I love having a dedicated room, and I'll take it wherever it happens to be.

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  3. Mine is a dedicated "loft", which is really a bonus room at the top of the stairs in the center of the house. I could have used an empty second bedroom at the front of the house over the garage, but I like the central feeling of where my sewing stuff is now, and the tons of light it gets. The front bedroom would have been out of sight, but it also would have been very far removed from the family. At least where it is now, I can hear what's going on downstairs and when people come into the house.

    And Abby, what a princess. Yes, I dare you to slip a pea in there. She looks so innocent like, what? Can't I sit here yet?

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  4. Oh how I wish I had a studio!!!!
    I have my sewing machine set up in a corner of our bedroom!
    I think my husband may hate it, but the sweet guy never says a thing! :)

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  5. These days I call mine "a mess". I have some serious cleaning that needs to happen there.

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I appreciate you coming to see me. It may take me a bit to publish your comment - but I will get to them by the end of every day. If you leave a way for me to get back to you, I will. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your opinions. g

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