Today was our final “wrap up” day at the house. Renovations are D-O-N-E for a while until we do our master bathroom. One of the last things they have been working on is our front door and they finished today. I would say it’s quite an improvement! 
This was the cheaper reno alternative to them completely removing the front door to refinish it. Basically they cleaned it and scrubbed it, then re-stained it with a type of Gel Stain. Today they coated it with polyurethane. It looks a ton better! Now that they are done and Jeff has pressure washed the front porch and front walkway, add to our list planters for the front porch. The “list” is 3 miles long and never ends….. You all know what I mean! It. never. ends.
And when you walk in our new front door and take an immediate right, you find our lovely office/sewing room. Not much has changed and I.am.frustrated. I have not been able to commit to hanging anything yet (which also goes for the rest of the house). Love my Expedit cubby and need more baskets. I need to hang my thread, my clock, my stabilizer rack, anything and everything else… We have hung my bulletin board and the TV. That’s it.
Still have fabric in these plastic bins, which is why I need more of the PJAS baskets for the cubby. My 5000M spool thread rack is still on the floor.
Thread stands…. not where they should be! The baskets do house my fabrics and they are organized still in to categories: colors w/ white polka dots (big dots), multi colored dots, pin dots, fat ginghams, regular ginghams, microchecks, boy fabrics, girl fabrics, etc etc etc. I know which basket has which fabric in it and I can also see through the triangle handle.
It’s hard to tell time when your clock is hiding in a basket. My stabilizer rack/shelf thingy is still resting on my tool chest.
Still got the old dining room chairs with red cushions. Jeff has nothing hung over his desk. His golf ball collection sits on the floor.
HELP!!!! What do I need to do?? When I’m faced with so many little projects, I tend to freeze up and avoid doing anything! I painted this room white so it would be a clean slate. I would use thread and fabric and all that fun sewing stuff to color the room, or that’s what I told myself. I’ve had my eye on these fabrics (from Joann), but what would I do with them?
Help!!!! Any suggestions?? The hours spent on Pinterest have not helped me. I just keep pinning things and then realize how un-crafty I am. Do I need to call HGTV? TLC? Is Trading Spaces still a show? help…..
Go onto pinterest and type in “embroidery hoop”…lots of people just fill the hoops with the fabric and put a bunch of them up on the wall. You could make matching accessories by Mod Podging the leftover fabric onto containers, or even wrap a lamp. I LOVE your fabric choices!!!
I have seen those hoops w/ fabric!
OK, I’ve seen an interior decorator do this once: Take some painters tape and start taping off on your wall where you *THINK* you’d want things hung. Move around the furniture, move around the tape. If you REALLY need visulas, use some chalk to “draw” what goes inside the tape. See what you like.
Pick a layout and LEAVE it for a few days, see how it feels. I personally have a hard time with change in general, I may LOVE something but it feels uneasy because it’s different…
I like to hang up the things I am working on or just finished, I think it inspires me. I grabbed some of the 3M hooks (the faux silver ones) and use them to hang the items as I go, like an accomplishments wall.
Pinterest can be overwhelming, I don’t pin it unless I can BUY it that way (or REALLY Close to it!)
Thanks for the great suggestions! I like the idea of the hooks to hang up shirts, etc. I’ve done!
I will trade spaces with you thru my bathroom re-model. I will clean and organize your sewing room and hang things on the wall! If you could see my sewing “hole” you would immediately say NO! to my offer. LOL
Peggy W.
HA! When is the remodel Peggy??
Paint the chairs the blue color in fabric and cover the seat cushions in the fabric. That’s the new thing now, paint chairs a bright color.
I have considered painting the chairs – just have to get the courage to do it!!
Rosemary, These are my suggestions for using the fabric:
1. make seat and back chair cushions
2. cover the bulletin board
3. make a note board with coordinating ribbon or cover another bulletin board
4. make a few hook plaques out of wood and cover the wood with the fabric
5. make a wall accessory holder that has several pouches (similar to a shoe holder)
6. ironing board cover
7. cover your ironing hams
I need to cover my ironing board!!
