My Workroom - Warning: Wear Protective Clothing!

I've recently had several people ask me how I stay organized in my work areas. Me? Organized??? (*Insert thunderous laughter here*)

Okay, I will admit to attempts to keeping things labeled and in the same relative space. But there are times that only pictures can truly provide those thousands of descriptive words.

Let's start with the space directly above my main sewing area. Note the frames to the right? You will soon see a theme of sorts developing. Okay, let's mosey over to my fabric stash... Hmmm. I don't remember it looking this disheveled last night...but wait - there is more fabric stashed in a closet within a closet. What's that above the metal closet, you ask? Candles, baskets, a pillowcase filled with sheep wool and frames, oh my! And at the foot of that closet? Old table and chair legs, a very rough old cheesebox, lots of dowel rods that most probably held flags at one time, more frames and more oh my. And you want to know what is beneath my wall stash of fabric? Did I ever show you that old library cabinet? Remember library card files? The drawers aren't wide but they are long. They're perfect for glue sticks, chopsticks (these have many other uses, not just as eating utensils), shorter dowel rods, miscellaneous markers - well, you have the idea. There are four large cubby holes built in beneath the drawers. These areas hold magazines and baskets with small electrical appliances (soldering tools, glue gun, etc.) and the like.

This next pic is of the wall space above an old 1960's Viking that I still occasionally use but won't show you right now. Why not? I have so much stuff piled around that machine that it's just plain scary. And it would be embarrassing to be invaded by the fire marshall. Included on and around that shelf: An old shelfsitter doll, a cloth sculpture I did of a pleading teenager (she looks like she's whining, "but Mom...!") a large Santa doll I started but never finished, more frames, an old margarine container I painted, an unused message board and a mylar balloon (the first my hubby gave me) that I use as a doily of sorts. Okay, on to more scary areas of the room...

This is the table that is supposed to be my cutting table. It is adjacent to my card file cabinet-turned-supply cabinet. I also sew here sometimes, but obviously not in the most recent days. Piled up here are vintage linens, doilies, etc. that I need to sort along with other sale finds that need, well, something done with them. Next to that mess, I mean, creative area is my main sewing spot. I can offer absolutely no excuses here. It looks like this all the time. Okay, it usually looks a little worse.

To my right is a vintage metal kitchen cart that is on wheels. I have more baskets on its shelves, stuffed with things like No Fray, paint colors that I most frequently use, small UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and such. Above the cart :

Lots of bins holding old jewelry pieces, whole and broken, hang tags, ribbons, trims, and a variety of items that I use in sewing, mixed media arts, clay sculptures, embroidery, doll making, or on and in my repurposing items.

In addition to what I've shown you, this room has yet another large shelf chock full of books, spindles, pregnant projects (projects in waiting); a Hoosier cabinet that holds the bulk of my paint supplies and another large work table with a Hoosier cabinet top sitting on it. The cabinet is one of my special finds. It has no doors, only shelves, but the metal flour compartment is still intact. Useless to me at this time, but still intact.

Of course, the shelves hold more bins and stuff. The very top of the cabinet holds bottles, jars and bins of items such as colored glass, marbles, and then there's the bin with the label that for some reason my husband finds hilarious:

If you can't read the label, it simply says, "Cool stuff I don't know what to do with yet".

That's it for now! Next time: My great estate sale finds!