There was fabric, there were sewing notions, and there was an explosion - perhaps several small explosions. The result was this:

Please DON'T click to enlarge ;)

and this....


It's terrible. Shameful.

There have been times in my life when I have been fortunate enough to have a sewing room, and times when I haven't. The sewing room has been the kitchen table, a desk in my bedroom, or in the home office. Currently, it's a small bedroom. It's not a large, "pinterest inspired" sewing room with clever ideas and matching motifs, but I am lucky to have it - so I don't complain. So why do I not take care of it?

Because creativity is MESSY business!

I couldn't even sew in it anymore.
And SEW I fixed it. It didn't take long, only a few hours of folding, sorting and dusting and it is beautiful again!

My desk found a nice sunny spot by the window, so I can spy on my son and the neighbourhood kids. (A great spot for sewing machine photography too.) The iron found a necessary spot away from the curtains.


My fabric is folded, and the shelves are clean and organized.


Best of all, Lady Liberty has found a great spot between Pinky and the Juki. The Brain, my Pfaff, stays packed in her travel bag for sewing guild meetings so Pinky and the Brain are not a duo any more. Juki has taken center stage!!


It have to say, it feels AMAZING to have a clean room to work in again. Going through all of my fabric enabled me to sort it so I know where everything I want is. I did realize that I really don't have that much fabric, and that is soooo sad... but easily fixable !!

After it was all done and sorted, I made up a cute little coin purse with a purse frame, and I sewed up a quick and easy fabric strap to hang my new round handmade bag labels from. I intend to put up a little blog post to help anyone that wants to make a fabric strap for them. These suckers are HUGE. A bit larger than I had intended when I first designed them, but I think they will look pretty amazing hanging from a strap ring on a large bag. Watch for them in the shop November 3rd!


How have your sewing rooms been looking lately? Lost your sewing mojo? Clean your room!! I am ready to go work on a quilt AND a new bag pattern.

 

If you follow along here, or have purchased one of my patterns, you have probably heard me mention DST (Double-Sided Tape) a few times before. Yes... I love it!  It's one of my fave sewing notions.  Today I thought I would show you just where and when I use this handy stuff when I'm constructing my bags, wallets & totes. I'll show you why I love it so much.

As some of you know I made a Lego sewing machine last week, you can read the post and see where I go the idea from HERE.

Since then, it's just been getting shuffled around on my sewing table from here to there and back to here again.  It's been lost in scraps and found again, dusted and repositioned.  Still admired, but not very useful.  I like useful things.

While I'm sewing my handbags, I am often switching presser feet from one to another, mostly back and forth between my 1/4" foot, 1 cm foot, and my zipper foot.   I just chuck these to the side and then can't find them again when I need them (creativity is messy business).  I tried putting them away every time, but that's just not working for me.  I need to switch often; I need them handy!  I was just thinking that I needed a little tray for them, and it occurred to make my sewing machine useful!!!

Complete with a thread guide, bobbin winder and turning wheel!

Jace kept putting bits of fabric in my machine and was pretending to sew, so I carried on with the idea and added a bit of stitched fabric and the thread leads up to the spool.  There is a thread guide and the wheel on the right really turns.   I can't thread the needle, but oh well, I will tie it on there somehow.  Jace was pretty impressed with Mom's creation too, and now he plays with it when he comes in to check on my project progress.  We both love our toys.


Always play!