Thrift Store Sleeve Board Refinish

I love sewing tools and gadgets.  What's even better than having a plethora of them is finding them at a bargain price, as was the case when I found this sleeve board during a recent visit to a local The Salvation Army store.

BLC Day 26: Singer Library - Still the Absolute Best!

I remember working for So-Fro Fabrics in my late teens/early twenties and the company's heavy focus on catering to "crafty" consumers by providing tools and supplies for many different types of crafts.  This emphasis increased after being purchased by JoAnn Fabric & Crafts, which I quite frankly found to be a turn-off because I never considered myself a "crafty" person.  I loved fabric and sewing and for some odd reason, I didn't categorize sewing as being a craft.  Yes, it's about making things with your hands, but the term craft always reminded me of making things from sticks and twigs or the whole Trash to Treasure phenomenon; a rather odd thought process, I know, especially when considering the formal definitions of craft and crafty.

BLC Day 22: Stash Inventory

Hey everyone!  It's the beginning of a busy holiday week, so I thought I'd share a quick tip on how I inventory my fabric stash. I recently shared with you that I reorganized how my fabric is stored, affording the benefit of using all the shelf space in my Sewing Room closet.

BLC Day 4: Poppin' Wheelies!

I have long dreamed of having a beautiful and functional space in which to enjoy the various craft activities which interest me.  I recall in the pre-Pinterest days initiating and saving online image searches to see how other sewing-enthusiasts have set up and organized their sewing spaces.  And who hasn't thumbed through a copy of Dream Sewing Spaces by Lynette Ranney Black?

While working in my Sewing Room now, I look around and am pleased to see the progress I've made in improving its efficiency and appearance, but it has not been an overnight process. Most of the improvements have been done over a period of about 10 years - reminds me of the saying "slow and steady wins the race."  Case in point, my Project Table which I actually completed building in 2014 and blogged about in January 2015.  It has truly become a workhorse piece of furniture in my Sewing Room, and provides a lot of great storage capacity underneath its table top...

BLC Day 1: Saving My Bum

I recently shared with you that my Sewing Room serves many functions, including where I manage my household affairs, so it's fair to say my office chair and desk has received lots of use since purchasing them in 2006 and '07 respectively.  My desk, purchased on Target.com, was part of their "Our House" collection and I liked its streamlined appearance and function, plus the approximate $99 price tag was right up my alley.  At the time of my purchase, this furniture line was being discontinued and the only color available was white, so I knew I'd be painting it black as soon as it arrived.

Images taken in 2012

The chair was purchased from Art Van, a well-known furniture store in the Midwest.  I think I paid about $100 for the chair - a price I would never ever pay again for a similar item.  Hindsight is 20/20, right?  Anyway, the seat bottom flattened out significantly over the years.  In fact, I've had several "Princess and the Pea" moments because I could feel the hardware through the seat cushion whenever I sat in the chair.  It is, however, in otherwise good condition, so I decided to simply replace the seat padding.

The space between my desk and chair is one of Max's favorites.

Taming of the Stash

The Sewing Room...the space in my home which serves as the center for almost all of my creative activities.  The thing is there is more than sewing that goes on in there.  I dabble in various "crafty" activities - sewing, jewelry making, yarn crafts, candle making, glass cutting, etc.  Additionally, my Sewing Room serves as the hub for managing the affairs of my home. To achieve maximum efficiency, I often re-examine the zones of this room to see if I can make better use of the space.

The closet in my Sewing Room once had sliding doors which I found to be inhibiting when trying to see the contents stored within.  Several years ago, I removed the doors and used them to construct shelving in the closet to store my fabric collection.  At the time, I decided to use Steralite storage drawers to contain, categorize and protect the various lengths of fabric in my stash.  While it did a great job of protecting them from dust and light, I did find the drawers to be somewhat limiting in capacity.

DIY Bobbin Covers

It's hard to believe more than half a year has passed since my last blog post.  I've had a pretty busy work schedule and there never seems to be enough time in the day to do all the things you want to do.  Nonetheless, I have been working on various sewing projects which I hope to share with you soon, as well as fine tuning the organization in my sewing room.

One area that I wanted to "neaten" was my supply of bobbins.  I store them in a plastic storage bin with a snap lid and customized compartments.  I like using this option because it keeps the bobbin threads clean and dust free.