Silly question about my sewing room
 

I have a sewing room. So do some of you. Some have a sewing space. There are also some of you that have a studio. How does a sewing/space become a studio? Yeah, I'm bored.

Is it a place you just go to, to sew, or is it somewhere you go to create?

I would think a studio is a big room with several sewing machines and lots of cabinets and closets. A big stash of fabrics and several comfy chairs. Wait, that sounds like my dream, oh well, just what I think.

I was watching a Fons & Porter episode a few years ago and they were talking about this very thing. Mary Ann Fons stated that she thought the rule was this: If your sewing machine sits out for more than 24 hours, then you have a studio; if you have to put it away after each sewing session, then it is a sewing space" I don't know how true this is because I have a little 9' X 10' room with a walk-in closet and most of the time I leave my sewing machine up on my sewing table (even though I have a cabinet to put it away in!) And I also have to move my machine often as this room is also my computer room. All (okay, almost all) of my fabrics and sewing supplies are in this room. I don't refer to it as a studio, I call it the "Sewing Room"

i think it's how the individual percieves their own space. what some call a studio, i'd call their kitchen table, <g>. I wish i had a studio...because in my mind, it would be a sizeable space devoted to sewing/quilting ONLY. my sewing space (and yes, my machine stays out 24/7) is shared with my work office (i telecommute for my job) and a futon and big chair and tv where the kids play video games. I call is my office/sewing room. again, i think it's all in one's own perception!

I started with a small room off the den. I took over the den, then the guest bedroom next to the den. I had both rooms redone to be all mine. DH has his man cave room with his big tv plus a shop with all his tools. The kids complained about no den anymore but of course were told it's your home not your house. LOL

I call mine a studio it's a bedroom with a large closet, it is packed full think my goal is to maybe get some of the junk out... But it is my studio because it is where I create and where I get inspired to my art ( quilting) just wish it was bigger :-)

I share our "fourth bedroom" with my husband and his hobby - he is into amatuer radio and we call the room the "radio room". My sewing machine it up full-time and has it's own table - I have two bookcases for books, patterns, supplies and fabric. I only have a small space in the built-in cabinets - he has the rest ... but, I have half of the family room because of the longarm he bought me last summer. I did volunteer to move the remainder of the family room upstairs to the living room, move my stuff out of the "radio room" and put it in the other end of the family room - he said no - pretty short sighted of him since that would give him the entire "radio room" for his own stuff - lol -- I told him the other day (when I was mad at him) that I would just wait until he was gone and then do it - he just laughed

In my little antique cottage, my living room has been turned into my "studio". I call it that because it IS a dedicated space for nothing but quilting (and some computer work like visiting QB or designing patterns).

It's where I have two large tables for quilting.
#1= 44"x72" and has my machine set down into one side of it, room on the other for another machine, room for a large 35"x23" Olfa cutting mat on one end and a shelf under that end. Two machines in their cases are stored under this table.
#2 = 63"x36" and has one end dedicated to a big 38"x28" ironing surface and the other end for in-progress stuff/ cutting mat surface. Under this table I store 4 very large Sterlite clear storage boxes of quilts and WIPs.

A Singer treadle base (no machine:()which is now a table holds a nice wooden 5 drawer thread cabinet, 6 plastic drawers of frequently used notions, and a small 3 drawer container of of needles/thimbles. This sits on the original hearth of the cottage fireplace. Covering the non-working and closed-over fireplace is an antique quilt which hangs from a rod between the mantle supports.

I have a small 3-shelf bookcase; many of my quilting books are still in boxes in the attic.

All the fabric is stored on one wall, on shelves are strips, squares, triangles, remnant pieces, pieced blocks, small UFOs, some infrequently used notions. The fabric in yardage is stored in a closed cupboard in shelves by color.

Battings, less valuable finished quilts, a large container of solid color fabrics, and a large container of muslin, linen, and matlesse fabrics are stored in a large closet.

Just about the only thing that isn't in my 'studio' is my large design wall because there is no one full wall large enough for one. That resides in my bedroom. But I have smaller movable design surfaces in the studio. And the washer and dryer are literally around the corner, as close as they could possibly be and not be IN the studio space.

Even my comfy, TV watching/quilting chair is not in my studio! If you come to visit me, you'd best plan to sit on a rolling office chair!

Jan in VA

I always think of a studio as being separate from the house, but thats just me

It's all about attitude! Mine's a studio~!

Mine is the sewing/craft room it is large about the size of a 1 car garage. But I do everything in there. Quilting, assorted forms of needle work, beading, scrapbooking, painting (oil,water, and acrlic) some small wood working projects (large ones are out in DH Shop) ceramics, jewlery making, and a few other things I'm trying just for fun.

