Julie's Sewing Room - Before and After
I love when people share their sewing room with other viewers. It allows us to get a sneak peak into their lives because many times the sewing room tells us a lot about the personality. When we first started the blog, we allowed viewers to share their sewing room. We're going to do that again! Read on and I will have information at the end of the post on how you can submit your sewing room. In the meantime, I will start with my sewing room...
I have been fortunate to have a sewing room all to myself for a long time. When I lived at home, the former playroom turned into my sewing room. When I got married 2 1/2 years ago, there was an extra bedroom for me to have a sewing room. (And my husband also got his man cave!) My husband and I got married in August 13, 2011. Months before that, we prepared my late-grandmother's house for our move-in. Every single room in the house had wood paneling (which I hated) and needed to be covered up with paint.
Here are the BEFORE pictures:
We sanded, primed (2x) and painted (2x) with a vibrant aqua blue color. (By this time we had done this to three rooms, we felt like experts!) The closets and shelves were painted with a white paint.The hinges were taken off all the closets and spray painted silver. All light switch covers were taken off and spray painted cream. We did this in many of the projects we completed in the house. It was a lot more cost effective than buying new, especially when there was nothing wrong with them.
Here are the AFTER pictures:
Can you believe the transformation? I know I can't! The room was so dark, outdated and uninspiring. The ceiling had gold embossed ceiling tiles that were faded with time. With a fresh coat of white paint on the ceiling, trim and windowsills and a bright aqua blue color on the walls, it is a cheerful room that I can spend hours sewing my heart out!
I moved in my sewing table, which my dad built for me a number of years ago, perfect for holding my sewing machine and serger. Plus it has a number of drawers to hold all the sewing notions I need to complete my projects. As you look through the photos, you will see my sewing themed curtains. I used an Alexander Henry print with sewing notions prints - rotary cutters, sewing machines, buttons, measuring tape and more!
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I saved my grandmother's retro kitchen table to be used as my work/cutting table. (I like to include at least one vintage touch in each of the rooms of our house, even if the room tends to have more modern decor.) I put the table up on bed risers to raise the table just enough that I don't get backache when I'm working!
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The space under the table is perfect for more storage. I used plastic storage to hold more fabric that doesn't fit in the wardrobe unit. (See below.)
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So here is part of my fabric stash--- I don't know whether I should be proud of this... I've seen MUCH worse, but I sometimes can't believe how it piles up! Will I ever get to sew all of this? Probably not. I know there are some items I absolutely fell in love with at some point and now I have no interest in making anything with it. What do I do with it? I sell it on eBay or give it to fellow sewers. Because I have access to so many different fabrics I feel like my stash is pretty special. I organize my stash by swatching it on an index card and keep them filed by fabric type. You can read about the fabric organization idea in "Organizing Your Stash." I also keep fabric in the plastic drawers underneath the cutting table. (You can see those in some of the other pictures.) I also have my collection of quilting cottons in a separate area. At one point I was doing more quilting than garment sewing. I haven't made too many quilts in the past few years, but cannot resist a cute print. My quilting cottons are not swatched on an index card like my garment fabrics are, but they are organized by color.
The closet across the room is where more fabric is stored...Should I show you? I'll save that for another time...
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When I lived at home a had a lot of knick-knacks I collected over the years. The scalloped shelf cubby is perfect for all of the sentimental things that I wasn't sure where to display in other parts of our house. My husband hung a floating shelf for some sewing related items to be on display.
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Below the floating shelf, I have a "curtain wire" installed on the wall where I hang pattern pieces and directions to my current sewing projects. I got the "curtain wire" at Ikea. This is one of the best things I added to my sewing room!
Believe me, my sewing room does not stay this neat on a regular basis, but it felt great to get it in order for the photos! Stay tuned, I'm going to share with you some sewing room organizing ideas in my next post.
Do you want to share your sewing room with us? We'd love to share it for you! Email fabricmartblog@gmail.com for more information.
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Posted on February 13 2014
I am thoroughly jealous of your giant and bright sewing room, Julie!!!!!! What a fun and cheerful color on the walls, too.
You have a very nice space!
Thank you!
What a great room. I love the use of the table as the cutting table. I remember those metal ones from my childhood.
Looks great! Congrats on making use of your snow in day!
Thanks for sharing. The transformation and photos are great.
I am currently in the process of creating my sewing room. I wish I had more/better "before" pictures.
My best friend died on Sept. 7, 2013. Just 5 months ago. I had "learned" to sew before I met her, but it wasn't until I met her that I really started sewing. I finished… 5+ projects while we sewed together. I went to her house almost every Saturday. The best is a coat/jacket I made from Simplicity 2057.
I didn't join Julie's Picks till after she died. In fact, I used to never have fabric stashes—I only bought fabric for what I knew I would sew. The Monday before she died (she had a brain aneurysm on Labor Day and died the following Saturday), I actually bought 17 yards of fabric from JoAnn's. Unheard of for me! But I didn't want to have an excuse not to show up at her house on a Saturday—that I had no fabric.
Anyway, like I said, I've been working on my sewing room. When she died, I adopted her two cats (I already had 4 of my own). Sadly, I had to put one of them down in December, but the other, Haylie, her room is also the sewing room.
So, sorry, I feel like I'm rambling now. I have been meaning to get a (sewing) blog together, on my Web site (Web development being another thing my friend taught me), but I haven't yet.
I guess, just wanted to say, I am really glad I stumbled upon FabricMartFabrics, and your blog, and Julie's Picks, and though I miss my friend so, so much, and I haven't sewed since she died, it means a lot to me to have found this sewing community.
-Annie
Your sewing room is wonderful with lots of room and storage space!!!
Thank you for this. I too have had a Sewing Room for years but my Dh is in the process of building me a new one in our basement to allow us an extra bedroom for our growing number of Grandchildren visits. I'm very excited and will share mine when it;s done.
Haha Kathy, the pictures make it look bigger than it is, but I can't complain—I enjoy it!
Thanks Linda! I have had my eye on that table all my life! I love retro stuff!
Thanks! I actually didn't clean my sewing room on the snow day, but did have a few moments to be in it!
Hi Annie, Thanks for sharing with us! I'm sorry to hear about you friend. I'm glad you've been able to fill the void in your life with something that both of you would have enjoyed. Glad we can be part of it :O)
This is awesome!
Beautiful!
Looks great! Our wall color matches!!
Thank you!
Can't wait to see what your new sewing room looks like! I bet it's been fun seeing it transform.
Thank you!
Thanks! When I first saw your sewing room back in the challenge, I could believe we had the same color room! It's the perfect sewing room color.
Thank you!