go for it.

The tribe has spoken-Go ahead and enjoy using your house.
Cindy

Go for it. If it makes you happy don't worry about anything else.

You would probably " live" in it more! Get a decorative screen if it is too close to the front door or to put up when company comes.

I would certainly do it if I had 'formals'. I think sometimes, if you don't use the formal rooms very often, then you're paying to heat and cool basically empty square footage. It's simply a wasted space, that costs you money. Once upon a time, these rooms were used a lot more than today. Today, they're simply not used that often for most families. In my mind, rather than pay to maintain wasted square footage, I'd use it! I think it's a wonderful idea. I have several friends who've done this also...and I would in a heartbeat if I had 'formals'...but alas, I only have an extra bedroom :)

Debbie in Austin

Go for it, it's your home and sewing makes you happy. My dining room holds my LA as hubby and I always eat in the kitchen. When we have company, it always ends up being in the kitchen.

I say run with it.

Seldom today do you find many "traditional" rooms in a house such as a sitting room, aka living room. Most homes have eliminated it entirely at least here in the south where I live.

Folks have more of an entertainment room with TV's, entertainment centers of one sort or another, and many don't even have traditional dining rooms either but have a dinette set in there kitchen.

As a matter of fact what use to be our sitting room/living room is now the entertainment room and my dining room is now one of my computer/craft room where I cut things with my die cutting machines and do my internet stuff. I still have the dining room set but it's right up to the bay window and my toys are on it. The chairs are lined up on both sides of the walls.

I have a separate room for my sewing and screen printing and a small bedroom I converted into my stamping and printing room.

I still have two full size bedrooms with two baths and another room that was suppose to be the garage but opted to have it as a room to store my small appliances, and an extra frig and full size freezer.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN and comfortable for you and since your hubby suggested it I'd run with it.

Sounds like a good idea to me. I turned my living room into my bird room. It has the most windows and the parrots get lots of light. I took up the carpeting and am installing tile flooring soon.

What she said!

We did that in our former house...just made more sense for us to use the largest room in the house for a shared hobby room. A spare bedroom became the TV Room and was more cozy than a big living room. We installed overhead lighting. Never regretted it.

That sounds like a great idea to me :)

I use my master bedroom and if my DH and I didn't play dueling TV sound, I'd kick him out of the front room (which is really the formal dining room) and take it over.

My thought--GO FOR IT!

Sandy

What a great hubby!!! Go for it! Formal living and dining rooms are outdated in my mind. You pay a lot of money for that real estate-make use of it. If it's open to view when you walk in you might want to put french doors with frosted glass to hide the clutter or one of those "barn doors".

If you have much company they will think you are nuts. Having said that it is your house and you should be comfortable. Sounds good to me.

I converted a loft area and have absolutely no regrets. I think my biggest concern was looking messy and cluttered. There are so many ways to "dress up" our sewing areas. I repurposed a kitchen island that had lots of drawers as my new cutting table. I love all the storage. I converted a closet from clothes to lots of shelves. I found a pretty bookshelf for all my books and one for fabric on bolts. I utilize decorative boxes for scraps, extra notions, etc. All labeled. It takes a bit to organize everything but I have no qualms about anyone seeing my "mess". Good luck and you will be happy with your choice.

I have a craft studio but it is not very big. I do all my sewing in there and we live and entertain in the den. We never use the living room, so when I purchased a machine quilting frame, I put it up in the end of the living room. We can still sit in there if we want to, but I now machine quilt there and use my studio for piecing and creating.

I have turned half of my living room into my sewing area. I have a camping table, cardtable, and over the bed tray table set up for sewing, cutting, pressing seams, working on computer, printing out patterns all together and I do not have to get out of sewing chair to do any of this. Also do not feel isolated from what is happening in house, neighbor hood, city, state, world. All at my finger tips.

GO FOR IT!!!

I think it's a great idea!
We recently took out single car attached garage out, and made it into a sewing room. Where the garage door was, we put windows. I do wish I had more room though. I don't think we ever have enough room.

