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| Ready for an episode of Hoarders? |
23 November, 2019, after many weeks of inactivity and staring at an open space which had become more and more crowded, I realised it had become the time to make a start to make my happy place a more productive and clearer area to quilt, and stitch.
Posting the top photo on a Craft Room Organising group, I realised how close to becoming a feature on Hoarders I had become. It was time for a radical clean and I knew it would take longer than a day or two.
First step was moving everything out of the sewing area. This meant the dining room was used for about a week. I thank my partner Allan and my son Harry for their patience at this time. Once the floor was clear, then I set to thinking about how I was to reset my sewing area. It's not clear in the first photo, but my sewing machine looked out into the rest of the room. There is a large rumpus room added onto the back of the house, and this is where I had set up my space when I moved in three years previously. I took up roughly 1/3 of the whole room and it meant staying in contact with the rest of the inhabitants, rather than sneaking off to a back bedroom to sew in isolation.
I was no longer happy with my old Horn Sewing Cabinet, my lovely Janome Q8200 was too big to fit in the hydraulic lift space.
You have to remember, that I'd been recovering from a total knee replacement early in September, and letting me have a LOT of time to think is a dangerous thing. I'd been plotting space saving ideas mostly with IKEA units. A new desk using a Kallax 2x4 seemed to be the best option, but what was I to do with all these tubs of craft?? Suddenly I was gifted with a Kallax 4x4 unit and everything began to make sense.
Out went the old Horn Cabinet, and in came a new desk and bookcase unit. I moved the sewing position to face the wall and determined that the wall unit would not be filled to the brim on the top level, so it still allowed visual contact with the rest of the room.
Moving all the fabric out of the room, meant that I just filled the 50L storage tubs haphazardly for the moment. I was able to purge and determine what I wanted to keep and purge the 487 knitting needles and spare wool I'd been keeping since at least 1990. All the excess crafting items went to a pile in the middle of the rumpus room, with the intention of either listing them, or holding a crafters garage sale. (pile still sitting there, just a little neater, still working out what to do with it as both options are problematic) IKEA was having a change of stock sale, and all the green tray tubs were on special. I like the colour and decided they would suit my purpose. Little IKEA tubs (in the children's section) are perfect to hold my packets of needles.
Labeling is the key to good storage.
When sitting at my machine now, my rotary cutters, needles, sharps container, pins etc, are all within hands reach
I feel very productive in my space. I found simple hooks and placed them all around the bookcases and were perfect for my reverse advent calendar. I know me.. I will find little trinkets to hang from these hooks to suit all year around.
Do you also see my funky 1975 Husqvana sewing machine?? Display only at this point, but I might invest in a service to get it running again. I have no plans to use my quilting machine to repair bags, jeans and tents!
The existing laminate table, used as my cutting bench for now, will also be replaced with an IKEA workbench. Although I have an ironing board, I have plans to make a small pressing station. I can always bring out the ironing board when Allan needs a pressed shirt.
The bonus with the Kallax unit, is that IKEA will continue to manufacture boxes and containers, doors and shelves to fit the unit - I will be able to update the look 3 or 4 years down the track if needed.
This past weekend, with the main furniture in place, I pulled out all the fabric from the tubs. I had previously 'sorted' them into fabric by size and type. All the fat 1/4's were in one overflowing tub. I also had yardage in one tub and fabric for backing in another.
I sorted the fabrics this time by colour.. and discovered I had a LOT of blue, brown, and green - enough for a tub each on their own. Pink and Purple share a tub, as do Red/Yellow. Black/Grey and Neutrals are in another 50L tub as are florals and multicolours. Table linen and sheets in another, batting/interfacing in another. Black/White/Calico and fabric specific for making bags is another. I reduced my 8 random tubs of fabric into 14 coordinated and labelled tubs. I should be able to shop from my stash for the next 24 months.
I was gifted a considerable amount of fabric store gift vouchers and took advantage of the Boxing Day sales to pick up : sewing cotton (not pictured), replacement rotary cutter blades, fabric (yes I know I'd just sorted 14 tubs, but it was so very pretty!), a 60* triangle template, a cutter specific to my circle cutting template, and finally a small crafters iron. With the change, I'll wait until machine needles are on special, then stock up.
Why am I posting all this after such a long break? Well it is my plan now to re-establish my blogging as it brought a lot of joy to my life. My life now appears to be in order - I hope to bring you up to speed and what has been happening in the past couple of years particularly.
I hope to be able to participate in and host some SAL's - whether they be cross-stitch or patchwork... I might consolidate my blogs to one or two meaningful interests. Martha and her sampler may come back to the forefront. I have support in my crafting journey now. Let us look forward to 2020 and beyond,
Thank you for reading this far. I'll see you again in the New Year.
This week is Harriet Salt stitching. I ordered and received Murano fabric in a mottled grey. It is a much tighter weave than the original fabric I started with and I plan to stitch this 32count fabric using one strand over one thread. I need to spend a bit of time preparing the fabric and finding the place to start, then I'll be working on Harriet this week when home from work.
