Studio Tour

Mad About Patchwork is hosting a Canadian summer of studio tours, and it's been really interesting seeing the spaces used by bloggers I follow.  I've uploaded my pics to their flickr groups, so as to be eligible for their contest, but thought I'd give you a peek too.

The contest ran all summer, but it took me this long to take pictures, because I had to clean it up a bit first!

My studio is in the basement of our house.  We finished the basement ourselves, about 15 years ago, and I marked out the space that I thought I would need.  Ha!  I realize now that I could have used twice that much space.  However, I have to admit that it is lovely having my own studio, and being able to leave everything out, ready for any brief time period when I feel like sewing.

The first photo is looking in the door.



I've got a tiny basement window, with a window-well outside, so there is no view at all.  I made that little ruffle curtain when I first set up the room.

Over to the left is my design wall.  You can see an oak board up top, and if you look close, you can see a couple clamps.  Mr. CQ2 made that for me as a quilt hanger.  I soon realized, though, that I needed the design wall there all the time.  It is actually just a large flannel backed table pad, and it works wonderfully.  The blocks on there are Carolyn Friedlander's Sunrise pattern - which will become a baby quilt.

This photo is from the opposite corner - you can just see the doorway on the left.



My woodworking former brother in law made me the hutch on the right when I graduated from university thirty years ago.  The one on the left was store bought.  Both are stuffed FULL of fabric in the bottom halves.  The tops contain thread, some more fabrics, small tools and some cute things I've collected over the years - including this:



This was the cutest little quilt shop - painted on a rock, by a woman in Pictou Nova Scotia.  She had an entire village that she had created and that was for sale, but I just had to have the quilt shop.  You may not be able to read it - it says "Quilt Around the Block", then below "Quilt Class Tues 10 - 2"

One last view of the studio



A better look at my combination cutting / sewing table.  Between the table lamp and the ceiling light, it is very bright, even though it's in the basement.  (And, even though the basement can be cool in the winter, it warms right up, as soon as I turn on my iron!)

I bought a great chair from an office furniture store.  I was used, so the price wasn't bad, and it's completely adjustable, and very sturdy.  I'm so glad to have a well made chair!  The bookshelf was made by Mr. CQ2, and he did a very nice job.  The rainbow on the wall was a latch-hook kit from, oh, about 1980!  I've got a couple small wall quilts and a white board that are waiting to be hung - we took them down when we painted the room last winter.

So, that's my little studio.  It's small, but holds everything I need!