NEW STUDIO - Part 1

It's about time that I get around to showing you my new studio.   I keep thinking I will get it completely done before I show it, but that will take forever, so I am just going to show it to you even though it is not completely put together.
This will be a series of posts over the next week or so.

Welcome to Jillily Studio.  Imagine you are standing outside on my porch.  There's that red door.  (Matches my red windows!) 

 Now if you were already in my house, here's the entrance off the family room:

I was planning to cover the windows in the french doors to hide the mess, but I think I like it.  (Not the mess, but the doors.)  It lets in a lot of light, and I love light!  More about that later...

My studio space is not huge, (~11 x23)  but it is nice and big compared to what I have had before.  You can make any small space work for you if you are creative about storage.

Here's my fabric storage.  Built in shelves that flank the window seat provide plenty of storage area for my fabric.

The bolts are easy, they were the first thing I moved in.  I can put more bolts on the top shelves horizontally if needed, and there is more bolt storage area under the sewing table, too.  I keep rotating this fabric by cutting and selling, or sewing.

When I get my new line in a month or so, much of this will be cut into kits and bundles to sell at shows or online.

The cut yardage, or stash fabrics that I have collected, belongs on the opposite shelves.  I am still working on this area.  I have a lot more fabric to fold and organize, and EDIT.  (I figure if I have had that same piece of fabric through the last 4 moves, it is probably time for it to be donated.)  That makes room for more NEW fabric!  Right?

I put my cut pieces in wire baskets.  That way I can see what is in them, and get them down easily.  Before, I had stacks of fabric in a large cupboard, and it was a disaster--when you wanted to pull out one piece, the whole stack came tumbling out.  So I found these baskets, and I love them!

  I place the fabrics in the baskets verticallly, so that when I pull it out to look, I can see everything in there, and pull out just the piece I need.

Between the two shelves is the window and seat.  I planned this area so that people will have a nice place to sit when they come in to visit with me while I am sewing.  It's perfect place for a grand-child to sit and read or watch a video while I work.

We do have a good time together! 

 

Inside the window seat is storage for batting, pillow forms, and stuffing, etc.  Bulky items that are not very attractive by themselves.  I am planning to make a cushion for the top of the window seat, but that is not done yet.  (Add it to the list.)

My sewing area is right near the window seat.  I had this countertop made in an L shape to go along the wall and out into the room to create a peninsula.  My budget didn't allow for a lot of cabinets, so I just cleated it to the wall and have just one small cabinet with some drawers to hold up the end.  This also allows for a lot of storage area under the table top on each side.

Don't you just love that red leather chair I found?  I got it for free at Office Max.  I had purchased a new printer and some other stuff there and I had this reward $$ from their buyer loyalty program, so I went in looking for a sewing chair.  I was planning to dress up an office chair with a cute handmade slip cover, but now I won't need to!
I made the counter top wide so I can have plenty of room for friends to join me to sew.  (Or I can just be really messy and take up all the space myself.)

 Someone else can join me and sit inside the L or on the outside.  So far the only ones that have joined me were my grandkids--they sat on the red ottoman and colored while I was working. 

Now here is one of my favorite things in my studio.  My red armoire.  I have had this for many years, and it has been used in many different rooms.  But I knew when we built this house that I wanted it in the studio.

I only have one small closet in the studio, so I needed a closed storage area, and I love using furniture pieces mixed in with built-ins for storage.  This red cupboard holds my quilts. 

Many of my quilts are used throughout my home on beds, tables, or hung on walls.  I rotate those around.  When they are not being displayed in my home or in a shop somewhere, this is where they live.

Make sure if you keep quilts folded that you occasionally open them up and re-fold them in a different way so they do not develop creases or fade on one side.  Fold them with the right side in sometimes, and the right side out sometimes.

When I re-fold, sometimes I pop them in the dryer for a quick fluff up before storing them again.

On top of my red armoire is my collection of glass jars.  They also serve as storage/display for small things like buttons and thread and clothespins. (I still have some fake fruit in some of them from my booth display when I did the Sorbet Garden ice cream shop.)

I love how the glass jars are shiny and let the light shine through.  Now here's the part about light.  I wanted lots of natural light in my studio, but I also needed some wall space, so on the north wall (north has the best natural light) I put skinny long window up high.  That preserved some wall space below the windows and gives me the light I needed.  Then for those nights when I am sewing way past sundown,  I opted for halogen flood lights in my recessed cans in the ceiling.  I finally have a nice BRIGHT studio!

That's all for today.  In a few days I will tell you about my cutting table, display areas, design wall, ribbon storage, and my pressing station.  See you then.