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Posts: 361Oh, everyone has such a nice space...
I haven't been here lately because for the past 6 weeks, I have been knee deep in renos...my studio, after 7 years needed a make-over. I don't have a handy husband and so everything you see that has been changed was done by yours truly. I have decided I don't like grouting up a wall with sand grout...I have never tiled until now. I had painted the chimney to look like brick and it was time for a change... I have more pics on my blog, but here are a couple before and after pics...Pictures are shown from left to right...
To see more detail and pics, visit my blog at http://tisdesignworksoriginals.blogspot.com
I also want to thank-you all for the lovely Valentine cards... I am so sorry that I didn't get them out in time...now that I can actually sit at my desk...I will be sending out spring cards. Thank-you so much for your patience and kindness in sending cards.
Nancy 
Bubble Up Bears!Oh my goodness! No wonder you all create such magnificent creatures!
My oh my Daphne! You are a lucky lady! :)
I see some Featherweights and I even see some like Daphne's room that have 2 machines.
I would LOVE to know what kind of machines you all have and how many. Do you like one machine for making certain things you are creating? and another for something else?
You all have such different styles and no wonder. Just look at the creativity in your work rooms!
I love seeing where some of my bears have come from. :)
Thanks all for sharing.
I just love this! 
Sarian Miniature BearsOkay, I think this thread can end now..... 
I've got workroom envy......... BIG TIME! 
Hugs,
EJ's CraftsSewing machines............well up until 3 weeks ago I had 6 machines. I ran out of room so I sold two of them and now have only 4. Two of them are New Home, one an old treadle machine which works but I don't use and one that has been my work horse for the last 8 years and I just retired it to a new machine. The other two are Brothers machines. One a standard machine and my newest, a sewing/embroidery machine. I love my new machine because it just about does every thing.
bingle bearsSo many wonderful, creative, and beautiful workspace! I just LOVE this thread!
My Teddy TalesNancy your room is great! Daphne I've always loved seeing pics of you BIG room!
Lets see, I have three Singers, one of them an over lock, I would of had four, I gave my sister my featherweight.And I gave my other machine which was a Brother to my other sister to see if she would start sewing!! my fingers are crossed for that !
I do have my eye on another sewing machine!
I keep my machines in the long dress pictured, each side has a cabinet, so they fit perfect.
Louise
Bubble Up Bears!Wow Eva! That's a lot! I've never heard of New Home but I have heard of the Brother machines. Sounds like you really get a lot out of a machine before retiring it. I started taking a beginners sewing class last month and I wasn't aware of so many kinds of machines. I never heard of nor had I seen a Serger until class.
Louise I have never heard of a Over Lock either. Thank you. I looked it up. Your Featherweight, is your sister going to use it to sew? Were you using it to make any bears? I'm using a Featherweight for class. At the beginning of class everyone looked at me like I was crazy. 4 weeks into class they all want one. 
We are making pajamas.
Thank you ladies for sharing. I'm fascinated by all your work rooms. Actually I'm blown away! Even from the smallest work area to the biggest you all have put so much time into making your space a wonderful place to be.
EJ's CraftsNew Home is a very old maker of sewing machines and some time ago they were bought out by Janome. As far as I know they no longer use the New Home name.
Bubble Up Bears!Oh OK. I've seen the Janome. There is one in my class called the Deco Computer 3050. Looks really nice and not that expensive for a beginner anyway. I know they can run in the thousands!!
Thanks Eva.
Posts: 751Hi
My featherweight is IDENTICAL to yours Becky - do you enjoy using it. I love my machine, it is like a child's one(!), but I have yet to use it.
I have three machines - my Bernina 801, an Elna (that I HATE - it plays up so much it reduced me to tears on a course I went on - I only bought it to take on courses as it is a very small machine) and my Singer Featherweight.
I LOVE all your work spaces - compared to ME you are ALL clean and tidy workers!!!!
Bubble-Up Bears (sorry I don't know your name) it is good to hear that you are getting on so well with your Featherweight, I must have the courage to use mine soon - besides just LOOK at it.
Karon
My featherweight is IDENTICAL to yours Becky - do you enjoy using it.
