Sewing workspaces to be precise! You are in for a treat today, because this is the closest most of you will ever get to a tour of our house. Charlotte took photos recently of all our workspaces in varying stages of… well… use, and today I am here to share them with you, as well as talk about being organized/unorganized in the realm of having a workspace.
This is Charlotte’s workspace. She has a cabinet Slinger Slant-o-Matic from the 1950s which doubles as a worktable for the projects she is working on. Since her sewing machine’s bulb recently went out on her, Charlotte has a table lamp to help with lighting. She keeps her thread and bobbins near at hand as well as the attachments for her machine. On the right hand side of her machine she has bins for her fabric and current projects.
Jessica’s workspace overlaps with Charlotte’s somewhat, as they both share an empty sewing machine cabinet for extra storage, and both of their sewing machines are in the basement. Jessica sews on our “family” machine, the Elna Diva 9000, which sits atop a machine cabinet that holds an even older Elna machine that is currently not working. Let me tell you, cabinet machines are the best. Not only do they afford some extra table space, but they also sometimes include drawers and such for extra storage.
My workspace is up in my room, so I don’t have as much space to spread out for storage and such. But this, my dears, is my “studio” in all its cluttered glory. I have my 1960s Kenmore cabinet machine by the window, and various means of organization and piles of projects sit beside my work-table. In the suitcases and bins are fabric, patterns and sewing notions. It does make me cringe a little to see my un-organized mess of fabric piles, but I was in the middle of a project when these photos were taken, so I really couldn’t help it.
I think all of us have dreams of beautifully organized spaces where everything has its place, and there aren’t piles of half-finished projects. But the truth is, a workspace is exactly that: a space in which to do work. It isn’t meant to be kept all nice and shiny all the time. I do like things to be organized and in their proper place (thanks to a wonderful Mom who taught me that “everything has its place” as I was growing up), but I’ve come to realize that my form of organization is a working organization.
My workspace is constantly in use. That means my table is constantly cluttered, fabric is moved from box to sewing machine to closet, patterns are spread out and packed back up again… everything is in a constant cycle. But, as I am learning how to manage my workspace better I have started a routine of having a clean-up day at the end of every project, where I make sure that all of the supplies I had used for that project are put away in their proper place, the thread bin is cleaned out, and everything is in a state of organization again before I put all my tools back to use. Otherwise what ends up happening is what I would call the “flood” effect. Layers of leftovers from previous projects get piled on top of each other, like layers of sediment in a flood, until you have to dig to find what you are looking for. I have had my workspace get to that stage before, and it drives me nuts! At that point I just have to stop what I am doing and clean everything up before I can move forward.
So to conclude, remember, workspaces are meant to be worked in. Each tool and notion should have its place that it should return to when you are finished with it, but in the middle of a project, workspaces get messy! Embrace the mess while you are in it, and when the project is finished, embrace the clean, organized space you can create once your work is complete.
How do you organize your workspace?
What type of sewing machine do you use?
Do you prefer cabinet or portable sewing machines?
Blessings,
Brigid, the Middle Sister and Singer
Kira Brennan says
12/02/2015 at 11:56 AMLove all of your workspaces! I have to say, Brigid, we have some things in common, haha! I’ve recently discovered the joy of “stealing a laundry basket to keep my ongoing projects together”…
Samantha Snyder says
12/02/2015 at 1:24 PMOooh, nice workspaces! Jessica, where did you get the chair? Is it comfortable? Because I’m halfway considering getting myself a new chair for my room desk sometime.
Brigid, your ideas for workspace organization are very practical and very good. 😉 And the stack of blue trunks really caught my eye. They’re so cool! Also, Charlotte’s little blue box is so cute.
Jessica says
12/05/2015 at 2:42 PMHi Sam!
We got that chair at IKEA. And actually its not my chair specifically, it just kind of floats around with the rest of our menagerie of chairs. 😉 IKEA is a great place to look for cheaper office and home decor options (and they’re pretty cute!).
Blessings to you dear!
Love,
Jessica, the Eldest Sister & Singer
Samantha Snyder says
12/05/2015 at 5:02 PMAh, I thought it was from IKEA! 😉 Cool! Thanks!
Kayla says
12/02/2015 at 1:35 PMI have just started sewing this year and I love it.
My family just got a new machine. It is a Singer with 100 stitches and 20 presser feet ( I think that is what they are called). It is a dream to work with.
We have a cabinet that was my grandmother’s. It has shelves and on the doors it has cubbies and a spool holder. I really like having everything near at hand.
At this point in time I am working on a War Between the States ball dress and a Regency dress. Aside for that I am mostly altering stuff we get from thrift stores for my family.
