My Work/Play Space!

My Play Space

By way of an introduction, here are some before and after photos of my sewing/design room.  I like to call it my 'Play Space'.  This room has been our spare bedroom since we moved to this house 10 years ago and it has taken that long to get around to decorating the space!  As you can see from the 'before' photos, when we moved in, it was super retro with grey plastic panelling and unique blue trim woodwork.  Suffice to say that compared to the other rooms in the house, this room as it was, was livable.  The folks we bought the house from had lived here for 40 years and whole house was definitely 70's Chic---think lots of orange shag carpet, panelling and ceiling tiles.  Basically, they simply covered over all the 1920's charm; which was good news for us because it was easy to restore that charm with our limited handy-person skills! 

Attic doorway--'before'

Last summer I gave the whole room a fresh coat of neutral paint.  It definitely brightened up the space and although it is a small room, it is perfect for my use.  The room is also the route to the attic which is why it is better used for activities than for sleeping.

Attic doorway--'after'

The paneling 'before'

After

My husband helped me hang my design wall which I made using insulation board and this  tutorial from Elizabeth Hartman's website.  In the past, I have also used a piece of white flannel pinned to the wall as well as a flannel-backed table cloth.  Both worked well but this new wall is more permanent and more stable to work on.

My storage arrangement is still a work in progress.  I am dreaming about a set up like Anne's at Play Crafts, but for now I have current projects on this little bookshelf that I re-purposed from our attic.  The rest of my fabric and supplies are stored elsewhere for now.

The project on the design wall is a slab quilt that I am making to use up scraps.  I got the idea from Sunday Morning Quilts by Cheryl Arkison at Dining Room Empire and Amanda Jean Nyberg at Crazy Mom Quilts.  I have gained a lot of inspiration from this book as well as both of Elizabeth Hartman's books and highly recommend them.

Having this past week off for school vacation gave me an opportunity to organize and take these photos.  Tomorrow it's back to work but only a few weeks till summer vacation! 

Wishing you lots of creative inspiration.

allison