When my husband and I began looking for our second home 13 years ago we had a few things on our list of requirements. We wanted something bigger that we could raise a family in, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, living, kitchen and laundry. He wanted a garage that he could convert into a music room/man cave. I wanted a second living space I could turn into a sewing room/studio and a large garden.
After a lot of looking, we found a two story house that met our needs. The garden wasn’t huge, but was largely flat with different spaces. It had a lovely sun-filled rumpus room perfect for my studio and a garage for Tim and it had all the other rooms we required. The downside was it was a township over from where we were, but we were willing to overlook that. So we put in an offer which was accepted, ordered a pest and building inspection, then went to Port Douglas for a wedding and waited on the report.
While waiting at the airport to come home we still hadn’t heard anything on the inspection and my husband was looking at alternative properties, which I thought was silly because we had decided on this one. Tim though seemed to have in that moment a sixth sense that this house might fall through and he showed me a house in the town we lived in that looked really good. Turns out it was a good thing he kept looking because a couple days later the pest and building report came in with red flags all over it. We immediately pulled out of the sale and Tim organized to view the other property he had found. After a little bit of to-and-froing with another interested buyer, we secured the property, the report was clear and we purchased our second home, a split level brick house, with all the rooms we needed, garage, space for a sewing room and a large garden.
Empty Studio before setting up
In May 2013, seven months after our wedding, we packed up our first small home and moved 1.6km, into our new home. Five months later, our township including the street we moved into was devastated by a huge, fast moving bushfire. The fire would destroy approximately 203 homes, with many hundreds more damaged. Fortunately no lives were lost.
In our new street alone we lost around eight homes, including two of our neighbors. Somehow we came out of that terrible day largely unscathed with just damage to our colorbond fences and a burnt backyard. You really see the best of people and just how resilient a community can be when you go through something like that.
When we moved in we had two priorities; Tim sound proofed the garage and set up his drum kits and man cave, and I began setting up my studio. A few Ikea shopping trips for tables, drawers, cutting bench and drawers and I had a room where I could house my growing stash, work on projects and designs and have friends over to sip and stitch.
When I moved into my studio The Maker’s Stash didn’t exist and instead it was where I ran my first entrepreneurial business Miss Leela Handmade. I made quilts and decorations, crochet toys etc that I sold on Etsy and at local markets.
As with all spaces, my studio has grown and changed slowly over time. In 2018 my studio was featured in the inaugural issue of In Her Studio magazine by Stampington company. This magazine is still running today and is one of my favorites.
My studio space has really begun to fill up over the past two years as I’ve expanded The Maker’s Stash product offering to include more threads, fabric and vintage items. There is not a spare spot anywhere that doesn’t store stock or personal stash. You could say It’s at the point where it is bursting at the seems! I needed more space.
Studio Space April 2018
My Studio sits on the middle level of our house. The first level has the gargage and our small entrance foyer, then my studio and master bedroom sit on the middle level, and our kitchen, living, bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry and a formal dining space sit on the upper level.
Our formal dining room is a good sized room with a large window overlooking the back garden. When we moved in I bought a lovely big timber farmhouse style table to seat eight. I have had many plans over the years to decorate and style it, but it has remained un touched and un-used. I think in the past two years we have used it maybe three times to sit down for a meal.
The dining room is up a small flight of stairs from my studio, and overlooks my creative space — the perfect spot to grow my business into!
*Studio August 2025
*Studio August 2025
So one night I ran the idea past my husband, casually mentioning that I wanted to put some shelves up in the dining room to house my growing stock as I was running out of room. He was perfectly happy to do so, and so off I trotted to Ikea, wasting no time bringing home shelves and storage items to ‘set up’ my shop.
I didn’t want it to be just boxes of stock — I wanted it to echo my dream shop, a little glimpse of what my future bricks-and-mortar space might feel like, much like my stall at craft and quilt shows. While not everything can be on display, some treasures can shine.
*New Shop set up in dining room August 2025
The dining table has been pushed against the wall, and once I’m done with an upcoming quilt show and can put away my stall props (currently residing on top of it) I plan to decorate it with some props and samples. I want to paint the wall and display my collection of painted plates. I’m also on the hunt for a small vintage dresser to put where the teal kalax unit is.
Being in this new ‘shop space’ makes me so happy — it feels like I already own a little patchwork shop. And in a way, I do, with my online store. Even if I’m the only one who steps into this space, it feels like a real step toward the bigger dream of opening my bricks-and-mortar shop one day.
*New Shop set up in dining room August 2025
*New Shop set up in dining room August 2025
I know my studio will continue to change and evolve, and one day the dining room will return to being just a dining room. But for now, I am content and happy to potter my days away here, stitching, coming up with ideas, creating designs, putting together pretty packs and kits, cutting fabric and fulfilling orders.
I feel so blessed to have this space, somewhere to retreat to, relax in and follow my creative vision.
Thank you for visiting.
Happy Stitching,
Miss Leela x
*New Shop set up in dining room August 2025
P.S Watch a full video tour of my studio and new shop space below!