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 Second, I already have a lot of perfectly useful bins that just need a facelift to cover outdated colors and I think a mix of all types throughout the shelves will look better and be more me.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!

She's Heeeeeeeeeeeere!

UPS overnighted (yes, I just verbed an adjective — and now a noun too!) the machine to me so it was here at 10:15 this morning. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the original box or the packaging, so I have no idea what happened to it or what UPS meant by "repacking" it. I'm guessing they meant putting a new label on it for overnight service. I'm not going to dwell on it since it there was a happy ending.

The machine was dirty, but I knew that. It cleaned up great and has hardly any scratches at all. Just minimal normal wear & tear. It was missing its foot pedal (also expected), but the pedal for my 6010 works just fine and, frankly, it's nice NOT to have an extra pedal shuffling around. Looks like tonight I'll be playing around with all the stitches to see if everything is good. For now, it's been generously oiled and is soaking for a bit.

The case looks cleaner in this photo than it actually is, and the latches don't work too well anymore, but what do you want for $26? And am I really planning on lugging this 30+ pound hunk of metal somewhere? I doubt it. With my sewing room makeover in process, the case will probably end up in the attic anyway.

Also in the package was a Great Falls, Montana repair tag from 1987 attached to an old needleplate, with this note:

"Needle plate. Adjusted mach & reset needle position. Removed considerable lint. Reset tensions."

For the grand sum of $38. Don't you just love that "considerable lint" comment?

Lastly, with the instruction book for the machine were four additional booklets from 1924 from Iowa State College: Meal Planning, Design in Dress, Under Garments, and On the History of Art Needlework. They each have someone related to the original owner's name (per the repair tag) handwritten in the upper right corner. Thank you Anna and Dorothy E. Buchholz. (I'm guessing Dorothy is Anna's mother, but I have no idea!) These ought to be interesting bedtime reading!

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Speaking of the sewing room makeover …I think I've settled on a way to be a cheapskate using my bin cover pattern. I will line them with old sheets or muslin and add a sewn-on "cuff" for the contrast. It's a couple more steps, but oh-so-much cheaper. If I was only making 1 or 2, I wouldn't be so thrifty, but I think I want at least 12 and that much cute fabric adds up quickly. If I wanted this to be a $200 project, I would just buy pre-made bins. ;-)

So a trip to Joann's with a coupon or two is on the weekend agenda, I think. Hopefully, I can find something that's both suitable and cheap because I won't be able to move forward with any other sewing projects until this is done. Thank you OCD.

Anticipation …

Remember this beauty? Yeah, me too. It was supposed to be here on July 2. Doing the math, that's almost two weeks ago. The seller quickly shipped via UPS and provided me with the tracking number. I watched the tracking info update every day for four days. Finally, it was in Jacksonville (4 hours to the north) and it remained with the July 2 delivery date. But on the morning of July 2 there was no receipt in Tampa notation in the tracking, which still showed it as in Jax. I kept checking the tracking every couple of hours, but no change. And then the calendar flipped over to July 3 and nothing. Still a July 2 delivery date. Sob! I knew something had gone horribly wrong and I was sending out death ray eyeball stares to whichever UPS worker decided they wanted MY machine. OK, just kidding on that last part. Sorta.

Then we had the holiday weekend which meant the earliest the seller could file a report with UPS was on Tuesday, July 6. The tracking was then updated to show a tracer request on that date. And there it has sat. And sat. And SAT. The seller kept me updated with the non-news from UPS, so I wasn't faulting her at all. Frankly, I thought she had actually gone above and beyond for a $25 sale but I was glad she was being so proactive. I want this machine!

I tried not to give up hope, but each day passing made that harder.

This morning, I received a call from UPS. They asked me some address questions, but didn't really tell me anything. I decided that they were only just now *starting* the investigation. And I think I was right, because a couple of hours later the seller emailed me that the machine had been FOUND! She said that UPS will repack it and send it back on its way and that it should be here within 5 days.

So the waiting continues. Cross your fingers for me.

Prototype

I still have a couple of construction tweaks to do and I want to add a handle to make pulling it out of the cubbie easier and maybe a label pocket for the front, but I'm calling the first prototype for storage boxes for the IKEA Expedit shelves a success. And no spray adhesive necessary. Channeling my inner Peter from Male Pattern Boldness, this one is covered with old bedsheets as a "muslin."

