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Wednesday, April 29

Creative Space Tag - Want a Peek?

Creative Space Tag is a new blogging game.  It was dreamed up after a conversation that Maryse and Julie had about how fun it would be to make a game of seeing people's sewing rooms.  It will be a lot of fun if it catches on and spreads!  Not only is it interesting to see how people carve out their own creative spaces, but, if nothing else, it will result in cleaned up work areas all over the world.  

Julie, who is a new blogging friend, kicked it off with views of her amazing new loft: a work in progress.  You can learn about Creative Space Tag here at Pink Doxies.  I love Julie's blog and she always has interesting things to say and great things to show us!  I feel like I grow a little more as a person and a quilter every time I visit.  

If you would like to be tagged, just let Julie know, since she will be coordinating the game.  It doesn't matter if your sewing area is fancy or humble, the idea is to inspire others by showing how you make space to create.   

Maryse went next and showed us her space.  Maryse is very special to me because she was my very first friend in blogland. I love throwing around ideas with Maryse and we have had some great conversations together.  Her work never ceases to take my breath away and I look up to her, not only as an incredibly talented quilter but as a wise and caring person.   You can see her sunlit and beautifully organized space here at Maryse Makes Things

Maryse then tagged me. :)     
So... Welcome and come on in for a tour of my creative space!  
I will try to keep this post picture rich and word light from this point on.    

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This used to be my daughter's bedroom and now is my favorite place to sew.  I love my vintage sewing machines and use them on a regular basis.  This room is so cheery and it lifts my spirits to work in here:

Vintage Sewing Room - View 1
Vintage Sewing Room - view 2 - There is always a dog bed nearby!

The other main area where I sew is in our bedroom, which I seem to have taken over.  This is where my modern machine and mambo sewing table are:

Bedroom Sewing Space - View 1 - from the door

Jim helped me make a homemade Ironing and Cutting Station - Tutorial Here
It has storage for books and ironing supplies too:

DIY Ironing and Cutting Station

I took over the Walk-in closet.  Sometimes my stash is very well organized.  I try to fold all the fabric onto 8 and 1/2 by 11 magazine boards.  Other times, like now, I have not been so good at putting things away:

Stash Storage.  The shade is usually closed so that light won't damage the fabrics.

The cabinet below was my grandmother's and then my parents' china cabinet.  I keep the sweet romantic type fabrics in there.  As you can see, my little buddies are always nearby when I sew:

Pip likes to sit on the end of the bed.
This way she is handy in case petting is a possibility. 

Very often, we don't see our stairway railing for months at a time.  I drape freshly washed, ironed and starched fabrics here:

Penny - always hoping that I will throw the toy for her to chase.

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Would you like to meet my Golden Girls?  

First there is Dorothy - my Singer 301 and my favorite sewing machine.  Dorothy looks very straight laced and proper and I can always count on her.  I used this sewing machine to sew all the projects in my hope-to-be-published-soon book.  



Then there is Sophia - one tough cookie and always reliable.  Connie (Free Motion by the River) uses her 15-91 to free-motion quilt her quilts and I hope to get good enough to do that too.        



Then there is Rose, my Singer Featherweight.  Rose is just a darling and a good, all around machine.  My daughter Kaitie fell in love with this machine at first sight, so Rose went to live with her, except for when she comes back for spa dates.  

  

And last of all, there is Blanche.  The spiffiest, most modern machine and always up to trying anything - A Janome 7700.  My favorite thing about Blanche is that she attracts my daughters like a magnet.  


That last photo shows, on the right, the design wall Jim made for me out of furring strips and a fleece blanket.  It holds things up (Like Lorna's Elephant Parade quilt) very well.  There is a fan there because I can heat the whole house with hot flashes if I just blow the air around enough.  

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I am very grateful for having this wonderful space to create in and am thankful that my husband is so supportive of my passion for quilting.  He really understands what it is all about:


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Quilting is my voice, not my vice.
                                                                                                            ~ Lara B.
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"So who will be next in Creative Space Tag?", you may ask.

It's Sandra of Musings of a Menopausal Melon!  After that hot flash comment I just had to pick her.  Hee hee.  You just have to love someone who names their blog that!  Sandra is not only a talented quilter, but a wonderful and incredibly funny and caring friend.  She cracks me up on a regular basis and then other times broadens my mind and makes me think more about things and the world in general.  She also has turned me into a fan of Mary Oliver's poetry.  

So Sandra, Come On Down!  You are the next participant in "The Place is Right!"  I sure hope someone clicks on that so they can get the joke :) 

Thanks for visiting, because... 