In Christ, Kayla
Claire says
12/02/2015 at 4:38 PMI love this series, Brigid! You are so right about the ‘working’ organization! I tend to freak out half way through my project because my tiny room is a mess, but it really isn’t untidy so much as cluttered with all the necessary bits and pieces of the project. I am always glad when I get the clutter under control again! Great post ?
And a quick question I thought of, do you girls ever use any devotional books or Bible study plans etc?
Blessings in abundance!
Claire
Madison says
12/02/2015 at 4:50 PMThank you so much for sharing this Brigid! I love to see others work spaces and realize that I am not the only one whose space in in a constant state of being in work:)
I would have to say I prefer portable sewing machines….mostly because they are easy to transport when teaching sewing classes or taking a class (like a quilting class I took a year ago). The sewing machine I use at home is a Janome (don’t know what make) and I absolutely love it. However, at college in our sewing lab, we use Bernina’s as our basics and then we have about four different brands and makes of sergers.
-Madison
http://www.1minniemuse.blogspot.com
Allison says
12/02/2015 at 5:39 PMI loved this post, Brigid! My room also doubles as my “studio” for myself and my Etsy shop, so I can relate to the “flood effect”. Sometimes get frustrated with the necessary clutter this causes. I like the verse: “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.” Prov. 14:4 …….. Productive messes are good! That sure makes me feel better sometimes!
Mary says
12/02/2015 at 8:30 PMI’m so glad you shared your sewing space with us readers. Thanks! I’ve been sewing for years in my Sears Kenmore machine. It metal and weighs a ton, so it doesn’t travel much, but I love it. It used to be in a cabinet table, but eventually that broke beyond repair and I now sit my machine at a simple desk table on top of two cork squares so it doesn’t slip.
Sarah says
12/02/2015 at 10:51 PMThank you for your openness about real life. My sewing desk is covered with stuff and the drawers are unorganized. Not to mention that I also have a folding table adorning the middle of my bedroom. (I must also mention that I share that room with my sister.) You are so right about needing to be comfortable with some mess, but you also need to pick up when you are done.
Abby F. says
12/02/2015 at 11:53 PMI like to make jewelry, and my workspace is wherever there’s space! Your workspaces look nice and organized. Though one might not always be neat, it’s good to have a system in place!
Abby says
12/03/2015 at 7:52 PMThank you for the delightful “tour” around your work spaces! I recently started an etsy shop for jewelry, and my desk is where I store, create, and package all of my products; it does get quite cluttered sometimes! 🙂 Thankfully, just today I straightened it up again, and it’s such a wonderful feeling to see that big, (mostly) empty space. It sort of inspires me not only to create more, but also to keep it in its neater state!
Oh, and by the way, after a few minutes of reading one of your posts the other day, I was delighted to discover that my page was SNOWING! Ah, so darling! Love it love it love it. 🙂
Many blessings!
Joyfully His,
~Abby
Elizabeth K. says
12/04/2015 at 8:06 PMThanks for the tips on organizing work spaces. I tend to get frustrated when it’s all a mess, and I still have some cleaning up from my Remembering WWII dress. Ugh! I need to get some boxes to put leftover fabric in. We have an old cabinet sewing machine from the 50’s I believe. But it is missing parts. It has no zig-zag foot which is a problem sometimes. Do you know where one could be found?
Brigid says
12/05/2015 at 6:10 PMHi Elizabeth,
Oh, you don’t know how many projects and fabrics I have that still need to be put away completely! 🙂
I would actually look on eBay for sewing machine attachments. Type in the serial number of your machine as well as the “name” if you can find it (for example Singer Slant-o-Matic), and type in “accessories”, or “attachments” according to what you are looking for. Another place to look might be sew-classic.com They sometimes have sewing machine attachments and such. You may be able to find what you are looking for there. Hope that helps!
Blessings,
Brigid
Elizabeth K. says
12/07/2015 at 5:51 PMThanks so much, Brigid! I’ll check it out.
Jessica Cangiano says
12/05/2015 at 5:51 PMTerrific point regarding a work spacing being precisely that. A place where function should come out on top. That doesn’t mean style needs to fall to the wayside (this room is bright and lovely, for example), but at the end of the day, having the space and tools needed to get the job done is arguably the most important part of any work/craft space.
♥ Jessica
Cheryl Harrell says
12/08/2015 at 12:08 AMThat 50’s sewing machine. My mom has one just like it. Wish I could sew. You girls always looks so cute and well put together. Love your blog. God bless.
Elizabeth says
12/08/2015 at 11:28 PMThanks for giving us this peek into your workspaces! And yay that they are used + full of life. 🙂 Last week I finally published a too-long-in-the-drafts-folder post of my desk…my grandparents were giving it away and it needed a little work, but glad for white spray paint & new silver hardware! Workspaces are such a blessing, tho I need to work on keeping them semi tidy. 😉