I am working on mine to get it into the studio category. I have 3 sewing machines, and one long table, couple of smaller ones, and the plastic pull out shelves like they have at walmart, and a couple of the big plastic containers with lids for storage, and one wooden bookcase to fill with some more sewing things. But, we still have a bed in there, but are planning to take that out, and have a day bed against the wall instead. So I am still in the process, but looking forward to it. We also have a small freezer in there, but that will stay.

Like LyndaOH said, it is a state of mind. I want to call my space a studio because I think of myself as an artist--I create beauty. But my mom called her space a sewing room and that's what seems to stick in my head. I vacillate in what I call it and am working toward calling it a studio at all times.

I recently refurnished and organized my "craft room". It got to the point where I rarely created a thing in there..just went in to get some stuff out from my stash. Since I have totally redone the space I now call it my "studio". I have a few work spaces and three machines out and a quilting frame set up in the middle of the room. Its not a huge room but it is plenty of space for me to be happy in.

I think of it like when I was a child we had a parlor.....no one says that word anymore when talking about their living room. So I have left the "craft room" term behind as I left behind the term parlor. Now I have a living room in my home and I also have a studio.:)

My sewing room is in one of the extra bedrooms. It is all mine; has two sewing machines, three different shelf sets to store fabrics/notions and projects. Plus a made up table in the middle to assist with cutting/trimming (major projects I still use the dining room table). A closet filled with totes and boxes each designated for something in regards to quilting. I really love it. Guess I call it a room, because that is what it is....LOL. To me a stuio is all of those super duper rooms that look like their own little house that have tons of space to walk and move around. A sewing space is just that a space in the house that we have designated for sewing (I usually have one of these). This is my first time having a room and hope to always have a room now because of all of the necessary items I have. LOL.

Mine is a tiny bedroom that has a sign on the door stating 'Quilting Studio'. However, due to the size of the room it is rather a tongue-in-cheek sign. Kind of like calling a one bed cottage the Ponderosa...

When I actually refer to it I tend to call it 'my room' - there is also 'his room' (with all of his computer stuff) and 'our room' which is our bedroom. So I am a bit literal. However, if I made an effort then I would try to call it 'my studio' LOL!

I have a sewing space. A portion of my living room is where I have my area. It is defined by a lower ceiling then the rest of the LR. I leave my sewing machine out all the time, I also have a large cutting cabinet and a cute cabinet that I store everything in. I love having my quilting area in the LR it is the heart of my home and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I think it depends on what YOU want to call it. I have a designated sewing room and that's just what I call it my sewing room. It's not that big, about a 12 X 12, with a sewing desk, a cutting table, cube bookcases and shelved ones too, and another sewing desk with my mega quilter on it. It's very compact. My son this morning called it my mechanical room, I guess due to all of the machines. I guess if you go by Fons and Porter it's a studio because it's always setup and ready to sew. I think it's like most things in life; it depends on the person. Like some say dinner and others say supper, etc. Some think a studio is large but then when you look at studio apartments they aren't very large at all.

Hmmm... we have a studio, because it holds the mid-arm, the embroidery machine, the serger, and the three... four. Yes, four. Anyway, four sewing machines. And all fabric, two cutting tables, design boards, costuming gear (for the other sewing). It's a converted detached two-car garage/workshop that the previous owner built. It's the only space big enough for all our stuff!

But the hand-quilting frames are in the den in the house. *shrug*

I think it is all in your minds eye.....when I was a girl my mother had a 'space' under the stairs, then as a young mother I had a sewing room, where all I did was sew from patterns....Now I have a studio, which has my books, cutting table, machines, fabric, design wall....pictures of my creations....It is my creative space...my studio

I just think different people have preferences about what they call it. I call it my sewing room. I have a longarm in a converted back porch and I call it my longarm room or "Gabby's room". (I named my Gammill.)

I prefer to call my sewing space my "sewing room", because it is so messed up. If I called it my Studio, I would feel like I had to keep it in order.ha.

Good gracious! I just realized, according to this rule, that I have the mother of ALL sewing studios!!!!!!!!! Momto5, in her land of ALL the sewing machines are out ALL of the time...........??????LOL!!

Oh, that would be my whole house...........:)

I'm with you. My room is my sewing room. It's my kind of organized, meaning, I know where everything is, but if someone else looks in there, they think it's messy. But if I clean it, I lose everything. It happens, so I quit trying to organize it. Everything stays where I put it. I don't dare move things around. I still have a box I lost in there a month ago and can't find it because I straightened up the room. Dang!!

