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Workspace of the Week: Superb sewing suite
This week’s Workspace of the Week is MrsSutton99′s idyllic craft room:
Dear MrsSutton99:
Can I please have your amazing sewing and craft room in my home?
Thank you for your consideration,
Erin at Unclutterer
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
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22 comments posted
Posted by Tammy - 07/09/2010
how are there are 3 legs on that table?
Posted by Debora - 07/09/2010
Very cool. Though I wonder where she keeps her fabrics. And, like Tammy, I am curious about how a three legged table manages to stand on it’s own.
Posted by Julia - 07/09/2010
I’m was also wondering where she keeps her fabric, notions, etc. That’s the part I have the most trouble with in my craft room. That table doesn’t look tall enough to cut fabric on either, although it might be the angle of the photo. Love the natural light and open space though!
Posted by Molly - 07/09/2010
drool…drool…this looks so organized, despite the 3 legged table and who knows where the fabric is.
Posted by Dorothy - 07/09/2010
I wonder if the table is actually an ironing board with a top on it?
Posted by Rue - 07/09/2010
I bet that the table has two legs in the corners on one end, and then one leg in the middle on the other.
There are some boxes on the top shelf…maybe the fabric is in there, or in a closet? Or maybe in here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/c.....712909379/
I really like this. Wish I had something half as awesome in my office! All my craft stuff is crammed into the closet because I share my office with my husband. He needs a full desk to do his oboe work on, so I got stuck with the computer desk (tiny, and has all the computer crap on it).
Posted by Dawn F - 07/09/2010
Heaven!!! What an amazing space!
TGIF!
Posted by GayleRN - 07/09/2010
Um, I don’t get it. There is a bunch of stuff behind the sewing machine which you would want to keep clear. The lamp, which is a huge thing, is aimed at the wrong end of the sewing machine. The “table” isn’t nearly big enough to cut fabric on. I suspect it really is an ironing board with a decorative top thrown on it. Where is the iron? It might possibly be suitable for making clothing where you are doing one article at a time, but quilting needs a lot more fabric storage. Not to mention a design wall. Not to mention UFOs. And there is a fair amount of objects of no discernible usefulness that reek of decorator. This looks like a magazine layout to me.
Posted by ThirdShift - 07/09/2010
Hmmm, I don’t believe this is a real sewing work-space. As someone mentioned above, the back of the sewing table should be opened (ie. not a wall) because you need to push fabric through. That dinky table is not going to give any room to maneuver a big curtain with stiff fabric, for example. All that junk on the surface is the last thing you need, they’ll all get in the way. And the lamp is pointing at the wrong end.
The cutting table, if it’s that, is WAY too small, and not sturdy if it lacks a leg. Where’s the gridded cutting mat? Where are the big rulers for curved cuts? Those drawers are too cramped and not good for fabric or remnants. Spools for threads? Ironing board? I’m not saying one can’t sew in this room, just that it’s not really a “sewing room”.
Posted by Pammyfay - 07/09/2010
Not all tables need 4 legs, folks.
And she has a lot of storage space for all her notions and fabrics–did you click on the link to see the other photos? There’s a closet in that room, which would be the best place to store any fabric (out of the sun, away from dust). We don’t know what she sews, only that she sews. Maybe she sews doll clothes; maybe she sews baby clothes. You could do that where her sewing machine is. Heck, even the most basic quilter (if she does, in fact, quilt) could work there, to do basic piecing. And if you want to assume she quilts, then let’s say she does the final quilting by hand, OK?
And hallalujah! A room that doesn’t scream “I’ve just been to Ikea for their matching storage boxes!”
It’s a clean, bright, airy space. It’s just very hard to pick thread snippings out of carpet, tho.
Posted by Laura @ PARING DOWN - 07/09/2010
I would kill for natural light like that in any room of my house!!!!
