After last week’s post about Mary’s well organized sewing room, Lorraine Bahr sent me this email message:
“Chris, Just read your blog about how your friend Mary organized the closets in her quilt studio. Thought you would enjoy seeing how I resurrected an outdated cabinet, gave it new life and now use it to organize my studio.
Several years ago the high school in the district where I taught was going “digital” and was sending the old card catalog cabinet to the dump. I asked to have it delivered to my house instead. I gave it a fresh coat of paint, labeled the drawers, and now have it as a conversation (as well as an organizational) piece in my quilt studio. Enjoy the photos below.”
Here’s a detail shot. Lorraine is not only organized, but has an exciting color sense! Thanks for sending the pictures Lorraine!
Mike and I love to go antiquing and have done a bit of repurposing of our own. We came up with my favorite quilt related project prior to my new studio being built. When I wrote my first book our desk top computer sat atop a big, old desk and the keyboarding was so awkward that I ended up with a pinched nerve in my neck and a mid-evil looking traction device for a few weeks (it attached to a door and no – I’m not including pictures :-)). We knew we needed a computer desk, but didn’t like any of the modern ones available. So we decided to go antiquing and see what we could find. At the Columbus Antique Mall we found a pretty 1940’s enamel table in good condition. It had 2 leaves attached to the inside of the table that pulled out and into position with an ingenious use of springs. I asked Mike if he could remove one of the leaves and permanently attach it at the right level to make an ergonomically correct keyboard platform. He figured it out and I’ve been pleased with it ever since.
Have you had any quilt related adventures in re-purposing?
The Saga Continues
It seems Quiltilly’s story hasn’t quite reached it’s end.
A short while after Evelyn and Quiltilly’s reunion, Chris received this message and some pictures from Evelyn:
“Poor Quiltilly was quite traumatized from her kidnapping ordeal, so we invited a new quiltsissy, Quiltimae, to keep her company. They wanted to play with Blue Bunny, but she wasn’t in a playful mood.
So they went out into the sunshine, climbed the lilac bush, and listened to the birds sing.
They sat in the violet garden until Quiltilly felt much better. She needs to stay here to make regular visits to her psychiatrist, so she won’t be going on the cruise to the Baltic.
Instead, Quiltimae will accompany Evelyn on her first traveling adventure.
She is very excited to be going to all the capitols of Scandinavia as well as stops in Germany, Estonia, and St. Petersburg, Russia. She will be keeping a journal and will have lots of pictures to share with Quiltilly when she returns.
Bon Voyage Quiltymae! Since this is a similar cruise to the one Wendy and Chris are leading next May, we will be very interested to learn all about Quiltymae’s first travel adventure.
Kay says
I will not send a picture as mine is right now a mess, but I had a bakers rack for plants. Then I needed something additional in my sewing room, used to be daughter’s room, second bedroom, so my old plant rack became additional storage for quilting pieces I am working on. Works out great.
Arlene says
Your friend’s repurposed card cabinet is featured in the August 2013 American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.
The only interesting thing I repurposed is my husband’s pipe rack. The six holders are for my scissors, screw driver, and small rulers and I replaced the tobacco canister with a round flower pot that holds the marking pens, pencils, rotary cutters, etc.
For my fabrics I purchased filing cabinets (from Office Max) with three plastic drawers each. They have wheels on the bottom and the top can be used for projects. I can see the blue and yellow drawer, the Christmas fabric drawer, the black and white, the red, the green fabrics, the 30s, the florals. (Of course, my growing stash of yardage is on a closet shelf and the bucket of baby flannels is on the floor.)
Kris says
I have piles of quilting magazines and am looking for some suggestions on how to store them I am trying to go more digital and am thinking about scanning the patterns Ilike I just don,t know how I would organize them once scanned. Saw an ad for a program called Paperport. Has anyone tried this?