LINDA KITTMER'S FIBRE ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & JOURNALLING: studio

A couple of years ago, I moved my studio from a smaller guest room (with one small window facing our neighbour's brick wall) to the front room which has lovely big windows facing the street. The room is 15' 8" X 11" (12' on the left side with the larger window). Recently I picked up a great shelf/desk unit from Ikea and I've reorganized my studio, finally achieving a really good working space. I lack a sink and source of water (which would make it ideal), but there is a bathroom just down the hall and a great utility sink in the basement for messy work.

I have been able to organize several areas, each for specific purposes. As you enter the room, this is what you see. Notice the white dresser and night stand to the right. I'll tell you about those later.

Looking around clockwise, you can see my cutting table in the corner, and the closet doors which double as art display and/or design wall, as needed. A small peg board, painted to match the walls, holds a variety of tools which I tend to use frequently.

Continuing around clockwise, you come to my fabric storage and ironing/multipurpose work table. Both this table and the cutting table were made from 'Metro Shelving" with custom made wooden tops (thank to my wonderful husband for those!). The ironing table is 3/4" ply wood covered with batting and then muslin to give a firm pressing surface.

In the front left corner is the new shelf and desk unit. Ikea rocks! It was inexpensive and it works beautifully for my needs. This area is where I keep my computer and it is also the journaling work area.

I have easy access to all of my tools and supplies and a nice large work surface. Add to that the large window, giving wonderful natural light in the daytime and it's perfect! I have used a couple of short tension rods to keep all of my gaffer's tape, coloured masking tape, etc. There is even space on top of the shelf to display some of my work.

This wonderful bookcase was picked up at a quilt store that was going out of business a few years ago. Great bargain and fit's perfectly into that little nook beside the window! I have two little office chairs on wheels. One goes between the desk and this side of the sewing table and the other stays at the other side of the sewing table so that I'm not having to move them around too much and I can also have a friend over for 'play dates'. LOL

On this wall, I've hung a large drapery rod close to the ceiling. I then got some ribbon and made loops in one end. These hang from the rod so that I can displace some of my work as well as a few special items like the stained glass dragonfly my friend Sue made, and a blown glass ball that I picked up years ago. Items can easily be pinned to the ribbon and changed out as desired. You can see I'm also a fan of those plastic drawer systems you can pick up all over the place (wait for them to go on sale...they do regularly!). I like that I can see through them and I also put labels on the drawers to help me find things quickly.

Back to the ironing/multipurpose work station, you can see that the Metro shelving provides great storage for plastic bins. Again see through but also labelled. On the front of that unit I've hung a long bungie cord that has two hooks on the ends (allowing me to hook it to each end of the table). Using clothes pegs, I hang small things to dry after painting (that's a piece of painted tyvek and a wipe up cloth you see hanging there). On top of the end of the ironing surface is a small, inexpensive white bookshelf that I use to house more little bins of 'stuff' for easy reach. I also keep a large sheet of 6mm plastic handy so if I'm going to be doing any painting I can protect the surface of this table.

If you look to the bottom left of this photo, you can see the white plastic waste basket. This is another great perk of the metro shelving. I was able to drill a couple of holes in the plastic bin so that I could attach hooks to it and hang it from the shelving. It keeps it off the floor and at a better height for reaching it as I work.

This corner houses the 12" shelving towers (again inexpensive and available on half price sales frequently). They're the perfect size for larger pieces of fabric. The labeled plastic shoe boxes on top hold small scraps of fabric, sorted by colour family. There's also a space (about 10" wide) between this shelf and the vintage mail sorter (more about that shortly) where I store larger rolls of fabric (donated to me) and bolts (muslin and black) and batting.

Here it is! My wonderful antique find. This is a vintage mail sorter and when I saw it out in a field at an antique sale many years ago, I knew it would be perfect for fat quarters and such. I've since also found some perfect little plastic bins (labelled unless still empty) where I keep wonderful found objects like vintage keys, bird feathers, etc. as well as other small things that I may need (eye droppers, etc.)

Here's a view of the sewing table from the 'correct' side. The machine is sunken to table level and there are drawers for more storage. Behind this is the salvaged white dresser and night stand (that my brother-in-law wanted to get rid of). It's not quality furniture, but it serves it's purpose for storing all of my stabilizers, fusibles (Misty Fuse, Steam a Seam, etc.), dupioni silk, and yarn (all in labeled drawers...yes, I love my labeller and use it almost fanatically [insert crazy laugh here...]).

The 'wrong' side of the sewing table, with the fold out extension up, allows me to keep my second machine out and working all the time too. As you can see, those plastic storage drawers on casters fit under it perfectly allowing for easy access to various other materials (like organza bits, tulle, etc. and some additional tools that I don't use as frequently.

This final shot shows you all of the wonderful natural light I get during the day! Since I've discovered that I am solar powered (Yes, Lucas, you nailed that one!) all of this bright light is really good for keeping me going!