BessVA

I have my primary machine on a table top resting on two 2-drawer filing cabinets. I constantly pull the machine to the front, then push it farther back! I guess it depends on what I'm feeling at the moment.

gardnergal970

I saw an idea on line where a lady took a thick sheet of insulation making it the height of her sewing machine deck, covered it with something smooth and then cut out the shape of her machine out of that. Cutting into an oak desk just somehow seems sacrilegious to me. You can't hardly find such a thing anymore!

Becka

Mine is on an old dining table, and sits at that height - works fine for me. I tend to move it around - forward to use it, push it back a little when I need more table in front of me to remove pins, clip chains, line up pieces, etc. Maybe sew a few experimental pieces and see what feels best for you?

mhansen6

I have a sewing table that is U shaped. On one side is my sewing machine and the other is my serger. I have a extention table for the freearm so I have a flat surface to sew on. This setup works great for piecing, but when I have the whole quilt to bind or quilt I move my machine to the dining room table so I have a large surface to work with.

vintagequilts

I use my ironing board. I have lowered it to chair height and turned it around so that the larger end is where I put my sewing machine. Then on the right side ( the pointed end of the ironing board) I have my iron for ironing as I piece my blocks. This works great for me!

Linda - K.

Check out Eleanor Burn's www.quiltinaday.com site as she has instructions on how to make a farm table into a sewing machine table. I don't know what her measurements are right now but saw the episode years ago when her son did this for her. It might help you and your husband decide what to do when it comes time to make that first cut!

ShirlinAZ

That's what I did. I reinforced the drawer so the machine sits in it with the harp flush with the desktop. That way I can pull the drawer out if I need to to clean around the machine or unplug the cord from the machine or whatever. Here are a couple of pictures.

pstrwife

I was at my machine this morning. I have a old singer cabinet thats allows me to put a portable New Home in the inset. There is a space about 5 inches from edge of cabinet to starting edge of machine. I push my chair as far in as my tummy allows. And this works well for me. My chair is adjustable for height so I sometimes adjust for regular or FMQ. Good luck. Let us know what you decide and pics too.

writerwomen

If I'm sewing seams it's not such a need to see exactly where the needle is piercing. If I'm doing intricate manuvers I have the machine right at the edge so I have a clear view of the nedle and where it will hit next.

SueSew

wow, what a great layout - you can go around and cut from the back or you can use the space to maneuver a big quilt! And the U shape give you more machines' space and storage.

My desk is an old office desk which doesn't have a center drawer and weighs a ton - it is 3' x 5'-6" and I have it shoved up against a window. If it stuck out into the room (I don't know if I have the space) it would be way more useful.

Thanks for a great idea!