On the morning of January 21st, I received a call from a dear friend Amy that my Crafted Spaces studio in Orillia, Ontario was on fire. My husband Don and I quickly headed out of the house and drove to my studio at 5 Peter Street South. On the way, I expected that there might be some loss with smoke damage; but I was praying for the possibility of salvaging some items. Upon arriving in Orillia, it was clear from the large, bellowing smoke that my worst fears were a reality.

The roads were blocked off around the area, which was needed for safety, but made it impossible to know what was going on. We were finally able to find parking, and it was clear that the gravity of the situation was beyond words. Don and I met Amy and her partner, who had been keeping us updated on the events. We later spoke with someone on the scene that confirmed the entire building was engulfed in flames.
This beautiful space was my studio from the end of 2020. It was a creative space, home-schooling art room, and an important part of my business. Over the past year, our in-studio classes were hosted at my home studio in Oro-Medonte. The Orillia location was where 90% of the supplies, and a majority of the equipment were stored. We recently moved more items into the studio to sort through and organize. The studio is where I worked on new projects, planned class kits, and prepared for the classes I teach. It was a bright and beautiful space to create. We had made plans, and we were organizing the space to start classes in the spring, along with the creation of a textile art incubator.
Words do not begin to express the heartbreak, and disappointment I now feel. My heart aches for my fellow tenants, business owners, and members of the community who have been displaced. I extend my love and best wishes to everyone who have been directly, or indirectly impacted by this tragedy. This was a beautiful, historic building that was home to so many amazing and creative businesses over the years. It will always hold a place in the hearts of so many people.
I greatly appreciate all the love and support people have shared in the past few days. The overwhelming amount of support is helping me work through my grief, and the mixture of emotions. I have been asked how people can help us at this time. I will first like to say that so many of you have already gone above and beyond to assist us. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.
Below I have prepared a list of things that we need to rebuild our business. There is also an overall list of items we have lost. There were several collections that were collected over the span of thirty years that cannot be replaced. I cannot quantify the value of many of the items lost. Below is a list of items I hope to replace over time.
Priority Supplies List
- Muslin (Unbleached Cotton Fabric)
- Quilting Cotton
- Tracing Paper
- Batting
- Jersey Knit Fabrics
- Interlocking Knit Fabric
- Power Knits
- Fold Over Elastic
- Cotton Canvas or Denim
- Aida Cloth
- Monk Cloth
- Yarn
- Felt
- Stuffing
- Sewing and Textile Art Books (to restock our student reference library)
To support our sustainability efforts; salvaged, thrifted, or remnant items are a priority vs. purchasing new items where possible. If you have items from your personal stash, or items you were already planning on donating; we will welcome these items. If you will like to donate any of these items to my studio, please email us at create@craftedspaces.com.
We also need several larger items. If you know anyone that has these items available for sale on Facebook Market Place, Kijiji or otherwise, please let us know.
Items Wanted (for purchase)
- Sewing Machines (table top)
- Industrial Sewing Machine
- Silk Screening Supplies and Equipment
- Weaving Supplies
- Used or Vintage Storage Unit or Shelving
List Of Items Lost
Materials
- Cotton Flannel
- Cotton Twill
- Cotton Prints
- Aida Cloth (on bolts)
- Huck Embroidery Fabric
- Monks Cloth
- Jersey Knits
- Interlock Knits
- Power Knits
- Sweatshirt Knits
- Quilting Cottons (bolts and fat quarters)
- Linen
- Silk (including vintage pieces)
- Wool (mostly vintage)
- Lace (mostly vintage)
- Galloon Lace
- Lace Mesh
- Fold Over Elastic
- Sewing Notions
- Embroidery Thread and Supplies
- Vintage Buttons
- Vintage Sheets and Pillowcases (for repurpose projects)
Equipment
- 5 Singer Sewing Machines
- Singer Industrial Machine
- Silk Screen Machine
- Sewing Sears
- Cutting Mats
- Steamer
- Pressing Iron
Other
- Shelving
- Work Table
- Cutting Table
- Drafting Tools
- Books
- Camera Rigging
- Photo Props
- Personal Items
* Please note that this is an in progress list, which I will update as things come to mind.
If you have read through this post, thank you for making it to the end. Please consider sharing this post and our business with others. You can also support us by following us on social media @craftedspaces (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Linkedin)
Love and immense gratitude from myself and the Crafted Spaces family ❤️
Links: News coverage of the fire in Orillia – LEARN MORE
So much loss!!! My heart truly goes out to you. Starting a new business is tough enough but loss do to fire is devastating. I’ll be checking what I have left of fabric sa.ple books which I couldn’t just discard. If you’re at all interest in such.fabric sample books please feel free to email me.
Thank you so much for reaching out. I will email you to follow up, and learn more.