Monday, August 10, 2009

Remember when I said I needed more fabric storage?

Well, I got some! Like my new hutch? I do, it holds a lot of fabric and it smells good, too, just like a nice antique, not musty or icky, it's pleasant.


My fabric covered metal shelving unit was over-stressed with the weight of fabric and paints and stuff and it was getting pretty scary when Nosey Parker would jump into it and it would sway back and forth a little. I just knew that one day it would collapse, break a bunch of things and endanger my baby, so I needed to do something about that soon.
This is what I have been using- a metal, 5 shelf unit that was so ugly, I had to hide it behind fabric.

I looked at a few places online for new shelves- ugly, expensive, boring shelves. I have a few antique pieces upstairs already and I really hated to junk it up with more junk. I have an old pie safe at the top of the stairs, a library table with the good sewing machine on it near that, a writing desk with hidden drawers, shhhh- don't tell anyone, an old Japanese table on the wall that Jim brought back from Japan in the 60's, my Singer sewing table, a drop leaf table, etc. Oh, and not an antique, but a cool 'roo wine rack!


So more wire shelves weren't really going to fit in too well. I went online and started looking at the local Craigslist and found a nice hutch in Fayettevile, about an hour away. Emailed to see if they still had it, yes! Got dimensions, measured the stairwell that makes 2 right-angle turns and yes, it would fit. Or so we thought, forgot about that lower ceiling over the first 4 steps, oops. Had to take the net (saves kittens from falling to their deaths!) down for a while so we could finesse this thing up 2 flights of stairs, phew, on about the hottest day of the year so far! lol I was sweating like a little pig. And I don't ever sweat, but I did yesterday. I didn't think we were going to be able to get it up there, I think we were within about 2 inches of being thwarted. Poor Jim was doing most of the work, too. I am a bit sore today, my shoulders are feeling the work out, so I guess I did my part.

I love this new piece! I moved the metal shelf into the hall there to the left, behind the pink, frothy curtain that some little kitten thinks is fun to try to pull down, when she's not hiding behind pretending to be invisible. :) I have all my good, much used fabric in the new hutch and the stuff I don't use as often in the hall now. Interfacings, battings, paints, etc, that kind of thing- banished to the hall! I'm going to take down the little shelf to the right of this, where the bird cage is, acting as a seat for Miss Nectarine. I don't want it to be too cluttery.

I haven't even put one thing in the drawer, yet! Not sure what I'll use that for, but it sure is nice to have my fabric where I can see it and this will force me to keep it tidy.

I'm having fun today, sorting thru fabrics and tidying things up. I need some boxes for scraps and I am half tempted to make some, but I can probably buy black and white photo boxes cheaper than I can sew some. And they'll have lids, that's a big plus for me, so they'll stack. Oh, well- whatever I do, I'm having fun! I finished my quilt top, too, you can see it folded on the table, I made my quilt sandwich today, just need to get some pretty thread so I can finish it up!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I am pruple with envy (don't really care for green and everything looks good in purple)!

Lynz said...

Well I love green so I am grass/bottle/emerald/sage/apple/olive/lime/British racing with envy. That hutch is amazing - I wish I had a house big enough to take pretty pieces like that.

I'm halfway through quilting my zigger - do try and keep up. *g*

Susan said...

Thanks, Peggie!

Lynz, I hope this translates well- "Bite me."

roflmao I have ecru colored thread or black thread, enough to do this quilt if I quilt it pretty heavily. Since I know it'll get washed a lot, I'm afraid I'll have to more than a few lines of quilting on each seam line. I'm not using the black, I know that..... I think I'll be working on the other quilt top until I get to the store, which will probably be Thursday when NP goes back to the vet for the last of her vacs. I'm making her a skull collar so she'll look tough going in, she's getting TWO shots this time and needs to be brave!

Try to keep up. Oh, my hand is twitching....!

Anonymous said...

*ducking*
I am staying out of this!

Susan R said...

What a beautiful piece and I can't believe how much fabric it holds!! You really scored this time girl. Your sewing space is really pretty too. By the way I LOVE all the colors; I'm a color person as well. But then again I do have a fabric fetish, but we won't go into that right now. ~LOL~

Susan

Karin said...

I love this Susan. It looks so so nice!!! Wow!

Cassie @ You Go Girl said...

Love your new storage hutch. It looks amazing in your space. And I must add that I think your 'roo shelf is the cool-i-est thing EVER. You go girl!

Cassie

yarnivorous said...

Oh what a lovely hutch and studio space! *jealous* I have tubs for my materials and I forget what I've got. And my studio is our bedroom.
(and heh, lynz would be amused by the word verification I got - bullox, which is awfy close to a common slang term indicating disagreement)

Jen said...

i am so jealous of that great space! My space is in the back of the basement, but I guess I can't complain .. at least I have that space now. And you are so organized!