Pretty or Practical???

Which way do you lean? 

I must admit...while I like pretty things, LOVE organization and tidiness, I'm without a doubt on the practical side.

My sewing space is no different. However....

When the creative bug bites, my room can quickly turn into this...

It's insane! Cutting and ironing and cutting and pinning and sewing and ironing and stuffing and well....before you know it I can't walk through anymore! While I don't notice it so much in the moment, once I slow down, it's GOT TO BE cleaned up! Sometimes that is the best inspiration for the next project too. 

So, as I was cleaning and reorganizing I took some snap shots to show how I "like" for my room to look, even if it doesn't all the time. :) It's a far cry from a "glam space"...you know the ones, but since I'm sharing these for the Stash Bash, I thought I'd share them here too.

I've been gradually building my stash over the past 5 years, and my love for fabric has grown right along with it! I tell my tool loving, auto-tech teaching husband that these are MY tools to help justify explain. :)  I organize my cotton woven fabrics by theme or collections, as I have found this makes it easier for me to find what I'm looking for. Much of my ribbon is kept on this rolling wire cart that fits neatly between the 2 wire storage racks. The rest of my fabrics are organized by "kind".

Lucky me, these shelves were built into this room when we bought the house!

 

 My handy dandy button boxes...both recycled from other items but are ideal for buttons and embellishments!

 This is a vintage sewing machine table, with the machine still folded up inside. It holds my small ironing board on top and my snap press on the end, with the snaps inside the cabinet.

The white drawers to the left are for trims like laces and bias.

The bins underneath are for various sizes of scraps from other projects and general hardware.

 Not that you can tell from this picture, but this is one of the handiest storage items in my sewing room! It's a drying rack that holds pre-cut sewing projects since I often sew in batches.

 I always keep scrap bins by my cutting table and a smaller one by my serger. The one on the top here holds larger pieces that from time to time are cut into useable pieces like fat quarters or charm squares while I'm watching a movie with the kids. The bottom box is for smaller scraps that my kids often use for crafts or are either donated or stuffed into muslin cases to become pillows.

And this is where the magic happens! :)

 There's almost always some chocolate hidden somewhere in this area...though never good enough since the children always seem to find it! ;)

Ahhhhh....much better!

BEFORE                                                                                               AFTER

Now, let's get to work! What to make first???

 This bundle is laundered and on the cutting table next!
A few more fun close ups for Stash Bash can be seen on flickr.

Perhaps sometimes you can be both pretty AND practical. ;)
Thanks for visiting my sewing space!
Hope you felt at home and stop by again soon!