Happy Friday,
Laura
Posted by jbeany - 07/09/2010
I agree with the posters saying that this isn’t set up to sew anything big, but then not everyone does. Maybe all she sews is miniature quilts? Although the dressmaker dummy says otherwise…
I do wonder about the fabric storage, though. My fabric library would fill this entire corner. I always wonder what is out of view when they only show one small area of a room. Maybe the rest looks like a hoarder stash!
Posted by Sue - 07/09/2010
The sewing machine is a portable…. if it there is a larger project, I’m sure it can be moved.
Three legged table is a portable & is easily folded… possibly too light weight for larger projects, but works for what I see.
Cutting surface: might be done on the floor or in another area of the house. There are folding cutting mats that store very easily.
Very nice room… very nice.
Posted by Shalin - 07/09/2010
wow…I’d love a drafting room much like this one…
–S
Posted by Patti - 07/09/2010
I’ve always admired folks who can sew.
I used to own a sewing machine myself, I love browsing at fabric and craft stores, I could even cut out patterns reasonably well. But but three years ago I realized I just don’t have the talent to attach them together resembling anything of value so I finally let my machine go (unused and like new) to the highest bidder. *sigh*
And I still have a BUNCH of small projects that require sewing that are too big for me but too small for a “professional” tailor or dry cleaner. At this point I’d hire a good seamstress willing to take that on.
Posted by Katie A. - 07/09/2010
Yes, my first thought was “where’s the fabric?”
The problem with sewing spaces (well, with mine) is that I can always clean it up between projects. It’s when I’m in the middle of something that things get totally out of hand.
This is a very cute and airy space, though, for sure. And God bless the crafter who can hide her fabric!
Posted by pkilmain - 07/09/2010
I agree that if this is a quilting craft room there’s not enough fabric storage, and cutting can’t be done on what looks like an ironboard with a top, or just a lightweight portable table. However, I would love a room that has this much space and natural light!
Posted by klutzgrrl - 07/09/2010
In her Flickr set you can see an additional cupboard that isn’t in this shot, which has a set of boxes that look ideal for storing those folded ‘fat quarters’ of fabric or whatever. And perhaps the sewing machine is moved to the central table for large work.
Any rate, it’s a great room and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the light and those cupboards. It’d be such a nice space for painting. I normally love strong colour, but for a craft/art space, neutrals make a lot of sense, as they don’t affect the colour of the things you’re working on, and very light/white paint maximises the light.
Posted by JP - 07/10/2010
A pretty room, and just the kind of inspiration I’d hope to find here.
It is not cluttered. It works for the user.
If it isn’t your sewing story, change it to serve your needs.
Don’t like sewing up against a wall? Move your machine. I’ve sewn a lot of big things in tinier spaces: dorm rooms, closet sized workrooms, etc. A design wall? That’s what the bed is for. But those are my answers. The user of the shared space has her answers.
Of course I have a larger quantity of stuff, and that’s both our usual image -and my justification for having more stuff. Take patterns. I’ve sewn clothing for 30ish years, I have my mother’s, grandmother’s, and those few pattern boxes on MrsSuttons99′s top shelf could seen surprisingly spare.
Enter unclutterer. Save what you use, use what you save – right? I could pare down that pattern stash. I do use up thread and limit what I have to the space I have. For thread. The fabric and thread? I’m not talking.
Posted by JP - 07/10/2010
Oops. The fabric and yarn, I meant.
(Apologies for my other typos as well.)
Posted by Booknerd - 07/10/2010
I would guess – the single leg at one end of the three legged table is topped by a “T” shaped cross brace and the foot of the same leg is also a “T”?
Posted by JustGail - 07/12/2010
I’d also say that is an ironing board with a top on it. Many people who sew make a big top to make it easier to iron fabric yardage. And if done with a firm padding, it can also be used as a table. It appears Mrs Sutton has the self-control to either not have to many projects in progress at one time, or to keep the stash cleared of items she no longer loves. Although, as someone earlier pointed out, the inside of the closet is not shown. It’s possible that it’s stuffed full of items while the photos were taken. I love the feel of this room – light and uncluttered, quite unlike my sewing room.
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