What is the size of your studio
Is it part of the house structure
If it is not part of the house structure -- what type of structure is
used for the studio?

We built a studio onto the back of the house about 12 years ago. It is 16 by 20 with a hall, and downstairs bathroom nest to it.
The locks wall has 4 big windows, and a garden door, which leads out to a deck.
The view is great.

The room has pot lights 4 along the edges of room and 6 quartz halogen fixtures in two tracks in the middle.

There are 3 floor to ceiling Ikea shelves to hold yarns and one utility table, one computer card and stool and my Megado loom. All kinds of bit and pieces scattered all over, and then a huge U shaped office desk with back support chair. This is where I do all the computer work, the writing and the mailing of Fiberworks programs. My books are on another Ikea shelf in the dining room and then upstairs in built in shelves. I got rid of all the other looms. Only one left

Oh yea! I got a haberdashery cupboard a number of years ago with 27 glass fronted drawers and 3 large ones at the bottom. This big furniture piece sits in one side of the studio and hold shuttles, bobbins, loom tools, sewing tools and LOTS of beads. One of the best additions to the studio I ever chanced onto.

Anyway I love my studio and spend about 10 hours a day here <G>
Ingrid Boesel, the weaving half of Fiberworks PCW

Visit us at: http://www.fiberworks-pcw.com
Email: ingrid@...

At 12:33 AM 8/17/01 -0000, you wrote:

What is the size of your studio
Is it part of the house structure
If it is not part of the house structure -- what type of structure is
used for the studio?

Hopefully studio will be up and running before Winter. Size 16 X 22.
Built as an addition to the house. Same structure as the house ( I am not
sure what is meant by this last question).

I got 20 heavy duty plastic "milk bottle boxes" at an auction for $10.
These will be used to store yarns and wool so I can see what I have.
Brucie

What is the size of your studio
Is it part of the house structure
If it is not part of the house structure -- what type of structure is
used for the studio?

Well, for now I spread myself around. One floor loom in the bedroom loft
overlooking livingroom, one table loom varies betwen camper trailer and a
bench in livingroom, and rug loom in lower level family room. Multiple
little loom throughout the house or on loan addicting new fiber-holics.
Fiber stash whereever I can hide it. Books parked on the seat of a rocking
chair.

BUT... the future plans are once the 18 year old moves out (she is
collecting furniture and appliances now .--hooray!) then I get the whole
lower level family room of our home as my studio, about 18x26 space, with
two huge double wide patio doors facing south, and a great view of the
river. Right now it is divided into two rooms with a temporary wall to make
her bedroom space. Got track lighting already in, and thinking of a whole
wall of cubby bins and shelves for goodies and stash. And a bookshelf for
the book collection.

Then thinking of a rack to display all the neat old shuttles I have
collected, and then a special spot for all weaving and spinning knickkancks
my mom keeps finding for me.

And finally.... have to aquire the Dream Loom.... about a 72"-100" AVL with
multiple fly shuttle boxes and one heck of an Xmas bonus to pay for it!

Weavingly Yours,
KarenInTheWoods
(try these links for weaving and family pics)
http://www.KarenInTheWoods.eboard.com
http://KarenInTheWoods.eboard.com

I would then double the number of electrical outlets AND put them above
desk height.

First, I put a couple of photos on the Weavetech site to try it out, it
worked !
I had the same problem with desks and outlets, so I bought a couple ( more
than a couple ! ) of power strips that have a circuit breaker on the end and
a separate "on" switch. I screwed these to the wall or to the cabinet at
desk height, now I can switch on a tool or light with several outlets
available and also have another breaker for protection.
Cost: about $ 5 to $8 a power strip. For a computer, one should use a power
strip that also has a surge protection built in, these are pricey little
puppies but worth the peace of mind; whether they'd actually protect in an
electrical storm is open to debate.....We don't get electrical storms here
in central CA very often, but I unplug the computer from the wall when a
rare one does come down the valley.

