Jul 2021 – My Stash Reduction Quest

Hello all! Something a little different today. I thought you might like to take a little tour of my new sewing room. We moved house in March 2021 and I’ve been lucky enough to commandeer a whole room for sewing!

First up is where my machine lives. I like to sew near a window so that I get as much natural light as possible. However access to plugs meant I couldn’t sit directly below a window. The little drawers in my desk are really handy for keeping scissors, thread spools, pins etc to hand. The only chair we had was a dining chair so I whipped up a cushion to make it softer to sit on.

Alongside my machine is a tall cutting table. I love this table as it’s set at my standing height which means I don’t need to bend over to trace (#teamtrace) patterns and cut fabric. I bought a bar stool for perching on when my feet get sore. Sorry it’s a bit untidy in this photo – I snapped it after I had been cutting some fabric and didn’t tidy up my glass or the pattern instruction booklet.

With the help of my Dad and his handy tool kit, we modified the table to store rolls of fabric at the end. It’s rare that I have rolls but I picked these up really cheaply at a market. Longer term, I can store my Swedish tracing paper on the rack as the make I get comes in long rolls.

You may be able to see the little plant on the end of the table. Over lockdown, I became an enthusiastic “plant Mum” and have added a little one to my sewing room. I sometimes chat to the plant to bounce ideas around but he doesn’t ever give his opinion!

The rolls of fabric lead me on to my stash storage. I like having my stash ‘on show’, rather than neatly tucked away. Easy access and visibility helps curb my spending as I can see what I’ve got. I’ve got an amazing vintage dresser that I picked up at a local furniture charity shop. It needed some love and attention so I gave it a coat of bright yellow paint and it’s fabulous now. I’ve got a basket of remnants on the top shelf, cottons and viscoses on the middle shelf then jersey on the bottom shelf. The small unit next to the dresser has all of my paper patterns, although some larger patterns are hanging on a vintage wall hook.

The some loose baskets on the floor are mainly filled with yarn and fabric scraps and they tuck neatly under my cutting desk when I haven’t been rifling through them.

Every sewist needs a good ironing board. Mine is in front of the mirror at the moment. The cover was getting a bit tired so I replaced it with the same fabric I used for my cushions so that everything matches! The full-length mirror is so useful if I’ve making a toile that requires lots of fitting, or when taking outfit photos for #memademay.

And that concludes my sewing room tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and got some inspiration for your sewing/craft rooms. Here’s a few pictures of me in the room wearing a recently knitted scarf and a new jumper.

With the “tour” over, I really want to credit Daddy Mouse for making this amazing Sewing Room for me. It was a total surprise gift for my birthday and it’s so cute and detailed. He sent some “construction” photos through which give a good idea of scale if you’re not sure how big ‘Lego Hannah’ is (she’s a standard Lego person). Some of pieces are miniscule – e.g. the tiny French curve. It’s even got a battery powered light…essential for sewing!