Crafter Dolin O’Shea of Lulu Bliss and frequent contributor to CRAFT has been a constant source of inspiration for me personally. Dolin recently redid her studio and we got to get a fantastic glimpse into her cozy workspace.
Read on after the jump for more photos and a Q&A with Dolin!
CRAFT: What kinds of crafts do you do?
Dolin: That is a tough one… I like to do all sorts of needle crafts. I love to sew, knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch and needlepoint (I know, i know the last two items are also forms of embroidery). I think I have a bit of crafting ADD, so I need to do different things to keep my self interested.
CRAFT: Where do you craft?
Dolin: I am lucky enough to have my own craft room. It is small (8.75 x 9.5 feet), but it is all mine. It used to be the small storage room in our house, but when I saw the amount of natural light it gets, I knew I had to transform it into my craft room.
CRAFT: How do you keep all your craft supplies organized?
Dolin: I try to keep like things together. Fabric here, ribbons there and so on. The hard part is that my room isn’t big enough to store all of my supplies. So the main portion of my fabric and yarn stash is kept in clear plastic bins in our basement.
CRAFT: How do you motivate yourself to keep your space organized?
Dolin: This usually happens when I finish a project. I have been working on a really big project, for months and my room was a disaster. The project is wrapping up, so it was a perfect time to clean up my space. I wish I was better about keep my space organized on a daily basis. In fact, this is one of the things I want to work on in the new year.
CRAFT: What’s one organization tip/tool/trick you swear by?
Dolin: I like to organize things by color and type. For example I have eight plastic bins of embroidery floss that are organized by color. I organize my fabric the same way. My yarn is organized by weight and type, all of one brand and or weight is in one bin.
CRAFT: How do you feel when your space is organized? Unorganized?
Dolin: When my space is organized I don’t ever want to leave and it gets my creativity flowing. When it is unorganized I start feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
CRAFT: Describe your dream workspace.
Dolin: I have dreamed of rebuilding our detached single car garage, into a two story structure. My studio would be on the second floor with lots of light and shelving. It would have a sewing table, cutting table, small desk for the computer, comfy chair for knitting and two doggy beds for the pups. The stairs would lead out to my veggie garden and back yard. Since our city building codes don’t allow for two story detached garages to be built (two story houses are fine, but not two story detached garages, go figure), this will remain a dream. Darn it!
CRAFT: How does the way your craft space is organized affect your crafting/creativity?
Dolin: I like to be able to know where things are, when I need them. That way I don’t have to stop in the middle of a project to search for something. It is really is disruptive and gets me off track.
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