My, oh, my! An entire month of silence from me. I was working on a secret surprise quilt project, which is now ready to be mailed off, and as soon as it reaches it’s new home, I’ll post about it. I had A LOT of help with the quilt and had so much fun putting it together. I can’t wait to show you.

I also made an entire set of chair back pockets for my daughter’s kindergarten class, so they took a lot of sewing time, but I didn’t really have much to show because it’s 20 replicates of the same thing.

I am currently working on my blocks for the 4×5 Modern Quilt Bee. There are some sneak peeks of those on Instagram if you’re on there.

I just got a shipping notice this week for fabric for a Moda Bakeshop project that is Thanksgiving themed. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow, and I want to have the project finished and the tutorial written so it can post on Thanksgiving. Yikes!

Next up: my friend Bill wants a quilt and I offered to make it for him. It’s going to be a big’un, measuring 98 inches per side. He picked a burgundy and spruce green color palette and wanted solids. I went with “almost solid” and purchased these Michael Miller Krystal prints that are on sale the The Fat Quarter shop.

After that, I will dive into FOUR mei tais, and I’m actually even considering writing a detailed tutorial on how to make them. Still contemplating that one. It would have to be several installments. They’re pretty involved.

And look, just minutes away from Wednesday, so I guess I’m just in time for WiP Wednesday!

Okay, one month after I said we’d share our cleaned-up sewing space, here we are, ready to show our cleaned up sewing spaces.

Yes? Yes!

My sewing room is a little 9×10 ft room off our master bedroom. It’s probably intended as an office or nursery, but in our house, it’s a sewing room. My husband said I could have it. I’m sure it’s only because he didn’t want my fabric vomit in the main area of the house. It’s easy to hide up here!

Standing in my bedroom looking in, we see the treadle machine that a friend in Virginia gifted me on the eve of our move. I thought I would learn how to use it, but she seems to be missing the piece that connects the treadle to the machine. Wonder where I can acquire that?

Also, this Singer needs a name. Any ideas? My Bernina is Victoria, but goes by Tori, and Beatrix, the Janome mini, likes to be called Trixie. Don’t laugh. I know you name your sewing machines.

Tori is just behind, so I can sew by the window, even though it’s usually dark outside (sewing by moonlight, remember?). The closet is fabric storage. I’ll show you that in a minute.

Moving to the right, there is my custom counter height iron surface/cutting table/scrap storage. I made it myself, and it is far from perfect, but I’m quite pleased with myself because did I mention I built it?! And hey, there’s a design wall. Something I’ve always wanted to have and I was sure to include that in the plan when I set up this room. It’s attached to the wall with masking tape, but that’s not working out. My mom just came to visit, and gave me a new idea, so I hope that will be fixed soon.

Okay, now we are standing in the corner by the closet, looking out toward the bedroom. There’s the other side of the design wall, plus shelves with mostly bottomweight and apparel fabrics. The wooden boxes on top do have some charm packs and can you count the four lint rollers? The black and white fabric next to the sewing machine will be those 26 chair pockets I’m making for my daughter’s kindergarten teacher.

The final corner of the room is my favorite. Minis on the wall, and that old ladder I found in our garage when we moved in. I used some aqua spray paint and now it’s quilt storage. Plus, there’s a shelf of special things and that rainbow thread. Love!

Some other tidbits: beside the sewing machine is a basket to toss scraps before I sort them as well as the trash bin. And Sally the dress form holds a couple tape measures.

Here’s that cutting/ironing/storage piece. Works great for me since I’m tall-ish, but it would likely be too tall for someone a little more vertically challenged than me.

I want to mention the fabric I used to cover the top. It’s twill, hand-dyed by me, using a low water immersion technique. I had intended it for another project, but that was a couple years ago, and I never got to it, so it has been repurposed here.

Add a cutting mat (I finally bought myself a big one) and it becomes a cutting table!

Here, I’ll even let you see inside the closet. On top there is some batting, and box of patterns. Quilting cottons are in the white baskets. Below that, flannel, minky, silky fabrics, knits, and other miscellaneous fabric. The bottom has two plastic dressers that store other craft supplies (paint, paper crafts, beading).

And that’s it. I wonder how long I will be able to keep this space tidy … I put the over/under at 3 weeks.

And now: I want to see your space. Even if you didn’t link up your mess in the Sewing Room Clean Up Along: BEFORE post, please feel free to show us around. I want to see where you sew and craft! You cleaned it 6 weeks ago when I first mentioned this but I waited too long and it’s a disaster again? No worries, I’ll leave the link up open for 2 weeks. So go, tidy up, then come on back and show me your space!

