My Sewing Space, or, the Kitchen
I had been calling this "Les the Ripper" (SEAM ripper!) but was told it didn't seem very...neighborly. So after getting a bunch of blog updates that said "New year....new sewing space!" and being filled with jealousy, the new name of my blog was born. Because I sew in...wait for it....my kitchen! Here is a quick tour. Did you blink? Its over.
I've been living in the SF bay area for about 2 years now. You may be aware of the fact that housing is mind-bogglingly expensive in this area (You can rent a couch in SF for $1000/month!). We would love to live in the city, but it would be double the rent and double the commute. So we rent the finished basement of a large house from a very nice couple. It makes us suburban mole-people, but its a great deal, and its halfway between work and SF. Its a 1-bedroom apartment, but we have the garage and half the backyard, so it has less of an 'apartment' feel than a big high-rise kind of thing, so its really not bad. But it is small. And it is home to two adults and two cats.
So this is my kitchen/sewing studio/grad student lounge/homebrew brewing and bottling station:
This is the kitchen table, where I sew. Technically, it may be patio furniture, but who cares.
I like the aroma of cat food while I sew.
Its next to the butcher block, which we bought when we lived in an apartment with 4 inches of counter space. Now it holds cookbooks, recipes, sewing books, and some sewing supplies, mainly things I use every time I sew so I don't put them away: scissors (all kinds!), pins, snippers, measuring tape, my iron when its not plugged in, and my current project-in-progress. (Or multiple projects, there are 3 things there now that are cut and not yet sewn).
This is my decor. I do the bulk of my sewing on weekends; usually in the evenings I cut fabric or cut out patterns, things that don't require a lot of concentration after a long day. When I do sew in the evenings, if Tim offers me a beer I always tell him 'not until I've finished this hem/zipper/whatever'. Or else I'll have to get the ripper (I'm a lightweight!)
This is the desk, which I used as a sewing table/cutting table while Tim was in the field last summer, but he reclaimed it as a grad student workspace when he returned. If I need to cut something and don't want to use the floor, he is kind enough to move the computer so I can borrow the desk.
I turn my back for 10 seconds!!!
Now the apartment is an obstacle course. Good luck getting to the fridge!
Once I singed a banana because I left my iron a little too close to it. I should switch the bananas with the potatoes in terms of countertop placement, maybe they're more heat-resistant.
I try not to be distracted by Ringo staring at me while I work....
When Tim is brewing or bottling, I shut it down. There isn't room for two hobbies at once!
All in all, I make do. I don't have the space for a dress form, which I kind of want - on one hand, it wouldn't be shaped anything like my body, but on the other hand it would be nice to drape and be able to see how my works-in-progress are hangin'. (Last summer I made one by having Tim wrap me in duct tape, which I use occasionally.) I'm hoping to get a serger later this year - but first I have to find a place to put it!
I've been living in the SF bay area for about 2 years now. You may be aware of the fact that housing is mind-bogglingly expensive in this area (You can rent a couch in SF for $1000/month!). We would love to live in the city, but it would be double the rent and double the commute. So we rent the finished basement of a large house from a very nice couple. It makes us suburban mole-people, but its a great deal, and its halfway between work and SF. Its a 1-bedroom apartment, but we have the garage and half the backyard, so it has less of an 'apartment' feel than a big high-rise kind of thing, so its really not bad. But it is small. And it is home to two adults and two cats.
So this is my kitchen/sewing studio/grad student lounge/homebrew brewing and bottling station:
 |
| "We cannot disappoint the Thunder from Down Under" and other Tim Gunn inspirational quotes are on my machine, as well as a screenprint of Ringo on a toilet. |
This is the kitchen table, where I sew. Technically, it may be patio furniture, but who cares.
I like the aroma of cat food while I sew.
Its next to the butcher block, which we bought when we lived in an apartment with 4 inches of counter space. Now it holds cookbooks, recipes, sewing books, and some sewing supplies, mainly things I use every time I sew so I don't put them away: scissors (all kinds!), pins, snippers, measuring tape, my iron when its not plugged in, and my current project-in-progress. (Or multiple projects, there are 3 things there now that are cut and not yet sewn).
This is my decor. I do the bulk of my sewing on weekends; usually in the evenings I cut fabric or cut out patterns, things that don't require a lot of concentration after a long day. When I do sew in the evenings, if Tim offers me a beer I always tell him 'not until I've finished this hem/zipper/whatever'. Or else I'll have to get the ripper (I'm a lightweight!)
 |
| I usually shut it down by Ca-o'clock, or I start making mistakes. |
This is the desk, which I used as a sewing table/cutting table while Tim was in the field last summer, but he reclaimed it as a grad student workspace when he returned. If I need to cut something and don't want to use the floor, he is kind enough to move the computer so I can borrow the desk.
 |
| Working on the Rigel bomber, or the hoodie. Something by Papercut. |
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| Did I mention that is a shirt for my Dad WHO IS ALLERGIC TO CATS! nice. |
Now the apartment is an obstacle course. Good luck getting to the fridge!
 |
| Cuts down on snacking. |
Once I singed a banana because I left my iron a little too close to it. I should switch the bananas with the potatoes in terms of countertop placement, maybe they're more heat-resistant.
I try not to be distracted by Ringo staring at me while I work....
 |
| Fascinating. He's just watching in case there might be food involved. |
All in all, I make do. I don't have the space for a dress form, which I kind of want - on one hand, it wouldn't be shaped anything like my body, but on the other hand it would be nice to drape and be able to see how my works-in-progress are hangin'. (Last summer I made one by having Tim wrap me in duct tape, which I use occasionally.) I'm hoping to get a serger later this year - but first I have to find a place to put it!