Happy Shuttling ! - Bill Koepp in Central California

My studio is about 15' by 28' with a funky diagonal wall cutting off a
corner. It the second floor of my house, and accomodates a 30" AVL floor
loom, a 40" LeClerc floor loom, a 36" H'ville floor loom, a 20" Mtn table
loom on stand, sewing machine, ironing board, work table, and assortment of
shelves and book cases for yarns and books, periodicals, etc. I also give
asylum to most of out Guild's supplies. Windows are "smart windows" so
nothing fades with ultraviolet light. It was built as a studio when we did
an addition on our house 4 years ago. I wish I'd put all the electrical
outlets at chest level instead of ankle level. And the studio has a huge
storage bin for fleeces and large bags of rags, fabric, etc. It's a great
space.

Carolyn

In planning construction of new studio space, the time spent in figuring out
where to place electrical outlets is well spent. If base cabinets are to be
installed, you definitely want the outlets higher. Also, make sure you plan
for phone jacks (remember modem connections) and video (cable) outlets if you
want television and the ability to play instructional videos. Consider
connecting to a sound system if you have one in your home, and perhaps a
camera at the front door, if you want to monitor visitors from the tv screen.
I don't have one, but a lot of "smart houses" do.
There have been a lot of technologic changes since we built our condo, and
today many builders automatically consider computer needs. If you don't know
anything about lighting, hire a lighting consultant or go to a store that
will provide this service. A weaver's needs must be tailored to his/her
situation.

My studio is a 15 X 15 space on the second floor with a half-wall opening to
the entranceway and the kitchen/great room below, so I can see what's
happening in the main part of the house from my perch. I have a 60 inch AVL
compudobby, Ikea book shelves with storage doors below, a cart for a
computer, and a large two pedestal antique desk (used to be a roll-top but
the top was dismantled and lost a long time ago, sigh). There is a three
panel window with trapezoid above which faces north. A skylite in a slanted
ceiling brings in eastern light. My book and magazine bindings have faded a
bit in 15 years, and I'm considering having UV coatings put on the windows.
There are Lightolier light points with halogen lamps strategically placed in
the sloping ceiling (they can be adjusted). I also have a halogen floor lamp
for ambient lighting. I have room to put another loom next to the AVL, but
it would compromise space around the loom. I'm going to put in a futon so I
have a place to sit and read comfortably. It will also be another place for
visitors to sleep if they don't mind sleeping with a loom. I have a large
lithograph (Hans Erni) of Penelope which keeps me company while I weave and
unweave (although I don't think I do as much "unweaving as she did." There
is a door to a balcony overlooking our library. The door was an afterthought,
as was the balcony, which has more Ikea book shelves built in. I can open
this door and hear the music system below. There is a spiral staircase
leading from the balcony to the library below. My Schacht Baby Wolf loom is
set up in the great room, where we do most of our living (no formal living
room or dining room). A 39" Norwood is in the walk-out basement, along with
more book and yarn shelves. A desk and lots of file cabinets from my
husband's former office are in this room, which is about 24 X 15. He does
not like being in the lower level, so I have taken over this space, too. I
have two folding tables to hold weaving paraphernalia. My vertical warping
reel can be left set up on a table, which raises it to a comfortable height
for winding warps. I have several spinning wheels which move around the
house with me. There is more storage space in the basement for overflow. I
keep a dehumidifier running in the summer. I realize I am extremely
fortunate to have so much space and the ability to customize its use. I
spent many sleepless nights trying to keep ahead in the planning stages. A
class in architectural drawing (I was trained in occupational therapy) was a
big advantage.
Lorrie Holzbach

Have had thoughts of resort type camp or aging motel for this type of commune

Cynthia

Has everyone given up the BIG looms?
My problem seems to be that I want to house two 60" looms, a 100
shaft drawloom and a AVL Technical Dobby.

