Hi friends!
Welcome to my day on week 1 of the Creative Spaces Blog Hop! Have you been having fun seeing everyone’s spaces?
This week we are to show you our creative space- the before and the after. I must tell you, I thought before this blog hop started that my “before” would be the worst but now I am thinking, maybe not!! It’s nice to know that my fellow designers all struggle with similar issues to mine. For my studio, you will see a only a little of the “after”. I still have a ways to go on clean up.
Here are some shots of the before.
Between Quilt Market prep, prep for a class for Craftsy, a quilt to make for Craftsy and some other stuff… I had projects pretty much everywhere.
And the leftover bits of projects were also piling up.
I really do have a system. A place where the leftover, useful size fabric bits go until I can sort them into bins. A bin for non-useful scraps; I have a few bags of these hoping to find someone who maybe makes dogs beds and can use them for the stuffing; a regular trash bin, bins for fabrics by size and color… bins for fabrics destined for a specific project but any system can get overwhelmed by a sheer magnitude of stuff.
My space was overwhelmed and overtaken. The “stuff” even spilled over into the dining room downstairs, Jim’s office and the basement! Piles of fabric, tools, folders and worksheets. Stuff.
And, to add to the craziness, I was having some work done. My sewing space is a loft that overlooks our living room.
It had one wall that was just a railing so you could see downstairs from the loft and you could see upstairs from the living room. It worked well until we got the puppy. She could fit thru the rails and she would stick her head and some of her little body thru them.
I don’t really believe she would jump, but fall? Maybe. Especially if there was a ball or a treat involved. Or maybe she would just make me worry. (And NO- the rails do not meet current building code but they did when they were built. And as I don’t have little kids or grandkids, it was not a dire issue for us until the pup came along.)
While we were waiting for a contractor to take down the railing and put up a solid half wall, I used quilts, foam core boards and a ladder to block the pup from falling thru the rails. Then in the midst of all the recent project and travel busy-ness, the contractor finally was able to come and get started! Yay!
But that meant moving things around, cleaning up a little so they had some room to do what they needed to do.
And here we are. Still not with everything back in place as the contractor has to come and put a top on the wall and install molding along the edges. Hopefully that will happen later this week.
But I did spend a little time in between projects cleaning up. Well, cleaning up some areas. Some areas you can’t see yet because they still need work.
But wow. There was a room under all that stuff! Things tend to get messy when I have a lot of projects with deadlines. I go from one to the other without a break. Usually I am working on multiple projects at once which of course, is not so unusual for a quilter.
But I love when I get a chance to clean up. A clean area is pretty. A clean are feels less stressful. A clean area opens up my mind and allows for some new ideas to formulate.
And while it is true that a creative mind is rarely tidy, a totally messy mind is not usually very productive. And a messy space makes it hard to get stuff done.
In a messy space you are constantly moving things out of the way or searching for the tool you need or just trying to maneuver around the piles! My father used to say, a place for everything and everything in it’s place. How much more work can you get done if you reach for the rotary cutter and it is right where you thought it should be?
In the coming weeks we all will be talking about our favorite tools, organizing tips, how to store fabric, thread, embellishments and more. I know that I can’t wait to see all the suggestions from my fellow designers. I am hoping to hear some really great tips that I can incorporate into my space.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my creative space where I sew and create and make a mess!
I am super excited to share more with you next week. See you then!
happy quilting,
Kate
FYI: There are three grand prize giveaways on Cherry’s blog: a die cutting machine from Crafter’s Edge, along with a huge set of dies, a Slimline light from Daylight and a prize pack from Bosal. So be sure to go to her blog to check how to enter the drawings!
If you need the entire list of bloggers and links to their blogs- click here go to my earlier post.
I agree with you, bundles of stuff is stressful and I always have to tidy up BEFORE I can even get started if my work area is a mess!
Anita, I started a new project today in my MUCH cleaner space and it felt so good! Really if I could just discipline myself to clean up after each project, I think I would really benefit!
I really need that Creative Minds are rarely tidy sign – fits me to a tee!! Sometimes though it is good to have things out where you can see them!!! I found a Christmas runner that I just needed a little bit of sewing to finish off….won’t say how long it has been a WIP!!! LOL
Allison, My next step is unearthing the WIPs and seeing what I have. I do believe there are some old WIPs hanging around that I moved across the country!
