Quilting Studio Tour

Alright! I’m finally ready to share my video studio tour!

This kind of feels like getting a major UFO off my chest. I’ve wanted to share my whole setup for a long time, but kept waiting and waiting until the place is “perfect.”

Well, there is no such thing as perfect! It’s always a work in progress, always a changing, evolving space depending on what I’m quilting and focused on.

So while it’s not perfect, and in many places downright ugly, this is where I create and I’m proud of what I’ve built because every single aspect of this studio has helped me make quilts, shoot videos, and share here online.

Without further ado, here’s the studio tour!

I really hope you learned a few things in this video about organizing your quilting space. After adding my new set of IKEA Alex drawers and getting my patterns organized, this space feels so much cleaner and more organized.

So much so that I’ve finally felt the freedom to start The Duchess Reigns!

free motion quilting | Leah Day

I now know that my creativity has trouble getting a foothold when surrounded by chaos. My goal from now on is to keep the studio neat and organized because when it is out of control, I’m usually not creating – I can’t create when there’s a big mess in my way.

So here’s to keeping it neat and tidy! Let’s see how long it lasts!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

20 Responses

  1. M-R says:

    Thanks so much for sharing this, Leah. I love seeing how others organize themselves because it gives me great ideas on how to organize my space. Thanks!

  2. Susan Lawson says:

    Nice studio Leah, I feel the same…I just can't be creative when everything is messy, because I feel I spend more time looking for what I want!

  3. Heather J says:

    Thanks for sharing your studio with us. I appreciated some of they ways you adapted your space to organize your tools/fabrics etc.

  4. Anna says:

    Fantastic! Loads of ideas and you are so wonderful in your presentation. Thank you!

  5. Malini says:

    Nice big space for the studio.
    Love it how you have organized everything. You seem to great at home DIY stuff too.

  6. catspec says:

    Thanks for the tour Leah. Nice space and so well organized. I know what it's like – I am always reorganizing – spend more time doing that then sewing or quilting….so it must be a viable hobby in its own right! 😉 Thanks for some nifty ideas.

  7. O'Quilts says:

    Great job Leah. Thx for sharing

  8. I agree that any "studio" space is a work in progress, I think even when you get that feeling of done-ness there is always a spot that could be improved even further. I really do like some of the ideas that you have incorporated in your studio, especially the hanging bars and the rubber dividers, I'd like to get a few of those dividers just for organizing my kitchen drawers 😀

  9. Jessim says:

    Your studio tour has really made me excited to get my room together. I don't have near the space you do- but my space recently doubled. I need to make the most of it!

  10. Leeanne says:

    Thanks for sharing your space.

  11. Thank you for the transparency with which your video tour is created. Your ability to create, organize and utilize your space is inspirational.

    My last two blog posts were difficult to write because I decided to be totally open and honest regarding the state of chaos with which I have lived for sometime now. I have recently enlisted the help of a dear friend. We are working hard; and little by little, we are finding resolution to my dilemma.

    Your video motivates me to continue so that I may once again enjoy the peace tranquility of quilting. Thank you for your practical approach to enhancing your studio with great functionality.

  12. Pamelyn says:

    That is so funny! I blogged about my sewing room today too! Thanks for sharing yours. I love seeing other spaces where people can be creative!

  13. Valerie says:

    This was really great to see. I wish I had the space you do – I've actually taken over part of our living room. We have two living rooms, one was a two car garage that was converted into a second living room, and I would say about half of it is my sewing area! Hoping to get walls up this winter so that I can hide all my bins of things, it's really hard to make a sewing area look neat and tidy.

  14. Joni says:

    Thank you. It is very helpful to see your solutions. I am now in mexico without any sewing space. I need to carve out something and it will take some very creative thinking. As always you inspire me.

  15. Beth Furnish says:

    You inspired me to finish some modifications I've been procrastinating about for some time. I also added a couple of things from your video like the cabinet handles on my sewing table and an over-the-door shoe organizer. Loving my newly organized space. Thanks for doing such a "mundane" post!

  16. Thanks for sharing your space. I've gotten lots of ideas to help tame my own chaos. I cannot see the whole video, however. It stops at 11:40 and I cannot get it to go past that. Any suggestions? I'm watching in IE.

  17. Leah Day says:

    Jeanne – Try pausing the video and let it fully load (the little bar will completely fill up with color), then hit play and it should play all the way through.

    Cheers,

    Leah

  18. Thanks for sharing your studio Leah. You have a great space for designing and creating. Wishing you lots of inspiration 🙂

  19. EMILY NIE says:

    I wouldn"t get rid of that kitchen, now that you are spinning, you might like to dye your own fleece, yarns, and fabric, and you have a great set up for it, away from food preparation areas. Your studio is great. It looks like a working studio,, not something fixed up to look good in a magazine!

  20. Silverlining says:

    Leah, Love your studio. Really inspiring for me. I just love IKEA. Also, a tip of my own. The patterns in the clear covers… I do this as well. But, as an addition, I make copies of the pattern front and back and put them in the sleeve as well; so that when I go to the store for clothing fabric – I just take the paper copy of the pattern to know how much to buy. I am now going to reorganize my space. This is definitely going to take a major rework on my part. Oh, and by the way, I would keep part of the kitchen, especially the cabinets and sink because you may need them later. Maybe just move some things around. Thanks so much for the tour.

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