My New Sewing Studio

January 11, 2017
Quilt Room Organization

 

Sewing Room, Lori Kennedy

Good Morning, Quilters!

Last year, my friend Kimberley Einmo asked me to send her photos of my sewing room for a guild lecture she was preparing.  After much cleaning, I sent her a few sanitized photos like this:  (See more HERE)

I felt a little dishonest, because this serene setting was staged…

My Sewing Room, Lori Kennedy

The rest of the sewing room looked like this:

Sewing Room, Lori Kennedy

SEWING ROOM TO SEWING STUDIO

For most of my sewing career, I have carved out a small space in my basements next to the laundry room to sew.  I always installed good lighting, but used a hodge- podge of boxes, shelves and banquet tables.

When we moved to Minnesota, I took the bonus room over the garage for my sewing area.  I just moved the mess right into my new space. For the first time, I was out of the basement and I had huge windows!  I just loved the room…

But now….

We’ve splurged on REAL SHELVES!!  and a REAL ISLAND!!!

There are shelves to hold my stencils and drawers for all my fabric.  Cabinets to hide my messy stuff and a huge island for cutting!

I even had two huge bulletin boards/design walls installed!

Now all they need is a few coats of paint!

More photos to come…

Floating on air,

Lori

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!

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90 comments

  • Judy Chastain

    I’m happy for you – and also envious. I have an 11×11 room with 4 floor to ceiling windows, a double door closet, and the door. It does have built in recessed shelves, though!

    • WordPress.com Support

      Windows make everything better!

  • Oh-my-goodness! I just drooled all over my keyboard. Your studio is fabulous! I can’t wait to see the next set of photos!

  • Pamela

    Congratulations on your beautiful, well earned, quilting space! Can’t wait to see pics of the finished room. Thank you for all you do, and all you share to help us improve. My quilting skills have certainly improved as a direct result of your teaching!

  • Lauren Mosgrove

    I have a Bernina 770 on order. How do you like yours? I can’t wait for mine to come in!

    • WordPress.com Support

      I LOVE my B770! My favorite machine ever!

  • Totally envious!

  • love your new sewing room,,, my husband is a cabinetmaker also, and is just asking me what I want,,, I showed him your photo,,, so looking for more photos….
    What height is your cutting table?

  • Terry Sheldon

    I’m curious why you’d want Kimberly to see photos of an almost empty sewing room, with no evidence of any sewing done at all! Am I missing something?

    • Terry Sheldon

      BTW, love, love, love your blossoming new studio!

  • Becky Shaffer

    It’s beautiful, Lori. We built an addition onto the house a few years ago just for me to quilt in, so I know you’re going to love having your own space! Congratulations! You deserve it!

  • I’ve been following your blog for several months now and I have to say that your beautiful new space, shelves/cabinets, and island are well deserved! I won’t lie, I’m just a little (ok a lot) jealous but with all the gorgeous quilting you create, I’m happy you have such a beautiful setting! Congratulations 🙂 Hope it keeps you inspired to continue to share your knowledge for many years to come!!

  • Whiskers

    Congratulations! Let the magic begin.

  • Diane Obernesser

    Congratulations on the update. I too have been “satisfied” with makeshift storage, but your studio gives me poise for thought. I’ve been considering some of the Ikea cabinets for a cutting area. What type of cabinets did you use?

    • WordPress.com Support

      I had custom cabinets made. Im so glad I did!

  • Linda Zimmer

    The storage and arrangement are wonderful and pretty too. You will never want to come out to do anything else, but sew in your beautiful room.

  • Duane Wiley

    First, Congrats on what I am sure will be a stunning studio! You are getting all of what I would love to have but then, I am just thankful to have a whole room to myself! That said, I give credit to my Lord Jesus for all I have or ever will have! Second, are those prefab cabinets that you are using for the cutting table? Or, is your hubby really talented too?

    • WordPress.com Support

      I had custom cabinets made by a local cabinetmaker.

  • Mary Grass

    So happy for you, Lori!

  • Pamela North

    Sigh!!! I live in a smallish two bedroom apartment and am an avid knitter, crocheter, and dressmaker as well as quilter. I really need another apartment just to live in.

  • Janet Licari

    Well deserved Lori! Your quilting career has bloomed…so should your sewing area…congratulations!!!

  • Paula G.

    Congrats! The poppy quilt is gorgeous! Is there a pattern for it? I would love to buy it!

    • WordPress.com Support

      Yes. It is by Carol Morrissey

  • June S.

    Sweet!

  • GrrannyH

    Congratulations! It’s time to splurge on yourself!

  • Rochelle Summers

    Congratulations. A dream studio if ever there was one.

  • Colleen

    How fantastic! Lucky you! 🙂

  • Diana McDonough

    Jealous I am….

  • gorgeous. How big is it?

