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Friday, March 22, 2019

Let's Build a Wall / Beauties Pageant 25

My husband and I built our house—replete with high ceilings, a cavernous foyer, rooms whose beginnings and endings aren’t always clearly defined—almost 17 years ago. It’s a beautiful, open-concept design but has proved to be less functional than we’d like. In particular, the living room and dining room should be adult spaces that we use at night. Because sound travels easily from those rooms up to where the kids sleep, however, we don’t. The solution? We’re erecting a wall with noise-dampening insulation and adding two doors.

Someday soon there will be a wall and door here.

This plan is brilliant for a variety of reasons. First, we can get rid of a gate that keeps Rose, our naughty golden retriever, out of the dining room. (My lower back is already anticipating a day when I don’t have to step over that blasted thing!) Second, the living room and dining room are where I sew, and the renovations will better delineate my creative space from the rest of the house.

In the meantime, I’m squatting in a corner of the master bedroom on a fold-up table, trying to be as productive as possible. The sacrifice is that I have three projects ready to be quilted but no time to get to the longarm at my local quilt shop and no dining room table on which to spread out and work my magic. I’m considering doing some free-motion quilting in my temporary space. Someone—please!—talk me out of it!

When I am sewing at the dining room table, I smile. When I sew in the cramped
and dark corner of my bedroom, not so much.

How are things in your sewing space? Are you at peace with the happy place you’ve carved out of your home, or are you plotting improvements like reorganizing your supplies, improving your lighting, or erecting a wall? Praise or pout in the comments below.

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And now it’s time for this week’s Beauties Pageant! (Note my own contribution: a link to Rose with an old whole-cloth finish. It’s included solely to indulge all you crazy dog lovers. You know who you are.)


The pageant rules are simple:
  • Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
  • Point your readers back here with a text link or use the button above.
  • Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.




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10 comments:

  1. My sewing space in our house is much more functional than my sewing spaces in my previous two apartments, however, eventually I know I will probably have to give up some of the space. The room doesn't have a design wall or space to lay out large quilts, but I have space in the living room to do that on occasion. It's still a work in progress, and will continue to be for a while, but it's a much better set up than previous.

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  2. I cannot imagine living in and through construction remodeling! Last year we had wood floors installed which led to other issues. It was not easy and I'm pretty sure yours is much more involved than that was! When it's all said and done...it will be amazing and worth it though!

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  3. Hi Michelle! I think that is great that you will be able to close a door to your sewing space and adult area. I love the open concept most times, but not when it impacts the sleeping areas. Especially for kids, and a bonus to keep your retriever contained as well. He's only doing his duty, I'm sure, by checking for food, etc. Enjoy the weekend! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  4. I have an entire bedroom for my sewing space. So blessed! I am finally set with the way I have it arranged, but lighting is an issue, so I am considering options. How I wish I had put cans in all corners of the bedrooms when we built! But at least I have a handy husband who could do that for me.

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  5. I sew in my sun room facing a wall of windows. It is so bright in there. i love it!

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    1. All that natural light makes a big difference, doesn't it?!

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  6. My sewing space is about to shrink really dramatically. I hope to stay smiling, but I expect it will change what I want to work on!

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  7. my table runner is ready to quilt - the top and the basting done- good luck in arranging your house how you want - a challenge when kids are still home - mine are not so I have the old bedroom for a sewing room and I still tend to spread out into the rest of the house.

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  8. I'd love to design and build a house. I am happy that I have a dedicated sewing room. But due to the size and layout, it's not set up as I would like, but it works as best as can under the circumstances. Good luck with the renos.

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  9. I sew in the basement of a 1970’s ranch. No large egress windows, so light was always an issue. Lots of free standing lights and lamps worked for awhile. Recently hubby and grown son installed LED ceiling light in 4 locations. A vast improvement over the single central ceiling light and various lamps! Much better!

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