New Studio

We live in in a big old farmhouse built in the early 1700's. My studio has always been in a big room downstairs off from the kitchen and dining room. Over the years it has turned into the storage closet for the vacuum cleaner, place for kids to throw their clothes and shoes, wrap presents, do school projects, and where everything is dumped when cleaning up the house. On top of that this is where I sew, paint, draw, do collage, prepare for the interactive theatrical storytelling events, work on the computer, do paperwork, and on and on and on.

This space is just a big mess and I hate it. Everytime I go in there, I just turn around and walk out. There is too much going on! Something had to be done.

The third floor of the house has two alcove type rooms with a tiny bathroom with the cutest half size claw foot bathtub in between. Right now my son lives in those rooms, one room to sleep in and the other to keep his musical instruments and electronic equipment and clothes in.

Yesterday I decided to clear out of the downstairs studio and move it on up there. One room strictly for sewing, and the other for "art studio" All the paperwork goes into a large desk in the dining room. This way things can be truely compartmentalized, physically and mentally. My son can move down into the old studio. What a great idea, but alot of work. And there are two spiral staircases to deal with when moving everything.

The first task was to get all the stuff out of one of those little rooms to prepare for the move. This is a room that has housed three separate teenagers in various stages of their lives over the past six years. I cannot even begin to describe the decadence that existed there.

The bathtub was packed solid with clothes, sheets, towels and a good portion of that was dirty. So it took about ten loads of wash to just take care of that portion. It took all day to just clean up that bathroom. Most of the walls on the third floor are slanted. It seems that somebody took a bath and I guess washed their hair, and when they went to rinse it and had to submerge, their feet went through the wall. So there's a big gaping hole in the wall right above the tub.

The other absolutely wild thing was an incident left behind - starring a closet floor, a large can of bright turquoise spilled paint, a small electic fan, an industrial sized extension cord and a blanket. Somehow all of this was tangled together and glued to the floor in one massive piece. It was like one of those freaky cysts you hear about with hair in it. I had to tug and tug and tug to pull it loose, and then throw it all away in one big piece. Words cannot describe.......

That room is all clean now, and just about have all things sewing moved in. It's so clean, fresh and full of happiness. I really look forward to working in there!

Tomorrow I have an interactive theatrical storytelling event "Hooray 4 Bugs" show in a community center. And Sunday will be a day of rest. Monday it's back to work on the second room.

The beauty of me being upstairs is noone will come up there. I'll be tucked away for good. That's the plan.

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