Workspace Makeover, Part IV
March 6, 2012 A pretty vignette in my sewing room ... which doesn't really exist. Lemme 'splain.
Before this room was my mine, it was the guest room/office. Before that, it was a nursery.
This shelf was installed above the changing table. (Yep, I changed a lot of poopy diapers in that very spot.) But I've left it here on account of the metal plugs in the wallpaper holding it up ... I don't know how else to hide them other than keeping this shelf where it is. I swear, if I wanted to hang a cotton ball on the wall, my husband would insist on using plugs! ;)
A few years ago, I got the mirror from my good friend Barb, the same friend that shabby-ified my desk & lamp. But I only just a few weeks ago added the ribbon.
Back story ...
I finally got a chance to meet a blogger friend (thanks again for the tea, Andrea!). She's got an amazing sense of style and she'd done this ribbon trick above a mirror. I remember loving this idea the first time I saw it in a Martha Stewart Magazine a looooong time ago, but it just took Andrea's application to really inspire me to finally do it in my home somewhere. Even before I'd left her house I was doing a mental inventory of all my mirrors and quickly zoomed in on this one.
When I got home, I looked in my now very nicely organized ribbon box - courtesy Kate - for the right size & color. Of course my first instinct was to go for pink. Two problems: the best pink ribbon I had was too narrow and it looked too ... sacharin ... too little girly, even for me. (It is staying up there with a piece of Mac-Tac ... tee hee ... I hate committing to things with a nail, especially on wallpaper!)
I also confess to propping here with the teacup & sugar bowl. Before this photo was taken there was never china in here. I just poked around in the kitchen cupboards for something pretty. But now I sorta like them there. I stuck the spool & trim in there - my feeble attempt at being a stylist - and I kinda like them there too.
Another back story ...
See, we didn't have a lot when I was growing up and I don't have much in the way of family heirlooms. But I do have a very few surviving pieces of my mom's wedding china - Wedgwood's "Patrician". I feel bad for the sugar bowl with that brown glue repair. But I just imagine my mom being sad when it broke and my dad lovingly repairing it as best he could to make her happy. I've thought of having it professionally repaired, but I won't. I like seeing the glue ... and remembering my dad.
I made this sampler several years ago.
It's a Shepherd's Bush pattern "Amaranth" (long discontinued, but you can probably still find it on eBay) and is one of a series of I think five designs. I made 3 more that are tucked away. I hung this piece as part of the makeover.
And yes that is a very sparkly, over-the-top chandelier ... yet another treasure from Barb. Told ya there was a lot of her in here!
It hangs over my sewing table and sheds beautiful, twinkly light.
It's probably very wrong to be in love with a light fixture. I don't care.
One of my favorite things about this chandelier is that Barb included some crystal drops I'd saved from an original - much less attractive - chandelier from the early 1950s that was in this house when we bought it. I just KNEW they'd come in handy some day! (See? Things like that don't exactly help me "let go" of stuff ...)
LOL!!! My table is NEVER this tidy!!!
Seriously. These photos are all just smoke & mirrors, people. That bare spot on the table against the wall? It's usually always buried under a mountain of scraps from the last 2-3 projects, bits of things in progress, bits of things I haven't started yet ... I'm constantly giving my table a police pat-down looking for my rulers & rotary cutter when I sew!
(The bench is ALSO from Barb.)
And my Pfaff.
She makes me look good!
I always have my little thread snips and a 6" ruler right there ... love those snips. The third most used tool is my seam ripper. But I keep her - and her twin sister - in my machine's toolbox.
But back to the part about this view not existing.
Sadly, the shelf is shamefully used as a clutter depot. You know ... fabric scraps, receipts, children's art, mail, children's broken jewelry, orphaned buttons, bobbins, my growing stack of Farmer's Wife blocks ...
Ha! You know what? It just occurred to me that if I can share my colonoscopy story on the internet, a little cluttered shelf shouldn't make me blush! LOL! Here's what it REALLY looks like ...
Please don't judge.
(You can find the previous posts about this makeover here.)
My Sewing Room 
Reader Comments (27)
This is what you call a clutte depot? Girl, you don't wanna see my room;-) And why I'm not suprised that you have a pink sewing machine? BTW my Pfaff is a 1027 (yes, she's old;-) and I named her Camille Kristyne (but not because she's old but because I like her;-)
Hildy
Clutter is a good thing in a sewing or craft room! Then you know it is used :-) i only tidy up mine when someone needs to use the studio couch for a visit. I too put a pretty chandalier in my studio, after all it is my room.
Good grief, that shelf is not even close to being cluttered! It will be cluttered when you can't stack one more thing on it and the mirror is covered!!
You have such a pretty sewing room, just what I expected :)
HAHA! I love this post. I love that you always keep it real and bring us back to reality. Altho-your 'messy' sewing room is not bad at all! The beauty of it outweighs the 'mess'. Besides, a sewing room should be functional. If it was ready to be photographed at any given moment of any day for a magazine, THEN we should all be scared. :)
Honey, your scraps are prettier than my finished pieces. You got nothing to be ashamed of.
