NEW STUDIO - Part 2

Before I share any more from my new studio,  let me say that I feel sooooo blessed to have this space and be able to use it in my creative endeavors.  I am a lucky person!  I hope you will be able to use some of these ideas in your creative space.

Today I want to show you some more of the studio storage and function solutions.  I mentioned my small closet in the last post, so here is a picture.  Like I said, it is a good place to put the ugly stuff so I can keep it out of view.

This is my shipping closet.  I process orders almost daily, and in the past I was running all over the place getting everything I needed to ship an order.  Now I have all the boxes, envelopes, packing stuff, tape, etc. in one place.  I even hung an organizer on the inside of the door to hold my address labels, UPS labels, and the free patterns, cards and info that I put in each order.  I had the shelves in the closet placed high enough that I can fit large boxes and packing paper rolls on the floor.

In my previous sewing rooms, I had a bulletin board with photos and inspirational items to brighten up a wall.  Instead of a bulletin board this time, I decided I wanted to use one of the windows we had used at my daughter's wedding as a display area.  Remember these windows we used on the tables?  I wrote a blog about it --you can go read it if you want.

Anyway, these windows have some good memories, so it makes a fun display for some more memories.  I just tape the photos to the glass, and the wood is so old and porous that I can pin into it if I need to.  It's a very informal space, and I can add anything that inspires me.

 

My display window is hung up high so I can hang my rulers on the same wall.  (I need to be able to reach them!)  I seem to be missing quite a few rulers in various sizes.  I had a lot of Creative Grids rulers that got lost in the move.  I hope they turn up!   I use Command hooks to hold them so I can move them around when I get different rulers in different sizes. 

  

I do have a lot of ribbons in my studio and I needed a better way to store and access them.  When they were in a box in my cupboard, I never knew what I had in there.  And it was always a mess of tangles.  So I decided to hang them using a curtain rod.  

 It turns out that curtain rods can be too large in diameter to get most of the ribbon spools on.  So I found these really thin (and cheap--only $1.98) cafe curtain rods at IKEA.  They are only about 3/8" or so in diameter. 

They were too long to fit in the space I had, so I used my pipe cutter to cut a bit off each.  You could use a hack saw, I guess, but I have this pipe cutter in my booth set-up box for when I go to shows.  Very handy (and easy)  tool.

Here's what the finished ribbon display looks like.  I have a little shelf above the ribbons to hold my collection of pin cushions.  I guess I could add another row of ribbons if I need to. 

 I use this counter space for putting kits together and the ribbon goes on each kit.  My granddaughter calls it her "Bow-tique"(ala Minnie Mouse) --because she chooses a ribbon for her hair every time she's here.  Back to the counter space.... when I was planning the room, I looked around at the space I was in, and determined that the main thing I needed was MORE SURFACE AREA!  I had stuff piled up everywhere, several projects deep because I only had my cutting table and a small sewing desk.  So that is why I have put in more surface area.  For me, it was more important than cabinets.
(My red stools are leftover from a booth, too.)

Next I want to show you my pressing station.  I love crisply pressed blocks and I have several really good irons.  Consequently, I had the electrician add a dedicated outlet so that if I have friends over and we have lots of irons plugged in, we won't need to keep re-setting the breaker.  (This is the voice of experience.)



I ran out of room for books on my shelves, because I need them all for fabric.  So I decided to use the space that would be under an ironing board for book storage.  I went searching for cheap and roomy solution.  I ended up with a kitchen cabinet without the doors.  $36 at IKEA.  It was easy to put together, and holds all my books with room for more.  (I guess I need to buy more books!)





I added locking casters to the bottom of the cabinet, so I can roll it around if I want it closer to my sewing station.

Then I made my ironing surface.  I bought a 24" x 48" board--it is a high quality particle board.  Then I drilled small holes all over it to let the steam escape.  If you don't use steam, you can eliminate this step, but I LOVE steam. 

 I screwed some "legs" to the ironing surface before I upholstered it.  I wanted it taller, and I needed it to be up off the top of the cabinet. 

I used flat 100% cotton batting (two layers) and 100% cotton canvas twill for the top.  I stapled the fabric all the way around.  If I need to change the cover, I can just take this cover off and staple on a new one. 

To help keep my ironing surface clean, I iron a layer of freezer paper to it, and just peel it off when it gets soiled or burned.

 I used industrial strength Velcro to attach the legs to the top of the cabinet.  Now I have a finished ironing surface that is mobile!  And I can even take it off the cabinet if I want to take it to a retreat or use it somewhere else.  

It is tall enough, and has enough overhang that I can pull up a stool if I want to sit.  That's a nice large pressing area.  I think I will mount a small shelf on the right wall to set my iron and spray starch on so they don't take up any room on the surface.  I am really happy with my economy ironing station!

That's all for now.  I have one more post to finish up the studio tour.  See you soon.
Jill