As I clean my sewing space, I realised that I’ve never documented this hard working space. This space is a space of productivity, creativity and so much joy. I used to sew in the spare room but felt isolated from the family. During the midst of the pandemic, the children needed a study space so we moved a big table into the sunroom where the piano is also located. Well, once the space was no longer needed for the children, I realised what a lovely light -filled and airy space this was so I moved my sewing machine and claimed it for my sewing space. Now I feel part of family life again and enjoy the hustle and bustle around me as it adjoins the dining room, kitchen and living area. Oh! And there are times when the piano and sewing machine have to compete.
My sewing machine sits on a table from Ikea. It has extendable legs so I’ve hitched up the height which has made a significant improvement to my sewing posture. It’s so important to consider the ergonomics of the space if hours are going to be spent at the sewing machine. I used to have my machine on a normal study desk which made me achy in my neck and between my shoulder blades. Comfort and safety levels have improved so much with this new table. I’ve also placed some essential sewing tools in a bamboo caddy from K-Mart. It’s really handy for grab and go items like scissors, different sewing feet, the seam-ripper (hardest working tool), needles and pins. There’s also a trolley on the left hand side which houses haberdashery items such as zips, thread, elastics, and all such goodies. They sit in repurposed containers which helps to organise each item and keeps them dust free. Underneath my sewing table, I keep a handy basket to contain all my fabric scraps including thread offcuts. I will then sort through this when it’s full to either use for toiling, making smaller items, making bias binding or used as stuffing.
The second-hand overlocker sits on a beautiful wooden table that I managed to find on Facebook Marketplace. It was also used for crafting by its previous owner so I was happy to give it a sand, coat of danish oil and a second life. I usually cut my fabric on the dining table but it’s great to have a big space to lay out the pieces for marking and organising. I’ve also organised all my patterns into white labelled envelopes which sit in a storage cube. It allows easy access and often I’ll cut the paper pattern pieces and store them with their instructions.
For patterns that need to be traced, I store the printed sheets in rolls but this feels a bit untidy and I’m hoping for a better solution than this repurposed laundry basket. I have a few more patterns stored in magazine holders in a bookcase. My dress dummy was a bargain buy at $20 from Spotlight Stores. It must’ve been a sales blitz and it’s a great help when constructing garments. It also helps with photographing the garments as I often set the camera on a timer. I use the dummy to set the focus the camera before I get into position. It would be great to have a custom fitted dress form in the future but I am so grateful to have one at all.
Finally, my fabric stash! I bought these rattan cabinets from K-Mart to store my fabric. It’s great that the rattan front allows for ventilation. I used to store them in a spare closet but it was very disorganised and I kept forgetting what fabric I had. Now that they sit in the same space, I am reminded to look through them before heading out to the shops for more! I also have baskets to store ribbing, interfacing and off cuts for smaller makes and toiling. As I’m still learning about fabric, I try to keep a small amount to record composition and details about it.
I’m always captivated by other people’s sewing spaces and curious how someone else organises their space. I feel very lucky to have this bright airy space. It’s helpful to have a space that is comfortable which is easy to spend time in.
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
x Em
Em Sew Happy Blog 