That said, there have been some major changes in my life since that time. Last time at "Sewing in Style" our intrepid blogger was a struggling attorney in the rust-belt city of Cleveland, Ohio. Six months later we are reuinited with our heroine in San Fransisco where she is working for one of the largest software companies in the world! And the peasants rejoiced.
I'm very excited. My life has all of a sudden moved in a very pleasing direction and so like the pioneers before us, my gentleman friend and I packed our belongings and headed west.
Downside to all of this? I have lost my sewing room! I know! This is a tragedy of the gravest proportions. While in Northeast Ohio I could rent a two bedroom house for $650 a month, here in the Bay Area (is that supposed to be capitalized?) a one bedroom is running me more than three times that. And doesn't include utilities. And is actually in the suburbs. Ah well.
So how did I handle the vast downsizing of my stash and supplies? Not well, probably. I managed to give away three large storage bins of fabric, yarn and other sewing and crafting accruraments. Now to be fair, some of the paring down should have happened many moons ago. There is no good reason for me to own three hot glue guns. There really isn't. (Actually, there is... I never remember where I stashed them so I just buy a new one the once a year I need one. This is not a good way to live.) Upside? My aunts have become far richer in the ways of knitting needles (not that they need it, they are all worse than I am) and my sister who is learning to sew has a lot of material to practice on. Anything my friends and family did not want I gave to charity. I was ruthless.
As a reminder, this was my former sewing room:
I had a long desk where both my sewing machine and my serger could be set up. I had multiple cork board to provide inspiration. I had a standing height cutting table which not only had a butcher paper over cork top (perfect for sketching or pinning) but 27 feet of bookcase storage. I had a closet and space to keep my ironing board eternally up. Heaven.
This is not an option anymore. I now have to fit my sewing area into a bedroom corner. That said, after some careful editing, I have managed it. Now this is not the finished product and some oranization and decoration is still to come, but here is my new dedicated sewing space:
All the furniture is by Ikea... I did the whole "build your own desk" thing and grabbed a cheap table top and legs. I bought a modern style plastic chair. And I purchased an old curtain covered "wardrobe" from a friend which is currently serving as storage for my remaining fabric stash, UFOs and the ever-growing collection of patterns. My collection of sewing and crafting books has found a home in the living room with all the other fiction. One of my cork boards can be brought out and placed on the bed to serve as a makeshift cutting table. It's not bad, although it does demand a bit more vigilance in terms of cleaning up after myself. Without a door I can just close on the mess I need to actually pick things up. This will require a drastic change in habits but I'm sure it will serve me well.
And I've already started my first project in the new space! It's a kimono styled faux-wrap dress and a bright purple knit which I think will be both comfortable and stylish. Tune in next time to see the results!
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