CREATIVE SPACES – Helen Stubbings
As I promised in my last blog I am going to bring to you some fabulous designers:
“Creative Spaces”
I find it fascinating that people create in such different spaces.
Some have a beautiful big studios with all the storage one could ever need and gadgets galore. While others can create in small areas with everything at their finger tips. Some of us create in utter chaos only tidying up when the job at hand is done. What ever it is or wherever we are it doesn’t really matter so long as we are happy. When creative minds and souls are happy everyone is happy and wonderful designs are created.
Helen’s creative space and inspirations
Helen owns Hugs n Kisses – Feel good stitcheries and associated thingies
I work from a studio attached to my 100 year old weatherboard home in a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania.
We moved here 5 years ago and turned the garage into a studio, extending it by 4m, including an internal staircase to the home and lining it. It doubles as the kids craft storage area, a desk and computer for them to do homework whilst I can supervise on my laptop.
Now even the home gym with the recent introduction of an ergo and fit ball! Whatever doesnt fit in the house seems to make it to my studio!
We used some old railway carriage doors we had found in Wagga Wagga which we trapsed around the country with us waiting for the right moment to use them. These form the outside and public entrance to the studio and allow me to watch Matilda playing in the sandpit or trampoline outside.
I have a packing bench and a cutting/design table, a sewing machine area, three HUGE compactus full of supplies and things collected. My stash is under the cutting table in large tubs and in the compactus. My magazines and books fill one wall of about 5 x7 cube shelves and the overflow goes into other cupboards. Patterns and books then fill other pigeon hole shelving. I share the studio with four printers, used for various purposes.
I am not a neat worker and with everyone sharing my studio it is rarely clean and fit for visitors…… I like to pull out everything I am using or rehearsing with for projects and may have several projects going at once, and it all has to stay out until I’m finished!
My inspirations come from everywhere. I guess the main influences are my three girls and their likes and dislikes.
Current styles and trends and then my garden. I love flowers, particularly roses and use them in almost every design I do.
I am also a hoarder and rarely throw anything out which does not stand me in good stead for keeping a neat and tidy studio either! I would love to have a perfect “Magazine house” looking studio but I just couldnt work in it.
I hope that you have enjoyed sharing a little of Helen’s creative world and you can see all of her creations here.
Thankyou Helen
Until next time
Sue x x x