opinion please
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Walton Hills, OH
Posts: 828
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Checked Hobby Lobby online and there weren't any window framed mirrors, but check:
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=window...=most_relevant
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=window...=most_relevant
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Augusta, Maine
Posts: 363
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My husband got me new lights at lowes. 69.00. They are really nice and led lights. I had shop lights for years but they kept fluttering or burning out. However make sure you get the ones that say daylight or bright white otherwise they are too dull for a sewing room. painted my walls white and hung wall hangings and bright pictures from a quilting calendar.
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2,222
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I was just wondering how many of you have your sewing studio in your basement. Also how many of you do not have windows in your basement area? I am going to need to set up an extra area in my basement and wondered how to make it more cheery. I have my main sewing up area in a small extra room up stairs. But will need a larger area for quilting and storage. So this is why I need the space in the basement. My basement is very dry so there is no moisture problem.![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
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#35
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
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When we still lived in our house, I had a sewing area set up in the basement, but since we had a raised ranch, I had 3 full size windows, since the basement was only half underground. I had lots of light, even when we put in an A/C unit, lots of space and could look outside to watch the kids play in the street and see the world go by. I really, really miss it, especially my former dining room/kitchen table which was huge with all the leaves in it. Boy I miss that table, it was great for sewing, I had plenty of room to support the quilt when quilting, and a great space for cutting and sandwiching quilts. If you don't have decent size windows, then I would paint the walls a light color, set up a wall as a design wall for your quilts and add great posters to look at on the wall, plus I'd leave room for a portable TV, so if you are into Soaps, you won't miss them while quilting.
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Littlefield, TX, USA
Posts: 1,077
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Get a shadowbox frame...put a night light (single light from a Christmas candle) inserted in the back...attach a pretty poster of an outdoor scene to the glass...when lit, it will look like the outdoors...you can also buy these already made...much more fun & less costly to do yourself. Even an old window, with separated panes of glass will work...just add a strip of wood around the back of the frame (does not have to go all around, you can leave part of the top and bottom open. You just need enough room to insert the light so it does not touch the print.
#37
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These ideas sound awesome. I sew in my basement, but it's unfinished and kinda dusty. I keep stuff covered but it's big and I have cable tv down there. It's also nice and cold in the summer, but it's also pretty cold in the winter too.
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Seattle
Posts: 695
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My studio is in our basement, too. We have a daylight basement, which means it's about half underground (in the front) and opens to the back yard. It is in the mostly-unfinished portion of the basement, with the wreckroom (family room) taking up 2/3 of the lower level. There is one small window at the ceiling over my cutting table and a regular sized window at the other end of the room in the laundry area. When I'm working in there I'm usually so engrossed in what I'm doing I don't notice windows (or lack thereof). We do have good lighting from one end to the other.
I'd love to paint the concrete floor someday, but it's OK for now. I do plan to hang some fabric "walls" in front of the under-stair storage, which will both lighten that area and, since I will sew pockets on it, I'll have some storage for extra notions.
Sometimes I get envious of those who have beautiful big windows and walls in their studios, but then I remind myself that I am very blessed to have the space I do have. Many have to scrounge a corner of a room or put their machines on kitchen or dining room tables and haul stuff around every time they want to sew. I'm somewhere in the middle and am happy, happy, happy.
I'd love to paint the concrete floor someday, but it's OK for now. I do plan to hang some fabric "walls" in front of the under-stair storage, which will both lighten that area and, since I will sew pockets on it, I'll have some storage for extra notions.
Sometimes I get envious of those who have beautiful big windows and walls in their studios, but then I remind myself that I am very blessed to have the space I do have. Many have to scrounge a corner of a room or put their machines on kitchen or dining room tables and haul stuff around every time they want to sew. I'm somewhere in the middle and am happy, happy, happy.
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Broadway, Shenandoah Valley, VA
Posts: 478
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I was just wondering how many of you have your sewing studio in your basement. Also how many of you do not have windows in your basement area? I am going to need to set up an extra area in my basement and wondered how to make it more cheery. I have my main sewing up area in a small extra room up stairs. But will need a larger area for quilting and storage. So this is why I need the space in the basement. My basement is very dry so there is no moisture problem.![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
I needed more room since I saw that I was collecting a lot of extras, so these past several weeks I converted our gas furnace/water purifying system) room to an overflow room. It is right next door to the bedroom/sewing studio. We painted the one block wall with a sealer/primer paint, as well as the other walls of sheetrock. Pure white. DH put up pure white fluorescent fixtures, the light vinyl floor was scrubbed with chlorine bleach solution. A very bright room, nothing fancy but lots of storage. There's a de-humidifier in there going all the time during this summer weather. There are two movable shelving systems holding UFOs, scraps of different sizes, all Batik, flannels, specialty fabs, knitting yarns, and on and on. I even moved the storage stacked drawers which hold notions to that new room. All plastic bins are labeled. This room isn't heated, but I don't intend to be in the room for any amount of time other than to get one thing or another. It's not a fancy finished room, but it's bright, clean and it gives me so much extra space to store ONLY sewingknitting supplies. I was able to downsize a lot of unnecessary items and store all Christmas and seasonal stuff in the garage. It was a big job, but now the sewing room is tidier and more conducive to a spare bedroom. I can see what I have, too. Good luck! I'm sure you'll be amazed at what extra room you can find and arrange.
Last edited by angelarose; 08-11-2014 at 11:03 AM. Reason: PS. My new storage room doesn't have any windows, but the bright lights make it bright and inviting!
#40
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Kansas
Posts: 67
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I also have my sewing /quilting rooms in the basement. I have the walls painted light cheery yellow and put up 2 48" shop lights with daylight bulbs over my quilting area, as well as over my sewing area. Plenty of light.
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