A Small, but Mighty, Sewing Studio

Today's prompt for the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge hosted by Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com is sewing space.

I have never used the words, small, but mighty to describe anything in my life except my current sewing space.  In 2012 my husband and I downsized our home.  It was a smart move since all of the boys had left home.  This also meant that I left behind a very large and much loved sewing studio.

So I have had to make some choices about what I want to focus on, and what I really love to work with to keep my creativity within its boundaries.  I remember Alex Anderson discussing her decision not to build a larger sewing studio.  She reasoned that a larger addition/studio would raise her taxes, so there was the financial aspect.  She also knew that her current space was working, but it probably just needed to be decluttered.  That helped me to focus on what I really love to work with in my studio and to let go of the other stuff.

In addition Cheryl Sleboda also hosts a Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop.  This has encouraged me to dig deeper into my space and find forgotten things to work with and remove unnecessary items.

I have discovered that I am in love with sewing machines of all kinds.  I just wish they didn't need so much space.  I am also a “tool gal”, having the right tool for the right job makes a world of difference.  But I have discovered that no matter what size you have to work in, you can still be creative and make wonderful things!

Now I need to clean up some creative clutter in my studio!

Welcome to the 5th Annual Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop 2019!

Hello and Welcome to my creative corner of the web.  I want to start by thanking Cheryl Sleboda of www.Muppin.com and www.SewMuchCosplay.com for hosting this blog hop as it was just the motivation that I needed to finish this project.

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My name is Linda and I love all things sewing and quilting. While my roots are in traditional quilting, I love to create art quilts and add a bit of mixed media to each piece. I also teach workshops and create patterns to help others develop their sewing and quilting skills.

This is a small sample of some of my mixed media art quilts

This is my whole cloth quilt, My Fantasy Garden by Linda Bratten

This is one of my Sew Very Sketchy pattern line that teaches others to create with mixed media.

I live in Central Missouri, USA, in a small home on 15 acres.  Shortly after our sons left home, my husband and I decided to downsize and relocate to a rural setting.  However, that meant that I lost my extra large sewing studio and a large basement for storing my "material passion". Living in the country also means that it is a 45 minute drive to the nearest town with a fabric/craft store.

My humble abode.

We live at the end of the road that the locals call, "Friendship Bottoms".

While I have had both a large studio and a small studio, I have learned that I have the tendency to fill them accordingly.  Thus it is best to keep the area small and manageable.

My ironing station.

 I am fortunate to have great machines to work with and large cutting and ironing workstations.  This combination means there is little floor space in my studio, and I personally cannot grow any wider or I will not be able to maneuver around the room!

So to get started, here are my "before" photos of the areas I needed to work on.

Poor Jane is a collector of sewing notions and other mixed media products.

A drawer in serious need of help.

While I enjoy not having as much over all to maintain daily, it is sometimes a struggle to keep the clutter cleared.  Also finding appropriate storage for all my different interests (translated all my mixed media supplies) can be challenging.  Then there is the fact that not only am I busy as the solo-preneur of Linda Bratten Creations with a busy teaching and designing schedule, I also help my family run a local furniture and mattress business. This means that some weeks I catch myself coming and going, with a bad habit of leaving piles of projects on my workspaces.

That being said, I was able to participate in the Spring Clean Your Studio last year.  That helped me to implement some basic habits to keep my work surfaces clean.  This year's call to participate came when I was actually in the middle of decluttering my studio storage.  So I will share with you some of the things that I believe will help me to maintain a more functional studio.

I had a ton of mixed media products in excessive, un-stackable packaging.

Getting rid of the packaging made storage of the products easier.

One of the things that I did this year was to remove packaging.  As a teacher when I share a product that I love to use, I show the package it came in so my students know exactly what they are looking for. I decided that a photo of the package is easier to store.  After removing several bags of recyclables and trash from my studio, my drawers now shut and my shelves hold my favorite supplies and they are easily accessible.  During this portion I also checked to make sure products were still useable for their intended purpose.

I also discovered that I must have an unusual desire to collect notebooks and journals.  So I donated and shared my abundance in this area with others. It was probably a great help for me to be aware of this tendency, especially when tempted in the stationary aisle.

So drawers that looked like this.

Were sorted into functional storage areas.

With large identifiable labels.

I also used my time to sort through what products and parts (many used to create purses and bags) are needed and grouped like items together.  I now have a central location for purse hardware, buttons, ribbons, paints, stencils, etc.  This should cut down on the time I used to spend looking for needed items, and should give me more creative time and less stress.

Small stackable totes contain UFO's and Class Samples.

More half finished Class Samples contained in gallon storage bags.

I also corralled all my UFO's and half finished class samples into plastic gallon bags and totes, labeling them and setting them aside.  My next plan of attack is to decide what I really want to finish, and what needs to be passed on.