P.S. I set up the link tool to close in two weeks and realized that's my birthday!

Have you been cleaning your sewing space this weekend? Did you link up your mess before picture in this blog post? You didn’t? Okay, I’ll wait while you go take a picture of your sewing space right now and put it out there with the promise to clean it up over the next 10 days. Don’t hide that “creative explosion”, show it off, but also, clean it up. I promise you will be more inspired and efficient in your newly (re-)tidied space. September 3rd, we’ll reveal our “after” spaces.

Meanwhile, I’ve been posting a few photos of my disastrous sewing space on Instagram with the hashtag #sewingroomcleanup.

So far, it’s just me. Which is fine, actually, because I really do want to have a usable sewing space again. But cleaning is so much more tolerable when you’re not doing it alone. Misery loves company? So, don’t leave me hanging, show me what you’re cleaning up over there!

I am so happy to have this finish this week.

But I can’t show it to you. Sorry. I know, so disappointing. I’m such a tease.

It’s my first project tutorial for Moda Bakeshop, so I have to wait until it posts there before I can really share. However, I will show this cute baby with a sneaky peek of the quilt.

I’ll let you know when the tutorial is available so you can see the whole thing.

As for other finishes, there haven’t been any of those. My sewing room currently looks like this:

Actually, I now have more than one shelf in the closest! My aspirations to have this space set up and ready to use were more ambitious than I anticipated. Turns out, it’s extra tough to move into a house and unpack while simultaneously going about the day-to-day task that come with living in a space!

I hope to have more projects up and going soon. Meanwhile, I’m going to spend the next couple weeks getting this room in order bit by bit and I want you to clean up your space along with me. It’s a Sewing Room Clean-up Along! If today isn’t enough and you want more linky fun (you know you do), hop over to the Sewing Room Clean-Up Along post and show me your messy space. In two weeks, we’ll share our nice, neat space!

Hope you have a space to get some sewing done! What have you finished this week?

aka: get it under control
aka: I really need to sew

Last week, we got to tour a whole lot of sewing spaces through the Studio Spotlight series at Ellison Lane. I just love that. So much fun to see where others sew, to drool over those who are blessed with a huge designated crafting space, to be inspired by those who make a small space work. You could link up your own space. I didn’t. I’m about to show you why (insert suspenseful music here: dum-dum-DUUUUM).

Our new house has a little sitting room just off the master bedroom. It could be used as a nursery or an office, but my husband gave me free reign to use this as a sewing room. Don’t think he’s too benevolent, he just didn’t want my fabric vomit in the main area of the house!

It’s a little room, about 9 x 10 feet, but when it’s functional, that’s 90 square feet that all mine! Right now, though, it’s definitely NOT functional.

This is the back of the room, looking in from the master bedroom. Look! There’s a closet with just one shelf. Isn’t that useful. And a pile of envelopes for the “Secret Project” I’m working on. I’m still waiting for a few more of those envelopes, and I need to get this space in shape so I can bust out that project.

The other corner in the back of the room is below. The stack of white baskets is where my fabric is usually located, but it’s currently hiding inside cardboard boxes. I’m looking forward to being reunited.

Okay, now we’re standing with our backs against the back wall, looking out into the master bedroom. Somebody left a sleeping baby on my bed. There’s my cutting table, on its side. That’s useful.

And the final corner of the room. I took the door off because they opened into the room against the wall, and with this little room, I figured I could use all the wall space I had. That ironing board really needs a new cover. There’s a stack of mdf shelves, which will go into the one shelf closet you saw in the first photo.

So there you have it. There’s a lot of work to do in here. How’s your space looking? Come on, be honest. Go right now and take some photos. I want to see those stacks of fabric that you pulled and never used, your cutting table that is more WiP storage than cutting area, the pens and pins scattered across your sewing table, and the things on the floor that really shouldn’t be on the floor!

Seriously, this is The Before. We are going to get our spaces in order together and then we can brag about great they are after. Not to mention, it’s so refreshing to be creative in a space that’s been cleaned up.

We’ll check in next week and in two weeks, we’ll post our “after” photos. It will be our own little sewing studio tour for those of us whose spaces weren’t in any shape to show off this week! If you’re on Instagram, post progress pics with hashtag #sewingroomcleanup.

Are you with me?