Happy Monday, fellow sewists! It’s been a little quiet around these parts for the past two weeks because I recently moved in with my fiance, and I’m knee-deep in unpacking. Almost literally, really…we’ve been wading through a sea of boxes since I moved in at the end of July! It’s a little cramped since we essentially have two units worth of stuff in his one-bedroom condo, but we’re making it work. Plus, I have a storage unit I’m renting for my furniture and other odds and ends that don’t fit, which has been a lifesaver so far.
Above is my new sewing area – quite a lot smaller than what I had in my old apartment! I’m using one table for both my Bernina and serger now, which is tight, but I keep reminding myself that I used to sew in spaces about this size and made it work. I’ve just been spoiled the last three years letting my sewing take over my entire apartment because hey, I was the only one living there and why not! This weekend I bought a pegboard to put on the wall above the space with some hooks and baskets for hanging my scissors, thread spools, and other knickknacks – vertical space is your friend when working in small spaces. I also picked up that ubiquitous Ikea cart that every sewing blogger has, in the right corner of the above photo, and loaded it up with most of the notions and tools that I used to store in drawers on top of my work surface.
The weekend before, I also made the mistake of trying to crank out a dress to wear to a wedding the next night, and most of my sewing supplies were still packed up. Thank goodness Chris wasn’t home that night and was at the rehersal dinner an hour away, I tore up the place ripping through boxes trying to get the thread I needed, finding my scissors, and setting up my iron and ironing board in the kitchen. Not my best work ever, but I was pretty happy with the results considering the circumstances:
I need to get some proper photos of this dress – it’s a cross between a Simplicity jumpsuit bodice and a skirt I drafted, out of a silk jersey from Metro Textiles. Thank goodness for stash fabrics!
So that’s what’s been going on in these parts, just trying to get through alllllll of these boxes so normal life activities, like sewing, can resume. Oh, there was some wedding dress shopping this weekend I can’t wait to share! No, not trying on dresses to buy, just making sure that what I’m thinking about creating for the big day is what I actually like and looks how I want it to.
For those of you living in small spaces, any tips to share on maximizing sewing space? I’ve already come to terms that I’ll need to go back to cutting out my projects on my cardboard cutting mat spread out on the bed, lol.
Congrats on your move! My biggest tip is to pick up an inexpensive folding table for cutting and other activities that require a bit more space. I got a plastic table for about $40 at Target – it's 6' x 3'. I store it folded up against the wall behind a couch, and I just take it out when I need it. It works really well for cutting, and you're only clogging up the living room (or wherever it fits) for a few minutes!
I put my sewing machine and serger on a tiny rug or a placemat. Then I can pull them forward to use them and push them back to use the space near me for hand sewing or something else. The mats also catch bits of thread etc. and I've even used them for pincushions.
Its all in the planning. I do things in stages. One day I may launder and iron fabric, the next cut one or several projects, another day I'll do just sewing, yet another goes to hand work and finishing. Everything I cut gets neatly tucked away in 2 gallon ziplock bags with everything I need to finish that project (pattern, fabric, notions, interfacing, lining, etc). If I'm missing something I'll stick a brightly colored piece of paper on the top of the packet where I can see it through the bag, noting what needs to be purchased for that project. Those things go on my sewing shopping list, too, so I don't forget them when I'm in the store. When I have the time to sew, I grab a packet and I'm ready to go without having the string out all my tools and accessories.