These are my Class Content Binders, Samples, and the top of my desk.

The remaining binders, books, and samples

Finally, a place to plan!

Finally, last year I commented that I needed to go through my 3-Ring notebooks full of classes, patterns and content and purge what is not necessary for me to keep.  I am proud to say, that it has been accomplished and I believe I now have 8 empty binders!  This was probably the most difficult to purge because of all the blood, sweat and years it took to create some of the pieces.

Last year when I shared photos, someone mentioned that the studio looked dark.  So I did change some light bulbs to LED bulbs with more watts, and added some more workspace lighting.

Jane with my Shashkio Machine behind her.

My Singer 401A

I should also perhaps reassess the number of machines that I have available. I do use them for different purposes and they help me to accomplish my work so for now I will keep them.

Thread and Specialty Thread Storage

My large cutting station

Storage at the end of the cutting station, on top my serger and other sewing machine.

Two dressers placed back to back form my cutting station, the drawers were purged and organized!

It is still a small space loaded with supplies.  Having the items that I love to use available without having to make the long drive into town is the trade off.  It allows me to continue to be creative and share my love of sewing and quilting with others, and that brings me joy!

I do write a free monthly newsletter and host a companion Facebook Group, Linda B Creative where I share projects and tutorials.  I would love to have you join in the fun.  You can subscribe via my website:  www.LindaBrattenCreations.com.

Be sure to ask to join my Facebook Group, Linda B Creative!

You can sign up for my newsletter on my website.

I do fantasize on what a dream studio would look like.  I then post them to my Pinterest board, Sew Organized.

Look for my Pinterest Board, Sew Organized for inspiration!

If there are others of you who create in small spaces I would love to see how you manage it.  Please leave a comment or a photo below, you may inspire me to new methods!

Be sure to check out the others participating in this Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop 2019 #springcleanyourstudio2019

April 29 - Linda Bratten - http://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
April 30 - Sandra Johnson - http://www.sandrajohnsondesigns.com
May 1 - Jennifer Schifano Thomas - http://www.Curlicuecreations.com
May 2 - Becca Fenstermaker - http://www.prettypiney.com
May 3 - Sue Griffiths - http://www.duckcreekmountainquilting.com
May 4 - Kate Starcher - http://katiemaequilts.com/blog
May 5 - Jo Westfoot - http://www.thecraftynomad.co.uk/blog
May 6 - Sam Hunter - http://www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 7 - Simone Fisher - http://simonequilts.com/blogs/news
May 8 - Elisabeth DeMoo- http://www.brownbirddesignsquilts.com
May 9 - Sarah Myers -  http://www.quilted-diary.com/blog
May 10 - Amy Bradley - http://www.purplepineapplestudio.com
May 11 - Kathy Nutley - http://www.QuiltingsByKathy.com
May 12 - Carla Henton - http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com/
May 13 - Sherry Shish - http://www.poweredbyquilting.com
May 14 - Kate Colleran - http://www.seamslikeadream.com/blog
May 15 - Pamela Boatright - https://www.pamelaquilts.com/
May 16 - Cathy McKillip - http://wishuponaquilt.com/blog
May 17 - Cheryl Sleboda - http://blog.muppin.com

Thanks for visiting my small corner of the world, and may you always be inspired.

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop 2018

I am excited to be a part of this great opportunity to get my studio back in shape after a fun filled first quarter of 2018.  A special thank you to Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com for arranging and organizing this event.  I really need some motivation and a deadline to bring some order to my creative chaos.

First let me introduce myself, I am Linda Bratten.  I am a quilt artist, instructor and pattern designer through my company, www.LindaBrattenCreations.com.  

My husband and I did a dramatic downsizing in our living space after the boys left home, so we could pursue our own interests.  I now face a huge downsizing dilemma, now that my sewing studio is smaller by half, what should I keep and what should I get rid of?  I should also mention that the past 10 years of teaching both nationally, locally and online has created a love of a variety of sewing machines and tools to get the best results, not to mention a fabric collection that I may never sew through.  However the storing of said items has presented its own problems, especially when the studio is relatively small.

So I created a list of things that I would love to get done by the deadline.

If you have ever had a small living/studio area you recognize that you can make a mess by leaving out a project. So now imagine creating three new patterns, organizing and presenting two guild programs, conducting an all day workshop, and maintaining my monthly teaching opportunities at a local quilt shop, all of which started the first week of January and ended on the last week in March!

I admit I am guilty of creating piles, and jumping to the next project to keep things moving.  I kept promising myself and the studio that I would get to it later, but it seems that "later" never comes without a deadline.  So here is what my work areas looked like before I dove in.

Piles of fabric and projects on my ironing station.

Threads piled high on my cutting station.

Inspiration Board Overload...

Finally, no place to sew at my sewing station.