I really do enjoy it. I have more control over the thread tension than I do with my 1950's dressmaker model (a fancier Singer), and it's so nice to be able to move it anywhere. (I also bought it for $200, and it came complete from its first owner, so I don't feel that I over-spent, which I gather can be an issue with these cuties.)
I hope you enjoy yours as well!
Becky
Posts: 751Jeannette,
Meant to say on my last post.
Love Frank - I also have a cat called Frankie.
My Frankie is a blue point exotic look alike with beautiful blue eyes - hence the name after Ol Blue Eyes. Also have a female red tabby who is called Thomasina
Posts: 751Becky
Good to know you get on with it well. I only bought mine last summer when I was at Summer School - I paid £75.00 for it which I am told was very reasonable. They are around at good prices if you are lucky
Karon
Back Road BearsMahines: There are three in my studio. One is a featherweight. I must admit I haven't used it enough to feel 100% comfortable with it yet... adjusting tension, cleaning, etc. and I don't want anything to happen to my sweet Emmaline (well, I call her Emma) so I mostly talk to her and dust her every couple of days. It is my goal by mid-year to have the time to use her more. I have done a couple of bears on her and some doll clothes. Works beautifully!!!
The machine I use and beat on is my Husqvarna/Viking. It's a base model but I LOVE it. It'll sew through anything and I can go YEARS between cleanings even with all the bears I sew on it! (Though I don't recommend this!! LOL!) It does not have a blanket stitch which would come in handy with some of the clothes and folk art things I make and one day soon I will upgrade to a more advanced model. But I still love it!
The third machine in my room is not a sewing machine but a felting machine. It's a Baby Lock Embellisher EMB7. It has seven felting needles like you'd use for hand needlefelting and goes up and down like a sewing machine but without thread. It's so easy to use and lots of fun.
Joanne, I can't stand the mess either...I am to the point I hate to go in there! I have my watercolor studio in the basement and it is beautiful...very calm and serene. One wall has an ocean mural on it and the others are painted in twilight. Everything is so organized and at the ready for me...the only problem is...I can't get down there anymore!!!
Bubble Up Bears!I want to thank you ladies for answering all my sewing machine questions. I know this isn't my thread and Jeannette I hope I haven't offended you. If so I apologize.
I loved this thread the first go around and I hope many more artist post pictures of their work spaces no matter how small they may be. I love seeing where you all create. I think we all do!!!
In my minds eye I always pictured you in a nice comfy chair with your feet up on the ottoman and the fire going and TV on and you sitting there sewing away! I got a big kick out of Joanne's picture of her chair!!!! I can see though you don't have to have a big ol' chair to sit in to be comfortable and happy to create. Each and every one of your rooms/work areas speak volumes to me about the time, money and most importantly the love, heart and soul you put into each and every one of your creations.
Thanks again ladies.
desertmountainbearHi Cindy, My machine is a Singer "Simple" which is just what it is. I love it. I had a Brother for about 20 years, another plain simple machine, could sew through anything. It finally had enough, I retired it last year. I sew forward and backward, that is the limit of my skills on a machine, so for me less is more.
Joanne
JRB CREATIONSCindy, I'm not offended at all!!! I love reading everything everyone has to say!! :hug: I have a Brother machine that my husband bought me for Christmas two years ago, but I never use it. I sew everything by hand. I have tried to use it many times, but the swearing starts as soon as I get it out of the cabinet, LOL. For the life of me I can't work the thing! :doh: The thread gets tangled and stuck, the needle breaks and I end up abandoning the whole project for the rest of the day! It's just safer for everyone if I keep it tucked safely away! :redface:
Thanks everyone for posting your pics!! I can't wait to see more!!
:hug:
*Jeannette
i work at the end of my dining table, all over the floor with the kids and hand sew on the end of the sofa !
i have mohair inthe twins wardrobe and lots of fabric in trunks all over the house !
oops !
i envy you some of your lovely work spaces ! one day ?
this pic was taken by the local paper last year when i completed a 6 foot mouse fursuit, some of you may remember !
cat xxxx
Bubble Up Bears!I remember Cat!!
Who could forget those cute kids?!!
We would all die for curly blonde hair like your babies have! I know I would.
