This post first appeared on Millie & Buns Designs blog as part of Lisa Fuller's "Five Favs" series. Lisa makes the most stunning quilt patterns and she's also one of the kindest human beings I have the privilege to know! Drawing from her love of "top five" movie lists, Lisa is inviting quilters to share five favorite things from their studios. I'm honored to be her first guest contributor.
Welcome to my studio! I’m excited to share it with you. This corner is where I do my sewing, and it’s filled with things that make me smile. Often, my family is nearby, my kids playing with fabric scraps and my husband sharing the news of the day. Their presence makes this a sacred place and fills my studio with good energy, even if it is harder to get the sewing done! When I do get quiet time to myself, there are a few tools I consistently reach for and special things that always make me smile. Here are my five favorite things in my studio, in no particular order:
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3D-Printed Pin Dish. I love this pin dish because my husband made it for me using a 3D printer. 3D printers were fairly new then, and he was looking for an idea for something to make. I sketched out this rough design and he made it come to life. I love everything about it – the shape, the size, the printing marks, and the fact that he made it for me!
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Mobile Phone Holder. I got this mobile phone holder from Ikea for about $5 a few years ago and I use it all the time while quilting to watch Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version), Emma (the Romola Garai version), or the Eagles documentary. Since I’ve seen each of these at least a dozen times, I listen more than I watch, but it’s nice to be able to look up during key scenes (especially that Mr. Darcy post-swim encounter which obviously requires a pause).
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Pressing Station. I set up a little pressing station next to my sewing machine and it has been a game-changer. I love this felted wool mat. It fits perfectly in the space next to my sewing machine, makes it easy to do a quick press as soon as I finish a seam, and makes my seams lay SO flat. I love this mat so much I sometimes forgo the ironing board and press throw-sized seams on it! If you don’t have a wool mat, I recommend it. It’s one of those moderately-priced notions that can make an outsized improvement on your piecing. I also have a tiny iron to go with my mat. Technically, it’s a travel iron. And it gets HOT. So hot. And it doesn’t automatically shut off. It’s a hazard. But, man, does it get my seams flat. This iron and wool mat are a knockout combo!
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Surfing Poster. I ripped these pages out of a surfing magazine years ago and framed them because they make me smile and remind me to take it easy. Now, they hang above my pressing station. The words say, “Life is better in board shorts” and whenever I read that I can feel the sun on my head. I started buying surfing magazines in high school and enjoyed daydreaming about faraway tropical places. One day during the pandemic, when things were feeling pretty bleak, I decided to buy myself a Surfer magazine to cheer myself up and discovered it had published its last issue just the month before. It felt like my childhood dreams had died in an instant. Now, these faded, poorly framed pages are even more precious to me. Each time I sit down to sew, I see them and feel connected to my youth and feelings of hopefulness and warmth.
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Modern American Vintage Seam Ripper. Last but not least is my gorgeous seam ripper! If you have to rip seams – and we all do – it’s worth the upgrade to make it less un-fun. I bought this Modern American Vintage seam ripper last year at Quilt Con and got to speak with the person who makes them, which was delightful. How often do we get to chat with the maker of one of our quilting notions? It was special, and I treasure this one-of-a-kind item that makes me smile whenever I must undo something I have just done.
And those are my five favorite quilty space things! It was hard to choose five. I could have listed at least 10 more. But at the end of the day, these are the ones that I reach for and that bring me little sparks of joy every time I sew!