Sunday's Sewing Space: Don't Call Me Betsy

Im always interested in workspaces, where people create, how they organise, layout etc. What people have around them to provide inspiration or motivation. Do you find this sort of stuff interesting too? Well maybe its just that im nosey but I thought I would start a feature that allows me to be legitimately nosey!

Each Sunday I will feature a wonderful bloggers sewing space and ask a series of questions to gain an insight into their space.

Today for the very First Sunday Sewing Space I am featuring Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy. Are you ready for a nosey, ok lets have a look:

Where is your Sewing Space?

Our house is laid out somewhat unusually; our master bedroom is really two separate rooms, separated by doors, and I have taken over the larger of the two rooms with my cutting table, sewing table, ironing board, and stash.

What 3 words do you feel best describes it?

Colorful, busy, and overflowing.

What are your most important things in there?

All of it is important!!  But most important to me would be my sewing machine and my stash. 

How is the room laid out?

My sewing machine sits in a sewing cabinet I picked up on Craig's List.  The cut-out is slightly larger than my machine, but my machine works really well there.  It was probably the best 30 bucks I've spent in a long time!  It has some great drawers, where I keep all my threads, zippers, needles, extra feet for my machine, and so forth.  Backed up to my sewing table, to create a larger surface for quilting, is my cutting table, which is a desk I inherited from my dad.  My ironing board sits next to my sewing table and cutting table, and my stash is housed around the perimeter of the room.

Do you have anything in the room for inspiration?

There are two big pieces of inspiration in my sewing room.  One is my cutting table, which is my dad's desk.  He died ten years ago, and spent every day of his adult life working hard to support his family.  He was always my rock when I was growing up, an even-keeled, kind man who rarely raised his voice and always supported me in whatever I did, who always helped me get back up when I fell down in life.  He was and continues to be an inspiration in my life.  I also find my wall of miniquilts, both made for me by friends and some by me as well, quite inspiring. 

Where do you keep your fabric stash and how do you organise it?

My fabric stash is all over my room, but it is somewhat organized.  All of my half-yard or larger cuts are wrapped on comic book backing boards and placed on my bookshelf in color order.  My precuts all live in a drawer, with my largest fabric cuts for backing in the drawers beneath that drawer.  All of my fat quarters are folded and sorted by color on another bookshelf.

Do you have any top tips to do with work spaces?

Make it work.  If you've only got room to have a tiny corner of your house for your sewing space, make it work.  I know I'm really fortunate to have as much space as I do, but it doesn't make or break your sewing experience. 

What would your ideal workspace look like?

I would love to have a taller cutting table.  Perhaps one day my husband will add some stilts to my table!  I think the only other thing I would really love to have would be a wider sewing table, to make quilting even easier.   If I keep adding to my stash, I soon will outgrow my stash storage, so more storage space or shelves would be great!


Isn't Elizabeths workspace great! and I love how she has something of her dads that provides her with inspiration, I think that is such a lovely story. And of course I am completely jealous of the space she has, her (massive compared to mine) fabric stash and those adorable mini quilts!


If you have written or used a tutorial this week dont forget to come back and join the linky party Tutorial Tuesday!