The Dream Studio

This is a follow-up on my previous post showing my current studio space. Eventually, I'll be moving to Virginia, though things seem to keep delaying that move. Anyway, though the house is large, there is no single room to accomodate my many addictions. Because I have 6 acres available, I've decided to build a free-standing dream studio and set out to develop a floor plan to determine how much space I'd need.


This is my first plan - a single large room with a bathroom. The floorplan is set up with functional areas for each craft. Click on the plan to see it larger. I measured everything and added a wet area for dyeing which I currently don't have.

I was very happy with the work I'd done on this plan until I saw some buildings made by a company called Garden Sheds in my Fine Gardening magazine. This is a picture of one of their models. They are beautiful and they are built and shipped to the site ready to occupied. Because they are pre-built, the size limitation is 13' x 30' - not nearly large enough for all my stuff. So I thought maybe I could buy two and combine them the space I'd need. So here is the second iteration of the dream studio. Click to enlarge.


I decided to place the two buildings at right angles to each other with a connection built that will house the bathroom. The open rafters will make the building seem spacious and I love the look.

Ultimately the deciding factor will be the cost, as with most things in life. I was leaning toward plan 2 until I took another look at plan 1 before posting. Now I'm not so sure. Which do you like best?

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My Creative Space

This post has been up for a while but I thought I'd list it for the Interweave Press Virtual Tour. I'll only have this space for a couple more months since I'll be moving to Virginia. If you have some time, check out the floorplan options for my Virginia studio.

While I finish some more projects to show you, I thought I’d share with you my current workspace. I say current because later I’ll show you the “dream studio” plan. My New Jersey house is a 112 year old Victorian with three floors and a basement. I’ve been using the third floor as my studio and I consider myself fortunate to have this dedicated space. I have three rooms and a bath up there and I can make a mess and no one will see. I tend to be somewhat preoccupied with organization. With all the things I do and the supplies required to do them, I guess things could get major out of control if I wasn’t. I know some people love it but I’m not a fan of open storage since I can’t figure out how people keep their yarn and fabric from getting dusty. So, I spend a lot of time figuring out how to conveniently stash my stuff away.

Quilting and sewing




Over the years I’ve become a lover of kitchen cabinets for the studio space storage. My cutting table is 2 base cabinets with a plywood top. It is a great back-saver at counter height and I’ve added a stool in case I want to sit. But I always cut standing.






The sewing machine table was bought years ago from a friend who was selling her studio furniture. It’s actually multiple cabinets that you can configure as you like with a separate top. The top has a cut-out for a machine and an electric lift but the long sewing bed on my Janome has a drawback - it doesn’t fit the opening. There are a lot more pieces to this furniture but they are already in Virginia waiting for the new space.

Storage

In the hall between the rooms I have a kitchen pantry purchased from Home Depot used to store fabric sorted by color. There’s also a closet under the eaves and my warping reel on the landing. I’ve long since outgrown the pantry storage but most of my fabric is packed in anticipation of the move to Virginia. I knew that packing the studio would be the biggest challenge so I started a while ago. I miss my fabric but I knew I had enough UFOs to keep me busy until the move.






Computer/Office


This room is an octagon located in the turret. It’s a neat room and I feel comfortable and cozy here.














Weaving/spinning/knitting

I have 3 floor looms - a 4-harness Hammett counterbalance, a 8-harness unnamed (that I couldn’t get up to the third floor), and my baby - an 8 harness Schacht high castle.

I also have 2 spinning wheels - an Ashford traditional that I purchased as a kit on my first trip to New Zealand more than 20 years ago and my second baby - my Schacht double treadle wheel that I keep downstairs so I can spin while watching TV.

I bought more Home Depot cabinets - this time wall cabinets that I stacked for yarn storage. I got the optional glass doors so I can see the yarn colors.

So, that's my current space. I have 2 alternative floorplans for the new studio space in Virginia. I just have to figure out which will be the least expensive way to build it. I’ll share the plans later.

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