I've used the Master Bedroom in two different places we lived. In both instances, they were on the ground floor (1 story bldg), had nice big windows with lots of sunshine and nice greenery outside to look at, and it sometimes seems like a waste to leave that beautiful room to just a few hours of sleeping when your eyes are closed and you aren't looking out the window anyway. An added bonus is if it has a nice "roomy" closet, and a bathroom adjacent - kind of like your oan little oasis. You're happy as a clam, everyone else is happy because you are, and it worked out great with lots of room - and of course, I kept it neat in case of company.
Marysewfun

I think it is a great idea. I have only one living room and my machine and cutting table are there. When I am sewing I can listen to TV and be with my husband. And it stays there when I have company. I also have a cutting table and my fabrics in a small guest room. Also, I have a friend who converted her "formal" living room into a craft room--complete with a sewing machine and three work tables. Why not use the space for something useful instead of letting it just sit relatively empty?

If we had a formal living room, we wouldn't use it as such...it would probably become a play room/sewing room. As of right now, that stuff is in our basement (play area and sewing space), and I would LEAP at the chance to get it out of the dungeon. lol So yes, I would absolutely do it!

Sewing is living, isn't it? go for it...you can always put up a screen, curtain or door to block from front door if needed...but I almost never use my front door, I come in through the garage! Sounds great...

I wish! My dream is to have a room that closes off from the rest of the house (9 cats and a chichuahua)so I can move my long-arm machine from the garage. I have a view of the lake from the living room and would be nice to quilt in there. I also have a view from the garage, but when it's 120 degrees, I have to close the door and run the A/C. I actually turn it on when it hits 90.

go for it. my girlfriend took over her formal dinning room. took everything out and made a sewing room. her family was toooo big for it any way. 6 kids and 21 grands with another on the way.

I have used my living room for a couple of years because of health reasons. Unfortunately, we didn't have a den. The living room was long so I had about 12x20 space. It was fine for a while but then my stash kept intruding to other rooms. Thus my new chair lift and quilt room back upstairs.

I do believe that if this is a room that it is unused, it will be fine for you. Especially if it had good light like mine did. Good luck. My new room has inspired me.

Great..do it!!!!

Sounds like a plan to me. Why let the room go to waste when you can be sewing in it. :thumbup:

I live alone, and have my sewing machine and cutting table in my living room. I can watch TV while I am sewing. And my front foor opens into my living room, but since the only company I have knoew my passion for sewing, it matters not! I LIVE in my living room! It is my house, after all. (I do share my house with my critters and we all co-exist.)

I would go for it. We turned my dinning room into my sewing room. It is in the front of the house and has a fantastic view from the large window. It really worked when my daughter wanted the dinning room furniture. I told her she had to take all the china and silverware that went with it. She was happy and I was glad to get rid of stuff that was never used and only took up space. I now have a sewing room with my computer, bookcases for my fabrics and stash and a desk for my Brother Quattro (embroidery/sewing machine). What luxury!!

Sounds like a great idea to me! I'd do it!!

What a generous offer! Obviously your DH is very supportive of your quilting hobby! It sounds like you are empty nesters. Your home is your castle! Do as you please! It works great for the people that it is important with!

Yep, I am gonna do it. Started the cleaning out of all the nooks and crannies that constantly collect "stuff", books, patterns, tools which I have doubles of, other craft items, and you all know the rest (stuff we will never use), however, I have become a fabric collector (what is it they say "you exchange one addiction for another". I am so excited about this. THANKS for all these supportive reviews. I did not start this question but I am in for the progress.
Connie

That is a good idea. I don't care what a room is called by society as long as one enjoys that space then all the better. In other words it is a great idea.

Wow - I'm surprised at how many of you have already done this.

DH is very supportive although I am headstrong and pretty much do whatever I want. But it will impact him so I'm glad it was HIS idea.

However...last night he told me that the "condition" is that I paint the room. The room has been patiently waiting for its turn in the painting queue and DH has become impatient. Well...nothing good comes without a price, does it?!?!?!

Thanks everybody!

Painting is so easy if you have never done it and are wondering. I like to paint so if my wife says she wants to change a color in a room I get er done.

The idea sounds wonderful to me. Wish I had a spare living room, I certainly would make good sewing use of it. You are very fortunate and have a great supportive husband!

I would do it!! I have a quilter friend who has done just that and it works perfectly for her because, like you, she has a family room that they use all the time.

Yes I did it just last month! Best thing I've done for this never-used room in our house - I absolutely love the space and light it gives me for quilting and other craft projects.

I say go for it!