bizzibee

The walls are going up in my new quilt studio. I would like to know what your thoughts are about designing it. What type of lighting would you have? I have NO windows. What type of storage would you recommend? Design wall? Best way to store things such as rulers, mats, etc. I would love to hear any tips or recommendations!

acjacques

There is a section under Forum for pictures and Mission organization - there are lots of articles and pictures showing great ideas for a quilt studio and/or sewing room.

HouseDragon

Quite by accident I discovered that having my design wall across the room from mirrored closet doors made catching errors easy. So if you decide to put in a big closet, get the sliding doors with mirrors and then place your design wall on the opposite side of the room.

I also have shelves that roll; all my stacks of containers have a rolling container on the bottom.

Really, really good lighting is important.

Hope this helps.

Terri D.

If you have no windows, I'd recommend a bright white paint for the walls to reflect as much light as possible. If the budget permits, install can lighting (using daylight bulbs) over the entire work area or put in a large color corrected (daylight) florescent light, asking for bulbs that don't hum. You might pay more for them, but it'll be worth it not to have that constant hum in the background. Supplement that with lots of task lighting at your machine, cutting and pressing stations if need be.

Fabric storage would depend on how dry or damp the space is, in addition to how prone it is for insects and other tiny unwanted critters to infiltrate and set up camp. Peg board is a nice option for tools like rulers, cutting mats, rotary cutters, templates, stencils and other items that you want within easy reach and/or that need to be stored flat.

Have fun setting up your space!

Cam's gram

I checked with our lighting store and the overhead fluorescent lights are the best for task lighting. My storage is open shelves in a storage room without any windows. We used the white covered boards and the side panels have predrilled holes every 2 inches with the plastic things (?) you insert like cabinet shelves so the shelves can be adjusted for how you use them. Don't go over four ft wide shelves or they need support. I also used two cube storage units from Lowe's for fat quarters on a shelf and wicker baskets. I did the comic board thing and acid free foam boards for larger pieces of fabric. If the hubby ever gets it finished, I'll post pictures.

Feathers-N-Fur

I love the track lighting DH put in my room, but 6 65 watt bulbs create a lot of heat. Air conditioning is a necessity with the lights and iron in the summer. Of course now there are LED bulbs, but that would be $90 just for the bulbs. I love that I can point each light where I want it. I have a small space, so we did 2 short tracks running parallel. I have a small task light by my sewing machine, but only need it when ripping tiny stitches. Otherwise my lights work perfect for me.

Doggramma

Hey, it sounds like my new space (won't get started until Jan. though) - in the basement, no window. I'm doing a giant 3' deep closet with 2 6-foot bifold doors for fabric and batting storage. And I'm doing a bunch of recessed lights, the kind that can be swiveled and pointed where I need them. For the design wall I think I'm going to use several foam insulation board (4x8' sheets) covered with flannel. Pegboard sounds like a good idea too for hanging rulers and other hangy things. The floor will be easy-to-keep-clean painted concrete. Luckily my contractor made a quilt studio for his mom and he had some ideas.

Have fun with your new quilty space. I hope it turns out wonderfully! Please share photos when it's done.

elizajo

You could set up a Pinterest Board and collect pics of sewing rooms, quilt studios, fabric storage, design walls, etc. The website houzz.com has a huge catalog of home photos with a great search engine, you can set up an IdeaBook there to collect ideas, too.

Even though I have lots of ideas, I don't have the space or the $$ have a large sewing space now, but I'll be ready if I suddenly find myself with more!

delma_paulk

While building be sure to add electric plugs EVERYWHERE.....You will not have too many. Some of mine are at seating level, just a bit above sewing table; makes it easier to plug and unplug. I have 2 or 3 on each wall and love them being there for convenience.

delma

TexasSunshine

I agree with delma_paulk, plugs and a lot of them, many at seating level. DH installed mine above the sewing table and put several on each wall, makes it very handy.