The sewing island

No, this is not desert island sewing.  This is the multi-tasking kitchen island that also serves as my cutting table.  The island's countertop uses up nearly an entire 55"x120" Cambria quartz slab.

Because I work with stripes and remnants often, I cut single-layer.  A WIDE cutting surface was on my wish list.  If I'm working on a small project, I only need to use the side facing the living room.  Bad Dad chops veggies on the corner near the stove; the trash can pulls out right underneath that corner.   We put in Cat 6 data ports on the HVAC column to the right so Iris can sit on a bar stool and surf the web on the other side.

The cutting surface is almost a little bit too big.

My cutting tools and art supplies reside in the right cabinet.  Sewing WIPs, occasional-use serving dishes and a few overflow patterns reside in the left cabinet.  The drawers on the left were designed to hold china.  But, since Bad Dad and Iris are still using our wedding china in LA, and Bad Dad accidentally left my mother's china (which she gave to me when she downsized) in our garage in LA, I have no china in Boulder.

There is no point in buying good dishes when some will eventually make their way to this kitchen.  In the interim, I eat on thrifted or hand-me-down dishes, which fit in the glass-front cabinets over the dishwasher.  Hmm, I wonder if patterns would fit in the drawers?

Pattern drawer for large Vogue designer pattern envelopes.

The top drawer is a little bit deeper than the bottom one, so I put the taller ones up top.

Shallower drawer holds smaller form-factor patterns.

I had to remove the peg drawer insert panel because I needed every bit of depth.  Our architect/GC saw the Simplicity patterns and told me that his mother was a Home Ec teacher and his father was VP of printing operations for Simplicity Patterns.  He saw the divine intervention of his departed father in the sizing of those drawers.  ;-)

Everything fits perfectly--as long as I don't buy any more patterns.  If I buy one, I have to chuck one. But, I'll never part with any of my vintage Issey Miyake patterns.  Yipes, I already showed IM coveters on the interwebs where I live.  I'm going to have to buy a fireproof safe for those collectible patterns.  If you search for IM patterns from the 1980s on eBay, you know that I need to find a safer place for those.

* The kitchen is not yet done.  I'm using a loaner range while waiting for my back-ordered range.  The final counter section will be installed after the permanent range arrives.  We're also waiting for the false door panels to complete the island.  I'll post more complete photos when it's done.