Do you dream of having somewhere to work on your projects, with everything organised and Insta-worthy? Check out Lilo Bowman's Love Your Creative Space which is packed with ideas to make your own studio or crafty corner - without breaking the bank!
* Machine Knitting Monthly *
If you've ever yearned for a space that inspires and invigorates your creativity, then this book is your perfect guide. Author Lilo Bowman has been exploring how to organize her crafting space for years. This book steps through the numerous things we crafters need, from yarn and fabric to needles and cutting mats, and it shows you how to organize them to create a space that motivates without overwhelming. Bowman also explores good ways to decorate your space, including lighting and wall design, and has a whole chapter for crafting while traveling. Even better, this book shares lots of inspirational photos, such as the creative spaces of six amazing designers, to help you get energized and loving your creative space.
* Interweave Crochet *
If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago to identify a space within our home in which constructive discontent has been banished, nay, vanquished, I'd have said, "My workroom," without thinking about twice about it. My workroom was remodelled in 2012 and I have thought my workroom fine and dandy, and quite fit for purpose ever since. And then I read Lilo Bowman's book, Love Your Space.
Love Your Space has ended up being one of those books that arrived in my life at the perfect hour: just when I'm dusting off the old Cast On RSS feed, planning new podcasts and preparing to invite Patreon supporters into my life and workspace. Although I've worked at home, from this space, for over twenty years, Love Your Space helped me look at my workspace with new eyes. I do love the way my space has been shaping up over the past month (the orange hexi-tiles still make me smile, every time I see them) but Love Your Space has made me realise that there is still room for improvement. It's not constructive discontent, per se, it's more a new way of looking at my tiny workspace, and really thinking about the room, its contents, and their organisation.
Case in point: This weird little jog below the window. It's not wide enough for a narrow bookshelf, and it's on an exterior wall that gets cold in the winter. After twenty years in this space, I know that restricting airflow from this part of the wall will cause condensation to form, and mildew growth will follow. I thought there wasn't much I could do with this annoying little waste of space and began stacking rulers in it that were too long to live in the bookshelf beside their friends. This kind of worked, but about all it had going for it was that the rulers were out of the way.
After seeing some of the storage solutions for measuring devices in Love Your Space, I wanted something better. So instead of a weird little space for resting rulers that don't fit anywhere else, I thought, why not gather every ruler I own and use this space to store ALL of them?
This little piece of kit was designed for hanging utensils in kitchens. It was inexpensive, but about 10 cm too long. Tonia very helpfully removed the threaded collar from inside one end of the rod, cut the rod down to size with a hacksaw, sanded it smooth, and fixed the threaded collar back inside the rod using epoxy. A GBP15 solution that took a few hours to accomplish. (Although I still need to patch the wall where I dinged it with the drill!)
This solution works. Boom. A cheap and easy fix for a problem that I only noticed was a problem when I began considering ways to make my workspace better. I love it.
Read Brenda's blog post in full HERE.
-- Brenda Dayne * www.brendadayne.co.uk *
This book arrived at just the right time as I'm about to totally reorganise my crafting space. It calls itself a visual guide to creating an inspiring organised studio without breaking the bank. I'm not sure about that claim, but I do know that it has definitely given me some ideas about making my space as functional as possible, with the added bonus of making me consider cleaning schedules, cutting down on tidying time by working smarter and giving me some ideas on new ways to store stuff.
The book considers a variety of crafting activities, including the fibre arts, but mainly concentrates on sewing. It has photographs of some amazing studio spaces to inspire but gives no dimensions of their spaces not any floor plans. It considers storage, lighting, being on the move with your crafts and much more. It even considers how to store those languishing WIPs (works in progress) and suggests journalling and planning tips. Overall it sees to cover everything. If only I could get it to do my craft room for me...
-- Natalie Tidy * SlipKnot - Issue 169 *
Do you thrive in colourful chaos or a calm atmosphere? If it's the latter, and you're at a loss as how to organise your studio productively, then you'll find the author's tips helpful. This is a practical book about organisation (rather than an inspirational peek inside makers' studios) with advice for setting up systems and arranging work stations. Bowman talks mostly to quilters and knitters, as do her suggestions for equipment (including ideas for those on a budget), and her lists and step-by-step tasks will have you organised in no time at all.
Embroidery Magazine
