Last year, when it was finally impossible to ignore that my fiber studio had outgrown the extra bedroom in the house, I started to think about what was next for my space. I needed somewhere I could work, create and teach, accommodating both the needs of my Etsy store and the Barn to Yarn days. I’d been eyeing the pre-built rent to own wooden sheds for a while, and while it’s indisputable that you could build one cheaper, the instant gratification of a plug-and-play studio appealed to my impatient nature. Buying a repo appealed to my cheap-ass nature, so off I went to find one.
Final choice was a 12×32′ porched cabin with double lofts, which was wired for electricity and equipped with A/C, an electric woodstove and a mini fridge for hiding my Propel and Bai from my thieving child.
In this (lockable!) peace and serenity, I have all my fleeces and yarns, my spinning wheels, and my drum carder. It’s fiber heaven! In the summer I can sit out on the porch and spin and make rolags, in the winter I can wear half a dozen layers and huddle up to the heater while I spin. Because it is a space that’s all mine, I find it so inspiring, surrounded by all my weird and wonderful items and things that I have gathered. I can also burn all the delicious candles that make the male members of my family roll their eyes and wrinkle their noses.
Visitors say it’s a very ‘me’ space (eclectic and messy?!) and I love having all the things around me from which I draw ideas for new fibers and blends and colorways. Since moving into my studio (or fur shed as my family refers to it) I’ve found that making new items for the store has been even easier, and I love being able to inject personality and ethos into each piece I create.
