Sew Much to do Sew Little Time!

Hello!

I hope this Fall weekend is bringing you joy. I only wish there was a magic wand that I could wave to extend this fab weather and number of hours in a day. Just don't seem to have enough hours to do all that I wish to do...same old story...same old results. I start a bazillion projects and eventually get to them, but I will say, it makes life fun and interesting!

And speaking of fun, I had a very fun day earlier this week where in the mail I received my issue of Where Women Create.

How exciting to discover that my photography appeared on the cover! What an honor for my work to be placed in such a wonderful position. 

If you remember a few posts back, I did a remake of my dining area into a sewing area, which could easily be turned by into my dining area, via furniture on wheels (metal furniture by Create-ologie. Shop their store HERE and save 10% off your purchase by typing in "Elizabeth Maxson" at checkout).

What a thrill to see that Where Women Create did a 10-page spread of my little project in their current issue. Below are a few images that did not get published, as well as some that I posted prior, but I thought I would share them with you all the same:

Found these fab lights at World Market. They screw on (like a little clamp) to the edge of the table which allows more table top space.

This corset comes in handy, as I sometimes slip a small pillow between it and the back for extra cushioning when I need it.

My silver goblets, doubling as trim holder. Just wrap and hang on the iron glass rack that I am using...easy!

My favorite stash and oldest textiles. I love looking at it, and yes, I have taken scissors to several pieces already....

And then my little dining area, which I am happy to have, but to be honest, haven't used (in this state) since the publication. We have a little back room with a table that we eat at at times, but with my sewing, well, let's just say I am happy to have PHOTOS of what it could look like! Ha-ha. 

(Hey, I'm not going to lie to my readers and tell you how many fab dinner parties I've had...but it IS nice to know they are still possible....)

This is set up for a soup party. Hot (and cold) soups will go into the ironstone pitchers, hot bread on the cutting board, and butter on the ironstone butter pats with a silver spreader.

Just had to do an old timey looking photo:

Here a few of the projects I have been working on:

Dying fabrics and lace:

Repurposing an old linen jacket...

Making little fabric roses from scraps:

Taking yucky, but comfy shoes and adding my own touch:

Needless to say, I have been experiementing. And my poor little area, while somewhat "organized" is actually more like chaos with purpose. But that's okay. I love learning and doing, and having a little space to make my mess makes all of my not-so-great experiments seem a little "whimsical." (That's my new word for experiments that turn out like crap - whimsical).

Next time, I will share my projects in more detail....for those who are curious about how exactly any of them turned out. 

I am curious too.

from my house to your house,

New Space, New Passion, with a Little ROLL Playing...

For those of you who emailed me or left comments, wanting to see the result of my sewing project that I started a couple of months ago...well today is the day. The "project" was more about creating a new sewing space than   actual sewing itself.

Like so many other creative spirits, my creative mind wanders much wider than my narrow abode can handle. After a long rehabilitation of knee surgery last November, I decided to take up my very long lost hobby of sewing. I can rest my knee, while trying to relearn skills that I haven’t used in 30 years! It wasn't long before I realized that sewing took up quite a bit more space than my writing and photography career.

I also realized that I liked having all my textile goodies within sight and my reach while designing my projects. However,  the more I dug them out, the more I took note that I had no place for them all: Scrap materials, threads, buttons, trims, vintage lace, tablecloths, yardage, and bolts of fabric from all those years of designing for my clients and from my travels. 

You may remember a few posts back my starting a project? You can read about that adventure here called  "It was a Crime of Passion."

My sewing projects quickly turned into treasure hunting as I rediscovered my textile stash that had been packed away in plastic bins that now took claim of my living room. I spent more time searching and less time sewing and pooped out before my projects really ever got started!

After weeks of this material mania mess, I decided that our tiny “dining area” was going to be my new sewing area. But my big dilemma was how to turn that area into something I wouldn’t mind looking at everyday, not have it look like a “craft room,” while not losing my only dining area since I do enjoy cooking and entertaining guests. That is a large order to ask of a tiny space.

