It’s been two months, five days, three hours, and 12 minutes since I’ve sewn anything. Okay, I have no idea exactly how long it’s been, but it’s definitely been over two months, and I’m going insane.
Aside from putting all of my creative practices on hold, the move to Portland has been really good for my soul; I love our new house and neighborhood, I love not working at a K-8 school (working in an office is AMAZING), I love my 11 minute commute to work (18 minutes by bike), and I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for saying this, but I love that it’s not constantly sunny here.
Move in day. 
Same room, now livable.
Anyway, I know this space is primarily meant to be about sewing and making, but it’s my blog and there ain’t gunna be any of those things without some house updates first. So why not share what’s happening?
The entire second floor of our house is mine, and I’m so excited to transform it into a bright, beautiful, and functional workspace. As you can see, it’s currently dark and gross, but the bones, the bones are GOOD.
It’s a pretty big space. I’m planning to have a sewing zone and a computer / other art zone with storage in between. I think once it’s all done, it’s going to be pretty amazing. Now to just find some patience while all the work happens.
The plans:
- update the electrical (currently everything is two-prong / un-grounded)
- add lighting and two ceiling fans
- install duct work and remove ugly wall heaters
- drywall over the OSB and paint white
- install hardwood flooring
- remove carpet on stairs, refinish
- paint built-in bookcase white and add countertop
- remove weird 70s glass partition and install another bookshelf or pony wall
- update closet (paint white and install closet system)
- create a ton of storage in knee wall
So far we’ve done the duct work and the closet, and the electrical work is starting this week!
This is the closet before. It was painted a dingy yellow and had stupid clothing rails. The long one was supported in the middle with a piece of cord tied to a screw in the ceiling. Removing them was an irritating challenge. The support system (first pic, right side) had about an inch of wood filler covering all the screw heads meaning I had to dig all 6 of them out to remove the dumb thing. I also discovered that the rails were punched into the drywall for additional support. Drywall patches are amazing!
Ah, what a difference paint makes. Once I had the white box, I spent a small fortune on a closet system for my clothing and a garment rack to store all of my paper patterns.
I’m really pleased with the pattern rack. It was something I told myself I could have once we moved. Prior to this, all of the patterns hung on hooks and it was really hard to find what I needed. Now they’re organized by garment type and it makes me want to get back in to sewing IMMEDIATELY.
I am struggling to organize my sewing patterns. Where did you find the materials to hang and organize your patterns?
Beautifully done and so inspiring! Have fun as you create this new space. You will enjoy it for years to come….
Does anyone really like constant sunshine? I demand a minimum of four seasons.
It kind of cracks me up how much you hated working in a school (possibly because while I love working in a Pre-K – 8 school I can also relate to the feeling of hating it, it’s a real knife edge with those little monsters/adorable daisies).
I look forward to sewing space updates! I have DIY home envy!
Have you met anyone from California? They’re aggressively into their sunshine! I worked in schools that had longer days, stupidly short summers, and a boat load of problems. It was unsustainable and made me (and most of my co-workers) miserable. I’m glad your school doesn’t sound like that!
That makes sense, a bad, incompetent or just disinterested administration is no picnic!