I think it was on your blog? and I saw some of your work space pictures there. I'm sure the day will come when you have the space of your dreams. Until then I'm sure your beautiful babies make the wait worth waiting for.
Little Bear GuyCindy to answer your question about sewing machines, we are a Janome family here (Steve is the poster child for Janome). I have one Janome that will do everything I need it to and also has a quilting table attachment. Steve has another Janome sewing machine, plus a Janome embellishing machine (felting machine). Plus he has a Janome embroidery machine. I have lost track of the number of sergers he has plus a rolled hem machine (I don't know what it does for sure lol). Plus we have a fur machine specifically made for sewing fur I think it's from the 1940's I don't think they even make them anymore. Plus we have a Pfaff industrial sewing machine. Funny enough we have all of these machines but I spend majority of the time hand sewing them. Just like you thought Cindy I do sit with my feet up and usually one dog on my lap and another on the back of the couch at my head as I sew and or stuff the bears watching TV or movies. Our living room is pretty much where we do all the sewing and work on the bears. Even tracing out a bear I have a lap desk that I use and sit on the couch and trace and cut out (the oldest dog doesn't like this as you can't be in my lap while I do this but manages to snuggle in close to me). Although we do have a room set up in the basement for sewing it is mainly for the sewing Steve does for dance costumes and bathing suits and stuff like that. I'd take a picture of it but it really does look like a couple of goats exploded in that room :crackup: . Someone did just give us a couple of very old sewing machines, one is hand crank machine and the other is an extremely old singer. They both need a really good cleaning, oh I did forget that we also have an antique tredle sewing machine that is in the upstairs hallway but we never use it.
hugs
Shane
Bubble Up Bears!Oh Shane can I come live with you? :)
I knew there was someone out there with every machine under the sun and you guys are it!!
Is the Singer a Featherweight?
I would LOVE to see some of those swim suits too!
When I was just 20 I went to work for a swimsuit designer who had shops in Manhattan Beach California. I worked the retail shops for him. Mind you this was the mid 70's and I was a size 2. 
OK back to reality.
I bet Steve has some of the really big time Janomes? What do you guys think of the Deco Computer 3050? Is it a good machine for a beginner? Would you suggest something else?
Thanks so much Shane for posting. However I think we all would like to see a picture of you in your chair sewing. :)
We all know how handsome you are in your Superman shirt so please share. :)
Please Please!!!
I have always loved your creations. You guys are awesome.
Bubble Up Bears!Thank you Jeannette. :)
Is the Brother machine you have one of those really fancy ones?
Do you sew everything by hand? I have heard that from another artist too.
My!! I can't imagine. Such great creations and by hand!!
Joanne I would think you too had a really fancy machine! But really the great detail work to all your bears is done by hand? That's where the bear really come alive right?
I want to thank Jeannette again and all you ladies and gentlemen Shane for sharing.
desertmountainbearJoanne I would think you too had a really fancy machine! But really the great detail work to all your bears is done by hand? That's where the bear really come alive right?
Hi Cyndee,
The majority of my work is done by hand, I think that is true with most bears. The paws and the felting can not be done on a machine. That chair I sit on is a recliner so like the Bear Guys I sit with my feet up and a dog on my lap. I usually stick a small pillow on his back and he becomes my lap desk LOL.
I do hope you feel great again soon, bear making may be in your future yet.
Joanne
EJ's CraftsCindi, any machine that works for you is a good machine. As you can see by all the posts, we all have different machines and they work for us. I can not tell you how many machines I have had in my lifetime because I have been sewing since I was a little girl. Right now I am in love with my newest machine which is the Brothers Limited Edition sewing/embroidery machine. It does every thing from threading the needle to cutting the thread when you are done. My eyes are not very good anymore so these features are just what I needed.
If we encourage you to start sewing, I am glad because we all need something in our lives to look forward too. Being retired, I now sew for the fun of it. It keeps me active. I use to do Art & Craft shows almost every weekend and worked full time besides and loved it. Now it is back to being a hobby and I can still make enough money off of it to pay for supplies and a little extra.
I have enjoyed seeing everyones room or even the little spaces that everyone works in. This has been a great thread. Thank you.
