Standing While...Well, Just Standing More

You may have noticed that my sewing machine is up on a milk crate now....and I've got a standing desk at work, too. I thought I'd provide a few links about why I'm a convert, and also about where to get a standing desk and additional information, if you're interested.

What is screen apnea? This quotation really got me: "The computer becomes animated and we become less animated." Scary!

There are zillions of articles out there (and journal articles too, if you are so inclined) about how you increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, etc., if you sit a lot.  Here's one from February 2013 from the Independent. 

My legs were really tired the first week after work.  After the 2nd day, I had to buy an anti-fatigue pad.  I can walk miles, but standing (like in museums) is hard on my lower back...the pad really helps.  (You can see I'm standing on it in the photo above.)

I also have to admit I really look forward to meetings ('cause I'll get to sit!) and to working at the Reference Desk...again, because it's mostly sitting.  

And some people even have walking desks!  I would love this, but can't figure out how I'd get it at work, and I don't think it would work sewing--too much jumping on & off to iron, cut, try on, etc.  Here's Susan Orlean at her walking desk.  And here's a her article in the New Yorker.  (You'll have to subscribe to read it, though.)  

Work While Walking is full of great ideas & links, more about treadmill desks, but also about standing while working.  

And there are lots of sewists out there who stand while sewing (google "standing while sewing"), most of them seem to have started due to back problems.  That is not my issue, though; I just found a standing desk & decided to try it because it's supposed to be healthier. 

Geek Desk has desks that can be raised or lowered quickly...so you can easily sit or stand.  

And an article about posture...along with a helpful video.

Music?!  How about Stand? Amazing music & fashion from Sly & the Family Stone! And today is my 29th wedding anniversary...and the Roommate loves Sly.  Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Sewing Room Rearranging & Ideas

Besides re-painting my sewing room, I also rearranged it.  I still have the same furniture in it, but think I made it a little less foreboding (I'll explain later).  Below you'll see some before/after floor plans, but I'll start off with this little rack from Ikea, which used to be for coats in our previous kitchen.  Now that we have a mudroom w/ a closet shelf & rack, I painted it white & hung it right by my sewing table.  I put ribbons on some of the tools I use regularly (pinking shears, scissors, clippers, rotary cutter, and sliding gauge).  It's great now to have them all on my left when I need them, rather than rumbling through the drawer.  So far Bella has shown no interest in them, so I'm not worried about her hurting herself.

She had a big adventure today, BTW.  She ran outside when I opened the sliding glass door.  By the time I got my shoes on & went out to help the Roommate round her up, she was back at the mudroom door trying to get in.  This has happened before--she spends a few minutes outside then decides it's not that bad inside! Silly kitty.

On the left, you'll see the same hooks being used for my necklaces; thanks to the Roommate for getting those up last week.  It's great to have the necklaces out, too...much easier to find.

When I posted the photos of my newly painted sewing studio in February, I mentioned before & after drawings for the arrangement.  So I thought I'd get those up now...finally.  I just wanted to show one arrangement that I thought would work and then the arrangement I have now, which seems better, though I'm not sure why.  (As always, clicking on a photo will take you to the largest size available.)  All measurements are in inches. All the furniture is from Ikea, I won't put all the links in because I'm not sure it's all still available...the sewing table is 5-6 years old at least.

BEFORE rearranging furniture

Okay, here's the deal:  This first arrangement seemed better because the table fits pretty much exactly under the window; I thought, "Hey, lots of light!" But I didn't like the cabinet where it was; it's tall, and seemed to make the whole room rather dark (walking into a room with a bookcase or cabinet right there by the door was just weird).  Also, with the table against the east wall, it meant the table I use for cutting out was in that dark corner.  There's no overhead light in the room--I've added 3 lamps of varying brightness and I think I probably need another OttLite (daylight lamp).

So after lots of thought, I took everything out, re-painted the room (with the Roommate's help), and am now using this arrangement.  Which seems better; the cabinet, which I don't use too often, is in the dark corner (and I put one of the desk lamps on top of it, so I can use that when I need to get into the cabinet).  What I use more often are the books & boxes that are stored on the shelves (photo here).

AFTER rearranging furniture

Because the gateleg table is now in the corner by the door, it's also closer to the power outlet--meaning I can store the shredder under there.  Bella also finds this an excellent hiding place because she's safe on 3 sides and a heating vent is right there--though is it a hiding place if I know exactly where she is?

