Saturday, August 20, 2011

me: the crafting dungeon



I currently do my crafting in our unfinished basement which I refer to as "the crafting dungeon".  I blogged about it here a couple years ago during my first lukewarm attempt at craft blogging.

As far as dungeons go its not so bad (and I know that I am blessed to have a dedicated crafting place).  There are actually some nice things about working in the basement:

1.  I have lots and lots of space to spread out.  Two six foot long tables are permanently set up in the middle of the basement for cutting fabric.  I never have to take down my ironing board and I have lots of space to spread out and work on projects.

2.  I am under no pressure to keep the space neat.  Even the most extensive house tour generally doesn't include a stop in our unfinished basement so I am free to throw fabric around and leave Michael's shopping bags half unpacked for months.  (These are theoretical examples of course, I would never do that.)

3.  The dogs are scared to go down the stairs which are open in the back.  I love my little pups, but see number 2 above.  My curious pups just love to take advantage of a messy room and a distracted mom.

On the other hand the dungeon can be depressing and cold.  I can't get a good radio signal so if my iPod is not charged I end up listening to the same sad Toad the Wet Sprocket CD over and over again while I work.

But the worst part about the dungeon?  It's dark.  No sunshine except two small little windows.  My husband generously hung some overhead florescent lights over my work areas but I still feel like I'm working in the dark most of the time.

So I've been thinking about creating a new crafting place in a rarely used upstairs bedroom.  I will sacrifice a lot of space, but gain a lot of sunshine.  I will need to be a bit more organized, but will gain the use of a radio and maybe even a television.  I will need to be a bit more cautious so that stray pins don't end up in puppy tummies, but will find more inspiration in a more cheerful environment.

Now I just have to figure out how to make it all work.  I already have ideas, but creating a craft room that I love will take time and money.

What are your "must-haves" for a dream craft room?

7 comments:

Jessica said...

A must have in my dream craft room would be a large table to lay things out everywhere and floor to ceiling cabinets with see through door and drawers.

Kathleen said...

I too would want a large cutting table that could always be out. And I would love a place for my fabric that I could see while I was creating instead of in a bin in the closet. I do use my computer so I would want a place for that too. How fun for you! My sewing room is also the guest room so I have a trundle bed in there. Someday I would like to have it just be my sewing room. Enjoy your new space!

Unknown said...

I would love an area where I had enough space for my sewing machine to stay on the table permanently, enough room to cut fabric and lay out pieces, and space to keep other supplies organized. I'm not asking for much! Hehe, but the boyfriend and I (and our two dogs, two cats, and two bearded dragons) live in a one bedroom apartment. One day when we have our own little house...one day :)
PS-Oh and room for my big dogs to lay on the floor nearby without being right underneath me.

Evan Becky said...

I would love to have my basement as finished as yours even! I dream about when it's finished having a table for sewing, one for cutting and one for scrapbooking/computer stuff (I have a Cricut hooked up to SCAL software). I originally thought I wanted shelves, but after I did my studio "makeover" (seen here http://evanbecky.blogspot.com/2011/08/studio-makeover-on-budget.html) I like the closet and hanging shelves. I feel like I'm opening a treasure chest when I open the closet doors. And I salvaged a few windows when my in-laws had theirs replaced, so I'm going to put faux windows with lights behind them so it looks like I've got some sunshine down there.

Anonymous said...

I would have everything lowered so that I could do my cutting, etc, from a sitting position, since I can's stand at all or walk w/out a walker

KJ@letsgoflyakite said...

I recently moved my crafting space (from the dining room table :) to the basement. I haven't posted about it yet because it's not yet complete. I think my must haves are: ironing and cutting space, pegboards, and a storage system that allows me to see my entire stash of supplies and fabric easily. It really makes me angry when I purchase something I already had, but couldn't find.

I have been collecting all my inspiration and putting it on my pinterest board here.

http://re.pn/b/zH1I

Nancy said...

My current sewing room is a small bedroom upstairs. It has one small window so my hubby put up fluorescent fixtures and I bought "daylight" bulbs for them. Now I have all the sunshine I need.
We are moving soon and my new sewing space is a remodeled two car garage overlooking a pond on 10 acres..lol
with a skylight..I can't wait..

you can see it here...www.tenacresandapond.blogspot.com

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