I LUV this thread -- just learned that I'm not the only one to have a "studio" in my living room -- mine is a 42" table, located behind the sofa, and holds my sewing machine and serger full time -- except when I'm quilting something big, when the serger is then stored in a plastic bin beside the table, allowing an area for the sewing machine extension table -- the quilt itself will drape across the sofa when working on the binding, etc. This allows me to stay in the "heart" of our home. There are just two of us here now -- with 3 bedrooms upstairs, so this was a choice we made to share our time together. I use the dining room table as my cutting space, and an upstairs bedroom has ironing and stash area (a huge 1850s dresser). By keeping the ironing board upstairs, I qualify by quilting as "exercise". Nice to know how we all love the artistry and construction of quilting, in our very different environments.

In our old place I had a sewing space. A sewing table with a machine, a closet with everything stuffed in it. In our new place I have a large room with two newer machines, a cutting table, a china cabinet with all of my fabric, ruler folded, a closet to hold the fabric on bolts, batting, etc. I made it my studio by adding things that just make me feel good. My grandmother-inlaw's rocker that she used to quilt in, an inhereted treadle, the pie safe my dh gave me to hold all my quilt books, and decor that I love, love, love. Sometimes I do call it my studio. But, I almost always call
it my happy place. I smile everytime I enter.

I call mine my studio about half the time and my sewing room the other half...it is a separate building. The mfr. calls it a garden shed!

I would love to visit with you and sit a spell. You must live all by yourself! If I would live alone I would have what you have. Who needs a livingroom!

This sounds like my room my husband also shares the room with me he is a ham also WA3SYR. Room is also used as our computer room. I may be moving to a bigger room as he is taking over with all the radios.

Personally I would think someone who creates a product for sale or someone who quilts to "show" their art would need a studio. For me...I do not do either necessarily...even though I have put a couple things I didn't give away on etsy, but I consider my sewing room...just that a room.

When my husband can't find me , he'll yell "Are you in your room" yep, it's my room and nobody elses.
I can call it what I want. I don't think it matters how big or how much stuff you have, to have a studio or sewing room, or no room at all. We plan, create and do our thing anywhere we can.

I just call mine "My Sewing Room"..it use to be my formal living room, that never was used for that..it has it's own door and you step down in it..My home was built in '67..it is quite a large room..I have cabinets on top an bottom on one end of the room.with sewing machine and cabinet fitted in the built ins....computer desk on the other end and all my sewing things in between...I literally stay in there most of the time..unless I need to clean, cook or do laundry...I love it...just DH and I...he loves to read, and watch tv, when he can't get outside to do anything...either raining or too hot..I'm usually sewing or on the computer...I stay busy...grandson is with us this summer and he plays his games on the tv in the sewing room, he's 12 and sometimes he pieces blocks..or he's on the computer...everyone is happy...dream of having a separate building with longarm and all my things...then I would call it my Studio..but don't see that in the plans anytime soon...so I'm very appreciative of what I do have...

Yep, this is what I have. It was my lifelong dream. I don't have any comfy chairs, but I have everything else. It is my de-stressing space also. When I am in my "studio" (3/4 of the basement) the rest of the world ceases to matter to me.

A sewing room turns into a studio with your first sale.

My dh calls it the "sewing room". I call it "my play room" I have built in cabinets on two of the walls, they came out of a kitchen orginally. A huge island in the center of the room with cabinets. I have my big board ironing board that my dh made me. A closet full of material. Four sewing machines that are set up and a serger. A double design wall too. I wish the room was twice as big though. A new TV, and after all this, I flow into my dh's den and the attic. I think of a studio as a room specially designed, with no expenses spared and just takes your breathe away.

For some reason I think of a studio as large and having a long arm. I have a sewing room because that is what my DH calls it. I think it is the same difference as a "vase" and a "vase". Lol

From one end to the other
 

One of my quilting frames I put in front of the windows. . .gotta see what's going on you know. I love this frame. It is made by the Amish (I just know the spelling is wrong When I feel the need to be on the move I put my current "in process" quilt in my huge hoop (in must be a quality hoop or you're in trouble, don't ask me how I know that hee hee.) Only thing is I haven't found a heavy duty plastic bag to put it in yet. Someone said (me? ha) the chemicals from the bag might damage my quilt. . .you gotta know I would get a little crazy if that happened. I must say I love quilting!

I think it's whatever you wish to call it. My sewing room is my bedroom, and my son calls it my studio.

Thanks for the name, I now have a studio instead of a room!
When my husband was making my table? cabinet? for my machine, I told him not to bother with one of those 'lifts.' I told him I don't see myself not having it up very often, and the lift was a little over $100. He said "Good, makes my job easier."
My studio (LOL) used to be the old dining room, so I just close the door, making it seem to be clean. Plus, it's right next to the kitchen (uh oh)