Iiiiit's time for another Sewing Space Tour! For today's nosey around someone's lovely sewing area, we've got something a little bit unusual. Let's hear more from Jane...
Hello! I'm Jane, and I live in Reading, in the UK. Until January this year I've sewed from a small table in the corner of the kitchen, spilling onto every surface available. I now have the luxury of my own workspace at the end of the garden, which is a very posh green shed! It's decked out in wood inside, and I've got dozens of fairy lights twinkling away, strung all round the walls and across the ceiling.
I've always loved sewing, fabrics, and threads. My grandmother had a beautiful desk, which opened to reveal dozens of spools of shiny, colourful cotton, which looked like jewels to my seven year old eyes.
I'm not as organised as my Nana was - when I'm in full sewing mode my workshop looks like a bombsite! But it's all part of the process. I spend a therapeutic hour or so cleaning and tidying, making sure everything is in its place, then it's all action - scissors, thread, fabric, printing ink, more fabric, paper, even more fabric, with BBC Radio Four burbling away in the background. If I've been organised, I'll have downloaded the Afternoon Dramas for the week to get lost in.
I set up my small business The Homebirds about nine years ago, where I make cushions, bags, and other gifts. Many of the cushions are bespoke commissions, and I love the thought that so many people across the country have had one of my creations to mark the birth of a baby, or a special birthday. One Christmas I made more than seventy personalised sacks for children (and grown ups!). It was giddying to imagine them all brimming with gifts under trees and by mantelpieces!
I'm a novice and hopeful dressmaker. I love the discipline of following a pattern and the freedom to choose exactly the right fabric. My family laughed when I said I needed a hobby, as I spend so much time sewing and, more recently, printing. Thankfully, making clothes is fast becoming just that - a hobby that’s just for me, not for selling!
My workshop is my sanctuary. I'm especially proud of my sofa, which I found in a charity shop for £40. I painted the frame mustard yellow, and dyed the cushion covers grey. It's comfy and cosy and I probably spend more time sitting on it than I should! I can spend ages with a sketchpad and a cup of tea making lists, planning designs and whiling away time, avoiding housework!
Thank you for sharing your space with us, Jane. This is the first dedicated Sewing Shed that we've ever seen.. maybe it'll start a craze?!
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For further sewing space inspo, have a look at the other tours in our Sewing Space Tours series.