A tour of my studio-where the carding magic happens!

Welcome!! This is what you see when you pass my studio. I've had a couple requests for a virtual "tour" so I thought I'd invite you inside and show you around. I did a bit of spring cleaning and organizing this weekend, so I thought it'd be a perfect time! You see my bin of treasure fiber is open and ready to collect leftover carding fiber. I also have a basket out with add in's I'm currently putting in batts and yarns.

When you walk in you are greeted with my shelving unit of add in's and sparkle. Installing this above the desk and carding table is what really turned this room into a "studio" Previously it was all in "bins" that I would dump on the floor when I was working. There were 2 main problems with that.. first I couldn't see everything I had.. and if I don't see it, I forget it's there and don't use it! Most importantly is that I had to bend over and stand up again and again and again when reaching for goodies like sparkle and sari silk.. and I gave myself some vertigo by continued bending over and standing up.. I couldn't work for over a week. So installing this unit was a lifesaver. Everything I need is within reach and in sight!

Top shelf is a bin of hand dyed merino top odds and ends, a bin of treasure fiber leftover from projects and a small bin of add in's like silk flowers, pom poms, crocheted flowers, buttons..
The middle shelf holds a small bin of novelty yarn snippets, another small bin of my sari silk stash (yarn, thrums, recycled tangles, ribbon and pulled waste) The middle big bin is full of fabric strips and silk for spinning and adding into batts. The bottom shelves hold my bins of lurex and silk thread, 3 colors of holosparkle lurex, and sequins (behind the holosparkle), my basket of hemp noil in rainbow colors, my bowl of felted nubbies and pebbles and my NEW set of 3 drawer units for my smaller add in's like shredded money, neps, silk cocoons, worry dolls, buttons, fabric flowers. These were previously in a basket and just getting lost! I feel SO much more organized now that I can easily (and quickly) get what I need!
To the left of the desk you see my bookshelf with my smoothie carder on top (next to the drum I got in Cairo), my craft books and magazines, old textbooks and reference books from college and massage school, and on the top shelf baskets and bins with scrapbooking stickers, beads, sequins and crystals.

In the drawers above the carding station are:
angelina and lurex drawer.. every girl LOVES her sparkle drawer!!

Then above that it's my noils and banana silk drawer. A rainbow of silk, bamboo and cotton noils, along with tangled strands of brightly colored banana silk fill this drawer. Above that is another sparkle drawer.. this one is filled with firestar and icicle nylon sparkle. Again, a rainbow of fibers! The top drawer has vintage trim and lace, some silk snippets and other things for carding into batts and spinning into yarn. In between the drawers I have bags of brightly dyed curly kid mohair locks for adding into batts.

Next to the carding station I have my wire rack of farm wools and fleece. These are mostly solid or semi solid fibers from animal friendly farms. I mostly card this fiber, but I also spin some without carding..
The bottom shelf is filled with bins of fiber, and the top shelf is my sewing machine, serger and other quilting supplies.

I use over the door shoeracks for holding my rainbow of kid mohair locks and some wrapping/plying yarns. No space is unused.. including on the wall and behind the doors!

In the closet is my scrapbooking supplies.

My fiber wall.. my home LYS.. my pride and joy. I often sit on the floor and plan yarns by staring up at all the colors and textures.. I often hang yarns I've finished to inspire me.
This wall is made up of wire cubbies. The bottom cubbies are filled with top I use for carding. The top cubbies are shop inventory (except the last 2 are combed top spinning stash) The left side cubbies are all uncarded locks and fleece I plan to spin uncarded. This is also the cubbies I have my bamboo rayon designated for spinning not carding. The rest is all spinning stash. Mostly batts, some combed top and clouds. Some is created by me.. LOTS is from other independent artists like myself. I admit, as much as I love spinning my own fiber, I love to spin other people's as well. We all have a different carding style, so it's fun to play with other techniques. It is crazy though, I've collected this stash over my 3 years spinning.. I don't buy as much as I used to.. but there are still weeks when the mail comes heavy to my house!!

Well, thanks so much for stopping by! If you're ever in the Raleigh/Durham/Triad area and would like to schedule a private lesson and come by for real, drop me a line and we'll figure it out!!