Sunday, March 15, 2015

My New Creative Space

Any of you who have followed my blog for sometime know how much I love to sew and create.  Over the years, my sewing machine "Mr. Janome",  has had many landing spots inside the house - like the kitchen table or a large table in our bedroom.  Because we have a three bedroom house, and my boys occupied two of those rooms, my own sewing space was never an option.  Now that we are empty nesters, my husband and I both agreed that I should have my own creative space.  We decided to use the smaller of the bedrooms as my sewing room (which had been the red and white guest bedroom) and made the larger bedroom a guest bedroom now.  I will share that room soon.

The process was a bit tedious.  Had to box up 20 years of "stuff" that the boys had accumulated over the years and put a lot of it in a secure place.  It was bitter sweet.  That part took me a long time because I read birthday cards, found a little black book of "cute girls" of Jordan's and combed through the binders of class room assignments with artwork created in the margins.  Art that only a mom would appreciate knowing their children's sense of humor.  

Boxes upon boxes upon boxes of sewing fabrics, trim, buttons and other various things one collects to create were also organized, boxed up and arranged in a semi-organized affair inside the closet.  Stacks of linens and fabrics were sorted and only the most cherished pieces remain - others were taken in to sell at the shops.

The walls received a fresh coat of Soft Chamois paint, Benjamin Moore, and the 20 year old Berber carpets were removed.  We decided to use the same flooring that we had installed downstairs, which is a Mannington Hickory laminate in a Butterscotch color.  We had to have a section of the floors redone (as you will see in the photo below).  The installer had a piece of metal on his knee pad that somehow got there when he was installing our floors.  Thankfully it was at the end of the job.  I taped off all of the scratches for them to see when they came back to look at what happened.  It looked like a crime scene!  They felt really horrible about it and I felt sorry for them - but they made it right and in two days the problem was fixed.

 I ordered a natural fiber rug to go under the sewing table and Duhgall's cushion is there for him to have a comfy spot to rest while I sew.  (He likes to be near his people!)  I found darling floral curtains at Ikea and took down the checked panels.  The yellow dresser is tall enough for me to use as a cutting table - I just have to remove the things on top first.  Hubby still needs to put large caster wheels on my sewing table to lift it up in height.  My long legs barely fit under it.   It is not a comfy spot to sit for very long.  I am also going to get a good chair to sit in with lower back support.  Ikea has a cute checkered one that I am thinking about buying.  I LOVE Ikea!

The white cabinet use to be in our bathroom to hold towels, etc., but now it holds my favorite collections in my sewing room.  I will share more about these collections in another post.

So here we go....my little corner to create.  The second photo is the former guest bedroom, which I did really like, but that is ok....I have something better now.  It is a cheerful space full of the whimsical stuff and gifts from friends that I hold near and dear to my heart.















 



And yes, I have actually sewn in my new room and made the Valentine hearts that I shared in a previous post.  Now that my taxes are all done to turn in, I need to make a date with Mr. Janome.






32 comments:

  1. Gosh, I wished my sewing room was that neat. It turned out gorgeous! I know it will be a pleasure to work in there.

    Great job!!

    Judy

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  2. Oh my goodness! I have just posted on a similar theme. Your spot looks so wonderful and full of inspiration! I look forward to seeing more.

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  3. I have always loved your home, filled with pretties and things that mean something to you. Bright cheerful colors. You style everything so well. Enjoy your new room.
    Brenda

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  4. YAY!! Love the sewing space. It is such a blessing to have a spot where we can lay out fabric, cut, sew and enjoy the fruits of our labor. And all we need to do is close the door and it disappears!! I like you did my sewing in any available space. Usually the dining room. But since my youngest son married, I now have a room of my own! Enjoy it Becky :-)

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  5. Although I loved your red & white guest room, you've carved out the perfect spot to stitch your charming pillows and quilts and bags and whatever else you dream up, Becky! I need to go back and look at all your bits and bobs tucked away in your cupboards and hung on your walls. You know I'm loving your clocks and cute little figurines, and of course your furry companion on his cushion! I love the floors and curtains you've chosen, and I foresee many hours of creative bliss in your new sewing room. Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!!

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  6. I love your space! It's so you, Becky. It is whimsical, beautiful, practical and simply lovely.
    xo
    Claudia

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  7. So gorgeous! I love your space...so beautiful and creative.
    And oh my, I want to squeeze his sweet face!
    Come and see our new additions. I wanted to share these sweethearts with you Becky!

    All my heart,
    Deborah xoxo

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  8. Love it Becky! You always put together a room so beautifully.

