My Studio

Good morning!

Today I thought I would tell you about my wonderful studio. We had a pole barn built and made it into my quilt studio. I had them put in a wooden floor, and since our property slopes down-hill they just hung the wooden floor from the timbers. It saved lots of digging and concrete work...I had made the the one thing I HAD to have for my studio since I stand all day doing longarm quilting. It saves your legs and feet.

I posted a picture of my stars and stripes floor yesterday. It was fun to paint. I will have to say, that was the last time I saw most of the floor of my studio!! I have way too much stuff in there, and I think it is a law of physics, that your stuff will grow to fill the volume of the space.

I have a huge table, which is covered with STUFF, so I can't use it for the cutting I had hoped would happen there. It also has storage underneath. I have a nice view facing east, but had to decide whether I wanted a view or storage....I compromised with a sliding door and lots of storage shelves, along with a couple windows. We also put a deck along the back and one end. It is a great place to have quilters gather!

Last summer we used it for our first annual outdoor quilt show. It was fun...and plenty of goodies to eat. If you have a big back yard, you should try to host a quilt show outdoors, too. This year it will be in August. Just have your friends bring a dish to pass and a quilt to hang on the line or fence. FUN, FUN, FUN.

Back to the studio....I made big shelves to hold thread, and most of the tables and chairs came from re-cycle stores or the University store which sells all the stuff our tax dollars have paid for and they want to get rid of. I got beautiful oak tables from the law library, and a great card catalogue when they went to computers. I really got a lot of good stuff, and CHEAP.

I knew I would have to have a bathroom as well, so we put one in the corner of the studio, with a small kitchen...microwave, no stove. I did put in a great big, deep laundry sink with works great for soaking fabric, and dyeing too.

One of my favorite things is the design wall I put in front of my shelves along one wall. I used barn door hardware to hang plywood sheets covered with insulation board and warm and natural. It works great...as a bulletin board and you can stick up your blocks as you plan a quilt.

So, I divided the studio into 3 sections....my longarm and office area, with storage of books and supplies...my classroom section with 8 tables from the law library, and a little living area with couches and the "kitchen" and bathroom. It is truly a dream studio. I have told the girls I will open it up for them to bring their hubbys if they complain about them having too much stuff....ha...when they see my place, they will never complain again.

If you are ever in my area, you will have to come by and see. We have lots of fun working in my studio, mess and all!