Tuesday, April 07, 2009

showing my creative space[s] part 2

The architect thought that this part of my house was the living room [ or lounge as we know them here in OZ ]
silly man
wrong! wrong! wrongitty, wrong!
this is my space ...
it functions as sewing room, quilt studio, classroom, and is also my main place for playing with paint and paper

the pros:
it's a good size
it's central to everywhere else in the house
it's adequately lit for most of the time
there's adequate shelving for quilt books and WIPs
and I was just able to fit in the three 4' x 4' tables from my previous studio. These were built by my late hubby and are so solid that you could set off a medium sized thermonuclear device under them and no one would notice.
I've got them arranged in a T shape with sewing machines on one [ ironing board against one side], paint and paper on one, and fabric cutting on the third. All this can be easily rearranged if needed for classes or parties.
You may have noticed that the machines and iron are unplugged and the cords are up on the table tops - I have a small canine companion who has been known to chew through cords when they are left unattended and after he did it to my lovely new Pfaff, it was either dawg-skin cap or learn to keep them out of his way.
Anyway, moving on ...
the other strength of this space? ... it's next to my main stash - which you will probably see tomorrow
there's room for a couple of couches and my spinning wheel at one end, with plenty of natural light and a gorgeous view - this is the bit that the architect fondly imagined was a dining room, bless 'im.

the cons, such as they are:
My front door [ as you can see in the photo above ] opens right into the middle of it - no entry way, just step straight in. I'm used to it now, and I have two front doors anyway, because the kitchen faces the view, which is to the front, so most people just keep on walking and come in through that door.
It has carpet - which I hate, both in a general sense and specifically. I don't care for carpet in a studio that's likely to have both paint and pins on the floor, and I especially hate THIS carpet - which the current " economic downturn" dictates I can't replace... even if I had a clear idea of what to replace it with, which I don't.

and the biggy?
No heating or cooling - that's at the end of the house that I showed you yesterday, which is probably why the rumpus room with its wood fire is the preferred place for knitting on a cool autumn evening like this one.
Still I think you'll agree that the pros far outweigh the cons, and who knows? maybe one day I will get A/C down that end.
Hey!
A girl can dream!

8 comments:

Tara said...

ooooh. New quilt on the WIP Wall since I last visited. Lovely!

catsmum said...

I'm cheating - that's a finished one that I just don't have anywhere to hang up here and I wanted to see it out for a while.

Lindi said...

I think I recognise that quilt from a post way back...
Anyway,
your creative space is fabulous! and who cares if people do come to the front door. They're either strangers who don't matter, or they're friends who are probably more interested in what's going on there, than in an orderly conventional room!

Donna Lee said...

My grandmother kept the front door locked. Only strangers came to that door. Anyone who knew her, knew to come to the kitchen door in the back.

My spinning wheel is in front of a large window. I like to watch the world go by while I spin.

Alwen said...

It looks beautiful. And very creative!

Anonymous said...

OOOOhhhh

YOu lucky duck to have such a lovely studio...

Cate Lawrence said...

Beautiful! I'd love that much space :-)

Liz said...

What a wonderful creative space, I'd give a lot to have that much room. No one comes to my front door either, I forget we have one most of the time! Lizzie