My sewing room

I love seeing other people's sewing spaces. I don't know why I am so curious to see where people work and create. It's like being able to take a peek at what is going on behind the scenes!

Christina of 2 Little Hooligans is running the Sewing Spaces series where participants show and talk about their sewing rooms, corners and basements. I am excited to invite you guys over to my sewing room today :)

Just like almost all of my sewing friends I started my adventures in stitching on our dining table. It was not very comfortable, there were extension leads running in every direction and my fabric and patterns were threatening to overtake our eating space. I started craving a place I could call my own.

We lived in a three bedroom house, and I thought I could occupy a guest room. However a spare double bed was already occupying it, and there was no room for anything else! I got my sweetest husband on my side and we got rid of the bed base and tucked the mattress under our bed where it is very happy and only comes out when we have visitors.

My sewing space evolved over time. We recently moved into a new house and I now have a bigger room (almost) all to myself! The aforementioned mattress still makes a rare appearance, but this room is much bigger and I don't need to tuck my sewing supplies away so our guests can move around the room.

So, this is my sewing space. This is where I regain my sanity while Little Monkey is asleep. This is where I stitch late into the night sacrificing my (much needed) beauty sleep. It is nothing glamorous, but I am happy here.

Hardly anything in this room is new. I use a second hand office desk as my sewing table. I have enough room for my sewing machine, an overlocker, and as of a few weeks ago, a computer. My chair is thrifted as well.

Now I have mentioned my sewing machine and overlocker, would you like to have a closer look?

Please meet Mrs. Jan, aka Janome Memory Craft 6000.

This lovely lady is only 25-30 years old. I have been told this is the second computerised model. I got this machine from an op shop last year. I had it serviced, and it has been my faithful companion ever since. It has all the functions I was looking for, and I could not be happier.

Almost two years ago I bought myself an overlocker (serger). It is Janome My Lock 744D, and I am not secretly in love with it. I cannot imagine not having an overlocker now.

Sewing is a great hobby, but it requires a lot of storage space! Here is how I store my things.

The filing cabinet was purchased second hand also. I store all my stationery and patterns in it. The wire basket thing was purchased at Ikea a few years ago. I keep all my cottons, bobbins, trims, interfacing, and 'you name it' there.

I am rapidly running out of room to store my patterns. Because I now have a computer I could get rid of all the printed instructions for my PDF patterns, but this is only a temporary solution as the girls from Willow and Co have just announced a sale...

All my fabric fits in a built in wardrobe... Just!!!

But wait, there is more!

At first I had all my fabric sorted by colour. It was pretty, but it did not last. This way works well for me. I know what fabrics have already been pre-washed and what still need to have a date with my washing machine.

My first sewing machine, Elna 1000, is resting here as well. So as the first cape I made for myself, the one that ended up too small. I am going to cut it up and use this beautiful wool to make a coat for Little Monkey... eventually!

I love having a wardrobe dedicated to my things! There is a shelf in it that is just big enough to hold a small book shelf! OK, a shelf on a shelf might sound ridiculous at first, but just check out how much room it saved! I still have one and a half shelves to fill!

This little book shelf was the first item of furniture that I bought when I came to Bendigo in 2003. I put it together using an Allen key and a cheap frying pan. True story.

Because we have only moved in a few weeks ago we have not had a chance to put anythings on the walls. Still, there are a few special things in this room.

One needs light to sew late into the night. My husband got me this funky lamp last year. I just love it!

I love photos and managed to find a spot for a couple of my favourites - my sweetest husband and I taken a few years ago in Adelaide at the brass band competition (we both played in the same band), and my mum. A while ago Little Monkey and I went through the stage of printing our hands. Well, Little Monkey was addicted to it, and I played along. I wanted to preserve the memories of us getting covered in paint while having a lot of fun, so I framed one print.

Look at these! These are very special little things! My husband made the fox pin cushion for me. He got a kit from Bob Boutique in Bendigo and made it for me all by himself. He must really love me!

I kept on losing the track of time sewing, so he got me a funky red alarm clock. I have a few self-imposed rules when it comes to sewing, so now I have a clock I can stop before 1 am!

My sister in law got me this mug, and I use it to store pens, pencils, fabric markers, scissors... So cute and handy! I think the older I get the more sentimental I become!

And that is it. Nothing glamorous, but I am happy in this space. I am sure I will change things around here many more times, but there is no hurry.

Thank you Christina for having me. It's been a pleasure to open the door to my sewing room to all of you!