Saturday, June 13, 2009


"I walk slowly, but I never walk backward"
~Abraham Lincoln

Slow and steady progress, and with each step, the goal is closer, though not yet visible. Every stitcher knows the feeling of being immersed in a project that seems to have no end. One stitch after the other, and one day you see a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm still looking for the light . . . one stitch after another.

The concept of "a stitching room of one's own" is borrowed from Virginia Woolf's 1929 book A Room of One's Own. Woolf believed that a woman needed a designated space and resources (otherwise known as cash) to write. It's interesting to apply this to stitchers -- having a room to think, create, and listen to a threaded needle as it passes through linen. And man, oh, man -- Virginia was right about the "cash" thing . . . you need cash for stash.

Years ago, when my parents bought their house, my mother claimed a closet-sized room with a window as her sewing room. In no time, the room was filled to the ceiling with fabric bolts, ribbons, button boxes, thread cones and a black Singer sewing machine. We kids called it "The Twilight Zone" because it was unlike any room in the house.

Today, my mom still keeps her stitching room. A red geranium blooms out of control on the window sill, and the room is still ceiling-high with sewing paraphernalia. Though she has plenty of space to expand into other rooms (empty nests now), she elects to keep her separate sewing place.

I don't have a designated stitching space -- I use my music room, which doubles as a string quartet room when friends come over to rehearse. It's also a writing/painting/practice area. Boy, Virginia Woolf was right -- a designated "creation" space is essential.

What is your stitching room like?

6 comments:

  1. Messy and very crowded. However, I am fitting out my cedar closet with cedar shelves, the better to stack my stash. That should relieve some of the clutter.

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  2. cluttered and unfinished... making it a place more where I store stuff and less where I do stuff... but it's getting there...

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  3. I wish I had a seperate room for all my stitching and quilting supplies, sewing machine and a nice comfy chair to sit in. But as long as I stitch is the important thing!

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  4. My room doubles as a stamp room (I'm a card-maker, cross-stitcher and in the winter, I dabble in crochet). I went for over 14 years with having the stashes to all 3 of my favorite hobbies pretty much all over the house. When we remodeled, there was NO question that I would have my own craft room. Now that I've had it for nearly 2 years, it's still not quite complete, but I MUST say - it's divine.

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  5. Several years ago I got my Stitch Room!! I now have a built in counter top along one wall, a very small closet, a hutch to display finishes in, book shelves (which are full, full, full) and a roll top desk. I love every inch of it. It is my space and I love to spend time in there.

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  6. Great ideas for stitching rooms! Thanks for the descriptions. Be it a designated area, or simply a state of mind . . the "stitching room" seems indispensible.

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