Part 3 - (or How Ikea leads to B&Q)

Ok, finally Phase One is (almost) done and I have something that justifies pictures - and no doubt it will be such an anticlimax!

Here are some 'before shots'.

Actually they are not really'before' so much as 'just after starting'. There used to be teetering piles of stuff on the low bookcase and the chairs were around the dining room table. The piles of stuff on the chair in the 'library' and on the table were usually worse! You can see a tote bag one the floor which is what I used to carry projects down from upstairs and then they would pile up downstairs all over the floor. I used to have plastic boxes or bags stacked up at the side of the low case and a bag hanging from a chair with bobbin cases, machine feet etc in. Like this one taken on an earlier day in fact.

And here are the two cabinets and the nice tidy room with closeups of how the cabinets are currently arranged. The content arrangements may well change especially as more drawers are arriving which I will probably use for things I always need on hand... like seam unrippers and chocolate.

The cabinets are not yet full as I have built with room to grow!

I say Phase One is almost done becuase we cannot locate the two screws that go into the door handles of one cabinet. Also the other one is not yet screwed to the wall becuase depsite Den's valient attempts with the drill for nearly 2 hours, the wall will not take the rawl plug. It is packed at the front with wads of cut up cutting board though and so it stable enought to use for now. (Did I tell you I managed to cut through my cutting board the other day?!)

It is Phase 2 because still do do at some point in the future ( and not necessarily in this order ) are:

* take delivery of a set of plastic drawers that will sit to my right by the china cabinet creating a return on my right hand side as I sit at the machine and hopefully, with a protective top on, housing a press and cut board.

* Think about getting better daylight lighting in the room.

* The plastic ruler box is temporary. Dad is putting a last coat of varnish on a cutting box I have designed and he has made. I'll post a piccie when it comes but it will raise my cutting board the requisite 9 inchs from the table to ergonomic height and will have storage inside it and a rotary cutter and ruler pouch on the sides. I am hoping it will be dry for him to send down at the weekend with friends who are up visiting them.

* sort out all the books that were downstairs that are now stacked in the hall waiting to go upstairs as well as bags of scraps and baskets of fabric upstairs that need orgainsing

* I am considering a TV?DVD combination on a wall bracket ( not urgent!!)

* maybe replace the very old chair in the libary with a nice comfortable handsewing chair.

* Making a design wall. I know what I need. I need a 6 x 6 block of somthing solid hinged in the middle with wadding / flannel stapled to it. I can then prop it up againts the library bookshelves or even against the pation doors behind me as I sew. The hinge will allow it to be taken out to be stored in the garage if appropriate. The snag was - what is the solid bit? According to Dad it's easy. Fibreboard with duct tape hinges. Or even Vilene hinges. Fine. Off I go to B&Q. They have never heard of fibreboard. They show me carpet underlay. Nothing like. They show me plyboard. Nothing like, although I decide that if I glued cork tiles to it it might do. I am in a humungous B&Q warehouse. No cork tiles. And in any event they only cut wood up to 5pm despite being open to 8pm. I ring Dad. He is adamant B&Q sell fibreboard. He says B&Q is only as good as the assitant I get. I ask every saleperson in there I can find. They have never heard of fiberboard. I just give up. For tonight I mean. I will get a good design wall if it kills me.

The good news is that you will notice the plastic boxes on the shelves. They are the ones I found in the office supply catalogue only I found them today cheaper at Partners stationery store. They are Really Useful Boxes ( both by name and characteristic). I commend them to you.

After all this I have to say that the room now feels a bit too tidy!! It felt more like studio yesretday when there was still mess allover the table! However I am sure when I have one quilt out at a time to work on and only the equipment I am actually using I will feel its more user friendly. Sadly it will always be a dining room and not a proper studio but I know that I am very very lucky to have all this space and my storage room as well ( I'll take you there another day). And at least now I can get on with actually quilting tomorrow!