Click on the pup to leave a comment...

38 comments:

  1. Lara, what a lovely post showing the beautiful spaces you have to create! Your light is wonderful, and obviously your sweet husband for helping you with your huge ironing station. I have to go down that link trail to see how it was done. It was on my list for the week, you know? I'm glad to see your little fur babies keep you company, too. They add so much to our days, throwing balls, toys, and the lot while we're trying to sew.

    I had no idea you had a book in the works! That will be on my radar now, so please let us all know details when you can.

    Thank you, thank you for sharing today on BuzzinBumble. I hope this was fun for you, and inspiring for others. You sure have inspired me, Lara.

    Julie @ Pink Doxies

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  2. Oh, how inspiring your sewing spaces are, and it's so nice to meet your lovely golden girls, as well as the sweet pets!!! My railings are also covered with quilts and strips of fabric, more often than not. I'll have to show my husband this photographic evidence that it's perfectly acceptable in genteel society!

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  3. It's fun to see your sewing spaces today! I have also taken over the master bedroom with my sewing since there is no other place in the house for it.

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  4. Your sewing spaces are bright and cheerful - and they look like they are a delight to work in! Thank you for sharing!

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  5. Thank you for sharing your sewing spaces with us! And introducing your special sewing machines to us. I love your space in your daughter's old room... so vintage romantic! And of course, I love seeing Penny and Pip! They are such cute little helpers! I loved seeing it all! (You are much neater than I am with my stash.)
    Susie

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  6. Wow, that's beautiful and so peaceful to work in, even the two helpers look like they like just hanging out while you sew. I really liked the peek in the closet, what do you make with the ribbon?

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  7. Gosh Lara your rooms are so wonderful and clean! Mine is clogged as you know but I work okay in it, I am messy when I sew! I enjoy very much seeing everyone's spaces, messy or not. I think this is a fun thing to do with the tag game. I also love the elephant quilt! The friends look like they are enjoying themselves as well, they are so cute!

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  8. Thanks for sharing your space! It all has such a calming feeling. Love all your machines and your little helpers :) Hugs!!

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  9. I absolutely loved seeing your creative spaces. They look so sweet and functional. And I'm very intrigued by the mention of your book...

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  10. I loved visiting your space Lara, it makes me know you better. I already had understood your personality, and your home is a reflection of it, so sweet, romantic and peaceful... and well organized! I smile to see we share some similar habits!

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  11. Such an interesting post -always fun to see how others work. I love your machines too, neat that you use the vintage ones so much. Little Penny and Pip are cuties and look such a great help :-) Oh and love the blocks under the needle/s and also the Elephant quilt - gorgeous!

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  12. I love your sewing spaces dear Lara! So sweet and romantic! The Elephant quilt is so fantastic!
    Hugs, Deborah

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  13. Oh lara...you spaces are so sweet...and what a very patient husband you must have! LOL!!I have a "mambo" ironing table and am thinking of asking hubby to redesign it like yours. thanks for the inspiration and tour. ::)V

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  14. Lara I just love seeing where you create!! I seem to be like you.....slowly taking over every room in the house. Your ironing table is wonderful and how fun to have Penny keeping an eye on you. The staircase railing is perfect for hanging fabrics too!

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  15. Such nice, sunny places to sew. My space is very small and multi-use, but it works for me. My kids know that I'm eyeing their rooms to move my sewing into. I've got several years to wait, but they know if I go in their room and slowly turn a silent circle, I'm planning my takeover.

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  16. I love that you named your sewing machines after the Golden Girls! AND I really, really love this: "Quilting is my voice, not my vice." I'm so grateful that my husband recognizes that, too. Your sewing space looks lovely; thank you for sharing!

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  17. Oh my! All is so tidy!! Looks like the pictures were taken for a magazine … You have a gorgeous home and I just love how well your sewing space was integrated, it is so inspiring!

    I too wonder about all those ribbons … I love to see all your sewing machine … I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those vintage one… :-)

    Thank you, Lara!! I truly enjoyed the visit and it's always a great pleasure to read you.

    Lol! I thought Pip was a he ... :-)

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  18. I think I may need to work that quote into a quilt - love it!! Maybe for my "very own" quilt, if I ever get to make one! Your spaces are wonderful, and oh, those lovely vintage machines! I have several of my own - a 99K, a 115, a Featherweight, a treadle, and a new hand crank that I haven't really had time to play with yet. But I'd love to have a 301 some day. I think I'll need a larger studio before then, though! LOL! Whoop whoop!!

