Stash Confessions...

Hey Guys,

So this is what I had to deal with Sunday morning! There was some organisational retructuring to say the very least.

For a while now, I've been trying to decide the best way to reorganise my stash in the limited space we have in the living room. I was having a hard time working out where to fit anything else in among the already stuffed plastic storage boxes scattered and stacked about the room (three either side of the TV, four under the desk and not forgetting the stack on the Expedit cube and other bits stuffed in other nooks and crannys).

So the boy decided it would be best to buy a wardrobe to resolve our storage issues. So we purchased an IKEA Pax wardrobe to fit in the alcove. And spent all Valentine's day putting it together (Awwwww).

Erego the mess. We had to pull a lot of stuff out, including the cube, the plastic boxes and all the fabric on top of it (and clean behind it of course). And we needed the space to actually put the stupid thing together! Of course then Sunday was about making this wardrobe my haven (while the boy went off galavanting and playing golf).

I filled it with five shelves and a basket. 

Also *cough* I have a confession. 

I'm sure you can't have missed all the talk about the John Lewis fabric sale. Well, um, I sort of had a crazy binge. Over three visits.

Let the lovely new wardrobe act as a display for my shame!

So there you have it! Except that's not all of the confession.

So, I apparently have more fabric than I thought, seen as the wardrobe was easily filled.

Holy Shitballs

Terrifying and beautiful!

I spent my Sunday refolding all of the fabric to fit the depth of the wardrobe (trying to be space efficient).

Lets take a tour!

Top shelf is curtains I had intended to use for something (but may give away) and a tub of fabric for the next fabric swap. Then some small tubs of scraps.

Second shelf is mostly my tailoring fabrics (tweeds, wool blends, etc). Some random knits rolled down the side.

Third shelf is my cottons and other pretty dress fabrics.

Fourth is my heavyweight coatings, flannel, heavy knits, velvet and denims.

Pretties!

Fifth shelf is my scrap tub and my Husquvarna sewing machine.

Pull basket is full of pretty largish scraps, fat quarters and future Minerva kits!

And there we have it! All hidden from view and with an awesome mirrored door too!! So so excited to have a full length mirror.

And just in case you were wondering what happened the Expedit cube - it joined its friend at the other alcove! It all holds my other sewing bits, notions, patterns and other scraps from the Tailor Man.

I put some grippy dots under the edges of the front corners of the top cube as it was sliding a bit!

 

My mannequin also lives here and thankfully there's some space on top for some of my handbags, I was getting stressed about finding a home for them!

Next, I need to replace the round dining table with a square one. It will be so much more stable and a more sensible shape - I lose so much space with the circle and all the chairs poking out at funny angles.

So do you guys have any other suggestions for good storage ideas? I'm tired of living in a bomb site!

But I'm getting there :)

p.s. I also want to say thanks for all of the love on my last couple of posts - you have no idea how much it meant to me!

Emmie xx

xx

Sewing Space, Singer and Stash

Hi all,

Sorry I've not posted over the last couple weeks, been working my way through the Frankenstein Dress (chickened out at the zip, but don't worry, it's in now!) and was at the Birmingham meetup last weekend, which has totally converted me to Birmingham fabric shopping. With a railcard, its only £14 return from Kent on a Saturday if you plan it far enough ahead. Which is cheaper than a travelcard to London for me. And, even with missing out on shopping in Fancy Silks, it beats Goldhawk Rd for me on this occassion! I'll have to take a few pics of my fabric haul tonight and pop them up for you to appraise!

Since I hadn't finished my dress, (although it is in the background of this post, whoops, pretend it's not there, shhhh) and because I had a belated spring cleaning, I decided to take some photo's to show you my sewing space.

My sewing space is basically the far end of my sitting room! Thankfully, due to the fact that my flat is the ground floor of a Victorian semi, so the ceilings are huge, and the rooms are large. I don't know how I would manage otherwise! I spread out a lot when I'm sewing and take over most of the room when I get into it.

So the space consists of my sewing table, my dining table, my mannequin and my ironing board. The sewing table has my Janome, and all of my accessories/implements/notions in random tins and boxes. I would kill for some shelving above the table but I'm renting so no holes in the wall for me. I keep my stash in boxes underneath the table so I can always see it and it can be close to me. My precious.

Some of my favourite things on my sewing table are the lamp that my Mr.G's mum got me. Its super strong and bright for when I'm hand sewing or unpicking. Usually unpicking. 

I also love the striped tin with all my scissors, its the perfect size and never falls over!

One thing missing from the picture is my corkboard, which I use when I want to trace things or cut things out on my lap. Which I do quite a lot when I'm lazy and they're small enough.

The clear boxes are a new addition during the spring clean and house zips in one, buttons in another and random notions in the last. I like that they are all segregated now. My patterns used to live on the sewing table too, but they were stressing me out because I couldn't rind a decent storage box, so they now live in the drawer beside the ironing board for the time being. The drawer next to that has some small fabric scraps and items I'm refashioning/altering. Let me rephrase that actually, item I'm (supposed to be) refashioning/altering.

My dining table is usually covered in scattered pattern pieces and random offcuts but today it houses my new pride and joy, my 1938 Singer 201k.

This was recommended to me by a quilter I befriended at work. For those who don't know about the different Singer models (and not that I do - but I know about this one!) - The 201k has been noted as the finest domestic sewing machine that the company ever made and many enthusiasts say that there is no machine that will stitch better, even today. I haven't had much use yet as I had issues with a ghost-ridden pedal, but my friend prefers to sew on it than her £2000 Bernina. 

Back when they were made they could cost up to 6 months wages! I have seen a receipt from 1940 which showed one would set you back about £13. They ceased production in 1961 as they became to expensive to make. The older ones weighed a tonne too, which I can definitely attest to! about 20kg I think, I can hardly move it. The pedal is fixed now and I've bought new needles so will use it for my next make I think! It runs so smooth, and from what I can remember, can sew through something like 6mm of leather like butter. Not that I'm a leather fiend myself but everyone gets bulky seams every now and then!

Lastly theres my stash. I have it in 3 boxes technically, but one is hidden in the back. That one has my wool & knitting needles and my embroidery hoops and embroidery threads. The two at the front are all my fabrics (although there may be a pair of curtains thats in that plastic bag). The top box is my most precious!

It is a bit ridiculously big for the amount of things I've made and the rate at which I sew. 

( I like to tell myself that you all have more than me to make myself feel better about buying!)

As I said, the top box is my most precious. What I like about buying new bits is that what used to be the most precious gets pushed so far down the line that I feel like I can use it without fear.

I'll give you a sneak peek into the box of treasures

I don't pre-plan purchases, or match patterns with fabric before I buy one or the other. I just fall in love. And I fall in love a lot. 

Thankfully, I feel like I've gathered so much beautiful stuff that I have a benchmark now. If something doesn't live up in price/quality/love quotient to what I already have, then its not worth it! And yes, most will be dresses. Mostly because I have no tops to wear with skirts. Which would make you think - make some tops so you can make skirts! But I also had a look through my wardrobe the other day and found out I have over 50 skirts already. Don't know how that happened.

Whoops. (not sorry).

Bit it does not take away from the fact mean I should make plan block colour tops.

So now I proposition each and every one of you. Show me your sewing space and, most importantly, show me your stash!