Right smack in the middle of my remodeling brainchild, I got a wonderful email from my good friend, and creator-of-all-things-good, Jo Packham. Jo Packham from Where Women Create has partnered up with Create-ologie.com and gave me the opportunity to review some items that I think my readers would love. Knowing my creative and talented readers, I felt this would be a perfect time to share some of Create-ologie's items with my readers, who will undoubtedly be as thrilled with the selection as I was! 

I also have a special coupon just for you! Save 10% off your entire order by entering "Elizabeth Maxson" at the checkout on create-ologie.com.   

And so I am going to share with you  a peek of what I found. I was thrilled that I discovered two perfect Create-ologie pieces for my sewing/dining room dilemma: Rolling furniture! They are great assets for my sewing needs and I could easily roll them out of the room when I wanted to entertain! 

I always loved the industrial look and I found this industrial console table on wheels as the perfect extra worktop space I need while providing extra storage underneath. 

When I am wrap up a day of sewing, I simply put my project underneath and cover the table with my antique grain sacks! 

The matching industrial shelving unit also on wheels is the perfect size for my yardage and I can roll it next to me while sewing. I love the way my textiles look on it and it fits in perfectly with my decor. 

While perusing Create-ologie.com, I also stumbled upon this great glass/bottle drying rack I am using to hold all of my trims! What a perfect solution for my need to see my stash and have it near me while I designed my projects. It turned out so beautiful, I keep it in the room all the time. 

I needed some of the  shelving in my china hutch for sewing items, so out came my silver goblets to make room, and onto the drying rack they went with their stems wrapped with my trims. Triple bonus! I get to admire my goblets, they hold my trims, and and now I have more space in the hutch for more sewing goodies. 

When I am in the mood to entertain, it takes no more than ten minutes (yes, I timed it to see), to toss my sewing items on the console table, roll it into another room along with my matching rolling metal shelf, toss a cover over the table, pull up some chairs, set the once sewing/now dining table, cook some fab food and wait for friends to arrive for a tasty meal. For bigger gatherings, I am thinking the console table would make a fun buffet server, rolled to the side.

I’ve been showing you just “sneak peek” shots of my space... are you now ready to see how the whole room turned out? 

Like I said, I needed a real sewing space that I can live with daily, but do real work in, but still have a place to dine and entertain:

So, when I my tidy up my sewing area, it looks like this:

And when I am happily playing with projects, it looks like this:

And within only ten minutes, I can turn it back to a dining area like this:

What freedom to have a creative corner to really play in, mess up, and have all my sewing stash within an arm’s length away. Yet, it cleans up quickly, blends in as an extension of my living room and not as an interruption to our daily living. I found a lot of practical and creative ways to store a lot of sewing items that are right in the room, out of the way, and look as though they are just part of the decor. 

I will share how I did this with many more tips and lots more photos of my creative storage areas in an upcoming issue of Where Women Create, which I will show... 

Tips on my practical storage ideas...

Show you how to use what you already have:

And how you can recreate what you have into something new:

And...

There is a whole part of the room that I haven't even shown you one bit of, but it will be in Where Women Create. Here is a sneak peek of that recreated area:

It gives me great pleasure to have a creative sewing space in our tiny bungalow, and yet I am able to serve dinner for friends as well.

And I am loving that I pulled out my French gum ball fringe which, many years ago, once hung in my kitchen in my apartment above my store.

One really nice surprise of my new area is that I didn’t expect to get so much pleasure just looking at my new space when I am watching TV, only a few feet away. Also, I am so happy that I not only did I not “lose” my dining area, but actually gained more space with just a little creative roll playing!

If these create-ologie.com items inspired you...then you haven't seen anything yet!

These fab work lamps, I found at World Market. They clamp on the table, which I love because it allows for max table space. They are super bright and I can easily adjust them, swing them, or turn the lamp towards my project.

Please take a gander at create-ologie.com and do a little (or a lot) of fun shopping. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.

I have a special coupon code just for you! Save 10% off your entire order by entering 'ElizabethMaxson' at checkout on http://create-ologie.com. I have no doubt you will find the perfect item that you just can't live without. And what a great place to start early shopping for Christmas gifts as well.

And yes, I will be showing a few things I have sewn in the near future...until next time...may you find a creative space that allows you to express your passion and your unique talents.

from my house to your house