I’m sure every craft business owner dreams of the perfect studio space, with enough workspace, storage, daylight and even a wonderful view – why not? That has certainly been my dream as Tilly & Puffin has gradually outgrown its HQ in a small boxroom.
I have a plan for a new workspace in the future, but in the meantime I decided to convert our little caravan into a sewing space.
Our Abi Ace Globetrotter is from the early-1980s. We bought it about twelve years ago, updated the very brown original interior and beige exterior with new paint and upholstery, and took it for some lovely camping trips around County Kerry. Sadly it’s no longer roadworthy and over the last few years it had become a storage area filled to the ceiling with clutter – you could barely get through the door! I’ve had a couple of caravan sewing spaces before so I knew I could put it to better use.
After a huge clear-out it became obvious that rain had been getting in at one of the front corners, and had rotted some of the wooden frame, so the first job was to fix the leak. It can be very difficult to find where water is getting into a caravan, as it often runs down inside the sloping roof and appears somewhere else! We applied silicon sealant along the roof seams, followed by waterproof butyl tape. This fixed one of the leaks, but after several typical Irish downpours, there’s still some water coming in lower down in the corner. The rest of the caravan is in much better condition, so as the water damage is confined to a small area and the ceiling is fine, I’ve decided to carry on and move in while continuing to try and locate the leak.
I made a layout on graph paper to plan how to use the space. I need an area for the new sewing machine with an ironing board, space for cutting out, and lots of storage for felt, fabrics, patterns and other materials. The caravan has plenty of built-in cupboards and shelves which will work well for all the small bits and pieces.
It would have been nice to remove the old seating/bed bases which had already been repaired by the previous owner, but caravans quickly lose their structural strength if you remove built-in elements, and we get strong winds here! I had to find a way to fit work benches above these wooden bases. IKEA came to the rescue with affordable tabletops which can be put in place temporarily and reused in a future space.
The kitchen area is the right height for a standing workbench, and the oven will be removed to create an extra cupboard. At the rear there will be a right-angled bench for the sewing machine area.
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