Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget [Paperback]

Lois L. Hallock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2005

Say good-bye to chat jumble of tools, muddle of magazines, and forest of fabric! Systemize any cluttered space with an expert's ideas on planning a functional and beautiful home quilting studio--"a place where creativity wins over chaos.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Home: Snohomish, Washington (near Seattle)

Lois L. Hallock is a quilter and professional organizer, with a specialty in maximizing efficiency. This is her first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Martingale and Company (November 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564775690
• ISBN-13: 978-1564775696
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a quilter, engineer and organizer. Not in that order. Growing up in Southeastern Pennsylvania, daughter to Mennonite parents in a intensely mennonite community, you would think the quilting came first. But I was a rebelous girl of the 60's and felt I should do something different, something girls just don't do. I was good at math and science, so it was natural for me to choose engineering. I have a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and I have worked for 20+ years in research and development in a manufacturing plant. I set up efficient work environments, with Parts, Plans, and Tools accessible.

My passion for quilting began after the death of my father nearly 15 years ago. When Abraham Schmitt left this earth, he left behind furniture that he made with his own hands and documentation in the form of books that he wrote. Grief over his death caused me to search out my legacy. Female ancestors from my community typically left behind quilts that are the only clue to their lives and spirits. I decided to follow in the footsteps of the women who went before and make quilts to express life and spirit to those around me.

My two worlds of quilting and engineering have collided to form a new synergy in my life. I have applied my organizing and problem solving skills to my passion of quilting, forming a whole new perspective on Quilt Studio Design. The energy and enthusiasm created by following my passions launched my Professional Organizing business.

For more information go to my website: www.clearview-designs.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A craft room organizing book worth recommending!, November 26, 2006

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget (Paperback)

If you read the reviews of competing books, you'll see that I've already pawed through the virtual shelves. Some of those "organize your craft space" books are okay, with a few tips that might justify the purchase of the book, but Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space is the first one that made me feel that it's worth reading more than once.

For one thing, the author is very specific. You don't get general advice like "organize your books by theme." Hallock gives the shelf dimensions that work best for folded quilting fabric (i.e. most bookshelves are too shallow), and then she gives directions for folding the fabric consistently and neatly. I've already put that tip to work (it's something to do while I wait for the iron to warm up) and wow, does it help!

She is also very cognizant of storage issues, pointing out wisely that most quilters never do fold-up their cutting table, and suggesting that instead you choose a surface with built-in drawers or other storage. Sure, you could apply that as "expensive" advice (such as buying a kitchen cabinet), but it'll also cause you to cast a gimlet eye on a dining room sideboard you find at a garage sale. There are several before-and-after makeovers, too, so you can see the advice put into action.

Even if you're expecting to look at this book from an "armchair makeover" perspective, and your redecorating budget exists in the same fantasy world as your New Zealand vacation, this book is -- unlike the others -- worth it just for the organizing mindset that Hallock provides. She hates clutter, so there's plenty of advice just in the "organizing" section.

138 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book, money and a large room work well together, November 30, 2005

By 

M. Spencer "sewing enthusiast" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget (Paperback)

I had eagerly awaited the arrival of this book but must admit I was disappointed in it. I didn't find the information new, creative or inexpensive. If I had a large room, a carpenter husband to build shelves, or money to have them made, like most of the rooms portrayed in this book, then I wouldn't have needed help setting up my sewing room! I found the two books "Dream Sewing Spaces" by Lynette Ranney Black and "Setting Up Your Sewing Space" by Myrna Giesbecht to be filled with more ideas for storage and room design than "Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space".

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CREATE AN ENERGIZING, ORGANIZED STUDIO!!!!!, December 5, 2005

By 

Andrea N. Bailey "andi bailey" (Snohomish, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget (Paperback)

This is a very exciting book as it helps you figure out how to create a more organized, functional, less cluttered studio. I struggle with organization and CLUTTER....her ideas have helped me to create a room that I WANT to be in and I want to QUILT as opposed to feeling overwhelmed. I got rid of tables and storage baskets and bought tall cabinets at IKEA and an island that has storage below as opposed to wasted space underneath. I'm working at the correct heights too, so my shoulders don't hurt....it's a book that i'll mark up and incorporate more ideas in time. Lois designed marysquiltingcabin.com It's a quilting palace and the tables are the right height, for your sewing machine so that your shoulders and back don't kill you after sewing for 2 days. You can incorporate her ideas into other areas of your home too....to make life easier...thanks for a great book Lois!