Meet Shannon from Shanni Loves! She was the winner of the Fabricista Fashion Challenge which wrapped up back in November. After some time to take a breather, she is back and ready to blog with us! We are really looking forward to working with Shannon. We have a lot of great ideas and inspiration to share with you in 2014.
We had a Q&A session with Shannon and also asked if she would share her sewing room with us.
What was the inspiration for your sewing space? My sewing space was once in our basement laundry
room where it was cold and always a mess.
I would always spend at least 20 minutes clearing a laundry pile before
I could get down to business which makes it really hard to get motivated. When I decided to move upstairs to a spare
bedroom I wanted it to be bright and cheery. I also wanted it to be clean and organized, a place I would look forward to visiting
every day.
We had a Q&A session with Shannon and also asked if she would share her sewing room with us.
What is your day job? I work at
an area hospital as a Financial Analyst. I analyze a lot of numbers, prepare a lot of statistics and even get to
play with money sometimes.
What is your dream job? I’ve always dreamed about having my own business. I tell my husband every Wednesday when they
draw the lottery numbers that if we ever win I’m opening up a fabric shop. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
What do you sew in your sewing room? Since the Fabricista Challenge, word is out on the
streets that I sew. So I’ve been doing a lot of alterations for others and
surprisingly I’ve really been enjoying that.
When I’m not busy doing that I make my own clothes. In 2014 my goal is to buy no ready-to-wear
clothing with the exception of shoes and underwear.
What is the favorite part of your sewing room? Well that’s a toss up between my sewing machine and
my fabric stash. You couldn’t have one
without the other so they are both equally my favorites and give me loads of
enjoyment. I also have to mention
another fave, my little pug who’s always snoring by my feet.
Give us an organizational tip: I store my envelope patterns in plastic storage bins
and have them organized by garment type. PDF patterns can be a little trickier to store and all that paper can
take up so much space. I found 3-ring
binders to be a life saver. I store all
of my pdf patterns in poly
sheet protectors and file
away in the binder. This is also a great
way to store your traced patterns. When
I want to work on one I simply take the sheet protector out of the binder and
all my pieces are right there in one place and not to be easily lost.
When/How did you learn to sew? I started sewing about 2 ½ years ago. I had a plan to make handbags (because I have
an obsession) so one day out of the blue I went and bought a machine. I turned to the Internet for help as I went
along and it was there I discovered the social sewing community, lots and lots
of sewing blogs. I was so inspired by
all the beautiful garments everyone was making my focus quickly shifted from
handbags to clothing. I’ve learned
everything I know from either You Tube videos, Craftsy classes or sewing books,
Readers’ Digest’s “New Complete Guide to Sewing” being my favorite resource.
How did you decide on the color turquoise? I love
bright and cheery colors. My husband is
quite the opposite; he loves more warm tones which you will see throughout our
house. Since this sewing room was going
to be mine, all mine I had free reign on the color choice. I picked out the happiest color I could find,
Aqua Chiffon. The name is kind of perfect for a sewing room don’t cha’ think?
How much time do you spend in your sewing room? As much as I can! Usually on a Saturday or Sunday you’ll find me in my sewing room. I could easily spend the whole day in there
only coming out for bathroom breaks or snacks. During the week I like to try to spend at least an hour working on a project but sometimes
it’s hard to resist the couch calling my name.
Where do you get your inspiration for your projects? Sewing blogs or Pinterest
Thanks for sharing with us Shannon!
Nice sewing room! I wish mine was half as nice. I love that colour!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tiffany!
DeleteWay to go Shannon! Very nice article!! ....Deborah
ReplyDeleteWow, Shannon you have come a long way in 21/2 years! Your sewing space looks like a fun place to be. Good luck with the lotto!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes I'll take all the luck I can get when it comes to the lotto!
DeleteYour sewing room is beautiful. So neat and organised. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love being organized!
DeleteWhat a terrific sewing space... but I think I'm still most jealous of that puggie :) And PS If I had to show off my sewing space online it would be sadly disappointing... I want a bright cheerful place like this!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Vito sends many snorts and kisses your way! :)
DeleteI absolutely love your sewing space and all of the light. That's the one thing I'm lacking is great lighting, oh, and a room dedicated to just sewing.
ReplyDeleteLove your 2014 goal to buy no ready-to-wear! Going to borrow that one for myself and to that end I just invested in a walking foot to improve my knits.
ReplyDeleteI see you made your own dress form. how did you anchor it? what did you use for the stand?
ReplyDeleteYou can check out my blog post for more pics and details on how I made my dress form.
Deletehttp://www.shanniloves.blogspot.com/2012/03/duct-tape-dressform.html
For the stand I used one of those wooden spools that electrical wire comes on. We just happened to have one laying around after we built our barn. To anchor it to the spool I used pvc pipe. I posted a couple helpful links on my blog post as well.
You are inspiring me! I've been looking for ways to organize and decorate my room too.. Thanks! :)
ReplyDelete