weezie

I do have my sewing/quilting in 2 different rooms and on 2 different floors. At one time, I had a 12' quilt frame (& sewing machine) in an entirely different basement room, but had to give that up for a son returning home to live. Upstairs is machine sewing/machine embroidery and pressing/ironing. Downstairs is everything else ... cutting, storage, serging, quilting ... by machine and by hand. The setup works well for me and I need the exercise going up and down the stairs (because, unfortunately, our exercise equipment rarely gets used).

Barb in Louisiana

I love the full size newspaper idea. That would work very well for me.

From all the conversation I am seeing, sounds like the issue is more the desk and the work that needs to get done early in the morning. Start with the most important thing that needs to be moved, then think about what should go next. For me, I use 2 rooms - one with my sewing machine, a small cutting board for last minute trims or squaring, and an ironing board and the other room has my stash and my larger cutting area. It does have a couple of sewing machines that I rarely use. When I do need to use them, I swap out the sewing machines and move the one I am working with to the smaller area.

Just think about.... what goes together? What do you really need in each area to function well? In no way would I ever move out of an area with bathroom in it to use it only for sewing. But that's just me. I don't go to my stash after I get a project in the sewing mode, so I don't need it where I sew. I do all my cutting up front, so I don't need my larger cutting board where I sew. It all comes down to how you function in your area(s) and what you can work out.

Good luck!

Karen G

I think tessagin has a great idea, you may find that the larger of the two smaller rooms has more room than you think! It will be much larger when you take out all of the current furnishings.

w1613s

Morning. Not so much to say about the size of my quilting room but the use of the vertical space in the quilting room is really important and often forgotten.

When you are thinking about "which" to move into, do consider the up space. And remember that a goodly number of pieces of furniture, etc. can be stacked. Voila, lots more room. And there are new hangers out there that can be used without putting holes in walls. And sometimes husbands can be convinced into making heavy duty, large, vertical storage that will do just exactly what you need to have storage do.

I have two: one for my big desk, three printers, paper storage, computer books, etc., etc. That one goes to the 8' ceiling in his office. The other, similar measurements, is in my sewing room. Two sewing machines and their cabinets (I regularly use these so the first vertical shelf is placed so I do not hit my head on it) sit under it and all my odd sewing supplies go on the shelf above in plastic bins. To the ceiling also.

None of this is beautiful but very functional. And you can hang lights, notes, works in progress, etc. off the husband created vertical space.

Enjoy figuring out your new sewing room. Happiness is enough space. I wish it for you.

Pat

callen

I use 2 rooms & this is what I have: B'room #1 - My 3 sewing machines are in there + my serger & 2 cabinets for various sewing things (lots of sewing things !!) + I use the double closet for storage for books etc.
B'room #2 is my cutting & pressing room. I find that makes me get up often & that's good for my ailing back. Sitting for too long is not good for it. I have a sofa bed in there too so space is at a premium. It also holds a cabinet for sewing fabric (not quilting fabric) & the double closet is for extra clothes + all my quilting fabric.

ShirlinAZ

How about downsizing some of your furniture! Do you really need a large computer desk to "work from home often", or could you "work" at a smaller desk and use the large desk for cutting and sewing? Just something to consider.

Gabrielle's Mimi

Could you knock down the wall between the two rooms and make one larger room? You could put a Murphy bed or a sleep sofa at one end to accommodate your son when he visits. No matter how much space you have for sewing, it's never enough!

MargeD

I think I would take over the larger of the two bedrooms for your desk as well as your sewing table and machine. This way you can leave your projects "mid-stream" without having to put them away so you could pick up where you left off. While you might not be able to put everything in your room, I would start with the basics and keep the rest in your bedroom which you say is very large.

RedGarnet222

My sewing desk is an "L" shaped one and I also use it for cutting and a flat small design "wall". This gives it a duel function and gives more space to work with in my room. Consider using other pieces as duel function and see what you can come up with. I love the wall cabinets hubby added to my sewing room for storage. Kinda like cabinets in your kitchen, could you live with out the upper ones? Now I certainly can't ever give up my upper sewing cabinets. They have become something I have to have.

M cubed

When my youngest son moved out I took over his room as my sewing room - HA! I already had too much stash for the room, so it became my personal quilt shop and I moved my sewing machine back out to the dinning room table. This has actually worked well for me as it forces me to GET UP and move around (not so good for the carpet in the hall that is starting to wear thin).