I’d like to invite you to take a tour of my sewing studio! I’ve been meaning to publish this virtual armchair tour for quite some time, but it took awhile to get all the pictures just right. Just to give you a little background information, we live in a beautiful German home in the lovely village of Sindelfingen, in the suburbs of Stuttgart. The house was built by a doctor and his wife shortly after WWII, and the house sits on a gently sloping hill overlooking the village. Herr Helmes passed away about ten years ago, and we are the first people to live in the house since Frau Helmes passed away last year.
My studio is located on one of the lower levels in the southeast wing of our home, and is actually two rooms connected by a door. The rooms had been used by the doctor for his private practice for a number of years. One room was the waiting room and the other room was the examination room. Both rooms have fabulous natural lighting and overlook the wooded back yard. There is even a charming stone pathway winding from the front of the house to the separate entrance with French doors in the rear. I always feel like the pathway is “enchanted.”
When we moved in, there was no furniture, cabinets or cupboards of any kind in these rooms. There was a sink, mirror, and beautiful wood parkay floors. We investigated all sorts of ways to install shelving, cupboards, cabinets and a cutting counter, but it was my dear husband who came up with the most cost-efficient, ingenious idea of all. Before the boys and I moved to Germany last June, Kent found these fabulous free-standing cabinets with built-in countertops which I use as my cutting surface (they are just the perfect height for cutting without back strain!) at almost give-away prices from the local Rotes Kruezes (Red Cross), which is similar to GoodWill store in the US; except they only deal in furniture and other household items — not clothing.
We brought the sewing cabinets and other storages units with us and everything fits perfectly, as if it had always been meant to be here! I call these rooms — my studio — my “happy space” (which sounds a little corny, I know) because it makes me feel cheerful and energized to be in these light, bright rooms filled with lots of color and things that inspire me.
So sit back, relax and enjoy. All you need to do is click on the Photos tab above to get started. Then, click on the first photo to begin. Use the “next” tab to advance through each photo. You’ll see the caption below each picture explaining what you are looking at. Be sure to click on Page 2 at the bottom after you’ve seen the 20 photos from Page 1. There are 33 photos in all.
Come on in, and welcome!
What a wonderful & happy place to spend your time. I can see why you are always smiling! Sometimes, when I have trouble falling asleep at night, I plan my ideal sewing/quilting room in my head (much more productive than counting sheep). Your studio has most of what I want — a place where I can be almost totally self-sufficient (TV/VCR, fridge, comfy chair, furry helpers…). Only thing that’s missing is a microwave to heat water for tea. I like that you are very organized. Although I am not a very good housekeeper (dust bunnies are my friends), I do need to have things organized. I love the stash cabinets and the ruler holder particularly. I have seen peg board arrangements & am thinking about getting my hubby to put one up for me since I seem to have more wall space than horizontal surfaces. Did you bring those cabinets with you?
I am also conflicted as to where to put my ironing board. Right now I have it located right behind my sewing station & adusted to chair height; that way I & can just swivel around and scootch my chair a little to press seams as I piece. On the other hand, it would probably benefit by back (and my posterior) to get up out of my chair and walk over to the ironing board.
What is that blue thing you are using as a cushion? It looks very comfortable & my back could use one too. Where did you get it?
How long did it take you to: (1) pack up all of your stuff for the move to Germany; and (2) to unpack & get it reorganized? I’ll bet you finally felt “at home” once you got it all settled. Kimberly’s Quilting Nest!
Hi, Pat! Thanks for taking the virtual “tour” — and glad it provided you with things to think about for designing your own studio!
The cupboards with countertops, which I use as my cutting surfaces, were a great “find” by my dear husband and you’ll never guess where he found them: at the local Red Cross store, which here in Germany, in like a Goodwill Store, only for furniture! They were either gently used, or slightly damaged, although to be honest, we couldn’t find any damage or scratches. They were very inexpensive, and so easy to install. The hanging cupboards were purchased at the Red Cross store also; but that took a bit of work to get them hung on the walls. (Thanks, Kent!)
As for the ironing board, my is set so I can swivel in my rolling chair to do the pressing; however, if I have lots of pressing to do, such as yardage that has just been washed and dried, I acutally stand up and give my back a rest.
The blue thing on the chair is called a Dynadisc, and I ordered it from Amazon.com. I think it cost around $30, and I bought two and saved on shipping. You can also buy them from places like Target (so I’ve been told…) and Dick’s Sporting Goods, in the yoga section. It isn’t particularly “comfy” — because it wobbles a bit and makes you sit up straight. But boy, does it WORK! I really suffered from lower back pain (which my doctor tells me I have arthritis) and this has truly helped to alleviate much of the pain because the slight wobble causes you to check your posture — without thinking about it — and you end up moving just enough to keep your muscles from becoming stiff. Give it a try!
To answer your question about moving all this stuff to Germany…..I packed about 140 boxes myself — and packed everything in my sewing studio. It took six weeks of truly dedicated packing to get everything organized and ready for the movers. But it was worth it, because when it came time to unpack, everything was clearly labeled and easy to put in the right place. I will confess, however, that it took me a full week to set up the studio alone; including two whole days to organize all the fabric stash! Yikes! 🙂
I adore the name you gave it — Kimberly’s Quilting Nest!
See, your dad’s bird feeder fits right into that nest theme!
Pat, you’re right! I think I need to design the next website mystery quilt around blocks related to birds. What do you think?
I love it!