quilting

Quilt Room Reveal

January 4, 2019

I’ve teased you long enough, it’s time for me to show you the changes we made to my quilt room.

My quilting space is small, the room measures about 9.5′ x 11′. One wall in the room has dark brown cork from the ceiling to about halfway down the wall. The wall color was a medium teal.

Here’s a photo of the cork with the new wall color (I forgot to take a before photo).

Quilt Room Reveal - New wall color with the dark cork - piecefulthoughts.com

I’ll show you what we did with the cork wall too, but let me show you a before photo of the other side of the room. Opposite the cork wall, I have a dresser, a corner cabinet, and a bookshelf. I hate to show this huge mess, but here you go.

Quilt Room Reveal - The before photo of the design wall and bookshelves - piecefulthoughts.com

Yikes, huh? The bookshelf was from a wall desk unit that BigJ built for himself years ago. It was too tall for me to comfortably reach that upper shelf. I would organize the shelf from time to time, but it never stayed tidy. Because of that, I would pile things on the dresser. So after asking me some questions and talking through some ideas, BigJ decided to make me a new shelf unit for my birthday and Christmas. That was a total surprise to me. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon! Here’s the new look.

Quilt Room Reveal - The new shelf unit - piecefulthoughts.com

All the bins stacked in the former picture are now neatly tucked in the lower shelves. All of my fabric is in the process of being folded around comic boards and placed on the upper shelves, which are adjustable. The quilt ladder in the corner on the right has quilts made by my mother and grandmother; the top quilt was made by me. The quilted bear was a gift from a friend.

Here’s a look at folded fabric vs. fabric around the comic boards.

That bundle of fabric is 5 yards. It lays much flatter once it has been folded and put around the comic boards. My boards are shorter than the width of the fabric, something I didn’t realize until I started working with them. I don’t mind it; I think it will work okay.

So what about that dark cork wall? I have wanted to cover that wall for a long time, and I wanted to make it into a mini quilt wall. I found a piece of fabric that fit and BigJ framed it with boards painted the same color as the shelving unit.

Along with the new paint color, covering the dark cork really helps brighten up the room. It actually feels like a bigger room, even though it isn’t.

Last year my daughter and I looked for a chair for my quilt room and found this chair at a thrift store for $50. Funny thing is, we never even looked at it while choosing paint colors. It matches perfectly.

So come visit, Have a seat. Bring some stitching and we can chat while we sew. I hope you enjoyed seeing my new quilt room. If you need me, you can find me here!

Wendy

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33 Comments

  • Vicki in MN
    January 4, 2019 at 7:05 am Reply

    That is a fantastic redo!! Love the new mini wall and that shelf unit is to die for! I’ll be over in March! You will be so inspired now that there will be no stopping you with new pieces flying off your machine:)

  • Lisa J.
    January 4, 2019 at 7:51 am Reply

    It looks beautiful! and the new shelving arrangement is so much better. I was gifted with new shelves in a cupboard in my sewing room. I asked Dwight to do that for me for Christmas. Having good shelving makes such a big difference doesn’t it. I still have a lot of stuff to sort through and stuff from my guild to find homes for before I can consider things done. I think my room is about the same size as yours.

  • Kathleen McCormick
    January 4, 2019 at 8:04 am Reply

    WOW 😮. Big J did a great job as did you! It looks just lovely. The shelves are perfect. I have folded my fabric around a ruler for years and love it. I do want a week to clean up things in Medford but I’ll have to wait for an unplanned snowstorm!! I’m sure Mother Nature will cooperate!

  • Melanie McNeil
    January 4, 2019 at 8:49 am Reply

    Wow, very nice. I love the teal paint color but can see that it would make the room so much darker, and harder to see true colors on your fabrics. Also yay for the new shelving. Just look at those tidy bins! Congrats!