You could put one of the fabrics over the cork on your bullentin board…..I personally like a rolling chair and I think I saw on pinterest where they slip covered one….jeff probably wouldnt like it though. I also like to be able to get to both sides of my machine and I like my thread to the right of my machine for easy access. I framed a piece of peg board in an old white ornate frame for my thread….. I like the thread color on the wall ….if I can fig. out how to send you a picture I will… Im not too great on the computer. I’ll see if I can find the pictures in my computer….lol!!
I was going to hang my thread spools by the cubby which would be close to my fabric. Just haven’t committed to hanging anything yet!!
I’m no decorator – but some action thoughts:
1. Get another board to hang over his desk, hang his golf ball collection on the wall to the left of his desk.
2. If your afraid to paint the chairs (especially if they are really good wood), then at least recover them. If not great wood, paint black and recover.
3. If you love that fabric and it isn’t too expensive, maybe hang a valance or panels. The windows don’t look wide, so if the fabric is 54″ wide, you might can get away w/one width and just the length. Simple straight seams would work.
4. Hooping the fabric or glue to canvas boards and hang. If you don’t use curtains, hang between the windows w/the clock in collage. Or do enough to hang over the embroidery machine or even space evenly across the top on the wall above your desks creating a “border”.
5. The hook idea to display your work is a great idea. If there is room on the wall next to your cubbies put it there. Or if you don’t want the bold fabric on the windows, hang at varioius heights between the windows.
Using the painters tape is a great idea to help you visualize. I love using those 3m hooks. They can be expensive but it might be worth it to get 3 or so and try the hanging your work idea.
Good luck. I am jealous of your space.
Thanks! Great suggestions!!
If you want to paint chairs, clean them real good, brush with stain primer, let dry and then paint. I would also paint the bulletin boards to coordinate.
my sister used the bottom fabric to recover a seat cushion for a chair. i think the chairs would be very cute painted. the embroidery hoops with fabric (http://pinterest.com/pin/196418405/) is definitely a fun idea or even framing fabric (http://pinterest.com/pin/256592249/) in a grouping would be cute!
i’ve seen people get wooden “tags” from Hobby Lobby paint them with chalkboard paint then tie them to the basket & write on it whatever is in it. super cute idea. http://pinterest.com/pin/217939367/
here is another chair makeover my sister did: http://thriftysouthernlivingwithbrooke.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-chair-re-do.html
Awesome!! Thanks for the links!!
I too am jealous of your space!!!! I really love the fabrics you picked out at JoAnns and I’m with the other girls about painting the chairs and covering the cushions.
I’m also a stickler when it comes to hanging things so I use “hercules hooks” (As Seen on TV) but I think Hobby Lobby calls them monkey hooks or something in the framing section. Anyways, they poke through the wall and make just a tiny little hole but hold A LOT of weight! Google them so you’ll know what to look for. My husband swears by them and everything in our house is hung by them. Just make sure you know where the stud in the wall is b/c you don’t want to hit one of those while trying to poke the hook through. Happy Decorating!~
THANKS! I know which hooks you are talking about!
I think you should use the fabric to embroider one of your first designs or fav designs and frame and hang on a wall… Or multiple to make a collage of your artwork. And if you are festive you could change these out for the holidays! I also love the ironing board cover!!! I also like the cork board cover idea— I would get an oversized one to hang my hoops on. But the most important– u must share where you got those cool baskets at the bottom of your shelves! Please?! 🙂 and you need a more comfy chair! Says one that uses her dining room chairs too 🙂
The baskets are from Ikea – they are the PJAS baskets! I need a few more!! Yes we’ve looked at office type chairs (black) too. That might be plan B if I paint these and it doesn’t turn out so well!!
SPRAY PAINT! No brush needed. I am the queen of it and if you use a GOOD one with primer it will last! Take the seat off, lightly sand, spray paint, if there is no primer add a coat of primer, recover your seat cushions (super easy) and you are done and have a FANTASTIC splash of color.
Another way to get things on the wall is to cut craft paper or newspaper to the size of what you want on the wall and tape those up where you think you might want them. Great way to get a visual.
You have gotten some great ideas, but I do understand your fear. It takes me a while to do things!
Rosemary- Have you thought of getting a cute area rug? I think a cute bright floral would look cute. You could simple panels on your windows out of one of the fabrics from JoAnn, cover the chairs and a cork board. You could get some cute knobs for your desks from Anthropologie. If you decide to go with the fabric above you should paint the room a pale yellow. Good luck!
