Chris decided that I wasn’t spoiled enough getting a new sewing machine for my thirtieth birthday and thought he would redo my studio as a surprise.  It took almost a month of hard work after working long days and overnights and I have to admit I wasn’t always the picture of patience but it was so worth the wait. I actually teared up at the big reveal.  I thought I would let Chris walk you through it so that I can spend less time blogging and more time french kissing my new cutting table. Take it away baby!

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When I was asked to “guest blog” I  had no idea what that meant.  While I do have an iPhone and a MacBook, I use them almost exclusively to check current and future weather forecasts; yep, I’m that cool.  So Amy’s explanation went something like this:

A:  You should guest blog about the studio, so you can explain what was done.

C:  What does guest blogging mean?

A:  You write on my blog.

C:  How does that work?

A:  What do you mean?  I hand you the computer and you type.

C:  So a guest blogger has to be in the same place as the host?  Oh, wait; I guess they could just log on from anywhere.  I don’t think I understand this whole Internets thing.

Back to the studio…  This final design was at least the sixth version, as I kept having to update my plans when I couldn’t find material or figure out how to create a telescopic cutting table that could be adjusted using only your mind (and a small hand crank).  While I did have to scale down my plans, there were still a few “must haves”.  I wanted to have an elevated cutting surface, desk space for a sewing machine and serger, a comfortable chair, an edge on to which a swift and winder could be mounted, and plenty of storage.

Outdated before pic

After

I had planned on designing and building everything myself but soon realized that returning to work and having a three-month-old at home was going to keep me busy enough, so the idea of buying already designed and packaged storage cubes became incredibly appealing.  I tried to choose storage configurations that would work well for sewing, knitting, and all around general crafting. I picked them up at Michaels with a forty percent off coupon.

The cutting table was built at counter height and the sewing table at desk height.  For both surfaces, rather than building legs, I decided to use the storage cubes and shelves as supports and that seemed to work well. The tabletops are inch thick melamine from Rona.

Closet before

Closet after

The closet was the simplest fix with the installation of a few shelves and the addition of some clear plastic totes, also from Rona.

Kate gives her stamp of approval

In the end, I think it came together pretty much how I had planned, with only a few minor hiccups along the way.

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Thanks so much to Chris for angsting over both the studio and the blog post (the post took him two days – that’s how he rolls).  I’ve been stealing a few minutes here and there to work on a jersey dress and the loveliness of my new space is saving me from totally pulling my hair out.  I’m a lucky lady.