Ye olde sewing room

Redesigning the sewing room.

Started: November 30, 2009

I’ve finally decided the clutter in my sewing room is starting inhibit my creativity. Too many colors and projects jumping out at me all at once. It's obvious that each piece of furniture are "cast-aways" made functional.

Thus began the hunt for organizing solutions. One objective is to focus on furniture that is the same in color... basic white.

Kangaroo Kabinet Dingo Storage Unit…

I fell in love with this unit. I found two sizes. 46” W and 60”W. The 60”W was $100 more. The price was a little steep but I found a place that was having a 10% off sale and free shipping for the 46”W one (Hayneedle.com). When closed, it’s 20”deep, and opens to 40”deep. Great for those rotary cutting projects with enough drawer space to put all my threads in one place. Even has a drawer for the serger.

Specifications:

Model #K7911 White Ash melamine wood laminate. Composite construction.
Open 46 Inch W x 40-1/2 Inch L x 34-1/2 Inch H; Closed 46 Inch W x 21 Inch L x 35 Inch H
Drawer Dimensions: from 20 Inch W x 15-1/4 Inch L x 3-1/2 Inch to 7-1/4 Inch D
Bottom drawer is large enough to hold a small machine with a depth measurement of 12-3/4 Inch .

Bookcase - has to be white to match the rest of the furniture and just a basic design... nothing fancy. How hard can that be? Looked on-line but had a hard time finding a simple, basic design. Finally spotted one for $29 at Walmart that I could put together myself.

Measures: 29.7 x 11.6 x 71.4

Not quite as tall as I wanted but it's doing the job. The laminate chips very easy if not careful and the backing is cardboard. I didn't expect much for $29.

Storage Cabinet : What would really be nice is a place I can store folded fabric, so my next hunt was for a storage cabinet. I found one at Amazon.com (Ameriwood Deluxe Pantry) for $119 (free shipping).

Measures 24” wide by 14.75” deep by 72” high.

The bottom would not be very accessible without having to go down on my hands and knees so I think I would store my needlework frames down there. Some of them are 17” long.

Shopping experience was fun. Now for the real work... designing the layout.

My first quaker design

Designer: Goode Huswife
Title: 1798 Quaker

Fabric: 32 count linen : lambwools by Wichelt

Stitch count: 239 x 170
Stitched 2 over 2 threads

Threads used: Weeks Dye and Gentle Arts.

Started: 11/14/2009
Image date: 11/16/2009


I've always wanted to do a quaker sampler design. Of all the designs in my library, I decided to do this one first since it was small and manageable. Mounted on an 8" x 8" Q-Snap frame. Very managemable. Using 3.00 magnifying specs.

Sampler stitching for November 2009

Designer: Moira Blackburn
Title: Peaceful Garden

Count: 211 by 327

18 ct Aida Rustico
Finished size: Size 12 x 18" (2 over 1 thread)
Using DMC threads. Probably would have given a more interesting look if done in over-dyed threads.

Started: 11/2/2009

Image Date: 11/12/2009

Moira Blackburn's designs have always intrigued me. I love the colors she chooses for her samplers. I have 5 of her designs in my library, so I decided to at least start one. I don't normally like Aida cloth and after working with this a bit, I began to realize why. Very stiff construction. I'm using a Q-snap frame, sized 11 x 17, instead of my scroll lap frame so I can travel with it. I've travelled with it from California to Arizona and it's been kind of a bulky project when sitting in the front seat of the car. My husband would say, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you are blocking my view of the passenger side mirror. So... when I need to pass and move to the left lane... down it goes... then you can put back up after I get there". Oh well... it kept us under constant entertainment.

LDS : Mouline Rouge

Designer: Long Dog Samplers

Title: Mouline Rouge

This one is a beauty. 364 x 364. Would need 18 skeins / 5 yds each (total of 90 yards), stitching 1 over 2 threads. If over 2 threads, linen can be 32 to 40 count per inch.

I have various stashes of over-dyed floss from Needle Neccessities. This would be a great sampler for sampling those threads.

PICTURE HERE