I have a studio that is 30 x 20+ but I can't seem to get enough room
to set up both looms and to walk around them when weaving -- further
more it is not enough space to adequately wind on the warp. (At least
for the drawloom)

As some folks know I am "temporarily" located in NJ, but am planning
my return to MT within the next year. I have to decide whether to try
to find a house with enough space -- or to plan on building it.

I have recently been considering the idea of building a multiple unit
dwelling for artists that includes studios and was tring to figure
out how much space to allot. How many units and what sort of Gallery
would be needed? Does any one out there think this would be a
worthwile adventure -- are all weavers "family" people with houses
and studios or are some looking to establish themselves?

I think the most exciting part of this move is the decision to begin
weaving full time. Now I have to figure out the best place to do that.

Eliz

I wish I'd put all the electrical

outlets at chest level instead of ankle level.

I am so glad to hear you say this as this is what I want to do and DH
thinks it is a little crazy. Now I can tell him 'tain't so.
Brucie

--- In WeaveTech@y..., etritthart@w... wrote:

I have recently been considering the idea of building a multiple

unit

dwelling for artists that includes studios and was tring to figure
out how much space to allot. How many units and what sort of

Gallery

would be needed? Does any one out there think this would be a
worthwile adventure -- are all weavers "family" people with houses
and studios or are some looking to establish themselves?

I think the most exciting part of this move is the decision to

begin

weaving full time. Now I have to figure out the best place to do

that.

Eliz

I think that would be a grand Idea! I have wanted to do similar for
many years but how? It would take lots of money. I have a small
wooded area in the mountains between NC and VA and have thought it
would be nice to build several cabins and a large studio/conference
center/school/retreat for the arts. When I looked into the cost it
was unbelievable. Even though we're way out in the country and building
codes are rather slack, each cabin will cost at least $20,000 and
that's before any furniture or equipment forget paying for people to
help.

It would be nice and I hope you can do it but, I will have to wait.
Maybe when I retire?

Mike Davis

My studio consists of 3 large rooms on the second floor of my house.

Room #1 has a 48" AVL loom, 2 computers, 2 computer desks, office
supplies/files, a design desk and a 15 ft wall of books, magazines and
colour co-ordinated binders. (black for AVL fabric swatches, red for dyed,
blue for wadmal, purple for summer&winter, etc.)

Room #2 has floor to ceiling shelves of yarn on all 4 walls. The yarn
follows the colour wheel around the room. The finest yarn on the top shelf,
chenilles and fancy yarn in the middle and mohair and wool at the bottom. In
the middle of the room are 45" and a 22" looms and 2 tables.

Room #3 has a 40" x 8' surface in the middle of the room. The surface holds
4 large olfa cutting boards, a padded iron surface and a boiler iron.
Shelves are underneath for shoulder pads, interfacing etc. Also underneath
is a large art cabinet system. I keep my clear plastic jacket patterns flat
in these drawers.
The industrial serger and sewing machine are along the wall. Also a floor to
ceiling shelf holding commercial fabrics for facings and linings and another
shelf with bins (yes, colour co-ordinated) for leftover bits of woven fabric
which eventually end up as pieced jackets.

Only problem is that leaves no room to sleep. I wonder who invented the
Murphy Bed?
Lucille Crighton

What is the size of your studio
Is it part of the house structure
If it is not part of the house structure -- what type of structure is
used for the studio?

My loom room is underneath the house behind the garage. When we looked at
the house considering purchase, the house was in the framing stages.
Behind the garage it was excavated just enough to allow for the furnace and
water heater. Oh my, all that wasted foot print! We said that if they
would excavate underneath the house, behind the garage, we would buy it.
The price was OK. I do not have natural light, but one can't have
everything. The room is L shaped approximately 15' x 35'. The height is
about 10'. There is a ledge along two walls about 2.5' down that allows
for great storage. There are additional various free standing storage
units, and my sewing machine, serger, and folding cutting table. The looms
in here are the 48" 24 shaft AVL and my 49" Oxaback drawloom.