I am liking it much better, though the drop down ironing board sort of covers the sewing table & almost touches the sewing machine.  Plus--if I'm ironing something huge, a lot of the weight can be on the table.  Minus--I cannot sew with the ironing board down; however, because it's so easy to put up & take down, that's not an issue.

Music?  My new crush:  Odio Paris - live, doing Cuando Nadie Pone un Disco.

7051/7501 Grand Finale!

Well, the most important item on today's post is, of course, our cat, Bella, who likes the new layout in the sewing room.  She immediately found an empty drawer to hide in and looked adorable.

And the next item is the 7501/7051 dress!  Finally...por fin!  If you remember the beginning of this saga was Scruffy Badger's blog about 7051 way back in October (2011!).  I thought, "I MUST have that, too!" And got online & bought a very large 7501, thinking, well, I can size it down.  Not realizing that I was buying the wrong pattern, being old & forgetful & when I got it into my hot little hands I quickly realized, "Uh oh!"  I'd transposed the numbers & bought the wrong pattern on ebay.  So I set about trying and trying and trying to turn the too big wrong pattern into the just right 7501.  (Can I just say here that after getting me started SB still has NOT made her version--and she has the right pattern & started all this?)

I then decided to use my new dress form & lots of extra pieces from my stash & leftover bits to try to make a toile.  I made 4 eventually and cut & sewed & stitched & restitched & and put in darts & moved them & resized them and ripped out stitches & did it again & again & again.  I won't go into the rest of the story (which involves canibalizing another pattern that does fit & then changing the neckline & sleeves).

But at least you can see that it's finished.  I wore it to work today & got lots of compliments! It goes especially well with all my turqouise jewelry.  It's not perfect, but it's good enough.

I'm not dumb enough to think that pattern making or alteration is easy, but I had no idea how hard it was...I just kept feeling like I'd get it--but I really never did.  Another thing is that unlike the Slenderette/Simplicity 2847, this one rolls back on my shoulders.  That is a problem I often have with tops & dresses I buy readymade, but I've never had it happen with a dress either I made, or Mohammed made.  So that's a bit weird.

Hopefully some of these questions will be answered as I take some classes at Bits of Thread & online with Gertie.

New color in the sewing room!

It's Southfield Green from Benjamin Moore...sort of a Williamsburg-y green.  Not Williamsburg, NYC--Williamsburg, VA!

Anyway, the Roommate had a 3 day weekend & I had a 4 day weekend, so we got it done (he did the green, I did the trim).  It's partially back together now.  I'm waiting for the ceiling touch-up to dry so I can take off the blue painter's tape.  Which I do NOT recommend...it always seems to pull part of the original paint off that you were trying to protect, or the other color leaks under the tape.  I guess it's better than trying to paint a whole room very carefully, but I'm just not that impressed...

I just wanted to quickly share a few pics...the first is the before.  Our whole house was painted in a very neutral light brown (moccasin, I think is the color name).  Mostly I like it, and that's why when I first did the sewing room, I just left it.  But over time, I really decided I wanted something a bit more fun...

(Don't be deceived by that big window.  It's to the east & our neighbors are next door, & fairly close (about 12 or 14'), and they have a 2 story house--so it's a nice window, but doesn't really bring in that much light, especially after noon.)

And the 2 after shots.  I think you can see how well the green looks against the white trim,and also how nice it is with the light wood furniture...all from Ikea, except my wall-mounted ironing board, which is also birch.

I don't have that much I can do w/ the 2 tables, the cabinet & 2 small drawer/file cabinet units (one is for my notions, the other is for our files & the printer lives on top of it).  But I am trying a bit of a different layout.  I wanted to get the cabinet away from the door because it made the room hard to look into & rather uninviting.

If you're wondering about the dress, I'm about to go put the hooks on it (got them at G Street yesterday when I bought enough wool for 2 Starlet Suits!) and I've already hemmed it.  I'm wearing it tomorrow, even though it's going to be too warm (60F)...but darn it, I'm wearing it!  Pictures will be posted!


Music?  Paint it Black by you-know-who!

