TGIFF: my sewing space & a quilty can cover

7:00:00 AM

I finally finished re-organizing and tidying my sewing space. A room almost 3 years in the making.


My mum was here for the month of March which started all of the spring cleaning in the area; she's a bit of a nutcase (in a good way!) about organizing and neatness so I most definitely took her up on her offer to help.

I quilt in the basement of our 1887 Victorian rental. It's so cold in the winter (it's not heated) that we have to keep the water running for days on end to keep the pipes from freezing; it floods when we get the Chicago torrential down pours; the lighting is poor (I have one little window in the space at ground level). I wish I could paint the walls a bright white - I think it would help a bit but because we rent, we can't paint. C'est la vie. 

So I make the best of it! Something about "life" and "lemons"? 

Without further adieu, here's my little space. I tried to link to as many products as I could remember, but if you have any questions about anything, let me know :)

My "Chicago {by train}" quilt greets me every time I walk into the space:
hallway entrance to my basement sewing room
my "Chicago {by train}" quilt greets me every time I get my quilt on!
the far wall is my design wall
That gorgeous blue cutting mat on the table is from June Tailor.

Note the oil heater by my desk >chuckles<. It's May, but it's still freezing in the basement.

yikes - don't mind the oil heater. Yes, it's May. Yes, it's still freaking cold in my basement.
Blue cutting mat is June Tailor's 23" x 35" gridded rotary cutting mat.
Light is Stella Edge Clamp Lamp

June Tailor Quilter's Cut'n Pressstationed to the right of my machine.
Stella Edge Clamp Lamp
wrapping around my machine like a friendly hug :)
Machine cover {pattern here} by moi
Pink Double Sided Rotary Cutting Mat by Havel's Sewing
Pin cushion is "as old as the hills", as my mum would say - it was her's - silk with little Asian figures running along the edge
Don't mind the Tim Horton's coffee tin holding my pens and fabric pencils - see below - I jazzed the tin up

These were two *very* ugly bookcases we picked up second hand and repainted.
Solids are Konas.
Note "Bessy" on the bottom shelf of the right bookcase.
Storage shelves from IKEA, installed by myself using power tools (RAWR!)

TIP: cheap plastic bins from the dollar store, color coded with a swatch of one of your fabric fabrics taped to the front with packing tape make AWESOME scrap bins!
TIP: keep your scrap bins on your table while you're cutting your fabrics, and toss the scraps straight into the bins as you cut!

my mum spent hours folding each fat quarter perfectly while she was visiting. Gorgeous, gorgeous eye candy.

my first little monkey keeping an eye on me while I sew

this was my mum's idea: a left over piece of doweling with two picture hooks on the end, and left over curtain clips (Ikea: RIKTIG) to hang my zippers from. Cool and eye-catching :)

over the last couple of years I've bought two June Tailor spool racks, drilled holes through the top rails and mounted them on the wall (they do have legs that pop out for setting up on a table, I just don't have the table space right now)

these baskets are one of my favorite organization tools. I picked them up at Ikea, but for the life of me I can't find them on their site. I think they were in the Bathroom section?
one for paperwork, one for small rulers and templates, one for rotary cutters, one for big spools

A view of my little pressing nook.
I hung some cheap IKEA shelves we've had for years, and stuck some hooks on the underside for my shears & scissors.
The light over the pressing board is from IKEA, too (NOT, $11.99)
The cover for my sewing machine is a tutorial, by me, link HERE
You can see my Stella Edge Clamp lamp light peaking around my sewing machine

I really like this NOT light; the pressing corner is dark, so this really brightens it up. The bulbs are LED, so they don't generate any heat.

I store most of my patterns and yardage, and Etsy designated stuff, in these SAMLA storage bins.
I like the fact they're clear - I can kind of see at a glance what I've got in them.
I use an old scrapbooking case (on top) for my current block projects

a birthday pressie from my mum: my cool button rugs, Ikea TÅSTRUP.
my feet are a little warmer now with these rugs underfoot!

I stuck all of my unruly cords and the extension cable in this handy cord-management box (KVISSLE: Ikea)
Also a cheapie garbage can (FNISS, Ikea, $1.50) under my table, my ironing board, and under the cutting table
And a quilty TGIFF today, in case the TGIFF police are around ;) an appliqued hexie quilty can cover for all of my pens and fabric pencils/markers :)
inside the drawer beside my sewing machine - a utensil tray for my cutting/sewing supplies
SMÄCKER Flatware Tray - $0.99
June Tailor rotary cutter


"Hi everybody!!"
Baby Ewan likes my space, too :)
Linking up to M-R at Quilt Matters today for TGIFF today!! Yippee!!

this post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com.

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15 comments

  1. lucky you! you have such beautiful space to sew! love the zip organization!

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  2. It looks awesome, Erin. It looks so neat and tidy too.

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  3. It looks great! I must do some DIY in my sewing room too. I love the idea of the zipper hanger, so clever!

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  4. What a great room! I'd brave the cold to sew there ;)

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  5. Your room looks great! Our house was built in 1899 and has such a short basement that I am the only one that can stand up in it- hub and 6 foot tall daughter can't LOL. You are making the most out of what you have! And I know what you mean about a cold house, in our daughter's bedroom upstairs- she has the exact same heater as you do.

    Your Chicago by Train quilt is very cool- we visited Chicago in March of last year, not sure being there for the St. Patrick's day was the best idea- way more tourists than usual I bet, but we did get to see the green river!

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  6. great space, but the best part is in that last photo!!!!

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  7. Love it! The zipper idea is awesome, tell your mom I said so ;) Great TGIFF finish and I have to get a pink cutting mat.

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  8. I wanna come sew with you and play with the baby! The best of both worlds!

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  9. What a wonderful space and so much room to move. My sewing space is getting rather overrun with fabric so I have to get sewing...

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  10. Love your space. Do you think your mom wants to come visit me and help finalize the organization in my space.

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  11. such great organisation, you can see whatever you are looking for at a glance, most of my stuff is in drawers etc, but concerned about the flooding though, does it happen often, surely not with the electric wires etc and would hate to think things would get ruined by water. Your little one looks so at home on the quilt

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  12. LOL! Good thing you had that hexie can cover there, Erin. Although I think getting a sewing room up and going is a huge finish in itself! Great job!

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  13. Your quilty space looks fantastic! Love that light that hugs your machine!

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  14. I love your sewing space! You have such great organization ideas! I don't have a dedicated space yet, but I'm definitely keeping yours in mind for inspiration when I do!

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  15. There are so many things I love about this space, despite the fact that it's cold for you. LOVE the Chicago train quilt. That's genius (and I recognized it right away since I'm also a Chicago girl). I also love the Ikea button rug. I've not seen it before and I'm at Ikea all the time (we have nearby where we live in Orlando). My sewing studio has wall-to-wall carpeting but I still want it!

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