It is always the warmest room in the winter and the coolest in the summer.

Dearest #1 was the one who suggested that I move the Gilmore upstairs when
the big AVL was about to arrive. Besides the Gilmore, there is also a
small tapestry loom, and my weaving library in the family room. There is
also the kumihimo floor stand and various back strap stuff in the kitchen.

Francie

Hi Elizabeth:
If I were to do my studio again aside from adding 8 ft to each dimension, I would put each track light on a separate switch, and put the pot lights on each side of the room on different switches.
I would then double the number of electrical outlets AND put them above desk height.
My desk blocks 2 sets of 4 switches so electrical strip plugs are now installed so that I don't have to move 300lb of desk to plug in something new
Other advice put the phone jacks up above desk height too.

Put dimmer switches with timers on the non track lights

And I put in a floor plug for my loom with the e-dobby but unfortunately I have since rearranged the room, so I still have extra electrical cords trailing on the floor.

I want to put a spool rack on tracks on a wall, but so far I have not been able to get that wall free of other junk. Next time.
Ingrid Boesel, the weaving half of Fiberworks PCW

Visit us at: http://www.fiberworks-pcw.com
Email: ingrid@...

Quoting Lucille Crighton <lucille2@...>:

1. What am I weaving? been working on "Squaring the Square" for a couple
of months to resolve the many problems encountered and have moved into my
Mondrian mode. After years of loom controlled weaving, almost all of my
weaving requires pickup techniques. For the "squares" I have to make my
loom behave as though it had 52 shafts. For further details cstch my
seminar at Complex Weavers next August.

2. My studio is half of our guest bedroom in a condo (we don't exactly
encourage visitors!). One loom: a 48" 24 shaft compudobby with none of
the fancy bells and whistles but perfect for me. One cupboard for
storage,a bookcase and two computer desks that I searched long and hard for
to fit in the space next to the loom and a glass patio door. All this is
possible because I use only # 30 embroidery mercerized cotton that I can
buy locally at a sewing machine etc store in Minneapolis. From Madeira
really. I have 30-40 cones over a full color range that each hold 6000
yards so my storage problem is quite manageable. My days of wools and
silks and linens are behind me as well as any dyeing projects. EXCEPT the
Textile Center in the Twin Cities will soon be opening its new building
(really an old building used as a car salesroom, great space). Primary
purpose is to provide a venue for all the groups interested in textiles to
have a common home. The MN Weavers' Guild moves there next month.
Included will be a great dye lab.

My first message since the transfer to Yahoo. Let's see if it gets sent.
Paul O'Connor who apparently is being cloned at this very moment in Tucson
AZ.

When we built the addition on our house I had only one 40" Norwood 8S loom. Our bedroom was built on the footprint of the 2-car garage--lots of room for our bed, my loom, floor-to-ceiling shelves on two walls for yarn storage and carefully placed spotlights in the 18 foot ceiling. It worked great for a few years, then I bought a 45" 16S computer-dobby Leclerc Colonial II. The Norwood has been moved over to the window between the French doors and the fireplace, the Colonial is in the place of honor with the lighting just right, and the computer is on a yarn storage box by the loom. The Norwood is lit by natural light and by a floor lamp on gloomy days. The yard storage has spilled over into an upstairs bedroom and there is a table loom on the dining room table and an inkle loom next to my chair in the living room. The sewing machine is stored under the TV in the breakfast room where it can be set up in a minute, as soon as we have finished eating. We certainly didn't plan for my weaving to take over the house, but you all know how it is.
Incidentally, the screened porch has made a wonderful dye studio--no worries about breathing in little particles of dye. I think the only room that hasn't been affected by weaving is the kitchen--but then, there are all those handwoven dishtowels and placemats.
The only advice I would add to those who have written about electrical outlet and phone jack placements is to think long and hard about yarn storage. I loved the idea of having all my yarn out where I could look at it and get inspired by the colors. The moths liked it, too. They had easy access and I lost a lot of lovely yarns I was saving for just the right project.

