Sewing Room Redux

When Baby Girl left her home, she looked at her bedroom, looked at me and announced, 'I'm done with it Mama; do with it what you want!'  After I whimpered a bit over the finality of it, I perked up a bit and thought, 'Okay doke!  I'm on it!'

For years it remained a guest room, guest meaning Baby Girl herself on her leave from Purdue and the World.

But one day, I got this thought:  I Need A Proper Sewing Room.

Hubby was quite intrigued by this proclamation seeing that I hadn't sewn on a regular basis for many years.  What I needed to do, I could accomplish in my very doable sewing room tucked under the porch in the basement.

But for 'some reason', I pursued this transformation.  I painted and ordered desk/work tables and chairs from Ikea and proceeded to drag all my equipment up two flights of stairs. I continued to utilize a borrowed sewing machine and made it work on an as needed basis.

Then, the day came of Baby Girl's engagement and the time to get serious about my sewing future began.

I ordered a Janome machine in time to order embroidered lace and silk dupioni.  I cleared things that would be inclined to snag from the area and for one month, I prayed, focused, and prayed some more so that I could create a memory for Baby Girl in the form of her wedding dress.

Shortly after Baby Girl's official leaving of the nest, Eldest/Admin came due with the First Grandchild.  I sewed for the child like there were no other option for obtaining baby type articles.  Diaper bag, quilt, spitty cloths, you name it, I was on it.  And how handy that I had a brand new sewing room to accomplish all this magic!

With nearly five grandgirls and many, many baby things made for many, many an expectant mama since that time, my sewing room has evolved and disintegrated into the woesome mess that is documented here.  (I would like to point out with pride, the great deal of humility I possess to be willing to share this, this ......craziness with the Internet world.  I am properly ashamed....sigh)

Early this summer, as I tiptoed into the Sewing Room, carefully stepping over piles and bags of fabric, after looking in vain for my scissors, after missing my clear vinyl in all the chaos, this 

mama decided to revamp.

 While spending time at E/A's house, I plotted and planned and called Hubby to measure so that I could get my act together.  I knew that I had enough space (for now) but I clearly needed some organization. (some?)

Good thing for me that E/A is located near an Ikea! 
 On the day of our last departure from their home, we high tailed it there in time to be a part of  College Dorm Room Outfitting.  Wow.  In some areas of the store, we were literally shoulder to shoulder.  I told Hubby it was like attending the United Church of IKEA; plenty of sermons, pretty sure worship was going on, music and lots of fellowship. 

 Fortunately for Hubby, I had a clear list and a focused mind.  We steadied ourselves for the organizational area, found our numbers, headed to the warehouse area, loaded our cart and made haste to the check out.  Hubby had brought our beat up pick up truck to carry the supplies back home.  The poor thing, parked next to some pretty impressive SUV's, looked pathetically eager to please us by performing well on the trip home.  She did fine.  No a/c or music but lots of character.

 I had already blocked off on my calendar the full week for reorganizing and sorting and pitching.  I used every bit of that week.  I threw out nearly two bags of tiny scraps that I thought I might need some day.  I got rid of fabric that annoyed me by it's feel.  I removed a closet door and utilized the shelves inside for my office things.  I found things that went missing long ago.

 It was an incredible moment of clarity and joy when the finale, the new work lamps were attached.  

I truly wanted to cry.

Since the last jot and tittle has been in place, I cannot tell you the inspiration, the designs, the production that is going on in my cleared out brain.

I love that this past weekend, E/A, Miss Viv and Hazey Jay could all hang out and sew, chat, listen to music, look at knitting patterns, come up with ideas, chat some more and play all in the very cleaned out and inspiring area now known as mama's collection area of grand organization!

I am now ready to create.
I am now ready to fill orders that have come in recently.
I am now ready to thank God for enabling me this space, time, ability and peace.

I Am Ready.

Organizing

Eldest/Admin is a genius in organization skills.
She taught me how to fold my pants for the shelf in my closet, thanks to her retail management skills.
When I started on the venture of mama's collection, she was the one that sat in my sewing room, brain ticking away, setting up the most functional practical set up for the novice entrepreneur.  E/A set out pointing and dictating and mandating procedure and called in her father and brother to move furniture.  And we obey.  And I so appreciate her.

Without her daily presence, however, I tend to slip into my old ways.

Slowly, slowly, disorganization slips in.  Slowly, slowly, bundles of fabric appear without a place to reside.  Slowly, slowly, Sewist Paraphernalia sneaks in during the night and takes over whatever horizontal space that is available.  Then one day, I find myself unable to find the floor.  I find myself tiptoeing to find a space of old fir floor so as not to disturb whatever the Sewing Room Fairies have left from the night before.  When I get to the point when I say, 'Hey!  Where did this come from?!  I don't remember seeing this before!', I know it is time to channel Eldest/Admin and get myself organized.

Personally, I find the creative disorganization quite stimulating.  I am a quasi tidy person prone to somewhat slothful cleaning habits.  In my younger days, I had scheduled cleaning days and scheduled cleaning routines.  Now, not so much.  Matter of maturing priorities, I suppose.  But I do have to get realistic every now and then and admit that I need an intervention.

Yesterday was the day.  I pulled everything out to get a look over, mentally cataloging all the new acquisitions that somehow slipped under my inventory radar.  It was kinda like my own personal Christmas, finding so many new finds.  I guess that's what happens when you're memory slows down; everything seems new.  I had a good book to listen to while I set out sorting, filing and finding places for some pretty swell fabrics and notions.  I did realize that when we remodel our basement space soon, a significant amount of space might have to be taken up with extra fabric stock.  Rolls of upholstery fabric and interlinings take up a bit o' space.  And if my goal is to grow, business-wise, it would behoove me to make some room for growth.  I had Hubby come in now in then for some grounding and advice and encouragement.  Miss Dixie gave me several looks that told me that her bed was getting a bit crowded and she needed some more space as well......

While I would have rather spent the day working on Baby Girl's Baby Girl's Christmas Stocking, Or BG's Hubby's Daddy Bag, or Special Order Bag from Church Friend, or 2G's mama's Christmas Order, I knew, I knew, not much could be done in the chaos I had created.  The thrill of accomplishment must have been cathartic for me because I slept like a log last night, exhausted from all the brain work that it takes to overhaul my mess.

I do believe that there is a moral to this story, but, alas, I am too pooped to learn it today...

Good Busy

Today was the day that I begin to winterize the house.
That involves finding places for all the furniture taken outside for the summer and rearranging the living room furniture for good fireplace views.
I also had to find a new home for Auction Score of yesterday.
Couldn't put it too near the fireplace and risk drying out the wicker so it found a happy spot at the foot of the stairs. A convenient spot for putting on/off shoes and parking purses and a convenient pull in an extra chair location when the room gets needy for seats. It's happy there, don't you think?
Crazy Dee's expecting her Seventh Grandchild soon. There will be a baby shower this weekend and the 2G's Mama and I are working on a good group gift; a little registry and a little homemade makes a good balance. Homemade spit up cloths are fun and personal to the baby of the day. Little Jonathan Blair will be quite proud of his initials on his very own spit up cloths!
Fun, fun stuff!

The Bohemian

Another creation.

This one really spoke to me.

I could almost hear it's voice; it said, 'Man' a lot.....

It said, 'I think I want to go to Lafayette and hang out in a dorm at Purdue..Give me lots of pockets and some wild lining...I want to stand out for real....'

So The Bohemian Bag came to be on a productive, September day in my sewing room....delightfully off center and off beat and unique...Even the weight in the flap is a small ceramic incense burner....indeed...

I think it will go on grand adventures.......