Thursday, September 23, 2010

New Studio Progress

I've slowly been taking  things to the new studio, and thought you might like to see how it looks at the present time.  (Don't hold your breath for it to be finished any time soon, since it is probably going to take years to get everything sorted and moved.)

At any rate, I managed to take a few pictures last weekend, including the little project I've started there (originally, I'd planned to post earlier pictures of it, but they're still in my phone, which refuses to speak with my computer, because I don't have the proper software).  I'll post more about the project later, but there is a glimpse of it here. 

My old desk / sewing table is serving me well again, as well as my old cutting table, which is back in service.  Ikea had some inexpensive seating solutions, such as my cushioned stool and taller stools, which are the right height to work at the cutting table.  The travel spinning wheel is set up, and I'll post the project I finished soon.




Last week saw a bit of trading with a friend, both of us trading things which we needed to clear out of our studios, but the other was interested in.  New to me is the tapestry loom, which I have warped and begun the first lesson from a tapestry book.  So far, I'm finding that carpet warp is a bit slippery for tapestry, because I had a difficult time beating the weft to a straight line, as it kept wanting to move further down the warp, and I need to leave space for fringe later.  Next time I'll try linen or wool for warp yarns.




My desk area is really used for whatever I need it to be at the time.  Several months ago I wove fabric strips through carpet warp on my floor loom, and made the fabric up into a lovely bag that I ended up selling.  I thought I could re-create the fabric on the rigid heddle loom, but I was wrong.  Although I'm able to weave on it, I'm not able to beat it hard enough to get as firm a fabric as I'd like (so far I'm really only happy weaving sock and knitting yarns with it, although I'm amazed at the beautiful fabrics that others are able to make with them).  Since I still have warp on the loom, I'll probably experiment with the remaining warp until I get sick of it.




This is a storage / work cart which really comes in handy!  It is easy to wheel out into the open area so I can share the studio with a friend, and has already been used to weave a large "quilt" basket that I showed you in the past (a portion of it can be seen to the far right of my desk in the picture above). 



Eventually, I plan to have a design wall that will stretch from the door on the left to the end of the wall behind the door on the right, behind my ironing board.  I do have  a big board, and plan to either put it on the cart in the picture above, or on a larger one, that will support it better, sometime in the future.  I just need someone to go to IKEA with me to help with the lifting, and then carrying it down into the studio.  (I had planned to purchase it when I bought the desk furniture and the other cart, but the boxes were too heavy for me.  Yes, they have staff that will help you get items onto a cart, and eve into your car, but it doesn't do me any good without someone at home to help unload, so I'll wait for a time when my husband or a friend can go along.) 




I know it's a bit messy, especially with many of my supplies stored in bins, baskets, and bags, but eventually it will all get sorted out.



1 comment:

Delighted Hands said...

"Ooooo", she says while turning green! The room in your new studio is supremely envious. I have the plans drawn up for my sewing room makeover but it isn't in the budget until next year. I will not have room for my looms. They are in other parts of the house. If I put my looms in the sewing room, I might never come out! You have a beautiful area to work in.