  • You deserve this great space and I know you’ll enjoy it!
    It amazes me that every time I take a day to get my sewing space organized, it returns to chaos in an amazingly short span of time. Why?? I am afraid to admit what that probably says about me :>

  • So wish I had those great pieces of furniture! And I LOVE that poppy quilt. Did you design that yourself? It’s magnificent. I’m pretty organized in my sewing room, but don’t have good storage at all. Very frustrating 🙁

    • WordPress.com Support

      Its a pattern by Carol Morrissey

  • Michele

    aaawwwesome! I just cleaned up my sewing room – a project I like to do after Christmas. In regard to a previous comment about filling closets…we have moved several times, and no matter how many closets you have, you ALWAYS need one more!

    • Brenda

      How nice for you. It will look fantastic with the matching cabinets. Enjoy.

  • Happy Dance! Enjoy yourself as you organize items on the abundant shelving.

  • Going to be a dream studio. Love your cabinets and island.

    QuiltShopGal
    http://www.quiltshopgal.com

  • JoAnn C.

    Beautiful! I have a small bedroom and my sewing machine is located in a closet and I have a mishmash of shelves and storage, but when I’m in there, my soul sings! And my grandchildren love to be there with me. Right now I’m involved with making a photograph album and journal of my quilts, so I am living in creative chaos. Can’t wait to see your finished space.

  • Marilyn Heffelfinger

    That is going to be wonderful! I am married to a cabinetmaker, so I am spoiled. I don’t have a cutting island though! Waiting for more pictures!

  • Rosemaryflower

    Yesterday I was at my daughter’s home…. babysitting Sarah. well, she was still napping, so I busied myself cleaning up toys and clutter
    AND I took a careful look at two cabinets from Ikea that they have in their kitchen. Christina wants to sell them. Hmmmm, maybe we can make a trade off somewhere or I will just buy them. I liked the glass doors
    This looks great, Lori.
    Being organized and neat and tidy is a very good habit 😀

  • Looks wonderful Lori! How exciting to have a new sewing room to start the new year with…. can’t wait to see what you stitch up in your new room!

  • Karen L.

    Absolutely beautiful cabinets! My Dad was a cabinet maker among other things. Having a place for everything or at least almost everything is very beneficial especially if there are doors to hide it all. LOL I noticed in the old photo that you had a jar for dog treats. Sure hope you have a prime spot in the re-do of the room for that as it can be the most important “piece” in the room … along with a dog bed. I have both in mine and it’s for two dogs so the space gets a bit crowded when the weather is not so great but I don’t have much choice. By the way I love that Poppy wall hanging. I bought that pattern many years ago and seeing yours has inspired me to go hunt it down in my disheveled studio (moving makes everything disappear for a while … or forever). It’s beautiful!

  • Debbie Horton

    How wonderful! I would love to see photos of each area as it is finished and filled. It’s great to see how others (when they get a fresh new space) store all of the stuff that goes into our hobby/passion/livelihood.
    Congrats – and a zinger of a way to start a new year I might add.

  • Amy Roth

    I’m experiencing sewing room envy! 🙂 But so happy that you have such a wonderful space to create!

  • Just out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of the room? I’m in the process of planning the layout of a 12 X 16 space, which I assume is considerably smaller than your bonus room.

  • Such wonderful space! I still live with hodge-podge in the corners.

  • Linda

    Wow! I was going to say “I’m jealous”. But. In all honesty. I’m so happy for you! I often see wonderful pictures of noted quilters studios and think I’ll have one when I deserve it. Ha! I do deserve it…just don’t want to take the time to make it happen. Please let us know if you’re more productive in the new area. It certainly looks like you will be! Congratulations!

  • Lori Tsatsa

    your studio is beautiful,,, my husband is currently building me a new sewing station for my bernina, embroidery machine and cutting station!

  • FAN-tastic

    Wow…. it looks awesome…. but you will have to let us know if it’s enough space! I took over my bonus apartment above the garage and still don’t seem to have enough room for all my quilting, knitting, longarm machine, tv for when I have to listen to a program, while I am making; cats and….. etc… etc…. etc…! LOL! I could use a 5000sf house and I would probably find a way to not have enough room! Especially for all that fabric that just looks so inviting to touch! Can’t wait to see it put together!

  • Hooray!!

  • Maureen B. in B.C.

    I’m jealous. Enough said.?

  • It is funny that you said they need a new coat of paint because I was sitting here thinking “I wonder what color that is?” I really like it and am thinking of something similar for my kitchen cabinets. I love how your sewing space is coming along!

  • Awesome!! I love it! What color are you thinking!?

    • WordPress.com Support

      White. Boring but I can dress it up with quilts.

  • Sheila

    Congratulations on your new studio. As someone who always “found a space” to do my sewing, my husband had a studio built for me in our home last year. I am in heaven! It has the best lighting, and I designed the layout. Enjoy your new space.

  • What a lovely space!

  • It looks like you are going to have tons of fun in there! Beautiful cabinets and cutting table. I think you must deserve it with all the work you do 🙂 Thanks for sharing; I’m always interested to see how other quilters and sewers set up their rooms!

  • that is so lovely!!! what a dream come true! yay!!!

  • Donna Nelson

    It’s going to be beautiful!

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