  • Kathy in WV
    January 4, 2019 at 8:57 am Reply

    Lovely reveal! Yes…you teased us! The color scheme, accident or not, is great—-very soothing. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the space even more now. I really like the cork wall. I was just in a local goodwill on Wednesday looking for a comfy chair to re-cover for my sewing room. No luck this week…maybe next time. Looking ward to spending many “pieceful” moments with you and your posts in 2019. Blessings from chilly southeastern WV.

  • Laura M
    January 4, 2019 at 9:30 am Reply

    How delightful that you have a room that better fits your needs. Even more delightful that people who love you, helped you out along the way. I’m sure this new space will boost your creativity and happiness. Looking forward to seeing what you are up to in 2019.

  • Susan Q
    January 4, 2019 at 9:50 am Reply

    Wendy, I love your new room, and especially that awesome new book/fabric shelf. I am jealous. I could use it in my sewing studio, although not sure where I would put it. Mine is like a disaster area. I’ll have to take some “before” pictures and share. My room is 10×10 so about the same as yours. We have been in our home for 22 yrs and my sewing room used to be my daughter’s room. It was painted a light purple with a Laura Ashley border. At one time I had a Laura Ashley valance over the window and Laura Ashley matching sheets and pillow shams I still love the color so with any updating, I wouldn’t change the color. I do hope to get that room more organized this month. Thanks for inspiring me.

  • rl2b2017
    January 4, 2019 at 11:11 am Reply

    Hi Wendy! Your new sewing room looks fabulous, and what a thrill it must be to go in there to have fun each day. Your creativity has to be sparked just looking at your cork wall. What a cool idea that DH could implement for you – I love how the bins are stored on the bottom of the unit. And your chair looks welcoming and comfy. I wish I could just pop over and chat with you for a bit. I’d bring something warm and with plenty of chocolate in it so when we needed a break we’d have a little nosh. Thanks for keeping the tease time to a minimum! Happy Friday. ~smile~ Roseanne

  • Tu-Na Quilts
    January 4, 2019 at 11:25 am Reply

    Your new blue storage shelf is adorable. Your husband must be a good cabinet maker. Your quilt room is looking great. Good idea to cover the cork wall. It does brighten up the room. Have fun sewing in your new space. I can’t wait to see what you create.

  • Diann Bottrell
    January 4, 2019 at 12:21 pm Reply

    Thanks for the tour of your lovely updated sewing room! The new shelf is wonderful, and I love what you did with the cork wall to make a place for your mini quilts. Looks like the perfect spot to spend some time in every day!

  • Cocoa Quilts
    January 4, 2019 at 2:43 pm Reply

    Wendy, what a great update. That bookshelf/fabric stash holder is perfect. And a great idea for the cork wall. I hoping to figure out some type of design “wall” in my new space. Go sew and enjoy!!

  • quiltinggail
    January 4, 2019 at 7:00 pm Reply

    What a lovely lovely room! It looks great! I’m even going to pretend that I’m sitting in your chair, sipping on a cup of tea and visitin with you! Wouldn’t that be fun?
    Happy Quilting in your new studio! 🙂

  • kaywelch
    January 4, 2019 at 7:10 pm Reply

    Your sewing room makeover is FABULOUS! Love the serendipity of the chair matching the room now, Great way to start a new year with a fresh new creative space.

  • Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts
    January 7, 2019 at 8:49 am Reply

    Wow! I love your room – it looks so comfy and I could definitely get creative in there! Your new shelving is fantastic and so organized. Love!

  • Sandra Walker
    January 10, 2019 at 10:50 am Reply

    A comfy chair is a must in any quilt room IMHO! I love what’s happened here! It looks so cosy! cozy. Both. 🙂 Big J is such a keeper, building the perfect shelving unit for you, and oh, one of these days soon I badly want my Big J to make me a quilt rack..It all has come together, so clean and organized, ahhh! Can’t wait for my renovation to start which sounds like this spring weather depending. 🙂

  • Vivian B.
    October 16, 2021 at 9:28 am Reply

    Coming here from Katy’s link up: Great space re-do! Also great to have someone who’s handy with making furniture to give you just what you need. Love the cork display wall!

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