It fits into the cubbie perfectly, which means my measurements and the pattern are good. Whew, pretty good for a first go at it. If the contrast at the top isn't wanted, assembly can be reversed so that the flap is on the inside and in a matching print so it blends to the lining.



But … each bin needs 2 yards of 44" fabric, which means if you have your heart set on a particular print and it's not on sale, there's really no savings over just buying something pre-made. Of course, if you do have your heart set on a particular print, you'd also never find it as a pre-made bin. And if you can shop the stash, they're free. Right? ;-) Looks like I'll need to shop the online sales or head to Joann's with coupons since the stash isn't holding a bunch of bin fabric at the moment.

You'd also have to figure in cardboard if you don't have any. But I saved all the boxes these shelves came in and that will be more than enough. (And since I won't have to put all of that into the trash/recycle bin, that's an added bonus.)

This bin can be completely dissembled, which means it can store flat and you can wash the covers if necessary. I don't know if those two qualities will mean anything to me, but since I'm thinking of making a downloadable pattern for these, I thought it might be a plus for someone else.

I think the whole thing, from cutting out fabric and cardboard to sewing seams and pressing seam allowances, took about an hour at the most. I was watching the tube as I was doing this (Deadliest Catch - RIP Phil Harris) so I'm being generous with the time estimate. The total time per box should go down if/when I'm in assembly-line mode because the cutting can be stacked when working on multiples.

Sewing Room Makeover - In Progress

I didn't take any real "Before" shots so all of these are going to show the room in "During" disaster mode.

In this photo, you can see there is a little table with a machine on it sitting at the end of my cutting table. What you can't see is that next to this little table, there was a Sterlite 3-drawer plastic bin thingie.



Both of those are now gone. You can also see the IKEA 4x2 shelf set up in the corner. DH repositioned my mirror, but I still need to re-hang the bulletin board.



This is the far wall where my ironing board was set up.



The ironing board is currently in limbo. But the two 4x4 units are set up and in position.



This corner was a complete mess before.



The bookcase holds all my sewing books, BWOFs, and some other magazines. There are also plastic bins and ugly shelves squished together.



My TV was sitting on top of a piece of plywood on top of a table missing its glass insert. I had plans to refinish this table, but I hadn't gotten to it yet. The best laid plans …



TV table and ugly shelves/bins gone! I've moved in a cabinet from the attic that used to be DH's grandfather's, which DH and I refinished about 20 years ago. I'm thinking of painting it and turning it into an ironing station. The TV has been moved to the top of the IKEA shelves, where I can actually see it now. The tall bookcase has been relocated to my bedroom and the sewing books will again be stored in it. My bedroom is where I read those books anyway so this will actually be more convenient and my bedroom is plenty big enough to take on the bookcase. In fact, I like it a lot in there and have decided that now (as in sometime later) I am going to make a little reading corner in front of its new home.



There's still a lot of stuff to put away, rehang, and/or remove, but I'm making progress. The hardest part is deciding on new homes for the stuff. And I will still either make or buy some bins for the cubbies to make some of the utility more decorative. And curtains, which are looooong overdue.

Actually, the hardest part will be when we put in new flooring someday. Also looooong overdue. Then I'll have to move everything out, which will mean emptying everything first – including the pattern cabinet. I don't look forward to that, but I'm not going to think about that until I have to.


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Before I started this disaster makeover, I was digging through my pile of Stuff I Want To Do. I found these tapestry panels which I bought years ago (like before we moved into this house!) and had planned to make into deco pillows for my sister. Well, I decided it was finally time. Well, it was either that or admit defeat and toss them.

These were pretty simple. Trim the tapestry panel, cut some backing fabric to size, stuff and sew up the stuffing hole. But for this one, I decided to also add some welt cording around the edge. My welt cording foot made easy work of that. Love my presser feet!



Because I thought a single layer was going to be too thin, the backs are double-layered with khaki colored linen scraps.





This may be the only sewing to come out of this room for a while. You know how it is when you start a room re-do — a million other little "improvements" sneak in and take over, and boy do I have plans! We'll see how far I get.