Craft Spaces: Vickie Howell

(Photos by: Cory Ryan)
We aren’t stopping with the craft space inspiration this week and today, we take a visit with knitting/crochet and overall crafting queen, Vickie Howell.

Vickie’s craft space photos by Cory Ryan appear in the new book Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration by Jo Packham and Jenny Doh. Pre-order your copy today.
Read on after the jump for more photos and a Q&A with Vickie!

CRAFT: What kinds of crafts do you do?
Vickie: Knitting, Crochet, Sewing, Embroidery and loads of general crafts.
CRAFT: Where do you craft?
Vickie: I have what I like to call, my “Koffice”. It’s an office/workspace in the corner of our kitchen.

CRAFT: How do you keep all your craft supplies organized?
Vickie: I’ve vowed to the gospel of Ikea. I have a whole set of cubbies, shelves and both plastic and wire drawers. I love being able to stare at (at least) some of my fabric and yarn stashes, so I keep those stacked neatly(ish) in a glass curio along with a collection of knitting needles in vintage vases and buttons in large, apothecary jars. At the helm of my organizational attempts however, is my beloved label maker. For some reason if there’s a sign on something, it seems more organized!
CRAFT: How do you motivate yourself to keep your space organized?
Vickie: By shame, really. Since my space is out in the open, and the first thing you see when you come from both the front and back doors, there’s no keeping the “explosion de craft” a secret. I’ve found that when it starts to get especially cluttered (read: disastrous) looking, that I’ll invite someone over for a visit so I’m forced to clean-up.
CRAFT: What’s one organization tip/tool/trick you swear by?
Vickie: See above for aforementioned label maker.

CRAFT: How do you feel when your space is organized? Unorganized?
Vickie: Oddly enough, my creativity doesn’t seem to be affected one way or another by my organization or lack thereof. I do however feel much better in general when I can look around and there aren’t daunting piles of crap for me to go through.
CRAFT: Describe your dream workspace.
Vickie: This question is evil. Oh, to dream! I’l love to have a loft with loads of natural light and a huge work table with bar stools in the center. There’d be an area with a fluffy rug and overstuffed chair and ottoman & a flat screen TV for when I need to churn out a knit, crochet or embroidered piece. I’d have a desk that faced towards the work area with huge, built-in bookshelves filled with craft and home books behind me. There’d be a table for my sewing machine, serger and knitting machine to always be set-up, along with a French dress form and fold-down ironing board. I’d have a wall with glass cabinets for fabric, yarn and notions as well as tons of labeled baskets for miscellaneous supplies. I’d also have one corner set-up and lit for photography at all times including a rack of pressed, fabric backgrounds to choose from. Oh, and a decent sound system for music is also a must! *Le sigh*