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Hobbyists create rooms in which to create.
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Imagine a room that is yours, all yours, a space devoted strictly to your favorite pastime.
A hobby room could be an enclosed porch that has been transformed into an art studio, a spare bedroom dedicated to jewelry making, a basement woodworking shop, or even an underutilized bath that has been repurposed as a crafting center, complete with running water.
Melody Layman, who sewed her first stitches at age 3, has dedicated the third floor of her Victorian-era townhouse in the Highlands section of Wilmington to sewing.
For 15 years, she sewed professionally, making costumes for the Delaware Theatre Company and other groups. Now, Layman sews for her own pleasure or to help friends.
In the sewing room, her expansive collection of fabrics is organized by color and stored in large, clearly labeled cardboard cartons on deep, floor-to-ceiling shelving. Spindles of thread are color-coordinated and mounted on pegs.
The centerpiece of the space is a large cutting table, 4 feet by 8 feet, that stands 40 inches tall, a more ergonomically friendly height than the standard 30-inch table top.
“It’s so much better for your back to cut on a tall table because you don’t have to hunch over,” she says.
The table is mounted on wheels and can be easily moved despite its bulk. The top is covered with brown craft paper.
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