Creative Spaces 16 – Kate Ives

Tell us about what we see in your photos.

My little corner is in the sun room on the side of my house. It’s my favorite space in the house because of all the light and the lovely pumpkin color. Mostly my one year old and I spend a lot of time out here, what you don’t see in the pictures are her slide and big toy box about four feet behind my table! All of my essential are here, my mini ironing board, basket full of felt and fabric pieces, and my tack board. I try very hard (unsuccessfully!) to stay organized, and I try to keep my things out of reach of a lightening fast toddler.

What do you create in your space?

I create multi layer felt and fabric designs that I fuse, and then hand stitch onto baby and toddler t-shirts. I hope eventually to purchase a sewing machine and see what else I can make.  Currently I have two projects that I am working on. One is a line of zodiac symbol tees, using modern color combinations and bold graphic designs.  The other is a ‘read to me’ tee. I’ve just finished designing this one, and I plan to donate a portion of every sale from this shirt to public libraries. Books have always been very important in my life, and I feel reading to your children, and fostering a love of reading is one of the best gifts you can give them.

What advice do you have for others who are trying to put together their own creative space?

Keep everything that you need in one place, as much as possible. Try to keep it out of a main traffic area so that no one else will feel the need to move your things around. Baskets and bins are a wonderful addition to help you feel organized, whether or not you actually are!

How does being in your creative space make you feel?

At the moment, chilly! It’s cold in New England in the winter, especially in a room mostly made of glass. I love this room and my little corner of it. It’s amazing how much my mood lifts when I walk into this sunny space, and see all my bright fabrics and even my daughter’s bright toys. It helps me keep the fun, bright, aesthetic that I am striving for with my clothing.

What has your biggest challenge been in creating and maintaining your creative space?

Carving out a little niche for myself was not easy in a small house, but well worth the shifting of furniture many many times. My biggest challenge is not to let my work surface get totally overwhelmed by little bits of fabric and paper and left over threads. Oh, and making sure that nothing dangerous (i.e. pins, iron, scissors,) are in a place where my little one can get at them.

What do you do when you’re NOT creating?

First and foremost, I am a wife and a mother. I have a wonderful supportive husband and a daughter that makes me smile all the time. Before deciding to stay home with our baby, I was an Interior Designer, and I still spend a lot of time reading about design and thinking up new ways to make my home suit my family better. I love to read, and I love to eat. I’m not a great cook, but I am trying to learn.

What one piece of furniture or organizational equipment could you not live without?

Honestly, my couch. I love to sit on my comfy sofa and watch my daughter play while I sew, or use the laptop to research visuals for my designs, and my new found attachment to etsy!

What is your next “move” for your creative space? Do you have plans for its future?

I would love to finish the attic of my house someday, complete with skylights and turn that into a studio for myself. Since that is a big dream, that’s very very far away, mostly I want to keep working in my little corner, and try not to overwhelm the rest of the house with my scraps of fabric.

Do you have a website we could visit?

I just opened a shop in December, in which I carry all my hand-stitched designs. I’ve been amazed by the fellowship and support that etsyians offer each other and I learned a lot from the other sellers. Thats it for the moment, but I have plans to have my own website eventually.

Joyful Abode readers are welcome to a 10% discount off any non-sale item in my shop. Please mention Joyful Abode in the message to seller at checkout.