Breaking News - New Craft Studio Scheduled

WOW!!!  I just can't believe that after 40 years of sewing and crafting I am finally going to get a larger space!  I guess retirement has some benefits.  All our hard work and saving for the future paid off and I will be able to move from my current 9 foot x 12 foot extra bedroom work area that stretches to the living room and kitchen into a very spacious 18 foot x 18 foot "studio".  We are adding an 18 foot by 38 foot addition to our house.  This will be divided into two rooms.  One for me and one for my husband.

 I guess one could say I've been a DIYer before the acronym became popular.  "Recycle" and "repurpose" were also part of my lifestyle as we were not wealthy by any means and chose not to live on credit and accrue a large debt.  Throwing away usable items was not my habit as it was wasteful.  My working space started getting smaller and smaller with each new tempting hobby or craft activity I wanted to learn.  Needless to say, I acquired quite a stash of working materials, supplies and books from my rug hooking and macrame days, to a fabric stash that still includes material scraps from the 70's on when I was sewing clothes for my daughters and myself.  Add to that yarns used for crocheting and knitting; threads and ribbons for embroidery, sewing, and cross stitch; beads and trinkets for embellishments; laces, even weave fabrics, stabilizers....I think one can catch the drift.  So, things really started to become more cramped when I decided I wanted to include machine embroidery in my activity repertoire and then add quilting to the mix.  Now, I need more storage space on my computer.  It is a good thing there is Pinterest...I can save even more inspirational pictures and "how to's"  without taking up additional personal space!!!

Anyway, for those interested in knowing, here are a few pictures of the way things are now.....

 

This is where the house addition will be.  We will lose 3 windows, but plan to install solar tubes in the laundry room, office, and maybe the garage.  More pictures to follow when the construction begins. 

This is my 9' x 12' space now.  View from the door.

Left side of the room as one enters.  I have projects started in the boxes.  The other side of the closet has another rolling storage cabinet.

My computer and office area on the right side of the room as one enters.

My sewing and embroidery area. I do have a nice window view.

My "temporary" storage space for material in the chair and cutting area on the kitchen counter.

We have a smaller house that also serves as a storage area for more material, photo props, and completed items that I will have for sale.  I also have a small arm quilting machine set-up in the living room and also a couple more sewing machines in the small house.  I will have to devote some time to learning the intricacies of quilting my own projects.  Right now, I just get frustrated, because my working supplies are scattered/stored in various nooks and crannies.

For those visiting my blog, we used to live and work in the city.  Several years ago my husband and I purchased a very nice piece of property in the California Sierra Nevada foothills. This became our get-away from the city life neither of us really enjoyed.  We think the little house was originally an office for the people running the gold mine (our property is a gold mine, not in operation, nor will be).  The house acquired a few "add ons" by previous owners to make it a residence. When we decided we wanted to retire to this property, we built a new house.  When I retired in 2012, we sold our city property and moved up here permanently. 

So, now I have a little business started and it will be oh so nice to have the space in a studio where I can continue on my new adventure.