The New Studio!
Welcome to The New Dye Studio!
Well to be honest, it's my first ever work designated area that didn't also have to heavily overlap our personal life.
Created by Elsie B started while we were living in a variety of hotels through the Midwest - I think technically I dyed my first bit of fiber in some little tiny town in Iowa. I still remember the dark carpet of the stairwell and running up from the front desk with my first order of Jacquard dyes, moving on from the food coloring I'd started out with (BLESS those first customers for believing in me so readily when I had no idea what I was doing).
While this space isn't as large as my dream studio is, you'll hear zero complaints from me - I still have moments of surreality as I'm working in the space, that it's actually HERE after dreaming for so long.
I could talk for ages about everything that brought us to this point but I'm pretty sure you're just here for the pictures. So without further ado....
Upper Left photo: The entry to the studio - we went with a glass paned sliding barn style door. In the photo you can see the dye table (with totes on top of it) and get a peek at the drying rack with fiber hanging from it.
Upper Right photo: The left side of the studio includes where I store the ready to be dyed fiber as well as a 3 sink wet space & the food warmers I use to set the dyes (not visible in this shot). One question I got was if we have an exhaust fan, and the answer to that is yes, you can see it in the upper right corner of this photo.
Lower Left photo: The warming table. We inset the 3 food warmers I've used the past 6 years so they're near flush to the melamine surface. You can also see the storage space for totes under the table as well as the overflow dye shelves.
Lower Right photo: A closer look at the wet space - it's the standard commercial grade kitchen sink with 3 bays & faucet - we also added 2 additional faucets to one of the built-in metal counters of the sink.
Upper Left photo: A closer look at the two faucets we have for filtered water - the one in the foreground is an instant hot water faucet, the one in the background is cold water only. They both swivel to be able to fill containers in the sink or on the countertop.
Upper Right photo: The laundry spinner I use after rinsing fibers - for ease of access (ya girl is tall) it's set up from the floor on a bucket with a hose attached to divert water to the drain & we've bungee corded it to anchors on the wall to either side.
Lower Left photo: The back wall of the studio where my large dyes are stored & the drying rack begins. The dye storage is a place holder for the proofing ovens I plan to add to the studio as soon as the business has excess profit enough for the purchase (that's gonna be a fun addition!)
Lower Right photo: My dye mixing station. We built something similar in a previous set up, and it's so nice to have again!
Upper Left photo: The weighing station, where we take bumps of fiber and turn them into 4 oz pieces. My ball winder is currently attached to this table but who knows if that's where it will stay forever.
Upper Right photo: The right side of the studio includes the drying rack, the tying station (the closet rod), the weighing station, my desk & (out of view) the dye table.
Lower Left photo: This is the 4th iteration of my dye table & I have to say I really love it & couldn't do my work without this cool thing. You can see above it the totes from the first photo looking into the studio. And we upgraded from a single knife strip to two! I'll probably add two more to the warming table side too.
Lower Right photo: The desk I'm sitting at to write this post. Here's where I store shipping supplies and the thank you cards I'm writing to every customer who purchases in 2024.
And of course all of this looks so much more put together than it really is on a working day, but you know that right? There was a lot of forethought and planning and dreaming (the dude has been up in the middle of the night drawing out plans multiple times through the years) that went into this space & I can't wait to see how it allows Created by Elsie B to really flourish.
And if you've made it this far in the post, congratulations & thank you! I hope you loved this glimpse into what we've been up to for the last 6 months & I'd love to hear what you think.
Anyone who comments on this blog post will be entered to win 4 oz of a colorway of my choice. This giveaway is not affiliated with anyone and is solely hosted on the blog of CreatedbyElsieB.com. This giveaway is open to residents of the world that have an address the USPS system recognizes & closes February 12, 2024. The winner will be chosen via randomizer & the winning comment will be shared to social media as an announcement of who won. The winner will need to email hello@createdbyelsieb.com by February 19, 2024 to claim their prize or a redraw winner will be announced on February 20th.
Comments
Wow, gorgeous space, I am so happy for you and can’t wait to see your gorgeous new coils!
I love making needle felted animals with your lovely roving.
Good for you! It takes a lot of hard work to accomplish all of this. Thanks for creating such beautiful spinables.
Wow! The space looks so nice and most importantly… functional for you. Excited for you to have this dedicated space for your dyeing. <3
Such a gorgeous space. I know it’s been a long time coming and a lot of hardwork to get there. So happy for you!
Awesome!!! Looking forward to see your beautiful creations 💜💜💜💜💜
Wow! Congratulations on getting the new space set up. It looks like quite an undertaking! As a big fan of your work, I’m thrilled to see such an incredible investment in the future of Createdbyelsieb :)
Your studio looks great! I dyed a lot of fiber, yarn, and fabric when I was in college and I miss having access to a studio space like that. It was so fun!
Love seeing a behind the scenes view of your creative space! Such magic happens there!
It’s so great to see you in your new studio!! Love the pics. Looking forward to great things coming out of this workspace. 💗
I absolutely love your dyed fiber! The colors are so vivid and colorways are innovative and beautiful. Your fiber is a dream to spin. My favorite is the 18.5 micron Merino. It’s fun to see your custom built studio and I hope it will soon be filled with lots of orders! Thank you for your artistry.
The space looks like a dream come true. I’m glad it’s coming together so nicely. I just finished a pair of socks made with your fiber that I spun! I can’t wait to wear them!
I’m so happy for you, LeAndra! I think I must have ordered almost every color you’ve dyed and I know this has been a long time coming. Have so much fun!
That is such amazing news! You are such a talented artist, and your fibers spin up beautifully!
Your space looks beautiful! It must make you so happy to make this step with your business. I haven’t purchased from you yet, but I’m making plans to do so in the future when budgeting allows!