Studio Frustrations

When we moved into this house a little over eight years ago, We all knew that I would need a space to do my crafting. The problem that arises is the house is too small for our needs and we have absolutely no storage. There are enough bedrooms, 4 to be exact. There are two bathrooms which is adequate. The back entrance houses the washer and dryer and a stand up freezer. The kitchen is just off the back entrance and at the end of the back entrance is a very small pantry. We have a family room that the three of the bedrooms open off of. Then there is the parlor or living room, where the main entrance is and where the door to the master beroom is.

Now each bedroom has a closet, each closet is being used to store things other than clothes. Mostly my craft supplies. My poor children don't even have their own bedrooms because my husband's and my stuff are in them. At first the plan was to use part of the master bedroom as a craft space. But it was quickly filled up with my husband's stuff. That left the living room, which we did not have furniture for anyway. It was suppose to be temporary, but over the first year and a half I set up the living room as a craft studio. Then my husband started doing lapidary work. Because he likes to be near me, he moved into the studio with me. That was working out okay except that when he was faceting, I couldn't sew. So I made jewelry instead.

As time progressed, I was doing more and more quilting. I wanted and needed a long arm. Okay maybe I didn't NEED a long arm. But I did NEED a different machine to quilt on. If I was going to spend several grand on a machine so I could do machine quilting, I might as well go all the way and buy the long arm. I figure the long arm is an investment. I hope to use it to supplement my retirement by machine quilting for other people. However, buying the long arm meant my husband had to move out of the studio to make room for it.

From August on, we spent a lot of time getting a studio set up for him outside. We took a storage shed and converted it into a studio. It now only lacks a few things, a mini fridge, a microwave, and a cat door and perch for the outdoor cat. (By the way the outdoor cat insists on being an outdoor cat but he likes the rock shed) Oh and we haven't run water to it yet but it is hooked up to a hose for the time being. All of this being done when my husband has not been traveling for work. Which he has been doing a lot of.

Once out of the studio, my husband left me with designing and organizing "my studio". I do mean left in the literal sense. As I said he has been traveling for business and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down anytime soon.

With my studio being in the house, I feel it affects the whole family. The thing is we spent so much time and money on his studio and the long arm that there is not much money left for my studio. So I am needing to use what I have. We need to get lighting in there and we know what we want. I need to paint it and have an idea what color. All of this is easily done and my kids are really willing to help.

What is not easily done is trying to figure out where to put every thing. The area I have to work in is about 12.5 by 16 feet. Take out 3 feet for the door and a walkway on the north end, then take out another 3 feet on the south east corner for the door to the master suite. That leaves me 12.5 by 13 foot are to put a 12 by 5 foot print long arm machine. Figuring I need 2 feet in front of it and the eats up more than half the space. Plus I need to leave a path to the master bedroom. I had 3 short book shelves, a tall wire rack/shelf, a 3 by 5 foot desk, an ironing board and a 3.75 by 1.5 ft knick/knack shelf, all in that original space. It is not all going to fit in half that space.

I am frustrated to say the least. For me, the frustration led to being blocked and then to procrastination. I couldn't see where to start. Plus I was hoping Tatianna could move her machine into the space as well. Instead of her moving in, I will need to move some things out.

Tatianna suggested that we just make the studio for the long arm and it's supplies and move everything else into one bedroom. That would require taking down the bed and then we would have no place for the other kids to stay when they come home. That won't work for the family.

My husband suggested we give up the dining room. But we do use it at least a couple of times each the week. I hate to give that up. Plus giving up the dining room would require making changes to the kitchen and that takes money.

Anyway I look at it, there isn't a quick easy solution that makes everything magically fit and that doesn't require buying new stuff and or giving up stuff. It is a conundrum and not one I am going to solve before the tech gets here on April 3rd to set up my long arm.

My husband did come up with one solution. Hang the flat screen TV on the wall and move the knick/knack shelf into the family room. That will require the relocation of "goat" his antelope. But we can do that. A lot of this will fall on my kids. Now they are very supportive but as I have pointed out they haven't really had their own space since we moved in. And now it doesn't look like they ever will.

Moving the knick/knack shelf will be the first order of business in setting up the studio. Followed by installing lights and painting. I then will rearrange the furniture as best I can. I will still need a tall bookshelf to replace two of the short ones. I am thinking a couple of shelves over my sewing desk for books and notions. This week will be spent trying to figure out how to place things and clearing things to place stuff.  Maybe even painting. It will be a start. Fortunately my kids are all willing to help. I just need to decide how, when, and where I want things done.

So now I have a deadline. I also have the start of a plan. I still want things done by April 3rd before the tech gets here to set up the long arm. But I am just focusing on how to use the original space and not expanding. Now that  I have a general idea of how to set things up. I can actually start to work the plan.

I need to get a tall bookself for the jewerly stuff and I need to move some books around. I also need to get some shelves to put up over my desk. I need to choose a paint color and paint it. My husband and son will need to intall the lighting. Plus I need to sew (or buy) some curtains for the windows.

All this while we are working or going to school full time, with my son and I commuting an hour to and from work, and in between my husban'd business trips. It will be a chellenge.

It is going to require some late nights. But I at least can see some hope for the immeadiate future. The addtional space from another room may come later. Boxes and bins of fabric will have to stay in the other rooms and so will the other craft supplies. Some of the jewelry stuff may need to move into another room as well. But for now we can cope. I know we can because we have been for the past 8 years.

Do you have a sewing/quilting space? How do you organize it? What tips can you share with the rest of us? I know there are ideas on Pintrest but what have you found that works?