Contemplating a She Shed Studio
 

I am so cramped for space. I currently work in a small loft in our cabin, which also triples as our office and a bedroom. Has anyone else ever gone for the She Shed approach? If so, did you just buy a shed at Home Depot, or build from scratch? What features came into play? How do you like it today?

~ C

We bought a shed from Home Depot that we assembled to store my fabrics in when my daughter and 3 granddaughters moved in with us. At that time I had to sew on the kitchen table and go out to the shed to get fabric or patterns. We had no trouble with leaks or any weather damage for the 8 years they lived with us. I had two of my neighbors get a shed built for them. It would be a good idea to have one built and then you could customize it the way you want to your specifications. Now I have two extra bedrooms to put all of my sewing things in and it is great. Good luck on your decision

I was thinking about a She Shed this morning with I saw a kit on Overstock dot com. I would want enough room for an eventual nice long arm plus a place for all my fabrics and a nice cutting table.Right now I have spread out in out 2 extra bedrooms. One was converted for my studio 20+ years ago and served well until I got the Grace Frame, which I am not using right now. Anyway the She Shed on Overstock looked perfect since it had all the space I want as well as a small porch to relax on and maybe do some hand stitching.
Sorry I can't help you on this one other than to share my own desires

Go for it! I think it would be a great idea and would call it "Quilter's Cottage".

What size are you considering for your space?

dye cottage this is my she shed I do my fabric dyeing in there ,it was Amish built, and I insulated it had it wired and plumbed. sheet rock and painted. It is cute as a bug to me I have really enjoyed it, LOve it

I have a she shed from our local Mennonite shed builders, I got a deal on it, because it was a used shed, 14'x32, 3 large windows, 4'x5', 2 small windows, 48"x36, 6 4' fluorescent lights, which we switched to L.E.D., 3 doors, insulated and OSB on the inside, got it for $8900.00. We had the walls textured and painted, put 30 year laminate flooring in. I absolutely !!!!!!!!!!

I would, too!!!

What is OSB?

Bearisgray,
OSB is oriented strand board. It is a type of plywood, usually has a texture & is used for lots of construction projects.
sewverybusy1

I don't have one, I live alone so my whole house is my "she-shed"....https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/boy.gif But a dear friend got a two story shed from Home Depot. The only thing it doesn't have is running water ie: no toilet. She got it it about 10 years ago and the steep narrow staircase to the upstairs bedroom was fine then. As she and her husband aged, the knees and her overall health became a problem and it is extremely difficult to climb those stairs now. Granted, not everyone will develop bad knees but stair climbing is something to consider as you age.
She loves it and has it set up with her embroidery business as well as all quilting/sewing things.
Good luck with yours.

Thanks for all of the encouraging words on the She Shed! I'm seriously thinking of building one. Ideally, I would like it to attach to a small greenhouse, then, I would spend all of my daylight hours out there. A toilet of some kind would be a good idea...we have an Envirolet, composting toilet in another shed that could be moved in. No septic tank needed. A mini fridge for cold drinks would also be a must.

~ C

Maybe a better option would be to consider some sort of a mobile home/trailer/camper? Ready built and with the conveniences. Then just add your own personal touches. I bet you could even work in that greenhouse attachment!

Take your time, and plan ... plan ... plan. And plan some more!!
That way everything can be "perfect" and you will have everything you want, with no regrets!

Great idea.

Do some areas have restrictions on putting those on one's property?

Here, for sure! and it can differ from one municipality to the other.

Definitely important to check the regulations and requirements if
one is thinking of doing something of this nature.

Yes! Camping trailers are supposed to be stored off-site, and mobile homes are not allowed at all except in designated trailer parks (where they're placed 10 feet apart with a lovely divider of pounded dirt and weeds.)