What is the size of your studio
Is it part of the house structure
If it is not part of the house structure -- what type of structure is
used for the studio?

Elizabeth, you sure hit on a sensitive issue for me!

My "loom room" is currently a spare bedroom that is 10.5' by 14'. In it, I have a wall of shelves, plus one bookshelf on an adjacent wall, a 48" 16 H AVL, a filing cabinet and a cone tree. The room is stuffed - I can walk around one side of the loom, assuming I don't leave any boxes or bags of extra stuff on the floor. I have just barely enough room to use the spool rack. I have a Louet Magic Dobby in the corner of our home office downstairs, and a table loom on a stand in the area between the living room and dining room, with my spinning wheel in a corner of the family room.

My family really covets the spare bedroom, though - my DH would like to put a Murphy bed in there for guests, and have a "game" room for the kids. Up until recently, I didn't use the AVL enough to justify the space. For a while, I figured if it didn't sell, that when my oldest son leaves for college in two years, I could confiscate his room, which is much larger than the loom room. But, DH has designs on that room too - he would like to move the weight machine, exercise bike and treadmill in there. (They're in the garage right now.) We've added on to the house once already (for the home office and oldest son's bedroom) and have no more space to build, so adding a studio space onto the house isn't an option.

I'm a software engineer who has worked for several dot com companies. When things were looking rosie and I thought my stock options would be more than bathroom wallpaper, I fantasized about renting studio space somewhere. For several years, everywhere I went, I would eye places and think "wow, that would make a great studio." My fondest wish was to find some property and build a portable building like the schools use in this area. (My youngest son's elementary school has some great permanent "portable" buildings that would make a perfect studio.) Unfortunately, I discovered that one of those would cost a minimum of about $25,000, and since I live in southern CA, the property to put it on would be exhorbitant. This also means that even renting studio space would be prohibitively expensive for someone like me - basically a hobby weaver.

I've tried using some space at a friend's house - I currently have a Baby Wolf rented from my guild and my horizontal warping reel in a friend's weaving loft. It's nice, and fun to weave with someone else, but...... it's a pain to have to drive 20-30 minutes to get there when I want to weave, and it's an upstairs loft with no AC. The fans helps some, but it can still get uncomfortably warm. I'm sure it will be better in the fall, but I'm still glad I didn't move the AVL over there.

So for now, I move stuff out of the way in the loom room when I want to use the AVL, and then put it back when I'm done. I've put the Louet up for sale too - as wonderful as those 24 shafts are, it's really more like a table loom - good for experimenting but not for any heavy, long term use.

What would my ideal situation be? To have my fiber books and yarns and a small loom and a reading chair on one side of the spare bedroom. And to have a studio space somewhere close by, not more than a 10 minute drive away. Or to live somewhere that you can afford to have enough property that you could build a studio in the back yard. And I'd like to keep the AVL and the Louet and maybe add a Megado loom to the collection.

But the reality is....the stock options *are* wallpaper and I don't live in a place where I can afford an outside studio. So I keep dreaming and scheming. :-) And everywhere I go, I subconsciously evaluate the spaces I see as to how good a weaving studio they would make.

--Deanna

For a computer, one should use a power
strip that also has a surge protection built in, these are pricey little
puppies but worth the peace of mind;

Both my loom and the computer that drives it are on an uninterruptable power supply. These tend to cost over $100, but they are worth it, if you're in a thunderstorm area (as I am). You need to get a UPS that is geared to the power of the equipment you're going to plug into it (the people who sell them can usually help you on that). If the power goes out, your UPS gives you enough power to complete an orderly shutdown rather than having your equipment crash.

Ruth

hi all, could i have some help please? i am will be in the UK,s.e. of
London, sept. 10 to 24th. i would like to visit weaving, textile,
wooly places.
Any ideas, advice?
much thanks in advance
susan keating