My name is Charlotte, sometimes known as Ms Lottie, occasionally as The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady. This is my blog, where you'll find me writing a lot about my quilting and textile arts and a little about my family's life in a small seaside town in New Zealand. Haere mai!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Working Studio

School holidays are in full swing and yesterday and today were grey and rainy, so I did what I'd been thinking about for ages - rearranged my studio.  It's a good time to get things like that done.  The kids play and watch DVD's and I can take breaks to feed them and mediate or even read stories.  But I still get a lot of time because I don't have to interrupt to go pick them up from school or do mother help or any of those exciting things.  Anyway, here are some before and after pics.


This little nook used to be the kids play area.  I thought it was too small to use for me and it got even smaller when I jammed a couch in there.  You can see the freezer in the picture above that I had at a right angle out into the room .  I used it as a cutting table and had my machine table and trestle table backed up to it.  I decided that it really cut the room in half and wasn't nearly as user friendly as I thought it would be.  Best laid plans and all of that.


So I turned the freezer back against the wall (you can see my big cutting mat on top, I've used 3M command picture hanging strips to attach it to the top of the freezer so I can open the lid without taking the mat off).  I put my trestle table and sew-ezi machine table in an L shape in the nook and now I look out the window when I sew. 


Here's a view right into the nook (bit of a mess, I'm still slowing sorting it out).  I fitted a couple of bookshelves in beside me and these carry all my tools and pins etc that I use frequently while I'm at the machine.  You can see my design wall to the right above my ironing board.


See?  Here's the long view.  I fit nicely into the nook and the room seems so much larger now that the freezer and my trestle table aren't cutting it in half.  And look at all that floor space for laying out quilts!


Here's what it used to look like from the front door (which is next to the nook).  My trestle table with all it's junk underneath it was the central feature.


And here's the same view now.  I've shifted the couch against the wall into the space vacated by one of the bookshelves.  There's still a few baskets of toys that need to be sorted through and downsized (a constant job).  Even better, there's my eight year old boy who used to really struggle with reading.  Over the last school term, his reading age has taken leaps and bounds and is now more than a year ahead of his own age!  So relieved!  Now he's turning into a book worm.  He's read three whole chapter books over the last two days and is pestering me to go to the library to get more of his favourite - the BeastQuest series by Adam Blade.


I cleaned up a little more and took a longer view.  Looks good, huh?


And now the next sorting job on my radar.  Should I attempt it?

6 comments:

  1. That cupboard looks tidy!!!! You didn't ought to see the mess I live with :) Although there is a shelf that could do with a bit of attention - before it comes down to meet me :)

    I do like your work areas.

    I am glad to say that numerous toys have been replaced with computers and books round here almost completely now (there's a basket of soft toys my youngest is still too attached to). Unfortunately this also means that I have teens and they do tend to have peculiar sleep patterns, moody bits and the occasional zit. They also appear to be allergic to hot water and soap until actually in it and then become allergic to ever getting out!! They also appear to have longer holidays but, on the plus side, they do visit friends a lot and have friends to visit them too and so manage to keep themselves occupied most of the time :)

    As for space.....hubby came home with 42 (!!) computers to do up and give out to the community. We really need to find a decent sleep out/shed for him is all I can say. I love that he does this but I also like to be able to walk across the living room!

    viv

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  2. Looks great, sometimes we need to use the space for a spell before we know if it will 'work'. I like your nice wooden floors, & the wooden stable door

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  3. It's funny that we need more space for thinking and plotting, than for actually working. Looks great, and could hardly even notice the apricot!

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  4. I really need to move all my stuff around, but can't find the desire to do it! Good on you for sorting yours. And the cupboard looks fine, don't mess with it.

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  5. You have a wonderful space there, it's always nice to have a shuffle around and a change of 'scenery'.

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