Can I offer a different perspective? I always thought I would love to take one of the upstairs bedrooms at our house to use as a sewing room. When it finally happened, I did not like it. I felt isolated from my husband who would be downstairs watching TV while I was upstairs sewing. The extra room was great, but not the isolation. I ended up bringing my sewing machine down and sewing on a portable table in the living room. My husband also liked it better when I did that. After that experience, I realized that my dream of a she-shed sewing studio was not what I wanted at all.

I say if it's something you want, then go for it. For me, a she shed would not be simple and practical, living in central Maine and all. Heating it in the winter, cooling it in the summer, bathroom, electric to it, cleaning it, getting to it over ice and snow, not to mention shoveling a path to it when it snows, I will pass on all of these. Living in an area where it is warm would make much more sense to have one in MHO. I agree with mmunchkins, my sewing studio is upstairs and I feel isolated from DH at times, so being in an entirely different building would only emphasize that feeling in me. I heard the term "Lady lair" on HGTV (ladies version of a man cave) and I liked that name, I refer to my quilting studio as my lady lair.
I enjoy tiny house shows on Youtube and HGTV, and something can envision one of those as an area for quilting ie she shed, all the creative storage, bathroom and kitchentte in place, plenty of space to showcase your work, plenty of room for all the quilt related stations ie: cutting, ironing ect.... room to lay it out, design, and the list can go on...
I hope you follow your dream and it is everything you want it to be and that you get many years to enjoy it, if you decide to move forward, I hope you post pics so we can see your creative space.

Lucky for me, I don't have the slightest problem of not being in the same building as my husband. LOL If I'm home I'm in the sewing room, until about 5 p.m., then I stay for the rest of the day.

We have been married 58-1/2 years and worked together for 29-1/2 years and been retired for the last 4-1/2 years spend most of our lives together. My sewing room is my solo time apart. Not a problem sewing hours to myself.

She shed doesn't appeal to me happy with just a room.

Good for you to get what you want.

I took the second largest bedroom for my sewing room but if/when we move I want a studio for me and a cook's kitchen for my husband as that's his passion.
I don't sew much at night, other than hand work while watching TV or whatever. So being away from my husband isn't a problem. The cats and I like to hang out with him :)
Tropit- I love your idea!!! I hope you do it.

I have two friends with special buildings for their sewing centers. I think it would be awesome to have all that storage and fabrics contained. Here in our county, as long as you don't have a bathroom in it, it isn't taxable. It's a shed. If you do decide to go that route, take my dads advice. When my husband was building his shed in the backyard, my dad happened to call and he told him. "No matter what size you are building, double it." Oh, how later my husband wished he had listened. He always wished he had doubled it.

tropit, you may living where not have winterizing or summerizing is a considration? When you add power, toilet, and insulation needs the cost is considerable for what you are considering. Enough that it might be a lot more practical to sell what you have and get what you need.
When you say 'your cabin' I picture somewhere rural without a lot of zoning restrictions. I that case if you love where you are I too would consider a well maintained small RV trailer. I've been in a couple repurposed to hobby rooms and they are cute as a bugs ear.
I saw this one in Colorado and could have hugged it right into my own driveway :) And there is a traveling quilter who uses an RV to go and sell at shows.

Thanks everyone. I do live out in the country and I am able to build a, "utility shed," without a permit, so that's not a problem. My husband is also a builder by trade. He just doesn't want to build it for me. However, my son has been staying with us and he's giving me a little sympathy on this topic, so the DH is starting to give in. (I know...family politics...they're a pain, but sometimes ya gotta do watcha gotta do.) The hubby suddenly just mentioned that he had some old windows that might be good for this project...and maybe some old redwood lumber too that he has saved up. Oh, and he also remembered that leftover metal roofing that he has saved above the chicken coop. Yes!!!

I don't need anything fancy for my shed/greenhouse. It can be quirky and cottagy, all pieced together with old stuff. I'll just grow some vines over the shed part to hide the flaws and put lots of beautiful plants in the greenhouse. It could be adorable! I've been snooping around Craigslist for free materials for the project.