Oh my gosh, I haven't been sewing & can't think of anything to write about

Okay, reading public.  I know there are a few of you out there & I appreciate your time.  Just to let you know I'm not lost in the mess that is DC politics--I wish my life was that glamorous.  I'm actually extremely busy.  I think I may have to go back & read Tilly's blog post about her Sewing Productivity Project Survey, because I cannot figure out how my online sewing friends have jobs, friends, roommates, clean houses & manage to exercise and play with pets, while making zillions of amazing, well-tailored, lovely outfits.  I only work 9 days every 2 weeks, so that means I commute 1 day less than a lot of people (45 mins each way), and of course I get that extra 8 hours.  So where does it go?

If you're wondering what's occupying my mind at the moment, we're going to re-do our kitchen this summer.  See this American Standard ad from 1946 to get an idea of what's inspiring us (our house was built in 1937).  We have stainless appliances, and will have white cabinets & blue-ish counters.  We haven't picked out the floor & backsplash, but hope to do that this weekend.  But this is all pretty time-consuming--though it's REALLY fun!  What's funny is that we are about the quickest decision makers around, and still, it's time-consuming.

Some fun sites I've come across while thinking about our kitchen are Retro-Renovation, lots of great ideas, photos, old advertisements (like the one above) and even places to get antique items (there's a link to a tile factory that has a bunch of stock from the 1950s & 1960s).  Another is DalTile, which has a mosaic designer tool--hours of entertainment!  On the tabs across the top, click Be Inspired, then Tools, then Mosaic Designer. 

Second, you may remember my problems w/ trying to get my tiny extra room (10' x 6') turned into a sewing studio.  I bought a cabinet, am using 2 old tables (one a gateleg), and got it arranged in what I thought was a good way...but after 4 months or so using it I realized it's a) not light enough and b) the arrangement is just rather weird.  So, this weekend (it's a 4 day weekend), I plan to finish the dress.  Yes the dress!  That I started on in October?!  Then I am going to take everything out of the sewing room & the Roommate & I will paint the walls and rearrange the place.  After that, I'll have to find some more lighting and I'm thinking of putting up some additional shelves.  But that will be after sew/remove/paint/move back in...I will draw before/after plans to show you once that is finished.

Another time-user-upper is we've been slowly decorating the new addition.  We spent about a zillion hours putting a lovely late 1960s free-standing Danish modern bookcase together.  The man who sold it to us warned us--and he was correct--it wasn't easy to put together, but it was SOOOO worth it.  And then last weekend it was putting the new bed together.  Oh, and the perfect helpful Bella knocked down a shelf in the brand-new closet, so that must be dealt with this weekend.  And then there's yoga class on Saturday mornings!  And and and...

However, if nothing else the dress  has taught me that I want to improve my sewing skills.  So first, I'm taking an in-person class at Bits of Thread in DC in late March.  It will be the perfect skirt class...so I'll make a pattern & then a skirt over 2 3-hour classes.  And I'm seriously thinking of signing up for Gretchen Hirsch's class (of Sew Gertie Sew fame) to make a Starlet Suit.  It's online, and I think I'll learn lots of good techniques, and taking another class will motivate me, too.

Those are my plans for spring 2012...the next time you see me, I promise I'll be wearing 7051, if it kills me.  If it does, I can wear it to the crematorium!

Music?  How about a classic from 1936...
Come On in My Kitchen - Robert Johnson

Yes, I'm still here; sewing room fix-up is underway

Polinesia, the Sky

We have now cleaned out most of the paintings, photos, posters that were stacked against all the walls in my new sewing studio. Tomorrow I'll put all 3 of our Matisse prints up because they make me very happy. And then we'll get the extra dining table out of the basement & I'll start arranging. I've got most of my sewing stuff in there, even if there is no place to store it all. I have an ironing board that goes on a door, but there are actually very few doors in this place, so I can't figure out where it will go. I could put it on the back of a door to our coat closet, but then it would show (can't go on the inside because there are already hooks there). I have a feeling the ironing board might be going the way of freecycle soon & I'll have to get another that perhaps mounts to a wall? I don't have the floor space to have it up all the time (ahhhh, I've had the luxury before & it makes life grand).

An update, I found my Japanese-English kanji dictionary. So the yukata may get underway soon. However, next week I'll be at my parents' & my mom wants me to make a quilt wall-hanging for her new living room. And my mother doesn't know what the word patience means!

Finally, a twitter friend, @saraicat, just wrote a book about sewing! It's on Amazon, or in your local bookstore. It's not out yet, but will be soon (November). The Collette Sewing Handbook by Sarai Mitnick. I can't wait to get my copy.

