First Things First

The first thing on my to-do list was cleaning up my studio/sewing room/craft room/girl cave. I turned one of the spare bedrooms into this little oasis of storage and function about 18 months ago. Over the past year it seemed to have mostly become the repository of all the things that didn't have obvious homes elsewhere in the house. No longer! The debris has been removed, all supplies returned to their proper place and plenty of room made for getting down to the business of making things.

Ah, you have to love Ikea for spaces like this. Everything is so modular and scaled towards smaller spaces. The cupboards are good old Billy book cases with glass doors lined in wrapping paper. A DVD tower between them provides small display spaces. A series of boxes (yes they are labelled) fit perfectly on the high shelves and two simple tables give me plenty of work surface. Having the sewing machine and serger side by side is beyond great and plastic floor mats make it easy to roll between them. Ott lights and pale yellow paint add to the already plentiful natural light.

I'm very pleased with how this little room worked out. It's comfortable, organized, functional and pretty to boot. The big bay window is a gift - not only for light but just to be able to watch the world go by while I work. Easy access to supplies was a key goal, with dedicated out-of-site space for beads (obsessive amounts), fabric, magazines and other tools and collections. Considering that the room is only about 11 x 12 feet, it gives some of those big studios in "Where Women Create" magazine a run for their money.

One discovery - the hook that I had bought in a (failed) attempt to teach myself to crochet last fall. Four hours and several YouTube videos later, I seem to have the basics down. I don't really want to crochet. I just wanted to know how. Mission accomplished.

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