My Sewing Studio Tour-The Reveal!

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OMG.  I finally am posting pictures of my new sewing studio.  It's about time, right?  I only moved into it 5 months ago.  So just to forewarn you, this post is long.  And I mean LONG.  Aaaand picture heavy....very picture heavy.  But I wanted to try to give you the best tour possible since this is my new favorite place to be...my happy place, yes ma'am, that is what this is :-) And I am over the moon to share it with you...finally!

Okay, so when I first started sewing (3 years ago...dang, that seems so long ago!) I started off in our kitchen at our trusty kitchen table.  Over time, I moved to the rarely used formal dining room and took that baby over.  Then, last spring in my nesting frenzy in that last trimester before Oliver was born I asked my husband if I could take over our formal living room and make it over into my sewing studio since my business had really taken off like crazy this last year and it was getting so overwhelming to create in such a cramped space.  He didn't even hesitate and said yes right away like the awesome guy he is and so we started mapping the room out for my big move :-)

Honestly, our living room was such an useless space.  We never used this room for anything but opening presents on Christmas day.  I often wonder why they still offer "living rooms" when they build new homes.  We entertain a lot and never once do we ever hang out in the living room, family room yes, but living room, no!  And with four kids and our bedrooms maxed out, it seemed silly to have such a huge room in our house going unused, what a waste!  So maybe that is an option for you? Maybe?

The first thing we did was move my Billy bookcases from Ikea (on the left in the picture) into the new room and bolt them to the wall.  We have little kids, so this is an absolute must!  Then Mr. Smashed Peas offered to build me a shelving unit just for my ever growing collection of large bolts I use in my shop.  He cranked that baby out in two days...he is so awesome, isn't he!  This unit is built so well and can hold so many bolts, I love it!   Whenever I look at it I feel like I am in a fabric store :-)

This corner of the room is my workspace.  Oh, I love it!  The space to cut fabric, figure out fabric placement, and just plain create is amazing. 

We bought one of these desks from Ikea years ago when we first were married although I looked online and they don't sell this particular model anymore (the Malm). And then as if the stars were aligned when I was moving into my new space, I found a second one on Craigslist only 25 minutes from my house and for only $30!  Score and yay!  I love the depth of the desk, it fits my 24 x 36" cutting mat with lots of room to spare and is the perfect size for cutting right off the bolt.  I jutted one against the other in the corner and use the extra space for extra bolts :-) Yay space!

Ok, so back to my fabric storage.  Let's see...ok, the Billy bookcases (I talked more about those here when I first bought them) are filled with all my mini fabric bolts which are just smaller cuts of fabric that I folded around archival quality comic book boards (see this post for more on that!) 

Oooh, pretty!

I also have little baskets full of fat quarters and vintage linens.  I bought a few glass jars to display my vintage lace finds from random flea market trips.  And I have some woven CD storage baskets for holding paper patterns.

I also bought a whole bunch of Kassett CD and DVD storage boxes at Ikea (I changed the green out for white ones as I love the clean look of them) for my sewing notions that I don't use all the time.  My stash of velcro, elastics, zippers, etc. etc. as well as my stash of charm packs. Yes, these CD storage boxes fit charm packs perfectly!

I love these worn metal letters, they are the perfect bookcase decor :-) I found them at Hobby Lobby when they were on sale for 40% off!

I had Mr. Smashed Peas bolt a few mason jars to the side of my custom built shelving unit just cause I love me some extra storage.  I keep bias tape scraps in one, cause you never know what project or gift wrapping might need a little something, something.  The far upper one holds glues that I don't want the kids to reach easily.  Pretty pens for sketching in another. And the last has cute handmade flowers the Noah and Penelope made for me last Mother's Day.

Alright, ready for more?  

Above my workspace I refabbed an old picture frame into an inspiration/list/organization board complete with some of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. 

And I hung up a bunch of my favorite fabrics in embroidery hoops cause I think they look so pretty that way, they just get my creative juices flowing.

I also hung a mini pennant inside an empty yellow frame for more color pop and I found the mirror on clearance at Hobby Lobby and spray painted it a pretty blue. The McCall's Easy Sewing Guide was just asking to be hung in my studio too, I love the vintage-y feel of it.

