Monday, July 19, 2010

More Sewing Room Progress



I've completed 4 bins, without a trip to Joann's or a purchase of any new supplies. Yay me. LOL!

Do you see that plaid on the second bin from the left? That came from Fabric.com years ago as a mistake that they told me to just keep. I had about 4 yards of it. So I used it for one front and all of the sides of the bins you don't see, and I still have enough leftovers for 2-3 more sides. I used the rest of my old pink King flat sheet for the inside linings, and pieces from the floral sheet from the prototype for the parts of the top cuff you don't see. I can get 1 face, 1 handle, and 1 cuff face from one fat quarter, which is what I used for the other 3 bins, with scraps to spare.

I'll show you the ugly sides another day. For now, I just want you to bask in the pretty. Mwah. ;-)

One could also make "turnable" bins with this scrappy method — with a different fabric combo on each side. And one can also be cheap like me and use old sheets, cheap muslin, or ugly what-was-I-thinking fabrics. (It was nice, though, to move out 3 large folds of ugly fabric from the stash. I'm actually getting to the point where I can move the overflow folds IN to the fabric closet, which is another project still to do in this makeover.)

The cardboard to make the boxes was cut from the IKEA boxes. That's five 12.75" squares per bin. The label holders are the bottoms of a big bunch of small ziplock baggies that are leftovers from my sparklies/crystal co-op days. (Anyone remember?) I just cut off the tops and stitched them on. I still have about a billion left. ;-)

Only one bin is actually labeled at the moment. I'm still deciding what will go where, which is obvious by the huge disarray in the other cubbies, and which means I can't find ANYTHING right now without looking in each cubbie.



I've also decided to invest in some spray paint instead of a new bin for every cubbie. First, I think it will just be "too-too" with all those fabric-covered bins. Second, I already have a lot of perfectly useful bins that just need a facelift to cover outdated colors and I think a mix of all types throughout the shelves will look better and be more me. Third, sometimes I do actually like to see inside the bin without taking it down. And Fourth — most importantly — I'm cheap and lazy. ;-) But I do still want to make 2 or 3 more of these fabric bins and then I will "scatter" them all throughout the shelves for a less uniform look.

My four canvas bins like the three shown above will be spray-painted too. They are very dingy right now, but still quite functional. I'm thinking they'll take spray paint in light doses OK and hopefully they won't turn into a soggy mess. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

I did take lots of notes while I was making these bins and I do plan on putting together a tutorial at some point in the near future, but I think I'm going to have to use mostly drawings so that the details are easier to see and understand. So, patience please. :-)

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By the way … the Viking 2000 may have taken its sweet time getting here, but it was worth the wait. After oiling, it works perfectly!

23 comments:

  1. Just in case Blogger ate my previous comment: Pep boys. Automotive interior paint. Light coats. Works on headliners and carpet; it should be fine on canvas.

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  2. Thanks for the update. I think that you are smart, not lazy. Besides, you do want to get back to regular sewing, right?

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  3. I just love your ideas. You have inspired me to organize my sewing room. It shouldn't take much time, since I just recently started sewing again, and am building my stash and supplies. I love the shelves. I wish I had an IKEA near me. I did find similar shelving at Target. I want to put similar bins under my cutting table. But the dimensions are odd, and I haven't found anything that would work. I am looking forward to your tutorial, I want to try making bins.

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  4. Love the machines along the top shelf...would make me smile every time I looked at them! Nice job!

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  5. Amazing! Looks just amazing!!!

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  6. Looks SO good! Thanks for the update. And you're using up "stuff", which is always good, and clears the mind, as well as the recesses of overflow storage.

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  7. Very cute!

    I have a bin type of bookcase as well. Not Ikea, but the shelves can be adjusted. I ended up using beer cases and contact paper for mine. Yours are so cute though! I may have to freshen mine up. Lord knows I have plenty of fabric to spare.

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  8. This looks FANTASTIC!! Now I really want to start working on my sewing room. The queen bed that is in there is leaving on wednesday, so hopefully I'll be able to work on it soon!

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  9. This looks fantabulous!!! Is that a made up word? I think it is, but it works for your sewing room.

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  10. Very cool. I agree, I think it's more interesting with some non-fabric-covered bins. I love those vintage machines sitting on top. Hooray for you!

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  11. Your sewing room is looking great!

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  12. Marie-Christine4:45 AM, July 20, 2010

    This is looking really good! Yes, you can spray paint cardboard without any ill effect, paint isn't that liquid.
    And in your place I'd get rid of ugly fabric I got by mistake. It made you happy to get it once, now you could make someone else happy with it too, as well as yourself by getting more room.

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  13. Your shelves and bins look fantastic. I really like your sewing machines in a row on the top of the shelving unit.

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  14. Oooooooh, you are looking so organized and perrty. I think your enabling skills are waning, I have only been looking at older machines on sale lists, haven't bought one......yet.

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  15. LOVE those Ikea Expedit bookshelves - we have 6 of them in two colors!

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  16. I love your pretty maids (aka sewing machines) sitting all in a row.

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  17. The fabric boxes are fantastic... Love how you are personalizing IKEA!

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  18. Love the soft green colors. Very pretty display of sewing machine too.

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  19. I just want to come stand in your sewing room!

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  20. I love the sewing machines across the top. What great decoration for a sewing room. I am jealous that I don't have any walls in my studio to go up like that. It really works visually giving a nice sense of order your room.

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Thank you for each and every comment. I appreciate them all, but I have to be honest and let you know that I'm usually bad about answering questions. I hope you understand that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want to do.

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