I have changed out my sewing room SO MANY TIMES!

I’m always looking for the better way. In my life, in my volunteering, in my sewing room. And in my decor—my walls probably look like Swiss cheese under the paint from me moving the art around. New holes. Patch the old ones. Paint.

I have a 1990 house. All small rooms. Kitchen. Family room. Formal living room. Dining room. Master bedroom. Two guest bedrooms. I know, watch HGTV and it’s all about one big open space. That’s not happening here. I have grown to love all the cozy small places that I inhabit.

I had a really amazing sewing space in the second floor in the large guest bedroom a few years ago. All mine. Space and storage. All my stuff was at my fingertips. It was almost like having my own quilt shop.

An unfortunate accident occurred and I could no longer walk up those 14 steps. Eventually my large sewing room morphed into the small dining room on the first floor. I adjusted. It was comforting to have all of my sewing pieces in a space that I could actually use. Which worked just fine because we couldn’t have company indoors anyhow! Anybody that came to visit during the first year of Covid was staying outside so I didn’t need a room dedicated to entertaining!

The dining room was transformed. I was able to squeeze two Ikea Kallax bookcases along with another small shelf into the small space. All of my fabric and sewing supplies were right there–just a office chair roll away.

I started feeling a bit claustrophobic–it was all there but did I really need it ALL? And this past December we were all vaccinated and boosted and I wanted a real dining room and table again–we were getting lots of company over the holidays.

I found all kinds of spaces to tuck my supplies away. (Will I ever find what I need in the future?) I moved the bookcases into my office and a lot of supplies went with them. What was left went into the laundry room and the “Harry Potter Room” under the staircase. The sewing machines found a spot in a closet. My large cutting table went into the garage.

After the company left, I decided to leave things the way they were for awhile. Although last year I was thrilled to set the room up for maximum sewing, this year I was feeling crowded. I wanted to figure out—what did I really need?

Here I am with just the basics. Over the next month or so I’ll occasionally post about what I have found that works for me in my new minimalist space.

I’m open to suggestions so if you can give me some inspiration, I would love to hear it!