WELCOME TO THE STUDIO!

SEE WHAT MIXED MEDIA STITCH IS ALL ABOUT!

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peek at where the magic

happens…

Welcome to my Studio!!

Looking in from the doorway, welcome! The desk in the foreground is an antique writing desk from husband, and the worktable runs the length of the room along with the Wall of Thread…

The Wall of Thread is watched over (upper left corner) by the Mandrake!

In the center of the work table is the color station — or the cockpit ;0) .

As many know, first comes the paint: my beloved paintbox stocked with Winsor Newton watercolor pans and Aquarelle watercolor crayons (I get giddy thinking about it…)

extra Windsor Newtons stowed underneath:

I’ve gutted a desk set box for my paint brushes and nib pens:

Once you get the paint on, it’s time to floss!

For the Wall of Thread, I considered pegboard, and then at the craft store got SCHOOLED by a longtime crafter. “Don’t ruin your walls, honey. Try Cardboard,” he croaked. So I shopped, and there it was: Foamcore Board. BRILLIANT! Pictured below is one length of foam board (20X30inches, 1/4inch thick, bronze, $1.29 a sheet!). I used 6 boards to cover the length of the room and it all attached to the wall easy peasy with a quilter’s straight pin (they’re xtra long) every 6 inches. Pins for holding threads are in 2inch increments — each section will hold 24 skeins wide (depending on how close set pins are) and 3 down. This is lightweight (and in other thicknesses if you use funky fiber or heavy yarn), comes in many colors, and is totally modular — perfect! These babies can even go into a portfolio and, voila, when I teach I’m completely mobile! BAM!

Pretty much the entire DMC palette, including jewel tones (mmmm…) And over the top is stapled a 6 inch strip of white felt — the floss sticks right to it, so if I have extra I can post it there til I’m ready to spool it or use it.  Geeky, but very effective!

Since mobility is key — I work wherever I am if the piece is portable, and I teach all over — I need to have my basics at hand and handy.  So, I needed to put my DIY to the test.

First I removed the book block from a Thomas OBrien handled journal.

It’s brown suede (mmm…) with rivets and thick handles and just makes me all ooshy!  I replaced the book block with the bottom tray from a silver set and glued it in tight.  (my great g’ma collected them and I have, like,eight (!) and store all sorts of stuff in them.)  But this one is special!

I mounted a canvas artists bag to the lid to hold paintbrushes and markers:

And I keep paint pencils on the left side and floss on the right.

I use a Victorian soap box for my thread clippings

and a leather case to hold my extra small needles, seam rippers, and the like.

I also keep my smaller thread pot (which was a little brass portable ash tray my mother had!) and needlecase in there (though the needlecase is usually in my pocket!).

Also, I never stitch without my beads: which is where my clippers and needlecase hang.

And it all ultimately leads to this:

Hands at work!

Many thanks for stopping by!!