I searched high and low under-the-desk storage and finally decided on the Helmer from Ikea.  The drawers are super deep and I love the amount of goodies they hold.  I still remember my friend Amy and I doing a girl's trip to Ikea this summer when I was 8 months pregnant.  She helped big 'ol pregnant me haul two of these units plus shelving home :-)  I put both of them together that night when I came home and in less than two hours!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I found this awesome chair at a garage sale for $4 this past summer.  I was going to spray paint it but decided that I loved the old scuffed up look too much to hide it. 

Against the far wall are my machines.  I use a Brother CS6000i and a Singer 14SH654 serger.  They are both workhorses and it's so nice having them right next to each other as opposed to opposite ends of my dining room table like before.  I feel like I can get twice the amount of sewing done with this set up.

I found this really cool tiered wire basket at a flea market and thought it would be perfect to hold my fabric scraps in while I cut patterns out.

I made this bobbin holder (for less than a dollar, woot!) for a functional yet pretty way to access the thread colors I use most often. That way I'm not having to dig in my drawers for the bobbins I need.  Tutorial here!

And you might remember my Vintage Crib Makeover from this post here.  I have it placed right next to my workspace so I can keep an eye on Oliver while he plays or naps.  In a few months when he outgrows it, it will probably become more fabric storage...yay for a second life!

Mr. Smashed Peas helped me put up my shelving from my 8 months pregnant Ikea trip and I went to town decorating it with lots of pretty things :-)

This is my very cherished drawing from Heather Ross :-)  I was so excited to finally have a place to showcase it!  She is by far one of my most favorite fabric designers and artists out there and her book, Weekend Sewing, was the very first sewing book I ever purchased.

My life word is "Joy"...and I love the mantra, "Choose Joy".  There is nothing better in life than to look at it with joy-filled eyes.  I wrote this word on a chalkboard in my studio to keep me looking forward to all the wonderful things God has planned for me.  

I love vintage mason jars and use them throughout my studio for storage of empty bobbins, buttons, twine, etc.

I found these galvanized buckets at the dollar spot at Target a year or so ago and figured they would serve a purpose one day.  So now they hold many of my spools of ribbon. 

I use a funky metal bread box for more storage, sorry I didn't lift the lid!  Inside is my stash of ric rac and various other vintage trims.  I'm in love with vintage little people and found a a whole set to represent my family...all 6 of us plus the dog!  When I first bought them Noah asked why his figure looked mean, ha!  I told him that he was just being a tough sporty guy since he had a baseball cap on! Can you believe I found a "dad" little people with reddish hair? If Mr. Smashed Peas gave a hoot he would be so excited!

Here is my glass jar of ric rac that I shared with you in this post here.  And my favorite little people find of all, the sewing machine momma!

I spray painted a few hat boxes a pretty blue and hot glued some red ribbon on the edge of the lids to add some fun pops of color on my shelving.  I heart aqua and red, big time.  I store my snaps in these.  

And if y'all follow me on Facebook (here) you'll remember when I got this cool lego sewing machine and dress forms from a dear sweet friend...how awesome that it came with interchangeable lego threads!

I love sewing cuteness and all things mini so I had to get this teeny tiny sewing machine and dress form that I found at Hobby Lobby one day!  Ah gah, the cuteness of it all!  

On the corner of my workspace I have all my washi tape organized and looking pretty.  You can find the tutorial for how to prettify your standard boring tape dispensers here!  The shelving is a vintage soda crate turned on it's side.

I also put an old Kerr jar full of vintage wooden thread spools on top cause well, I love vintage wooden thread spools :-)

Mr. Smashed Peas hung up my thread rack so I have easy access to all my thread plus it keeps it off my work space. Isn't it like looking at a rainbow?  So pretty and colorful...love!

Ok, so that is it folks.  What did you think?  I hope you enjoyed the tour of my new sewing studio.  It's fun to look into the creative space of others isn't it?  I have another nook of the room I want to show you but I figured this was enough for one day.

I tried to list and link to most of the stuff I talked about but please leave me a comment if there is anything I left out or that you need to clarify, I am happy to share!

Thanks for stopping by today...the world's longest post ever :-)

XOXO,