Even your clutter is pretty! :)
S x
Not sure that counts as clutter - you can still see the shelf!!! Love the ribbon above the mirror - fits perfectly with the room! As does the chandelier!!
You're so funny! That's a gorgeous shelf, not a cluttered shelf. (Now picture Jack Nicholson's voice (you want the truth? you can't handle the truth!)) You want a cluttered shelf??? You can't handle a cluttered shelf LOL!
I love that you give your workbench a police patdown. I frequently do that also, but now I'm going to enjoy it a lot more! XO
I wish my clutter stacks looked so tidy! Seriously, I wish...
Thanks for sharing the table shot....i'm really thinking about giving it a try...AFTER i finish this bday present i'm making for a bday party this SATURDAY! Yikes! Gotta run.
no judging here!!! your room is gorgeously delicious! trust me, i get disgracefully messy too. ;)
p.s.
love love love the FW blocks!!! always perfect. :)
Hi. Your quilting/sewing room is beautiful!! I only wish mine was half as lovely. I just happened upon your blog and it's amazing. Gorgeous pics and I 'm going back in your blog to see the other beautiful projects you've made. I too purchased Camille's book and can't wait to make one of the quilts. I've only been quilting for a few years but I'm hooked and the fabric stash is growing. Yikes!! Oh well...we need to do what makes us happy. Your blog makes me happy. Thanks for the beautiful projects.
Even your clutter is pretty!!!! I love it! There is no way to be creative without stuff around! And my goodness - this is not a mess! (come over for tea, I will show you a MESS! LOL) You share such beautiful work and inspire me so much! I loved the tour and I need, er, WANT a chandelier, too! Love it! I really LOVE that stack of FW blocks - serious quilt envy here! I cannot wait to see your quilt all together!!! I love your Pfaff, too. I have one that is over 25 years old, I think. It is a Pfaff Creative 1471 and it has been a work horse for me. If I ever get a new one, I am still going to keep this one - it has been so faithful! I love that you do machine quilting on it - gives me hope that I might be able to some day do that on my Pfaff, too! I'm just still scared to get started... BUT Project Simplify really gave me lots of inspiration and one of these days I will dive in like you did! You are my hero!
I love the reflection in the mirror of all the beautiful neatly stacked fabric set against the cluttered shelf. And I love the fact that you are secretly messy like everyone of us. :)
Ha! Just did that "police pat down" thing yesterday looking for my ruler and rotary cutter which had mysteriously disappeared in my "spotless space"!! I would love to only be as "cluttered" as you...your space is beautiful.
How beautiful!!! Funny I don't see any clutter. ;-> Toni Anne
I'm jealous! My clutter/sewing room doesn't look this good (or tidy!).
I'm with Lisa!!! And....I think you staged that "messy shelf" picture. HAHA!!!
We are all messy when creating. Every 3-4 quilts/projects I try to tidy up a bit 'cause it makes me crazy when I can't find things in my mess. I think your room is very pretty, clutter and all.
Oh the stories I could tell you about my sewing room. It was originally built to house the previous owners gem and mineral needs. It has two counters and a sink. What is a good quilter supposed to do with a sink??? Why I store fabric in it of course! Love your space and I can see why your work is some of the nicest out there. You have a wonderful creative space and therefore, wonderful things come out of it.
You just described my sewing table and shelf to a "T"! The left side of my sewing table is the leaning tower of projects with cluttered shelves just above my sewing machine. My philosophy is the more clutter, the more artistic! Love your style, clutter and all :)
Clutter = I think you need some clutter tutorials. The room looks like a princess's paradise. Thanks for all your designs I have just come to your site and love the FW's blocks, looking forward to the future, Susan
No judging here. Actually I pulled three photos off your blog (including "messy" shelf) because I found something inspiring for my sewing room! So see, there is beauty in everything...even a little mess (which seriously is not a mess at all) and now that this is the longest run-on sentence ever, I think I'll go. Thanks for the photos!
I wanted to take time to say how much I love your blog! I've come across it about a month ago, and I've been coming in everyday to see if you wrote something new;)
What you are making is absolutely delightful and gorgeous and you made me want to go back to more fancy hand embroidery (beside backstich lol)!
thank you so much for the inspiration and the eye candies I find every time here!
It looks fantastic! It must feel good to get it organized. We quilters all have clutter, of the best sort. I love my fabric clutter!
I love the bow above the mirror - so pretty. And I agree with you - I wouldn't get the sugar bowl re-glued professionally - the memories are far more precious. Your sewing room looks very pretty and appears to have great light. Lucky you!
I loooove it! yippeee for ribbon above the mirror (and thanks for the shout-out!!). I adore that chandelier. I am going to have to check out that Honey B's site. I know you said the store is closed, but I'll have to take a closer look at her website =)