The Blue Gardenia
Sewing spaces: Wanna see Diary of a Sewing Fanatic's room? I do. August 30, 2010 14:30 6 Comments
Today, let's glimpse inside the sewing space of Carolyn, who pens the fabulous blog, Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. DSF was one of the first sewing blogs that I discovered, and I am still quite fanatical about it. Absolutely. Carolyn makes sewing look so easy. She does. I am in awe. Totally.
Do you have a dedicated sewing space?
No. I don't. I sew in my bedroom, but I really don't mind . . . it's
convenient on Saturdays and Sundays. I can literally roll out of bed and
be at my sewing machine.
What do you like best about your sewing area?
My sewing machines!
What would you change about your space?
It would be a lot more organized. Every time I think I have enough organization going on, I buy too much stuff and max it out. It's at that point again . . . needing more organization.
How is your space organized?
Right
now, I'm using an armoire to hold trims, buttons and notions . . . several
drawers from plastic to hold patterns, those plastic car cases to hold thread
and a cutting table with lots of wire baskets beneath it to hold supplies too.
If you have a fabric stash, how do you impose order?
My fabric collection has its own closet and the latest of the season resides in a Rubbermaid bin in my bedroom. Again, though my buying habits mean that I do have fabric everywhere . . . *sigh*. . . all over the living room and even sitting on the couch.
How are your patterns organized?
Most of the ones in the bedroom are in the drawers, just in there. The newest ones are on the top, so if I want a new one, it's pretty easy to find. The older ones require some searching. All of the TNTs are in folders and stored in a drawer under the cutting table, so they are always easy to lay my hands on.
Are your patterns archived? How are they stored?
I do have several boxes of patterns in bankers boxes stored in my daughter's closet.
Do you have a mannequin made to measure?
I do have a mannequin . . . Lulu . . . who is presently missing her legs. I keep saying that I need to do something about that and never get around to it.
What do you cut out your patterns on?
I have a wonderful cutting table made from pieces from Ikea. I love my cutting table!
What is your most helpful tool? Why?
Mmmm, I don't have an answer to that one!
What tools do you recommend for the beginning sewer?
First, a good sewing book . . . then buy all of the recommended basic tools in the first chapter of said book!
What kind of machine do you use?
My sewing machines are Janome and Brother. My serger is a Babylock.
What do you like about it?
My new 6600 is a quilting edition, and I like that it stops precisely. I love the up/down feature, the scissors that cut the threads, the long bed and that the foot lifts higher to accommodate heavier fabrics.
Do you use a serger? If so, why do you like it?
I do own one and use it primarily to finish seams.
How long did it take you to develop your sewing space?
No matter where I've lived since leaving my parents' house and that includes college, I've managed to make a place to sew. Sewing is that important to me!