Roads to hell, etc.

Oh, I had such grand plans for this past weekend.  The knitting and sewing that was going to go on!  The photographing of FO's and Renegade loot! Suddenly, I have several crafting deadlines upon me, but never fear, I was going to Make Progress.

Yeah.  Not so much.  I did work some more on my so-far smashing Raspberry Ripple socks, and stuffed a secret softie I'm working on.  I went to Renegade and spent a bunch of money, we cleaned the (thoroughly filthy) apartment and made dinner for some friends.  Wound a ball of yarn for my Sockapalooza socks...only to remember that #2s are the one set of dpns I don't have.  But I got absolutely no traction on the sewing.

Why?  I've been buying fabric and patterns lately, I have a long list of things I want to make, but when free time presents itself, it's usually knitting that wins out.  I blame the city.  If I want to knit, I grab the project and plunk down, wherever.  If I want to sew...well.  The first and perhaps biggest barrier is the laundromat.  I have strong opinions about pre-washing, you see.  But I can't put my fabric in the bag for the wash n' fold, because I don't want it dried, and yeah the laundromat is just around the corner, but it's so...gnarly.  And wait, I really should zig-zag the edges first, but that would entail dragging out the machine...

Which brings us to the second problem.  The machine, it's heavy, and it lives in the closet.  I dream of the day when it can have a dedicated table and bask in the open air, but for now this is where it goes (note my tiny stash in the lower left!):

Yep, on the main desk/computer table, and it's just not practical to leave it there, even if I had the confidence that the fiends cats would not fuck with it (did I mention the foot-long piece of twine that came out of Minny's butt on Sunday?  No?  Just as well.)  And no, there's not a better place to plug it in, and yesssss the cord gets in the way.  Bonus irritant: putting it on the high table means I can't use the knee-lift, which is especially missed when I'm quilting.

Anyway, let's say I haul it out, and finish off the raw edges, and scamper over to the laundromat and back, then what?  Well, I'm going to have to press the fabric before I start cutting.  Where does the ironing board live? Behind the door.  But when you open it up (with horrid screeching noise) it has to go here: and I guess you could leave it out, but then you can't really see the TV from the couch. 

Nevertheless!  The fabric!  It is now clean, and pressed!  Let us cut!  Ignoring the fact that my shears have desperately needed sharpening since I dropped them (bad!) five years ago (very bad!), we will proceed to the cutting table, aka where we eat:

Ouch. My back hurts just looking at it.  Wait, why do I cut here, when I actually have a 36" table I bought specifically for cutting?  Well, because that table is the one covered with computer crap, and clearing it would be a task of massive and dusty proportions.  Hey, did I mention that the light stinks in all of these places?

So it's a hassle to prep any of these surfaces, but the real problem is that when I'm using them we can't eat/watch TV/check the computer, or at least not very well.  And all the mess is right in my face, tempting the cats.  I look at pictures of people's craft rooms on flickr and I could just cry.

I know I'm not the only person whose space-challenged.  Other people live in closets and manage to produce (hell, I used to get more done in 400 square feet--pre-husband and cats). Tell me: how do you do it?

Comments

[gleek]

hahaha, everything you've mentioned here is exactly why i don't sew very often. once i get everything out and ready, it all takes up tons of space in the apartment until i'm done. and i hate it! whereas knitting takes up almost no room and i have neat little bags i can pack it away in when it's not in use. damn, if only i had a crafting room!

[Supersecretsockpal]

I totally can relate to the whole ironing board thing! Especially the horrible screeching sound! I found myself nodding at your whole post! I always envy those with crafting rooms! Someday we'll get ours!

[MeBeth]

Oh god the ironing board screeching noise - the worst sound imaginable! I have the same problem with cooking and having people over for dinner. Placemats? Top of closet. Big salad bowl? Bottom of lower left cabinet. Serving platter? Under 87 lbs of pots and pans.

[pamela wynne]

Yeah, our ironing board hasn't been put away in weeks! I do recommend under-the-bed storage bins -- and we also use them under every couch. :)

[Heather]

You are such a funny writer Katy! Love the vivid portrait of the city crafter's dilemma. Think of it this way: at least when you want Amy Butler fabric you can put your hands on it within 30 minutes or less whereas those of us with space galore are bound by the constraints of JoAnn's Fabrics and UPS!!

[Kacey]

What a funny post, Katy. I LOVE the picture of Alex being obscured by the ironing board, hilarious. And what's this with all the ironing board noise? Surely you all have an old can of WD40 laying around somewhere. John went on a kick recently with a can of it, spraying every squeaky thing in his path. That shit rules!

[kellie]

OMG the age old space problem! All I can suggest is a tall narrow bookshelf/cabinet to the right of the cutting table to store your machine and all the other stuff on and around the table in (minus the computer) so you can still use it for cutting. And what about buying an extension cord so you can sew at the dining table (instead of cutting) and then you can use the truly fabulous knee lifter? And whilst I admire your attention to detail in zig-zagging the edges of material to be washed (wow!!) you can achieve the same thing more easily by getting a pinking blade for your rotary cutter and pinking all the edges - works brilliantly. And underbed storage. Or just knit more ;o)

[Twink]

I did not know people have special high tables for cutting out fabric. You know what my mom does? She does what any self-respecting Korean woman does: she cuts as she squats on the floor. Oh yes.

[schrodinger]

HAHA, NYC living in its truest form!! I really (honestly) plan to have a sewing table that will make everyone jealous. In meantime, I cut on the floor and drag the sewing maching out of it's sad little corner and sew on the dining table. Thanks for the laugh.

[Jessica]

I too cut on the floor. I've tried the table (too low) and the counter (too tiny) and instead break my back on the floor. And haul out the machine on the kitchen table, and my ironing board, as we speak, has been set up in the kitchen for a week now. Awesome. It looks great in there. But it's not like I cook, anyway. ;)

[Rose]

EXACTLY my problem except I'm also being pressed by my 2 daughters and 2 stepdaughters (ages 16, 18, 21, 23) who are all around for the summer, in and out of our 3 bedroom SMALL townhouse, to teach them to sew! I'm going nuts with the lack of space, even as I'm thrilled they want to be crafty too! Anybody have any good suggestions for you?