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  19. wonderful space, and such cute little fur babies!!!

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  20. Lara, from your sweet doggies, to your vintage machines, to your lovely, lovely home (I remember the dining table from a certain tea party post) and not forgetting your beautiful quilts throughout the pictures, I loved reading this post. Thank you for sharing this intimate glimpse into your creative space. The addition of fur kids just completes the peace and contentment I feel here. I went to your ironing board tutorial (showed Joe, as I've talked on more than one occasion about the need to improve mine) and it looks promising for me. Also showed him your shiny Golden Girls (LOVE LOVE that); hoping to get my 1904 granny from my Grandma looking purty and purring contentedly as we sew together this summer. You will be a tough act to follow, my friend. :-) All good!

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  21. You can't possibly sew in those pretty rooms, they're too clean!!! Just teasing, of course. You make beautiful things! Thanks so much for the virtual tour. I love seeing your vintage machines and knowing that you use them. That is a great quote too!

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  22. What a neat space you have and beautiful machines! Your cutting station is my fav. Plus what? Your book coming up! Exciting!

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  23. Such lovely spaces to create in! Love those elephants!

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  24. What a great post, Lara. I feel like I know you a little better already! Your pets are adorable! And your machines...wow. Your home is so lovely and bright - very pretty. :-)

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  25. What beautiful rooms - but they are so calm and pretty and tidy I think I'd just be sitting quietly in them, not sewing up a storm! I love your ironing table, definitely want to pinch that idea, and especially love the peek at your glorious machines.

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  26. Such pretty, pretty, pretty! Love your set ups, your pups, and all of your machines. Those vintagey blocks set on point have really got my attention, too. It is so nice to get a chance to see where you do your thing!

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  27. Your vintage sewing room is very charming! (The bed looks so inviting, for an afternoon nap or for reading, covered in gorgeous quilts and pillows.) I can see why you like to sew there. It looks so peaceful.
    Your bedroom/sewing room is beautiful too, with beautiful pillows and quilts! We can see that this is in this room that you do the "hard" work (cutting and ironing lol). Good thing you have such a sturdy ironing board. I have a dresser that I plan to turn into an ironing board and reading your tutorial was quite instructional. You seem to have quite a collection of books. I'm guessing they're all about quilting and sewing...
    I have to mention your block featuring an old church (or is it an old school?). It's gorgeous and the kind of block I love to see. Is it part of a new project?

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  28. Thank you for sharing your creative spaces and 'the girls' that help you create! You have a wonderful set-up, peaceful & charming. Love your pressing and cutting station!

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  29. I love your sewing rooms - what great space you have - I have pinned that ironing table such a neat idea I hope one day I will have space for that.

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  30. I always love to see where people create. Thanks for sharing.

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  31. Your place is so calm and beautiful, Lara! Your machines look right at home. Happy creating!

    -Soma

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  32. What a fun post! Lovely rooms,vintage machines, and your little assistant looking ever so cute ! :)

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  33. Oh I love this idea! My mom and I were just sharing on our crafting podcast about creating shared craft space and what should go into it. I love your ironing cutting space. It's nice and tall. I'm ironing on the floor right now!

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  34. Wow! Awesome tour Lara!!!! I love the pressing station, the pups, and the parade on your wall! My space is also in my bedroom, only smaller :) I also have a shelf similar to the one near Blanche, except with a rod on which I hang my boys' baby quilts:) I will have to check out the other spaces...it is better and more personal than seeing them in a magazine :)

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  35. Wow! Awesome tour Lara!!!! I love the pressing station, the pups, and the parade on your wall! My space is also in my bedroom, only smaller :) I also have a shelf similar to the one near Blanche, except with a rod on which I hang my boys' baby quilts:) I will have to check out the other spaces...it is better and more personal than seeing them in a magazine :)

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  36. What beautiful sewing spaces you have! So much light--I need to figure out a design wall for mine. Ok, so you have piqued my curiosity. I have two machines that are similar to your Sophia in my living room. One was a hand me down from my cousin and I bought another one at an antique store. My hubby refinished their cabinets and we use them as end tables. I believe they both actually work, I should dig into them and see how they sew. My Featherweight is a 1961 white minty one that I love! Thank you do much for sharing!

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  37. I love your spaces. Just lovely. But I got the best chuckle when you said this could result in cleaned up workspaces all over the world. How true, how true.

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  38. I love your sewing space. I have a tan beige 301A, and a 15-91, and a Featherweight too. Those are amazing, I know it.
    You have a lovely set up.

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