I do like the idea of making it twice as big as I plan, but unfortunately, I have limited space on the plot where I intend to put it. It's going to have to be kind of small. Still, it's better than what I have now. I won't need to tie into the septic with the envirolet and there is a water spigot right at the site for the greenhouse. As for electricity, I'll splurge and get a small solar set-up. I might be able to find that used too. We have an old, woodburning stove that I can use for heat in the winter. Summer...I'll just open the windows. (Our entire property is entirely off the grid, so these things are no big deal to us.)

I'd really like to put a nice, long lap pool in front of the shed, but that is definitely out of the range of our budget. Gosh, it's fun to plan!:D

~ C

KalamaQuilts...that trailer is so sweeeet! I love the sunflowers painted on it!

~ C

Gotta love it when a plan comes together!!!!!!
And don't give up on that lap pool ........ gently keep the idea in front of your DH and that wonderful enabling DS might just help it come together, sometime down the road.

Keep in mind that you can always go upppp!! ;)

Yes, I totally agree! I have been mentioning the lap pool...to my son, that is, with the DH close by, listening. :D

I could go up, but I'm worried that as I get older and older, those stairs will not be so easy to climb.

~ C

You've got the men-folk thinking about it. Now they can keep their eyes open for ideas for the how-to's and snag things they will need to make it happen. First the She Shed!!! Then with all your praises to them with that accomplishment, they'll be going to extremes to please you even further.

Agree, the stairs could be a future impediment ... heck, they have the know-how to put in an elevator for you! Besides, it would take less room than stairs, being straight up instead of an angle!!! :)

Same here! I set my quilting room up in our basement but ended up moving it to our spare bedroom (we’re in a ranch house) because I wanted to be near my husband and our pets. I sacrificed space, but I love it and I sew more.

An elevator! Now....that's an idea! LOL!

~ C

I particularly like this shed: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9OO4nfSajL...ic+cottage.jpg But, I'd put some vines on it.

The entire blog is devoted to funky she sheds. Fun!

~ C

*giggles* ........ I bet the guys are super impressed with this!!!

Photo link ..... Fun and Funky .... yes!
After all, why would you want it to be ordinary, plain, conservative?
Great pic to let those ideas percolate!

Yeah...I think that they'd chase me off the property if I suggested an elevator. I'm happy with old windows and tin roofing.

(But I'm not completely giving up on the lap pool. :) )

~ C

My "she-shed" was labeled "the workroom". Same thing, We enclosed the double car garage and installed a wall unit A/C. Loved the space, but one downside was that it was detached from the house. I had to walk outside to get there, and it grew to be inconvenient! It didn't bother me at first, just when the "newness" wore off. My advice would be to attach your workroom to the house; it would also solve the isolation feeling.

My DIL is up her visiting from Berkeley and today, she casually said, "Ya know what you really need? A greenhouse, with maybe a little artist studio on the side." Yes, yes, yes...I know! She is going to start hunting the bay area, searching for old windows for the greenhouse part, where supplies like that abound. (She's really, really good at that.) She's also down for helping me build it and she has tools! Now...what someone says off the cuff and what someone actually does may be two, entirely different things, but right now, it's music to my ears! I may get that greenhouse she shed after all. finally, I have a partner in crime. I love my DIL. She's also talking about a pond/natural pool. That, I mist admit, is over her head...LOL. Go Girl Power!

~ C

Leah day and her dad built a “crafty cottage” on their property. I think she may have some YouTube videos on its planning and construction. When we moved 5 years ago I finally got my own sewing room. It is small but I love it. We also have a walk out basement where a former owner built some really nice shelves so a lot of my things are down there out of my way. So far no critters and no dampness. I don’t have a stash of fabric though.

Yeaaaaaaaaa for that DDIL!
Maybe that lap pool isn't such an impossibility .... get her thinking of that instead of the pond.
After all, it is all ........ Water! :)