My favourite thing today has been my favourite since Christmas. I've been meaning to post about it for ages. It's been a journey to get here, so get comfy and enjoy the ride. I took pictures of this favourite in February, but Shay went on holiday the week I was going to post them. A couple of weeks later, when I went to post, I couldn't find the photos. Instead of taking new photos, I spent about four hours that afternoon organizing my photos because I was sure they'd turn up any minute. Eventually, I gave up and posted something else, thinking that I'd forgotten to move them off my memory card and they'd been deleted with a folder there that I thought was empty. A few weeks later, I found the photos, hiding in plain sight, in the folder I'd left them in February. That took all the fun out of it for me and I resolutely ignored them.
In late March, AmyLouWho posted a picture of her messy sewing space and the photos of a make-over in progress. She issued a sewing space spring cleaning challenge and I decided to take the challenge. For the past 2½ years, my sewing spot has been in the living room and I've know for a while that it was time to move it out of there. It took me almost a month to work up the nerve to actually photograph my sewing table, and it's been another six weeks since I took the photos. But here they are at last. Don't judge. OK. Judge if you want to. It's pretty bad.
It's kind of like one of those pictures where you have to find the items that don't fit in, hidden somewhere in the drawing. I see car keys, two different remote controls, a stapler, a flyer for a deal on cable TV and my menu planning notepad. I wonder what other non-sewing related things are lurking in there? Then there are the projects layered on top of projects. And do you notice anything really important missing? What a mess!
Besides everything on top of the table, here's the mess that trailed through the living room.
After I took these photos, I started sorting. I have most of my stash in plastic storage containers, sorted out by project. I got a few more containers and sorted anything not designated to a project by color. I removed anything that didn't belong, and within a few days, I had the space all cleared out and the table put away. Wohoo! We have a living room again!
As I removed things from table, I put together my new sewing space. For Christmas, my mom got me a sewing table. She's awesome like that. I tipped her off that they would be on sale the day after Thanksgiving for half price, and if you went in before noon, you got an extra 20% off. That fit her budget exactly. I've been using the sewing table since mid-January {I know! Silly me! Why didn't I rip the box open Christmas evening?} and kind of traveled back and forth between the two tables. The clutter always stayed with the table in the living room, though.
I set up my new sewing table in the kitchen. It was kind of migrant for a while, but I think it's found its permanent spot. I set it up this way a little over a month ago when the old table went down and it has pretty much stayed this neat and tidy, because a quick clean-up between projects, with places to put everything, is lots easier than a big clean-up. It is so nice to have an organized work space!
I love these drawers. I collected them a few at a time, and had them in a different configuration, which is why there is kind of an odd-man-out there. They were too tall the other way and I like it better this height, even if one of the drawers doesn't match up evenly.
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WOW! I am totally impressed! What a great spot, and I am totally loving those drawers, perfect!
ReplyDeleteWow... your sewing space looks great and so organized! Great sewing table too! WTG! ^5
ReplyDeleteyou've made a big change ... and your drawers are wonderful! i hate that any new ones i can find do not match the old ones. why can't they keep the same design for a whole year?
ReplyDeletei need to get inspired to clean up too ... it's such a domino-effect task, though, isn't it?
that looks great! Amazing what a little elbow grease and some organizational tools (ie storage bins) can do to makeover a room (and your life)!
ReplyDeleteglad you found the photos!
Wow! Totally impressive! What a neat space you have now to work in. Do you feel different working there? I would imagine you would. I admire your organization and that you've kept it so neat looking since.
ReplyDeleteI am in need of an overhaul of my sewing space, but I am at a loss as to how to go about it, since it's s also a catch-all for non-sewing stuff that ends up in the basement.
What a transformation! It's nice to be able to keep things clean and have spaces to tidy things away.
ReplyDeleteI have to keep cleaning as I go as my sewing space is my room too =D
It looks fantastic. Oh and by the way - my sewing area often looks like your table in the before shot!
ReplyDeleteHaving a dedicated sewing space is one of the joys of my life. I can just walk out and shut the door and come back when I feel like it. Proper storage though is an absolute must.
LOVED seeing your sewing space E. Thanks for sharing it.
way to go! it looks terrific!
ReplyDeleteYay Elizabeth, so proud of you!!! You did a great job getting your space set up. Though the decorating enthusiast in me would add "just remember to utilize that verticle space". Build up as you need to expand.
ReplyDeleteI have a whole room for sewing (& scrapbooking) and let me tell ya that whole place often looks like your before. It's how any artist works. I call it the creative mess & feel it's totally ok. When you're on a creative roll you don't want to stop & clean up then loose your mojo. It get's cleaned up eventually....
Your new dedicated space looks great. Those draws are fabulous. I haven't seen ons like that before. My sewing room stays tidy for about 10 minutes and then we are right back where we started. LOL! Enjoy your new space.
ReplyDeleteThat looks really good. I really like the drawers that don't match up. They look like great sizes for things.
ReplyDeleteSweet! Makes me feel better that your space had been a mess all this time and we never knew it. You seem to have stuff exactly where it should be and now we all know that you are {were} just as scattered as the rest of us. ;)
ReplyDeletegreat use of your space
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