Because of limited floor space, I have to used vertical space to store things,  and unfortunately there is not a closet door that I can shut to hide it. This may seem claustrophobic for some, but it is a sacrifice that I accepted when we downsized.  To get me started and to find a project that I could accomplish before the deadline, I started with my inspiration boards.

It is amazing what one finds when you go through several years of inspiring items.  I use these boards as inspiration, pattern planning, and part memory boards to keep me inspired.  Once the big clutter is gone/filed away they are surprisingly fun to look at!

Next I tackled the thread mess.  I took this opportunity to sort and reduce my thread supply.  I had just finished a thread sketching/painting workshop and so many of my threads were pulled out.

I reduced my thread boxes by half and was able to fit them on the shelving again!

Next I tackled the ironing station.  I took the sewing projects and sorted them into project bags and baskets that would keep items needed to finish them together.  Now to just find the time to get them finished.  Then I folded and sorted the fabric in piles.  I store my fabric in big totes in the garage based on fabric type and color.  Obviously there is no room for them in the studio.

This is the ironing station that my husband created for me.  He put a dresser on wheels and attached a large padded surface for me to iron on. I keep a piece of 100% cotton fabric on top of the padded surface.  The fabric protects the padded surface from spray starch products and fusible web.  When needed I wash or replace the fabric to keep it clean.  It is much easier than recovering the padded surface. I use a small basket to hold starch, pressing cloths, water bottles, and measuring tools that I use frequently.  The canvas container is holding camera equipment for when I film techniques or go "Live" in the Linda B Creative Facebook Group.

Next I straightened out the cutting area.  There was not much left once the thread was put away.  This is a huge cutting area given the amount of space that I have.  I absolutely love my large cutting table as I can easily cut out a dress pattern with a rotary cutter on it. As mentioned earlier, my last sewing studio spoiled me and I had some things I did not want to give up, this being one of them.

As of now  my embroidery machine shares one end of the table.  They play nice together and I move the embroidery machine when I need the full table.  The other end of the table is a piece of plywood with magnetic tool holders.  This helps me to keep the cutting area clear of my small tools and is backed with a small chest of drawers that holds patterns and sewing notions.  Several of my sewing machines are stored on top of this and another chest in the room.

Finally it was the sewing stations themselves that needed to be tackled.  Much just need to be stored in the proper place, perhaps a sign of an overbooked business owner.  Having the other areas cleaned motivated me to continue on until the space was usable again. I like to keep my machines covered to protect them from fading and dust.

This is my favorite sewing area.

The curtained book shelf on top the sewing station contains lots of my mixed media products that I like to use on my sewing and quilting projects.  And yes that is another machine behind the main machine.  It is a Sashiko machine and I trade them out as needed.  Believe it or not there is a second sewing area in the studio.

It is smaller and so I use it to piece tops and for small sewing projects.  This is where I like to use my serger so I keep my serger feet sorted in shoe storage pockets that hangs on the wall in this area.

If you looked carefully at my list, you probably noticed that I didn't get the walls painted behind the ironing station, nor did I get 10 years of content and patterns sorted.

It may take another deadline to get through it all.  However, I am inspired when I go into the studio now, and I cannot wait to see what I create next!

 Please check out my website www.LindaBrattenCreations.com.  There you can sign up for my free monthly newsletter, Linda B Creative and be sure to join my Facebook Group, Linda B Creative, where I share patterns, tips and techniques to inspire your creativity.

Also, be sure to hop on over and check the other creative individuals that are participating in the Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop 2018!

April 23 – Lori Crawley Kennedy – http://theinboxjaunt.com/
April 24 – Jennifer Thomas – http://curlicuecreations.blogspot.com
April 25 – Robin Koehler – http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
April 26 – Andi Barney- https://www.andibarney.com/
April 27 – Misty Cole – http://www.mistycole.com/blog
April 28 – Carolina Moore- http://alwaysexpectmoore.com/
April 29 – Heather Pregger – https://heatherquilts.blogspot.com/
April 30 – Linda Bratten – https://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
May 1 – Lisa Reber – dippydye.blogspot.com/
May 2 – Teresa Coates – http://www.crinkledreams.com
May 3 – Lisa Chin – http://www.lisachinartist.com/
May 4 – Jamie Fingal – http://www.jamiefingaldesigns.com/
May 5 – Sam Hunter – www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 6 – Jessee Maloney – www.artschooldropout.net/blog
May 7 – Randa Parrish – http://www.sewartsyfartsy.com/
May 8 – Sarah Vedeler- https://meaningoflifedesigns.com/
May 9 – Jessica Darling – https://jessicakdarling.com/
May 10 – Melody Crust – http://www.melodycrust.com/
May 11 – Debby Brown – http://higheredhands.blogspot.com
May 12 – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com

Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave a comment about what you liked in my sewing studio!-Linda