Lindsey
I took three metal squares (from Lowes) that are about 2′ x 2′, mod podged wrapping paper on them (you could use those fabrics above) and put them up above my sewing table. I then took heavy duty magnet hooks from Hobby Lobby and hung my thread wracks from them on the metal boards. I bought additional heavy duty magnets to hang my hoops on, inspirations, sample fonts, ect. It is amazing how it lets your work needs cover your walls as art instead of on the desk. 🙂
Front door looks great!!
Don’t let fear keep you from doing anything! I get this way too. You want everything to be just right and just don’t know where to start. I feel your pain!
If you are happy with the current layout i would hang that cute pic of the kiddos over the machine to remind me who I am doing this for.
Get hubby a matching bulletin board…..I like symmetry
Hang his golf balls to to the left of his desk.
Put the stabilizer rack over your tool chest.
Move that calendar thing from the window to the wall on the right of your desk.
Frame in format of your choice some of that cute fabric and hang it over you cubbies. Either 3 larger squares or 5 squares the same size as the cubby squares.
Love the idea of using the fabric on the ironing board. Would help bring color to that side of the room too.
Another cute idea would be to use those fabrics to make some bunting/pennants to hang across the window wall. This would bring color and life to that side of the room too. Mix in some coordinating dots and ginghams. Don’t forget the ribbon! You need some color in there. Fabric is your medium, use it! You could embroider words on some of the pennants if you like too.
Hang your thread on the wall above those plastic bins.
Speaking of those plastic bins, take out the drawers with the fabric and put them in the cubby. It will get them off the floor until you can get more baskets. You might even consider covering some boxes in that fabric and mixing in with the baskets.
If you decide to keep the dining chairs I would paint them either black or one of the bright colors in the fabric. I have the best results with spray paint. Wash them, lightly sand and then spray paint light coats. You CAN do it!!
Don’t you have some peg boards somewhere?? Those might fit on the wall over the tool chest too.
Most of the items in the room are already in these locations……..just not on the wall. Put them on the wall!! If they are not perfect you can move them!!! It is not a big deal. Really!! LOL
Don’t be overwhelmed……..look how great your new kitchen is!!
Good luck!!
THANK YOU! ALL great suggestions!!!!
Taping the walls for placement is a wonderful idea!…I have more than a couple of ‘changed my mind holes in walls’. You have all the right stuff and tons of great suggestions…it will all come together & you will have such a fabulous work space. Definitely paint the thread racks…maybe to match the chairs/cork board frames if you decide to do that. Just painted my racks and love the ‘finished’ look. Where did you get the ‘stabilizer rack’?
The stabilizer rack is from Michael’s – it really holds ribbon!
for your chairs: i’m investigating annie sloan chalk paint (http://www.anniesloan.com/) – looks really cool and there’s a store in tallahassee i can check out over thanksgiving. says there is NO prep at all. just paint it on top of any surface. maybe we could do a january painting project b/c i want to paint my dining room chairs, too.
I like it! I don’t know if I can wait til January though. This is driving me crazy. Please just 1 room in the house be done!! HA!
I would go with the black and white in the top fabric with punches of color. Make simple drapery panels from fabric #1, if it is the right kind of fabric. Use simple black wrought iron rods. Paint the chairs black and cover the cusions in the turquoise color. Cover the bulletin board with one of the other colors, maybe the yellow. It already has a black frame, perfect! It could really be a fun room to work in!
It’s like quilting -you will need a light color (you already have it with white walls), a medium and a dark so pull those from your fabric. One of these, probably the dark, should be the accent -10% is what “they” say. Choose another one or two fabrics: a plaid, or stripe or geometic to use with the large print that you chose. Paint a stripe, vertical -floor to ceiling, on the wall with one of your colors. (another idea use a width of your fabric -liquid starch and adhere it to the wall-floor to ceiling.) Border the accent stripe with wood trim nailed around and use this as a display area for projects.. If desired- glue a roll of cork inside this area. Or just use push pins into the dry wall. This becomes the place for your calendar and seasonal items or things you just like to look at. Buy an electric label maker -such as Brother- label your bins to save time even though you think you know what’s in them. The labels look nice too. Another use for your fabric is to skirt a table that is open on the bottom-this provides a “hidey hole” for bins and stuff!
AWESOME ideas Joyce!!