    Today I had some time to relax and I looked back at old cottage of the month houses. I found your feature from years ago. :)

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  9. OH, Becky! I love it! Now I have to tell you, I loved your sweet bedroom too but you deserve a space of your own and you've decorated it so sweetly! I see little fuzzy face is quite at home in here. Hope you're doing well.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  10. This is awesome, Becky, and I love that you showed the blow-by-blow pics as well as a description of what you did. Makes it all seem doable! It's GREAT! And I know it makes you feel inspired and that's what counts. With Dughall by your side you can now start creating and sewing!! :)

    Jane xxxx

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  11. Wonderful! So pretty and clean! You have inspired me! Glad you kept the RED!

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  12. It's just wonderful. I love the wall color with the red. Sweet doggie.

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  13. It's just wonderful. I love the wall color with the red. Sweet doggie.

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  14. That room is perfectly you! It turned out great!

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  15. It turned out perfect! I love the color of the floor. You are going to have a great time creating there.

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  16. Oh how I love it! The curtains, the sewing table, the red and white and every little detail. It made me smile to see a few things I recognize :) It is such a cheerful, beautiful space Becky! Now I can't wait to see what comes out of it!

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  17. Your decorating has always been the sweetest! It turned out beautiful!
    The sewing machine right in front of the window ..perfect. Of course you KNOW I love your colors.

    My heart hurt for you when you spoke of going through your son's things.
    We both lost children within the past few years. The second anniversary of Sandy death just passed. It's been a rough road for both of us. I don't think you ever really wrap your mind around what has hit you.

    I am constantly changing things..but on a much smaller scale than you have taken on. I need it to keep going. It helps and hurts at the same time.

    Much love to you. Enjoy your lovely new work room.
    Mona

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  18. Your decorating has always been the sweetest! It turned out beautiful!
    The sewing machine right in front of the window ..perfect. Of course you KNOW I love your colors.

    My heart hurt for you when you spoke of going through your son's things.
    We both lost children within the past few years. The second anniversary of Sandy death just passed. It's been a rough road for both of us. I don't think you ever really wrap your mind around what has hit you.

    I am constantly changing things..but on a much smaller scale than you have taken on. I need it to keep going. It helps and hurts at the same time.

    Much love to you. Enjoy your lovely new work room.
    Mona

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  19. Oh my gosh I love the before and the after, you are so talented!! And the collections that I can see are wonderful! Looking forward to more pictures.
    Hello Mr Dog!

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  20. Your "Creative Space" looks great, Becky! I'm sitting in mine now- my sewing/computer room! It was my son's room, but he now has his own house. A Janome is great, isn't it? :)
    ~Judy

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  21. Becky- That looks SOOO nice. I have a sewing room off the back of the garage and I love how light filled it is and all...but the space is tight there so I have to cut things out on a table inside the garage/house.
    Your room looks BEAUTIFUL and very neat...I don't see a thread in sight...lol xo Diana

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  22. I knew it would be wonderful before I even got to the pictures. You just have a way of making things come together so lovely. I hope you and Duggie have many days of happiness together in your sewing room. Blessings sweet Becky

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  23. Enjoy your new creative space. I've had mine about 3 years now and I almost live in there! It looks super.

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  24. Becky...Awesome!!! I love your sewing room as much as Doog's . You have done a beautiful job and I can't wait to see what all you make.

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  25. I'm so happy for you to have your own sewing space, Becky. As hard as it must have been to go through all those thing in order to do it, I think it's wonderful.

    Anyway, it's absolutely darling! And I love that Duhgall has his own space. Bubba is my shadow too ;)

    xo,
    rue

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  26. Becky...Awesome!!! I love your sewing room as much as Doog's . You have done a beautiful job and I can't wait to see what all you make.

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  27. Becky, your former guest room has always been one of two rooms I've run across that make my heart go pitter-pat. But change is good and healthy and I love your new sewing room too! Just sew sweet!

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  28. Thank you for sharing the pictures! Again, I am sorry for the loss of your sweet Fee...I hope she is up there chasing flutterbyes and smelling the fowlers!
    -Patricia

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  29. Awesome space Becky! Bright and cheery...just like you!!

    I wish you many hours of happy creating in this delightful space!

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  30. I'm late on viewing this post...I've been having problems leaving comments on Blogger from Wordpress. But, I have left comments! I just love your home and everything you do to create these cheerful, serene and cozy spaces.

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  31. Oh my gosh, Becky, I love what you've done with the room. Such a wonderful space for you to create <3

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!