LOL That’s an idea…relegate some sewing things to other areas in the house!! I should give that a try. I do think a cleaner space is more conducive to creating and doing a clean up after each project is a winner but…too many of us are working on multiples that end at different times. 🙁
Of course, if you relegate things to other areas of the house, the piles just keep growing and expanding. Though sometimes a quilter just has to do what a quilter has to do!It was nice to find my dining room table the other day! But you are right- working on multiple projects at once creates it’s won havoc and makes it hard to put things away.
Like you, I work on multiple projects at once. I *try* to keep the clutter to project-related clutter, and go after the random, lazy, just didn’t put it away clutter. Some days that works, other days I can’t believe the tottering towers of fabric, and wonder what is under them.
Beth, I totally know about the tottering towers of stuff- sometimes it is fabric on top of paperwork on top of a rotary cutter and I wonder why I can’t find my cutter! And then when I reach to grab the cutter the whole thing comes crashing down. Good to know I am not the only one…
I always have to clean between projects or I don’t even want to be in my room. Thanks for sharing your space with us.
Cecilia, I wish I cleaned up in between projects! You are so smart to do that. It does help with wanting to start the next one!
The place does look good after the cleanup. I do resolve to clean everyday, regularly or at least once a project is done but it happens mostly when I can’t find something.
Sobana, I get that. I have spent so much time recently searching for things that I laid down somehwere! If it was not for this blog hop, I may not have cleaned up for a while. And I am so glad I had a reason to do it. The space feels so much better.
Most of my house is really neat and everything has it’s place-why oh why not my sewing space? My family swears I am a fabric hoarder-maybe they’re right!
Debbie, Tell them you are a fabric collector. Sounds better and gives you a title!
It’s so nice to read about the messes of others. There are so many times I feel alone in the messy world. It often comes down to just a moment of stitching OR cleaning and stitching always wins.
Mary, You have it right- stitching wins!
I have the same sort of railing and have for 39 years. I never worried about children or grandchildren. I had a cat fall of the banister on top of that railing and land in my mother-in-law’s lap downstairs on the sofa. She detested cats and was quite surprised when the cat landed in her lap. I thought it was rather funny and yet kept my composure as I collected the cat and made sure that she was fine. I remodeled downstairs about five years ago and don’t think that will be a priority. I’m glad that you got a chance to cleanup. It does make us feel better at the time. Thanks for participating in this hop and being honest with all of us. I’m always pleased when a quilter admits to owning and using a seam ripper. Most blogs seems to go on the merry way that every block just falls into place with the greatest of ease. Even on a good day I can make silly mistakes and twist part of a block and have to rip.
Susan,
Not only do I own a seam ripper, but I have several! All of which get a good workout! I see one by the sewing machine, one by the iron and one by my cutting table. I love the story about the cat! My cat Lily was almost 20 when we lost her last Nov so she never really investigated the railings too closely. She was content to just curl up in a chair or on my lap. I must admit I just love my new half wall. The top is one, the molding is done and it looks so great. Makes the room feel more like a contained space instead of an extension of the hallway.
Love the before and after photos…..inspiring to clean my own space….
Cindy,
While I still have a ways to go in really cleaning out my space, I am loving the more organized feel right now. I know how quickly I can make it into an unorganized mess and I am hoping it stays this way for a while.
Really like your new studio set-up! I’m sure the puppy is enjoying it too.
Nicole,
The pup is enjoying being able to actually get into my space and I love that she can’t fall!
Thanks for the tour! Nice studio space to be able to keep in touch with the rest of the family while being creative!
Sue,
I do love being able to feel a part of the house while still in my own little world. The best of both!
I must be creative because I tend not to be tidy!
Love your room – did you put those darling mega-polka dot covers on your closet doors?
Thanks! The closet doors are actually from Ikea- they are siding fabric panels. The closet area of the loft did not have any doors or framing for doors when we moved in so this seemed like a great solution. I put up shelves in the closet and I can slide the panels to see an area. Or I can slide them into position so the closet is hidden!