For the next of our Sewing Space Tours, where we peek behind closed doors at a crafter's inspiring sewing room, we're travelling to the lovely British countryside. This crafty lady returned from Australia to her native Dorset, where she set up her business making gorgeous homewares inspired by her surroundings. She's also a good friend of Tilly and the Buttons! Over to Sophia for more...
Hi, I’m Sophia, and I'm lucky enough to live in a beautiful town in Dorset. I also happen to have the best job in the world, where I can sit in my little studio and sew all day long. This could be making personalised products through my online shop Jessalli Handmade, stitching clothing for my blog, or designing projects for craft magazines.
My sewing space is in our spare room. I need a large amount of space to store all my supplies, stock and fabrics and this room is the perfect size. It also has a large window, which my sewing table is under, giving plenty of light for me to work with.
I work between three surfaces. My sewing table, which my mum bought years ago at a flea market, my desk which was my grandmothers, and my parents first table when they got married. My cutting table which is made up of a top I found at a second hand furniture warehouse and some IKEA trestle legs, so I can adjust the height.
My walls are a mess – I haven't got round to redecorating this room yet! They’re a deep pea green and are covered in my daily plans, calendars, pin board and pictures I like. I use Pinterest for all my mood boards when working on a particular project or idea. It’s such a great tool, as I’m a really visual person.
I like to be quite organised so I have two sets of shelves which store all my fabrics and sundries. I tend to pile up bolts of fabric here as well as smaller pieces, whilst large rolls of fabric fit nicely under my cutting table. I also have an ‘Open’ sign on my studio door which is from my old open workshop back in 2011 when I first went full time. It’s very worn and sun-bleached, but it holds amazing memories for me!
I also have copious amounts of small scraps, which I seem to hoard! These are organised into baskets depending on colour. I have neutrals, pinks and pretties, and a bolds and brights basket too. I find it hard to throw things away, and small scraps are perfect for Freehand Machine Embroidery, the technique I use when creating Jessalli Handmade goodies.
I am a bit of a basket lady, so most small items are stored in their baskets, like thread spools, ribbons, trimmings etc. I have a drawer unit for most things, with space for pre-cut pieces. Larger items are stored in my built-in cupboard with my packaging supplies, or in sealed plastic tubs.
On a daily basis, I head up to my studio with a cup of tea (always Yorkshire!) and look at my ‘To-Do’ list, which I write the night before. My days vary in terms of activity. Sometimes I’m sewing fun items for blogs or magazines, other times I’m working through personalised orders, and then there are the days I’m doing incredibly boring (but essential) paperwork. I’ve normally always got Spotify on in the background, playing nineties pop or a ‘Music For Concentration’ playlist, if I’ve got a lot to do!
I feel really lucky to have a dedicated space for my work. It’s important to be inspired by your workspace. We’ve only been in this current house since Christmas and we’re doing house renovations as I write. Once our extension is finished, I can re-decorate this space and make it truly mine. I’m thinking bright white walls with huge colourful peg boards, and I have plans to paint a mural on one wall. I might be able to convince my boyfriend I need some beautiful handmade shelves above my desk, too... watch this space!
We don’t have any pets (yet) so my studio space is all mine. My boyfriend also works from home, and when he’s not busy he does seem to gravitate in here - luckily I can put him to work, and he’s become quite good at piece cutting. The visits have started becoming less regular now though… I wonder why?!
I do love looking around my studio from my sewing position. The shelves are full, the cupboards are bulging, and there’s colour at every angle. It might be cluttered, but it’s a creative mess in my mind, and as long as I know where everything is, I think it’s great!
Thank you for showing us around your lovely sewing space, Sophia! We've loved seeing behind the scenes at Jessalli Handmade HQ.
Have you seen the rest of our Sewing Space Tours? Head over and check them out!
Fancy submitting your lovely sewing space to be considered for a Tour? Read the guidelines here.
Until next time!
