New Studio Space - Part 1

Since the first of the year we have been slowly working on my new studio space. Up until now my creative space has been our dining room. It was perfect for a mom of young children as it had a great view of the back yard and was located on our main living floor. The downfall was though were there were no doors to close - no way for me to "leave work, at work". It was always right there in direct view of all our other activities. As the business grew it became apparent that I needed to be able to have a door to close to be able to leave work behind (and also get some work done sometimes without the sometimes chaotic surrounds of normal family life with 2 energetic boys and a dog :) ). So the decision was made to move my studio to our guest room. All well and good but it required lots of moving of furniture, listing of no longer needed items on Craigslist, construction of necessary work spaces and finally, going through my SEA of supplies! And I mean SEA! My business is two-fold - the handmade side and the vintage side...this leads to A LOT OF STUFF! As I am moving I am trying to be as practical as possible...will I really use this...will it sell...could someone make better use of this particular fabric then me? I have created a bag of goodies for a fellow crafter, have a box ready for the thrift store and a box of fabrics ready to donate to a church quilting group. I intend to still have a sewing machine and a few supplies downstairs because it really is a lovely place to sew but the bulk of my work will be done upstairs.

Here are a few before pictures of my dining room "studio":

Wintery view from my dining room sewing machine.

My vintage spool holder and carry-all at the end of my sewing table.

My dining room desk. This will be staying (minus all the clutter) so I can bring my laptop down there to work if need be.

 

And finally, a picture of my new "in-progress" studio:

 

 

 

 

 

We removed the doors from the double closet and my husband put in desks. Today he ran electrical in so there is not a sea of cords underneath and put trim on the edge of the desk so I don't chip the wood. We will stain it this Spring when we can open the windows. He also building shelves on either end and in the center. No wasted space (I need as much storage as I can get :)! I have a lot of organizing and sorting and still a bit more furniture moving to do (where you see the mannequin at the far left of the picture there will be a vintage cupboard full of my vintage fabrics). I will then do a little decorating and spicing up the place :)! You know - the really fun part! When I get that all done I will post finished pictures of the whole room!

 

 

Happy Sunday to you!