More on craft/sewing room spaces - these are great, but too big! +GeekDesk!

Here are some nice rooms if you have a hankering to look at nice studio set-ups.  My problem is these rooms all seem to be much larger than what I'll have available...

I thought I'd found the perfect furniture at Crate & Barrel: the Bedford pieces you can fit together yourself.  But then I figured out all the furniture measurements & tried to fit them into my 10' x 6' room (thanks to my roommate's purchase of 1/4" graph paper--so helpful!).  Basically, I could fill up the room, but not be able to walk around in it!

Tricia Coyne / Gainesville Sun

So now I'm wondering about a standing desk for my sewing machine.  Check these out at Geek Desk...one of the problems my husband & I have is that we are tall (not real tall, but taller than average) and we find that even 36" high counters in the kitchen aren't high enough if we're working more than an hour or so.  And I use our kitchen table (30") for my cutting board, and have to stop every 1/2 hour or so because my lower back needs a break.  When we lived in Abu Dhabi, we had an Ikea Galant corner desk, plus a longer side piece attached & it was great because we had it raised all the way up  to 36".  For cutting strips for quilting and the cutting board, it was great.  But I had my sewing machine on another regular table at 30", which I sat at.  The photo is from this article in the Gainesville Sun about how unhealthy it is to sit & how a treadmill desk might fix your lower back problems. Now I heard that John Dickerson loves his new standing desk (and of course all the scary news about how as humans we evolved moving, not sitting), so I'm wondering if any other sewing goddesses have tried this?

Music?  How about the theme from Lost in Space?!

Looking for small sewing studio suggestions!

Here are two more smallish sewing studios, one from HGTV and one from MpressiveThreadzStudio.  And of course Tilly's idea to check out the photos on Flickr for Craft Rooms.  

In the meantime, I'm not so sure I'll get the whole room after all...my great idea to add a bedroom basement and bath really isn't possible...or is it?  Anyway, that tiny space may end up being a single bedroom (murphy bed back on the possibilities list) and a sewing room!  Uh oh.  So I'll need suggestions for even-smaller-space-sewing-studios!  In the meantime, I'll give you a look at the room, which has no closet (there's one outside the room, across the hall), and only bi-fold doors.  Of course it's got a window & a nice ledge for books & kitty.

Notice the nice neutral ultra modern paint.  I love it & the whole house is like this (different colors, none of them buttercup)!  Which is great, when you see our decorating style; we have plenty of interest & color...in this picture you can see that yes, Indiana Jones is our interior decorator.  Mola (framed) from Panama.  Whale vertebrate from the coast of Oman. Basket from Botswana.  Fabric stamp from Iran.  Bakelite radio from our old radio collection.  And the Bobo mask, which I carried on my lap on buses thru W. Africa and even on the plane, is from Burkina Faso.

I really really need suggestions for a cute little, v. efficient, amazing storage sewing room, please...

Okay, we just got good news about the new place.  We can put in a nice bedroom & bath downstairs.  So we don't need the mini 2nd bedroom (10' x 6') for guests after all.  So forget the murphy bed and the small cabinet closet.  Now it can be an office and a sewing room (it has a south west facing window!!).  And Bella will love it--sunny, warm & in the middle of everything and a window ledge just wide enough for a cute kitty.  So if you have a sewing table, or cabinets or a pull-out cutting table, or hideaway ironing board or whatever that you'd like to tell me about, it will be mighty appreciated.  And thank you in advance...

In the meantime, I've been checking out some sewing rooms online.  Here's one, from At Home Sewing.  Very cute but she has some technical skills I'm lacking (like making that drawer for thread by cutting acrylic--huh?) and a much bigger room--about 60% bigger!  But I do like using a drafting-board type desk for the machine. And those drawers have spindles tall enough for a spool of thread & the matching bobbin!  Great idea.

And I found someone who has our kitchen table, she's going to turn it into a sewing table (which is what I was thinking, too)!  Here's a very small area, lots of cool ikea organization.  And another.  And this page has tons of ideas.

Now that I've looked thru some pages, I have another thought--anything you've done that did NOT work?  I'd like to learn from others' mistakes!  And if you have floor plans, I love those.  I'm sort of addicted to them and will spend hours looking at them in the paper if there's an ad, even if it's for someplace I'd never be interested in otherwise.

I've also discovered Koala sewing furniture.  If you own something from this line, let me know what you think...

I'm very looking forward to your comments.